Sunday & Monday, December 24-25, 2000 - Christmas Eve and Christmas
Sunday
Today is quiet for several reasons. Sunday is a day off and people are preparing for our Christmas Eve feast. The usual dress scheme at the pole is the government-issued clothes. The clothes are very warm and practical. However, everyone looks the same. The only way we can tell our red jacket from the others is for our nametag on the front. Tonight is different. We wear our usual clothes. One person wore a tux; several women wore evening dresses. The dining hall, normally a fairly rustic room became elegant with candles, decorations, and cloth tablecloths. The food and wine were lavish. In the picture, you can see us as we line up for our dinner of roast beef. Some of my AMANDA colleagues are sitting down in the upper right corner.
To show what our area looks from the backside, I have taken a picture from behind the Dome. You can see the industrial area. This is the path that I take to get to my room in Summer Camp. In the foreground you can see the pallets of material needed for construction. The arched buildings are for the shop people to work. They provide a windless path for us to reach the dome. On the right, you can see a cylindrical tower emerging from the ice. This will be the transition from these buildings to the new South Pole Station. You can see the iron skeleton to the left of the dome. When the South Pole Station is finished, the industrial buildings will remain. They will be covered with snow. However, the dome will be dismantled. When asked why the dome will be removed, we were told that its architecture would clash with the new building.
Monday
The race around the world started this morning. Where else can you run two miles and transverse the world three times? People skied, ran, walked, took a snow mobile. There was even a snow boarder pulled by the snow mobile. In the picture, you can see that even a penguin participated. My plan was to do the first polar triathalon. I skied the first lap and then quickly changed to my boots, I ran (did a lot of walking) for the second. I was supposed to pick up a bicycle to finish the race, but someone took my prearranged bike. So, I had to settle for another lap of running. After the race, the winners were announced and we received the customary tee-shirts.
Fortunately, Santa Claus visited my room today. I looked out at midnight and it was still bright, but somehow he left me with two presents.
Merry Christmas,
Howard Matis
South Pole