dear diary
Between dark brown mountains and complete ice. a couple of things are clear.
That man is far from home and that even technology is not strong enough to
make this place home, because the elements grow more hazardous than
technology does invent itself.
Be as it may, being here does not take me far from comfort, it makes me
completely humble to each movement I make. To each feeling of warmth and
each smile or good feeling you get from your fellow expeditioners.
The team here is one and actually can not be split by political and social
differences. We share the same bathrooms, showers, food space and
bedrooms. Even more, is that the condition groups you together
automatically, like a penguin colony in a storm. Because of this, my
afrikaans speaking has really improved and if I can say it now, that I
have never been in such diversity of people and age difference for a
while.
We have been blessed to take out the Well of Fire from container No.6, it
rose to the occasion with a crane, wonderfully controlled by Mario, to
where the workshop is. There, the Well of Fire is parked with the new
choppers, as soon as it's done being wired, then we move it outside to the
great white. Zama and Sazi have been heping a great deal, PWD(Public Works
Department of South Africa-Cape Town) also as always have put their
strength to the machine too. We installed the wind turbine yesterday but
did not put up the blades as it would coz a safety problem. The wiring is
stuck neatly to the corners and learning through this time is what I have
to do. it's been two days inside the workshop now and we should be out in
an extra two.
Other projects have also been going well, evolving and improving. Dom
burst a capacitor from his turbine. It spun too fast for normal
conditions, at least thats what we saw for that night. It must have given
up at the same time. He quickly made a new one with the help of Eric from
PWD.
Now PWD is some strong people in moral and behavior, they make sure
everything flows in a good manner from the deeps. They should have at
least three people from their team over wintering. You see these guys
built the base, which to me is the same as designing it.
I sit here in the earliest times of the morning that I have ever been
awake in, it is a bit cloudy, writing this with love from the great white
desert.
Had a bit of breakfast, which, I have also never done in ages.
I-TASC
Siphiwe Ngwenya