Hello. My name is Nicole Wertz. I work in Antarctica at McMurdo
Station. I work as an Administrative Coordinator in a building called
the Chalet. The Chalet is where the Directors of the National Science
Foundation and the Directors of Antarctic Support Associates work. My
function in the Chalet is to do personnel tracking or "mustering" which
is the military term. If scientists or ASA employees leave McMurdo (go
to a science field, go to the South Pole or go home for example) it is my
job to make sure I know who they are, where they went and how long will
they be gone. There is a magnetic board next to my desk which lists all
the names of everyone who lives in and around McMurdo. It's a pretty big
board.
I have a Bachelors of Science degree in Psychology. I have had many and
varied jobs before this one including teaching English in Japan, working
for Greenpeace (an environmental organization) and working for a company
that taught business persons going overseas cultural protocol and
etiquette. As you can see from my background, I enjoy traveling and
different places and the preservation of these diverse locations. This,
I think, is what attracted me to Antarctica. It is extremely different
and isolated, one of the final frontiers and I feel very lucky to be
here!
Sometime in the future I would like to finish a Masters Program in
Epidemiology. I was attending some classes before I left for Antarctica.
It's not possible now, but when I'm living in Denver I like to play
Mountain Bike Polo, go to school and visit with my friends and family.
Since I now live in Antarctica, I can only go Penguin and Seal
sightseeing. Not a bad trade-off.
Until later
Nicole (Nicki)