Tiago Figueiredo is one of the few newcomers and will remain for the entire season
During the next five months and in extreme weather conditions, Portuguese Tiago Figueiredo will work at the most remote post office on the planet, in Port Lockroy, Antarctica, as part of a British scientific mission.
Figueiredo, 47 years old, is part of a team of six people from the organization (UKAHT) who will live and work on the island of Goudier, whose area is equivalent to a football field.
The match is scheduled for Monday.
“Obviously, there is always a degree of apprehension, but it is one of those unique opportunities. I am very excited and counting the days. I consider myself extremely lucky,” he told the Lusa agency.
For Tiago Figueiredo, this will be a completely new experience and very different from the profession of business consultant.
Born in Lisbon, Figueiredo has lived in the United Kingdom since 2012, where his fascination with the era of Portuguese discoveries, in the 14th and 15th centuries, led him to become interested in the achievements of British explorers from the 19th and 20th centuries, such as Ernest Shackleton and Robert Scott.
“I never learned about any of this at school. I started reading a lot about the subject, researching and developing a distant desire to go there one day”, he said.
The opportunity arose after his wife, Raquel, forwarded him an unusual job advertisement.
UKAHT is a British philanthropic organization responsible for several sites in Antarctica, including Port Lockroy, a former military base established in 1944 during the Second World War.
Every year, a new team is sent to inventory the colony of more than a thousand gentoo penguins on the island, especially the eggs and new chicks.
The mission coincides with the period of the southern summer and natural melting ice, used by birds for the reproduction process.
The study aims to evaluate the quality of life and survival of penguins.
The southernmost post office on the planet and the museum are essentially visited by the limited number of tourists transported by cruise ships and allowed to enter the island.
Still, tens of thousands of letters and postcards are sent from Port Lockroy.
UKAHT team members are also responsible for going on board ships to give talks about the island’s history, its mission and raising awareness of the importance of Antarctic conservation work.
Taking into account that access to water, energy and communications will be limited, Figueiredo hopes to take advantage of those occasions “to take a hot shower, because there is no running water on the island, and to have a meal that isn’t made from a can.”
The Portuguese had training in survival, in the case of an accident or bad weather, and first aid, including resuscitation, injections or catheterization.
He also learned how to operate the post office and how to handle historical artefacts kept in the museum, namely objects used by the occupants over eight decades.
In the store, souvenirs such as t-shirts, mugs or fridge magnets are sold, with the distinction of being “perhaps the only place where you can buy something in Antarctica”.
Revenues are important to finance the operation and maintenance of buildings.
Leaving his family behind, from which he will be away during the Christmas season, will be difficult for Figueiredo, who only accepted after being “authorized” by his wife and two daughters.
The work will be paid and travel and expenses will be paid, but, for the Lisbon native, this is, above all, the “fulfillment of a dream”.
In addition to many photographs of penguins and the inhospitable landscape, upon his return, Tiago Figueiredo is prepared to make up for his absence.
“I’m perfectly aware that, when I return, I’ll have to do what I’m told and that’s it”, he jokes.
Figueiredo will be the first Portuguese to join a UKAHT mission, which this year includes several repeat members and Amanda Barry, whose father was posted there in 1948.
Three of the members will be replaced at the end of December.
At the beginning of January, three carpenters will come together to carry out work to repair the structure of wooden buildings due to water and snow.
Interventions in the electrical and communications infrastructure are also planned.
Figueiredo is one of the few newcomers and will remain for the entire season.
“I preferred to stay, as the 14,000 kilometer journey is long. I thought, since I’m going, I might as well stay the whole time. I hope I don’t regret it”, he said.
Pack warm clothes and shoes to withstand the negative temperatures, some books, chocolates, “good coffee”, family photographs and material to make Christmas gifts for your adventure companions.
