The Long Arm of A-B Tech Reaches Around The World
A-B Tech online student John Aikman is taking a Spanish course while working in Antarctica. He is pictured with one of the many types of penguins that inhabit the area.
It's summer in Antarctica, which means the temperature is a balmy 32 degrees Fahrenheit, 0 degree Celsius. That's freezing to you and me; that's the dog days of summer to A-B Tech online student and Antarctica resident John Aikman.
A mere 8,233 miles away is another A-B Tech online student, Cindy Vierheller, living in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in the Middle East. It's a chilly 75 degrees as Santa and his reindeer were awaited.
Aikman is a ground electronics maintenance technician (GEM) taking an online Spanish course. He is nestled at the top of the world, or bottom, depending on where you're standing, in McMurdo Station, Antarctica, the logistics hub of the U.S. Antarctic Program. The station and its inhabitants - all 1,000 in summer and 250 in winter - are responsible for providing the logistical and operational support to all Antarctic Continental science and science support activities. It is located on Ross Island near the Ross Ice Shelf, a permanent floating ice sheet attached to land and constantly fed by glaciers and home to one of Antarctica's largest and most active volcanoes.
Along with the scientists, government employees, and occasional tourist, there are also a wide assortment of penguins, skuas, and orca whales. The closest station to McMurdo is Scott Base, a mere few miles away, and run by New Zealand. The nearest neighbors after that are over 1,000 miles away at the Russian controlled Vostok Base or at the Amundsen-Scott Base located in the absolute center of the South Pole. If the townspeople really get antsy for dinner and a movie, they'll have to jump in a plane and travel 2,357 miles to Christ Church, New Zealand.
Originally from Silversteen, NC, Aikman was familiar with A-B Tech before he traveled to Antarctica. He was searching for information on its Culinary Program when he ran across the online courses. An avid traveler, he is taking the Spanish courses primarily for recreational purposes, but hopes to use it someday in his career. As a GEM, he is responsible for maintaining the navagational aids, radar equipment, sensors, communications equipment, voice recorders, and weather monitoring equipment for aircraft entering and departing from Antarctica. Since the sun will not set until late February, Aikman is able to spend his off-time exploring the area and taking excursions to historic sites, such as the camps of famous explorers Sir Ernest Shackleton, and Robert Falcon Scott. He will return to the States in February and is looking forward to spending time with his friends and family - and impressing them with his second language skills.
A-B Tech online student Cindy Vierheller is keeping her teacher's certification current while she and her family reside in the United Arab Emirates. Here she is taking time out from her studies to tour the exotic sights.
Meanwhile, Cindy Vierheller, a wife and mother of two, is spending the winter basking in the desert sun. Relocated to Dubai, United Arab Emirates from Kuwait in February 2003, Vierheller and her family have lived in the Middle East for four years. A Special Education teacher with certification in the area of Severe/Profound, Vierheller was looking for Continuing Education Units in order to renew her certification in Special Education. Nash Community College, whose online education department she had worked with previously, referred her to A-B Tech.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a federation of seven emirates, or jurisdictions ruled by an emir, and is comprised of an area slightly smaller than Maine. Bordered by Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the Persian Gulf, the UAE is considered a desert and is one of the largest oil exporters in the world.
Via email, Vierheller writes with obvious enthusiasm of her experiences in the Middle East. She tells of participating in Ramadan, the most holy of Muslim holidays. During this time, there is no eating, drinking or smoking from sun up to sun down for a month. Enjoying the native dress, she has also incorporated many other customs such as burning incense in her house. She tells of being awakened at 4:30 a.m. by the sound of chanters praying to Mecca. After four years in predominately Muslim countries, she has grown accustomed to the five-times-a-day praying rituals.
Upon returning to the States, Vierheller plans on returning to the special education field. She is thankful she is able keep her certification current through A-B Tech's online classes. "I love it," she writes. "It fits into my schedule and even when we travel, I can do work on any computer. I have found all of the courses to be informative and helpful."
