The Planet’s Coolest Jobs: Antarctic Base Workers全球最酷：工作在南极

埃米莉·弗罗斯特

For most of us， the world’s southernmost point seems like a pretty hostile place， but for a certain four women， it’s home. Each year， Hannah， Hannalore， Sophie and Julia spend five months living and working in Port Lockroy， a British base in Antarctica that also serves as a museum， shop and post office. With Hannalore as Base Leader， this team works hard to preserve the port， welcoming visiting ships and， best of all， watching over the native colony of gentoo penguins. We caught up with the team to find out what it’s like to live on the very edge of the world.

What is an Antarctic Base Worker？

Hannalore： We work for the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust （UKAHT）， which is a small charity based in Cambridge in the UK. It looks after six historical sites along the Antarctic Peninsula， of which Port Lockroy is the most visited. My team and I work to keep Antarctic history alive， sharing it with visitors from all over the world. Back in the UK， the UKAHT visit schools to educate younger generations about our work on the Antarctic Peninsula.

What’s it like living in the Antarctic？

Hannah： It’s very cool living here， literally！ We live on a tiny island the size of a football pitch， but share it with about 2000 gentoo penguins and their chicks， as well as other birds. Although we are here mainly in the summer there’s still lots of snow， which slowly melts throughout the season. We are surrounded by beautiful snowy mountains and glaciers and clear blue water， so we’re not at a loss for fantastic scenery.

Tell us a little bit about your typical day.

Hannalore： Life here is different every day and depends on weather and ice conditions， as well as the visiting ships’ schedules. Port Lockroy is one of the most visited places in Antarctica， with one to three ships visiting a day. Between ship visits we have other duties to attend to. These include maintenance jobs， sending postcards from the post office， checking conditions on the historical items in the museum and monitoring the penguin colonies and other wildlife. There is always something to do at Port Lockroy！

How did you become an Antarctic Base Worker？

Julia： I’ve always been fascinated by the polar regions and have visited the Antarctic on a small passenger ship twice， stopping in at Port Lockroy both times. On the second visit I asked the team about working and living on the base. Up for the challenge， I applied that year， but didn’t have any experience in tourism or customer services. Undeterred I started guiding on whale and dolphin watching boats and small passenger ships， reapplied to work for the UKAHT and got the job！

Hannah： I was working on a round-the-world cruise ship seven years ago and we sailed through Antarctica. I fell in love with the natural beauty here and started researching how I could come back and work here. I finally got the job after three years of applications.

What’s the coolest thing about your job？

Hannah： As part of my role as Deputy Sub-Post Mistress I spend a lot of time stamping people’s postcards. It makes me happy to think of the joy over 70，000 people per year get when they receive a postcard from Antarctica， and the most southerly post office in the world！

Sophie： The most amazing thing about my job is being able to live and work with my feathery friends， the gentoo penguins. There are over 2000 of them on our little island， and they are fascinating to observe. I can’t tell them apart yet， but I am starting to get familiar with their different behaviours—and soon the team and I will get to watch the new season’s chicks grow up！

How do you look after the gentoo penguins？

Sophie：  As they’re wild we largely leave them be， but as we share their home and have many people visiting us， we have to make sure the penguins are not disturbed when they are resting or waddling their way back to their nests. To help them， we mark specific routes for visitors to walk on so that they don’t use the penguins’ highways. Part of our job is also to count the penguin colony when after they’ve laid their eggs， then again when the chicks are born and when the chicks are old enough to venture beyond the nest. The information collected will help scientists know if the breeding season has been a successful one or not. So far so good this year！

What other Antarctic wildlife have you seen？

Hannah： Skuas and snowy sheathbills are birds that nest on our island， so we see them every day. We see visiting crabeater and weddell seals most days， which venture onto the ice for a snooze. It’s so quiet here that you can hear them breathing if you’re close enough. If we are lucky we may see a leopard seal， Antarctic terns， Wilson’s storm petrels and southern giant petrels too.

What do you miss most about home when living in the Antarctic？

Sophie： The thing I miss most about home is the variety of smells when you walk outside; the freshly cut grass， the roses in gardens， the rain in the forest， baked bread from the bakery or exotic foods from restaurants. In Antarctica， the snow and the rocks don’t really smell of anything， well except penguin poo！

What do you miss the most about the Antarctic when you’re home？

Julia： I miss the penguins most of all， but also the peace and quiet. There’s no traffic here at all， only two ships visiting each day. In the Antarctic， people are always happy and smiling as they’re on holiday and not rushing around constantly using their mobile phones. It’s good to get away from all the hustle and bustle， enjoy a simple life without technology and take in the beauty of the natural world.

