Embark day remains crazy, some crazier than others. Last night we said farewell to our manager who had been looking after us for the past two months, this morning we get new management, new guests, new team members, new roommates, new everything…
It always takes us a while to adjust to each other when new people come; and when you’re the one joining mid-way it’s like trying to figure out your role in a play that’s already in progress!
Still, we all have our routines on embark day. I sleep in the mornings, always. I’ll trade away almost any IPM port so that I can have Vancouver mornings off. The only day where I can just sleep till I wake up. Amras gets up early to go into town for internet and such, but I don’t even stir until 10am…
It’s only a 7 hour day, but once it starts it doesn’t stop. Lunch simply doesn’t happen, unless you eat in the half-hour before drill…which is usually the only real option.
Most of the day for me is spent answering questions about the internet system, which I have become startlingly good at since they dropped it on me what feels like years ago (though in reality it was only a year and a half ago I suppose). But at the end of the day your voice is still hoarse and your slugging back Earl Grey with lemon to keep the laryngitis at bay.