I have been blessed to experience the joys of working on a world-famous research vessel with some of the smartest, friendliest people on Earth for 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, in a close and confined space. As of September 13, 2015, everyone on this ship has worked for exactly 6 weeks: a total of 502 hours.

 

 

Before coming on the JR and even during the expedition, many scientists warned me about week 6 – after working 420+ hours, the mind and body start to rebel and sometimes you just have the blues. Of course, everyone was still very sociable and hardworking, but there was just no “umpf” – no spring in their steps. I’m not sure if it was just all in my head, but I did notice a slight decrease in energy  in the science labs.

 

 

For me, week 6 definitely started out kinda rocky and SLOOOWWWW. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday would. just. not. end. I must have checked the clock a million times in one hour. But, by Wednesday, I had found some remedies that made things so much better!

 

 

 

Here are a few things that helped me get through the dreaded week 6:

1. Feats of Strength
   Kara (our staff scientist) and Hannah (our curator) put together a super fun “olympics“. It was nice to go outside and run around in the sun with everyone. Tom recently wrote a blog post about it, so you should go check it out!
   Tim Tams! – the winning team won a coveted caution tape sash and a whole lot of TIM TAMS! Thankfully they were nice enough to share with the whole crowd. (For those unfamiliar with this delicacy, Tim Tams are super delicious chocolate-covered chocolate biscuits with chocolate filling. Yes, be jealous.)
2. Barbecue Day
   This is actually a weekly (bi-weekly for us night shifters……) event on the ship. The catering crew throws together a meal outside for everyone. The food is delicious. The view is wonderful. Sometimes we even get a surprise visit from some marine life. Everyone is happy, so I am happy
3. TV time
   After 12-hour shifts, nothing beats good ol’ TV time. It is nice to just shut your brain off from reality and stare mindlessly at a TV.
4. Cadbury Marvelous Creations Jelly Popping Candy Beanies
   BEST. CANDY. EVER.
   Thank you, Briony, for helping me find the love and light of my life.
   
5. Friends
   Finally, I really could not have made it this far without my friends on board. I’ve mentioned Briony already, but there are a few others who I’ve clicked with immediately when I got on board. They make everyday enjoyable and interesting.