Lucy Jance Bledsoe
>Sailing to Antarctica
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Lucy Jane Bledsoe “Finding Myself in Antarctica” @ Gay and Lesbian Review Worldwide:
I’m on a ship, a small one built for the rigors of icy seas, not for transporting people comfortably, and so as it rocks and rolls, dips and surges, so does my stomach. We’re riding 25-foot waves, and explosions of salt water are smashing against the small porthole of my cabin. Eventually we get to our destination, where I’m unloaded with the rest of the cargo and a few other people. Here I am, at a station in Antarctica where I’ll be living for a couple of months with a group of scientists and their support staffs.
At least that’s the plan. I settle in. I make sure I come out to everyone, casually referring to my girlfriend back home—you know the drill—so that I can be myself. I make every effort to fit into the station, taking my turn scrubbing kitchen mats and going to movie night.
Read Full Post | Make a Comment ( None so far )A few days into my stay, another ship arrives with a team of paleontologists who want to look for dinosaur bones on an island off another shore of the continent. Logistical complications change the ship’s schedule, and my ride back to the tip of South America is canceled. My choices are to stay at the station for the entire season—four more months—or join the paleontologists on their expedition and ride home with them in six weeks. I choose the second option.
altimoniere 