The radio buzzed: 5 minutes until the arrival of the plane, 40 minutes earlier than expected. Antarctica has never been one to throw such surprises, usually we have to deal with unexpected delays.

The winter crew scrambled. Outside, I heard a new noise so foreign to my ears it felt like meeting an old childhood friend – the sound of distant propeller engines humming over the Great White Silence. The sun blazed overhead and with only a mild wind, the station’s exhaust willowed out, hanging over the area adding mystique to this life event.

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