Living conditions

A friend emailed and asked me to describe the living conditions here on the Bigelow.

Two people are assigned to a stateroom that has a desk (with a computer and phone), two lockers, bunk beds with drawers underneath, a sink, and a bathroom with a toilet and shower. The rooms vary in size: some are narrower than others and some have a porthole or window. The bunks have curtains that can be drawn around them. This is necessary because people may not be on the same watch and one person may need to sleep while the other must be awake.

I sleep on the top bunk and it is very comfortable. I wish I had these curtains when I was a kid and slept in a bunk bed. The curtains make it very cozy. Each bed also has a light so we are able to read in bed.

The scientists I am working with tell me that this is the most comfortable ship they have been on. On other ships there may be four people in a room and as many as six people must share a bathroom.

Our lifejackets and survival suits are also stored in our staterooms.

Linen is provided by the ship. There is a laundry room that we can use for our personal clothing.

The food is great. There are several choices for each meal and snacks are always available. For dinner tonight there were stuffed lobster tails, Cornish game hens, and trout nuggets.

Each stateroom has a satellite receiver and the computer monitor serves as a flat screen TV. There are also 42" flat screen televisions in the scientists' lounge and on the mess deck. Movies can be received from a centrally located VCR or DVD.

It's not quite a cruise ship, but on the other hand we are hardly roughing it.