End of rotation

End of MDRS

So we left bright and early after three hours of sleep on Sunday morning. J-field's flight was at 17.00 ish, so we had to make sure we were gone by 9.00. I was riding their butts, calling in five minute increments to get our crew out the door. We had three cars to caravan back to SLC, and it wasn't that bad because Sundays in Utah are pretty quiet.

While I was at MDRS, I learned that six strangers can get along better for two weeks then your closest friends. Sometimes the unfamiliarity will help draw out everyone's strengths and help mesh them into a workable team.

Almost our entire crew was in tears when we parted ways Sunday evening after a nice breakfasty dinner at IHOP. Zena and Auvi stayed at the hotel because their flights weren't until Monday morning, and Derek, David and I went to the airport to catch our fights. Despite being at terminals on completely opposite ends of the airport, they came and sat with me while I waited for my boarding zone to get called.

I spent a three hour layover in Atlanta, where I heard about a bus in Utah that got flipped because of icy road conditions. It reinforced my need to travel together back to SLC. I'm glad we all made it safely to the airport together.

When I got home, I washed my hair three times. The toilet actually talks when I flush it. I almost cried when I dumped a cup of shiny new water down the sink before thinking about it. My toothpaste that I used to love tastes funny because it's not organic. I'm having readjustment issues.

The night I got back home I was so tired I lay down on the couch under my sleeping bag and closed my eyes. The next thing I knew, my mother was saying something and I could not remember who on my crew could have said something like that. I was panicked and woke up so that I could ask, and realized I was at home. My crew is spread out to their homes. At least my mother didn't make me tuna for dinner.

So now we're home, and thinking back on our experiences at MDRS. I learned how to comfortably manipulate an optical telescope and CCD camera. I was always nervous while using the optical telescope at my uni because it was so expensive, but now I find I am confident that I can use our telescope and we might even be able to get the CCD camera working.

I learned that cleanliness is not next to godliness, and that hard work will pay off a lot more than being clean. I learned that I didn't have to be clean to focus.

I learned that you can pick up an accent in two weeks. You can also get massive culture shock upon return. I find myself still trying to make ridiculous puns even though Zena isn't here. I'm almost certain I didn't get up this morning because I didn't hear Auvi begging for five more minutes. The house is so quiet.

This blog marks the end of my rotation. I will be updating about astronomical news every two weeks or so in the future, but MDRS is finished.

I miss everyone.

night monkey out.