This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with May Lee, a 60-year-old seasonal worker in Antarctica and former marketing and communications manager at HP. She worked at the McMurdo Station in 2025 and plans to return this year. It has been edited for length and clarity.
After a layoff from HP in 2025, I decided to try something completely new and take a job in Antarctica as a seasonal supply technician at — at 59.
My job, like the majority of jobs at McMurdo Station, followed what are known as “town hours,” which are from 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday.
While the schedule is pretty regimented in Antarctica, there are tons of activities to do, and the community is close-knit.
My day begins at 6:30 a.m.
I’m a night owl and don’t like getting up early. I’m so accustomed to Silicon Valley norms and practices, where your day is very free-flowing. Here, it’s a very rigorous schedule with no leeway whatsoever.
I usually wake up at 6:30, ready by 7, and then get to work for 7:30 on the dot.
Sometimes, if I want a lie-in, I’ll skip breakfast. The nice thing, however, is that you don’t have to worry about traffic because you walk everywhere.
My workday involves tracking inventory and bringing in cargo
When I first arrived in October, there was snow on the ground up to 2 feet deep. I had to shovel a pathway to the door of my warehouse so people could come in and get stuff.
The first thing I do once I clock in is go to my senior, the term for a manager at McMurdo, to figure out the priorities for the day.
Throughout the day, other workers come to my warehouse to request an item, and I’ll help them find it. I am responsible for the inventory and make sure there are no discrepancies.
I collect the cargo, forklift it inside, then log in to the database every day and check the cargo I got against it.
There were a lot of C-17 jets flying down in October and then into early to mid-November. As the weather warms up, the ice is not as strong, so they fly smaller planes down for cargo.
The amount of fresh food produced decreases over the summer
At 11:30 am, the cafeteria starts serving a buffet lunch. The cafeteria at McMurdo looks like a typical college campus cafeteria. There’s always a freshly made pizza station, a burger section, and a buffet.
There’s a term at McMurdo called “freshies.” When C-17s are still running, they will bring lots of fresh produce into town. People would hoard things like bananas and put them in their own refrigerators to try to have them for as long as possible.
You could have as many eggs as you wanted at the beginning of the season, but as it gets warmer, there are limits in place. Nonetheless, the food is always quite varied and good.
By 1:01 pm, the cafeteria is dead, and everyone’s gone back to work.
The social calendar is packed
They strongly discourage working beyond your hours, so I often submit my time card at 5:30 each day and head to the cafeteria to eat dinner.
There’s a very vibrant community life at McMurdo. With limited internet access, we all sit together in the cafeteria and talk about our days and what’s going on.
There’s a whole slew of activities every evening. The bulletin board by the cafeteria is full of everything from crafting to line dancing.
I signed up to volunteer at the library and ran my own radio show. Others formed ad-hoc bands to perform at Icestock, the New Year’s festival at McMurdo.
After an evening of activities, I typically go to bed around midnight.
There are a couple of nightclubs, which are popular on Saturday nights. Because it’s light 24/7, this is great for going out dancing. You can leave at 2 in the morning, and it doesn’t feel like night.
There’s always a special brunch on Sundays
Your schedule is your own on Sunday, and you can do whatever you want with your day.
Personally, I always sleep in. I never get up before noon and barely make it to brunch. It’s always really nice food on Sundays, with assortments of cheeses and the like.
Lots of people go hiking or running. A typical Sunday, for me, includes trying to prepare for the week and working on my radio show. There are science talks every Sunday evening after dinner in the main cafeteria, which I always attend.
I can’t wait to go back this year working in a new role as a broadcast engineer.
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