Blog post
Blog article 1: A very special ‘school trip’
Daniela Cajiao and Anisja Obermann from ENP, together with Paula García from the Universidad de la República in Uruguay, have completed a research stay in the Antarctic. For 2.5 weeks, they have been hosted by the Uruguayan base ‘Artigas’ on King George Island. The island belongs to the South Shetland Islands, not far from the Antarctic Peninsula. The presence of an airstrip makes the island an important logistical hub for human activities in the Antarctic, which was precisely their interest of research.
Daniela Cajiao and Anisja Obermann are part of the ANTARC-SHIP project, an international research project, funded by the Netherlands, that studies environmental stewardship in Antarctic tourism among different stakeholders and institutions. For this case study on King George Island, they cooperate with Paula García who is writing her thesis on Antarctic tourism.
During their stay in the Antarctic, the research team has written some blog articles about their experiences which you can find in the following. They would like to thank the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute for hosting them at the Artigas base and for all the support for their research.
Artigas station, King George Island in the below picture.
A very special ‘school trip’
On the 22nd of December 2024, we leave Punta Arenas in Chile to head south to the Antarctic. The Artigas base of Uruguay on King George Island will be our home for the coming 2.5 weeks. At 8:00am, a mini bus picks me up at my hostel in Punta Arenas. One after another, everyone that flies with the Uruguayan program to King George Island that day gets picked up at their hotels. Daniela, Paula and myself are joint by two scientists from Ecuador, one scientist from Uruguay and two coordinators from the Uruguayan Antarctic Institute. On our way to the airport, conversations emerge: Where are you from? What is your research about? And most importantly: will it be your first time in the Antarctic? The ride in the mini bus creates a school trip atmosphere.
I am very excited because I have no idea what to expect. I have seen photos before, but what it is like to live in a research station in the Antarctic, who can image that? The flight alone is exciting, as we fly with a military aircraft from the Uruguayan Air Force.
Arriving at the Artigas station, we first get shown our rooms. Daniela and I share a room with bunk beds which also reminds me of a school trip. The Artigas station is managed by the Uruguayan military whose task it is to support the scientific activities. In total, we are 32 people staying at the station, including doctor, cook, mechanics, zodiac driver etc. Most people have more than one role at the station. Breakfast is at 7am, lunch at 1pm and dinner at 8.30pm. Coming from Germany / The Netherlands where my dinner is normally at 7pm, my stomach had to adapt to the new schedule. Everyone has to help one day a week with doing the dishes and tidying up the living room.
The scientific team of the station consists of an Ecuadorian research project on pollutants, an Uruguayan project studying penguins, a project by the Uruguayan air force taking photo shots and videos with drones, plus our project on Antarctic tourism. Two scientific coordinators support us in setting up our research, accompanying scientists to field locations and communicating to the chief of the base and to other research stations.
In the beginning, it takes some time to get to know each other. It is a special co-living of military people and civilians from different backgrounds. Especially during Christmas and New Years Eve, but also on joint field visits, the ice breaks little by little. I learn a lot about the Uruguayan culture. I get introduced to the tradition of drinking ‘mate’ and learn some games like Conga and Tutti Frutti (equivalent to ‘categories’ in English or ‘Stadt, Land, Fluss’ in German). During dinner, we share our experiences of the day. How did your interviews go? Could you collect all your samples? What are your plans for tomorrow? Has anyone checked the weather forecast?
This journey reminds me of school trips or other seminars in which I had taken part. It creates a special atmosphere that is difficult to explain to others that have not been part of the same experience. In the end, time flies, and too early it is time to say goodbye. But every school trip has to end at one point. I will never forget this special excursion and am truly grateful for this incredible experience.
