by Nancy Linenkugel
Contributor
"What did you do over the Christmas break?"
The question came from a colleague sitting next to me as we made pre-meeting small talk. "Christmas break? You mean Christmas break several months ago?" I asked in return.
"Yes, that's right. What did you do on your last Christmas break?" he asked again.
"Well, let's see. Hmmm, not too much, as I recall. I visited relatives, went to a few rehearsals, went to a party, and had some time to myself. Not too exciting," I shared. "Why do you ask?"
"I just finished reading a fascinating book about White Mars. Have you ever heard of that?" he said.
"No, I've never heard of White Mars. Is this a new concept that proves Martians are really white and aren't little green men after all?" I ask.
"White Mars is the name for Concordia Station in Antarctica. This is used as a model for what living on another planet would be like," he stated. "Winter is minus 121degrees Fahrenheit, and the place is enveloped in total darkness for four months. People who live at this station deal with bio-survival aspects, like lack of oxygen, equipment failure, no mail, no deliveries, and no food other than what's in cans or prepackaged. The point is to study how people adapt to isolation in a hostile environment."
He was so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about White Mars that I couldn't resist saying, "And when are you going there to see it for yourself?"
"If I wasn't married and didn't have two high school-aged kids and didn't work here but had a warmer winter coat, I'd consider it," he responded. "I'd love to do something like that. Doesn't it sound fascinating?"
"Fascinating is an intriguing crime drama," I offer. "Fascinating is trying something new at a restaurant. Fascinating is learning about something incredible. You are fascinating. Going to White Mars isn't quite that high up; I'd rank it as one step above different and one step below boring. And nine steps above dangerous. It's all yours!"
[Nancy Linenkugel is a Sylvania Franciscan sister and chair of the department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati Ohio.]