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Dancing with Penguins
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Here I stand At the extremity of the earth, Latitude 660 south, Winter solstice. I celebrate the end of long nights, The return of sunlight, And my own courage In being here, My first Antarctic Winter. See my dress, How it floats and twirls. Warm enough inside With a conditioned 180 C. Me, the biologist. I count penguins, Births and deaths, How many eggs turn into chicks. I collect their poo, At first gingerly, Now, I don’t even hold a hand to my nose. Inside the splattered threads I find a diary of Krill lunches. I see the history of the wind In the fanning of their excrement, For penguins always face into the wind. Little tasks, But so important. An indicator of the health Of our Southern Oceans; The health of the earth. So today I celebrate. Though I cannot see, In this dim twilight, The stunning blue Of calving ice, Nor the vast white expanse Of untouched land, My heart remembers. And today In a fit of bravery I open the door To minus 200 cold, Still in my dress, Shoulders bare. Today I dance with penguins. My breath forming icicles, My skin turning red, Not quite hypothermic. I laugh, I cry. For here at the extremity of the earth I feel the extremity of being; The extremity of self. Here I stand, The one on the left In the photo.
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The clothing you will need for an Antarctic winter includes: 1 parka, winter, kangaroo pocket 1 trousers, windproof 1 vest, dacron/down 1 jacket, polar fleece 1 trousers, working woollen 1 trousers, polar 3 overalls, combination 1 overalls, freezer 1 shirt, Polartec 1 sweater, heavyweight, wool 2 shirt, woollen, heavy 2 vest, synthetic 2 trousers, underwear, synthetic 1 Mukluk 2 Mukluk, inner felt 2 Mukluk insole, felt 2 Mukluk, insole mesh 1 boots, Bison, safety toe 1 boot, liners, felt 1 boot, leather, soft toe 1 boots, safety, leather 2 insole, mesh 6 socks, Explorer 1 mittens, sledging 1 mittens, working Goretex 1 gauntlet, ski 3 gloves, woollen 2 gloves, leather lined 1 gloves, Riggers 2 gloves, Manzella 2 gloves, polypropylene 2 gloves, fingerless 2 wristlets, wool 1 tie, Antarctic 1 cap, logo 1 badge, cloth 1 cap, sledging 1 balaclava, polar fleece 1 headband 1 glacier glasses 1 snow goggles 1 neck gaiter, polar fleece 1 snowseal 2 bath towels 1 kitbag 1 kitbag, survival 1 ANARE Field and First Aid Manuals 1 glasses, tinted, safety 1 boot chains
This piece was inspired by “the women of Béchervaise Island” - biologists and technicians involved in the study of a penguin colony of 4,000 Adelie penguins on an island 2 km North of Mawson Base in Antarctica.
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