Those who are going to develop research projects for Antarctica cannot think only about work. The bases that house the scientists have “an almost military organization, although they are mostly exclusively civilians” and are governed by a program where there is no lack of periods for leisure and socializing.
Adelino Canário, one of the two researchers from the Center for Marine Sciences (CCMar) of the University of Algarve who will travel to the extreme south of the planet on the 26th to study the local fauna, recalls his previous trip to Antarctica and confesses that the trend towards an almost exclusive dedication to work exists, not least because the communications that now exist allow fast internet connections, «as if we were in Olhão talking to Faro». “At the time, I even submitted research projects and other things, as if I were working here,” he recalled.
“But the organization of the bases requires us that, in addition to research work, we also carry out maintenance work on the infrastructure. On the other hand, the base itself organizes moments of leisure and socializing, because they are very important. We are not only in an isolated place, but we are with a limited group of people, each with their own habits», he said.
And, all things considered, it's not bad to be “forced” to unwind. “As you can imagine, there is the possibility of skiing, mountaineering in cracks in the ice and in ravines hundreds of meters deep. In a way, it's almost an extreme vacation», joked Adelino Canário.
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Photos of: Adelino Canary
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