世界的最南端在我們大多数人眼里似乎是艰险之地，但那儿却是四位女性的安居之所。每年，汉娜、汉娜洛、索菲和朱莉娅要在英国的南极基地拉克罗港度过五个月的时光，生活之余还要工作。这个基地同时集博物馆、商店和邮局为一身。组长汉娜洛要带领大家下很大功夫维护港口、接待游船，最棒的是照管本土种群巴布亚企鹅。我们和小组取得联系，想看世界最边缘的生活是什么样子。

南极基地工作者是做什么的？

汉娜洛：我们效力于英国南极遗产信托基金会，它是位于剑桥的一个小型慈善机构，负责维护南极半岛沿岸的六处历史遗迹，拉克罗港是其中之一，游客最多。我和我的小组给世界各地的旅客讲述南极的历史，希望能让它得以延续。在英国，英国南极遗产信托基金会走进校园，让年轻一代了解我们在南极的工作。

住在南极洲感觉如何？

汉娜：太酷了，毫不夸张！我们住的小岛不过足球场大小，但却有大约2000只巴布亚企鹅和其幼雏以及其他鸟类和我们相伴。我们主要是夏季待在这里，但秋雪依然很厚，整个夏天才会慢慢融化。有美丽的雪山、冰川和澄澈的深海这些迷人的风景环绕四周，我们也不会感到失落。

简要讲一下你们日常的工作。

汉娜洛：这儿的生活每天都不一样，取决于天气、冰况以及游船的日程。拉克罗港是游客来南极到访最多的地方之一，每天要接待一到三艘游船。闲余时间我们有其他事要干，包括维修工作、从邮局寄出明信片、检查博物馆里历史遗物的状况以及监测企鹅种群和其他野生生物。在拉克罗港总是闲不住！

你们是如何到南极基地工作的？

朱莉娅：我一直向往极地地区，坐小型客船来过南极两次，每次都在拉克罗港停留。第二次我向小组询问了基地的工作和生活，决意迎难而上，当年就提出了申请，但我之前没有任何提供旅游或客户服务的经验。我没有泄气，开始在鲸豚观光船和小型客轮上做导游，再次申请英国南极遗产基金会的工作，终于成功了！

汉娜：七年前我在一艘环球游轮上工作，驶遍了整个南极洲。我爱上了这儿的自然风光，就着手研究怎样才能回到这里工作，申请了三年终于得到了这份工作。

工作中最酷的事是什么？

汉娜：我的职责包括协助管理邮政支局，得花大量时间给明信片贴邮票。想到每年有7万多人会因收到从南极洲的邮局，并且是世界最南端的邮局寄出的明信片而欢欣雀跃，我就高兴极了。

索菲：我的任务中最棒的就是无论生活还是工作都可以和巴布亚企鹅这群毛绒绒的朋友们在一起。我们的小岛上有2000多只企鹅，观察起来特别有趣。尽管还不能把它们分得一清二楚，但我开始熟悉它们的不同行为——不久我和我们小组就能看着新一季出生的小家伙们长大了！

你们怎样照顾巴布亚企鹅？

索菲：企鹅是野生的，我们基本不用管，但因为我们也住在这里，又有很多游客前来，所以我们必须确保它们在休息或返巢时不会被打扰。我们还标记出特定的游客路线，这样企鹅的固定通道就不会被占用。我们的工作还包括数清楚企鹅在下蛋后、幼雏出生、雏鸟大到能离开巢穴时的种群数量。收集的信息会帮助科学家了解这一季繁殖是否成功。目前为止今年一切顺利！

你们还见过哪些其他野生生物？

汉娜：我们每天都能见到贼鸥和洁白的南极海鸟，因为它们会在岛上筑巢。大多日子里还能看到食蟹海豹和威德尔海豹拥到冰上打盹儿。这里静悄悄的，如果离得够近，完全可以听到它们的呼吸。幸运的话我们或许还能看到豹海豹、南极燕鸥、威尔逊风暴海燕和南部的大海燕。

住在南极时最想念家乡的什么？

索菲：最想念外出散步时闻到的各种气息：刚修剪的青草、花园里的玫瑰、森林中的雨、面包房烘焙的面包或饭店里的异国美食。在南极洲，雪和岩石闻起来其实没有任何味道，除了企鹅的便便！

在家的时候最想念南极的什么？

朱莉娅：最想念的是企鹅，还有这里的宁静平和。 这儿没有任何车辆来往，每天只有两趟游船到访。在南极，人们总是挂着笑意，开开心心，因为大家都在度假，不用东奔西跑，手机打个不停。能远离一切喧嚣，享受远离科技的简单生活，融入美丽的自然世界，真的很美好。

（译者单位：复旦大学奇境译坊）