Scientists Celebrating the Jubilee with Iced Tea
With the United Kingdom honoring Queen Elizabeth II’s 60 years on the throne this week, people all around the globe are becoming British for the week. The Diamond Jubilee has people from all over the world celebrating by canoeing on rivers, playing croquet, drinking tea and speaking as if they were in England. However, some real British citizens are celebrating their Queen’s anniversary the same way, except they are having iced tea.
British researchers at Halley Research Center on the southern continent of Antarctica are dealing with the icy and snowy conditions while still having the opportunity to celebrate a British holiday the only way they know how. The group of 14 staff members had their cup of afternoon tea in subzero temperatures after their work day was complete. The bonding experience for the British citizens, complete with homemade Union Jack flag Battenberg cake, was one that the scientists will remember
Image Credit: www.antarctica.ac.uk
for a long, long time. The scientists dressed up to a “Mad Hatter” theme where they dressed up like characters from the movie, Alice in Wonderland. They also decorated the science laboratory’s dining room with British flags and bunting.
After the costumed researchers finished their tea and crumpets, the team went outside into the Antarctic darkness. The scientists went out and played exemplary examples of British sport: cricket and croquet. This was no ordinary sporting match: the scientists played outside with no light and fought off 40 miles-per-hour winds where it reached a temperature below negative 35 degrees Celsius (negative 31 degrees Fahrenheit).
To me, this sounds like a very interesting way to honour one of the most ideal public figures of my generation. As the Queen would say, keep calm and carry on.