I am going to start from the beginning of my journey (even though it started way back in July). I’ll write once a week and catch you up on what I’ve been doing down here!
Antarctica is a very special place. It is covered with ice and snow all year long. The constant snow makes it impossible for plants to grow down here. Since there are no plants, people can’t live here permanently either. The only animals are penguins and seals, and those have to live on the coast so they can get in and out of the ocean.
Antarctica is also special because it is a great place for scientists to do research! There are a lot of different research projects going on here-scientist study the earth, the atmosphere, the weather, and the animals—both on land and in the ocean. They do research on small stations all over the continent. I work at the biggest station, McMurdo Station. It is the biggest, but it is only about the size of a small farm. It is all the way on the other side of the planet from New Hampshire, just south of New Zealand.
But I am not a scientist! You might be wondering, “What is Aileen doing down there if she isn’t a scientist?” There are about 1000 people here at McMurdo Station, but only 200 are scientists. The other 800 are people like me, people who support science by keeping the station running. It takes a lot to keep this place running; everyone needs a place to sleep, a place to eat, and equipment that works. There are electricians, mechanics, plumbers, carpenters, cooks, janitors and a lot of other people, too!
I work in the Waste Department. We handle all of the trash that is produced down here. We have one of the best recycling programs in the world! We recycle about 65% of the trash down here. Everything we recycle is boxed up and sent back to the US to big recycling centers, where it is recycled and reused just like your trash at home. We just have a lot more of it!
I had to go to training for my job way back in July. Next week’s blog I’ll tell you about that, and a little more about what I do down here. Here is a picture of McMurdo Station
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