Day 3- October 13 '11

Day 3

Everyone’s tons of bags got loaded on the hotel shuttles and we were headed back to Raytheon for a half day of classes. We would be leaving at noon to go to Denver airport for our flight to LAX. Fortunately for us and other airport personnel, Raytheon has a dedicated counter at American Airlines for Antarctica deployments. It went very smoothly and I did not get charged for my 3^rd bag. BONUS! And thank goodness for luggage carts. I would have been lost and continuously and tremendously  struggling.

Everything went smoothly to LAX. We had about 5 or 6 hours of downtime until our flight, but most used this time to call and talk to family, get acquainted with more people or nap. I did the first 2. I still am struggling with overwhelming sadness and homesickness that is very uncharacteristic of me. Jerry does his best to help shake me out of it, but it still lingers.

I met an IT tech headed to the Ice named Dennis. This was his 12^th season. He was very helpful in explaining the next stages and what to expect. Like most veterans to the Ice, he was looking out for us newbies and making sure we all got to where we were going. I felt fortunate to have his guidance.

While waiting for our flight, a group of us were all congregating in a group and Newt Gingrich came up to us to ask what organization (we obviously looked like we were in one) we were with. When we told him we were going to Antarctica, he thanked us for our support of the scientists here and to have a safe and fun trip and wished us good luck. Newt Gingrich? Really? I sat in LAX for 5 hours and the only recognizable personality I saw was Newt Gingrich? No actors, no musicians, just Newt Gingrich. Thanks so much LA.

Another awesome girl I met was Tricia M. We were known shortly after as Tricia 1 and Tricia 2. We spell our names the same and neither are PAtricia.  We and Dennis decided to grab a bite at the Chili’s down the hall. A little mousy girl who looked to be 13 asked to tag along. I asked Tricia M what the girl’s name was and she told me ‘Charlotte’. Henceforth, I called this girl Charlotte. Later, sitting in a group, I was trying to get her attention. I kept calling her Charlotte and she either was ignoring me or didn’t hear me. She finally turned around and asked if I was talking to her. It was hours later that she finally told me her name was Chelsea- not Charlotte. I felt stupid but she was a nice kid and said it was no problem.