Sarita Wonder

Wow. Its been a month since I last wrote an entry, and I am sorry about that. Things have been crazy here with going to wells, working at the base, and studying like crazy but that's no excuse!


So I think I am official part of the gang now. I have a new name which many of the operators call me, and it is Sarita. In Mexico they add -rita to the end of words to signify something little or younger (example - señorita). I am starting to get used to answering when they use that name now. One of the older operators who has been working with the company for over 30 years whenever he sees me yells SARITA!! I wish I could put had an audio clip of how he says it because it makes me smile every time. It is pretty funny, and he is pretty crazy too. There are 3 guys that have been working for Schlumberger for a very long time and love to pick on me by talking in spanish really fast so I can't understand them (they like seeing the expression on my face of total confusion) and also tell other people that I say bad things about Mexicans which is not the case!! There is a saying in Schlumberger that says the longer you work in SLB the more crazy you get, which I have to totally agree with when it comes to those 3 guys. I guess one of the ways to survive in this company is to have a sense of humor about the work and life-style because it can be very stressful and, it rules your life. You pretty much have to go insane to be sane!! Pictured below is Julio the guy who yells Sarita when he sees me!!



Going along with the name change is how everyone has pronounced my name so far here in Mexico. Mexicans have a hard time pronouncing my last name which is crazy to think. Since I have gotten to Reynosa I have been called Sarah Wonder. It is really close but not quite right!! Because I have become Sarah Wonder, many people also joke and say Wonder Woman. I guess that is pretty faltering!! Everyone saying my name wrong is the least of my worries. I am starting to feel that I am fitting in here! Yes, I am tall white girl that can't speak their language well, but I have started to make friends with a lot of the maintenance guys, and all of them like to joke with me and practice their english. It is pretty funny because everyone says I need to practice my spanish more but a lot of people like asking me what things mean in english. I feel that my spanish depends on the day still. Sometimes I feel like my spanish is getting worse which is not good at all! Other days I understand a lot of what people are saying and can reply back at a decent pace. However, my vocabulary is still pitiful. I am learning some of the technical words and tool names but other than that not much. Below is a picture of Arturo (on the right) who is another one of the 3 crazy guys and an operator at a well. You tell that he is really funny and crazy just by how he is posing for the camera!!


I am starting to get to know Reynosa and my roommates more now too!! My last days off my roommate Karina was also at home so one night we went to the movies to see Valentine's Day but it ended up no being at the theaters so we decided to watch All About Steve (it is not a good movie so don't pay to go see it!!). We had some time before the movie so we played air hockey and then we just sat and talked for an hour. It was good because she made me practice my spanish, and it was nice just talking about normal things not about work or Mexico. I think we talked for about an hour about movies!! That afternoon made me feel like a human again!! Not being able to communicate to everyone makes it hard to be normal sometimes because I end up not talking because I do not know what to say. It can get a little lonely sometimes. Another thing that has helped me feel normal is watching and following the olympics . . . I LOVE the olympics!! When I was younger I always wanted to go to the olympics, and I did not care in what sport so I guess watching it brings good memories to mind.


Anyway, Reynosa definitely is not a city to come to vacation but it is a good place to work because there are lots of jobs and there is nothing to do here but work!! However, I do ask for prayer for safety. There has been a lot of issues going on recently. A couple of times already SLB has made everyone at the base go home and stay home for safety issues. They wanted to make sure that everyone gets home before dark because there was potential for possible clashes with the military and the drug cartel. Its nice that I get to come home early for once (really that meant that I got to come home at a normal time if I worked with another company - 5pm!!), but not really the circumstances that I would hope for. I am thankful though that SLB is very cautious when it comes to that and truly care about their employees safety. SLB is not allowing anyone to travel to Reynosa at this time which is pretty funny!


I hope to become better at this again. In the next week I will be taking my exam to get into technical school so it is going to be a little crazy and stressful, but I am ready to get it over with!! If I pass I get to come back to the US for 2 months for school which will be in Kellyville, OK. I am happy that I get to come back to the US and be able to mail things and get packages but the other option for the school was Abu Dhabi located in United Emirates which would have been really cool. When else would I get the chance to go to a middle eastern country!!


Hope everyone is doing well and know that I miss you!!

It's a man's world!

So I have not written in a while because I have been at wells almost every night for the last two weeks. It was been very interesting and fun but verrry tiring! I wish I could explain what I what I have been up to but it is really hard because there is soooo much going on and hard to explain without you being there!! Nonetheless, I will give you a little tidbit of what I do.

Above is pictured Mario and Ernesto putting a hydraulic cutter on the tubing we were fishing from the well. We had to go 1000 meters to grab it with a special downhole tool that you attach to the coil tubing. Below is Mario with the first fish we caught. The second fish was muuuch larger!! Anyway, coiled tubing is just a single, steel pipe that you can place different tools to the end and pump fluid through for the doing different jobs in the well. It is much faster and you can do more than your standard rig system which uses many different strings of tubing.

You can drill, cement the well walls, fracture the formation, fish for tools or anything else that was lost in the well, remove plugs, and so much more. So as an engineer you have to worry about the weight or load of the tubing you are putting in the well because to much weight could mean it is stuck and it could break or buckle in the well which is not good. Also you have to watch the different pressures associated with the tubing reel, downhole, and wellhead. All these things are very important because it is potentially dangerous if they get to high. There is so much more to it but I do not want you to have to worry about all the details like I do!!

Some of the things that I have gotten to see/do so far are milling cement and plastic plugs in the well, cleaning the tubing of the well, cleaning the fluid that was in a well, and fish for an old tube that was in the well. I love my job because I get to see so many different things! Other segments aren't so lucky, they do the same thing for every well. However, that means more studying for me! I have been to 5 wells so far and they have all been very different in jobs and appearance which is crazy since I have stayed in a 3 hours radius of the base. Yes all locations are desert but they are different. I have had the experience of working for 36 hours straight, working 3 days without a shower or changing clothes, sleeping in the pickup truck or on the floor in the unit cabin, etc. But I have loved all this because I get to be outside and see nature and millions of stars at night. It is a no frill life which I like!!

I have also learned within the last month working with SLB that it is a man's world here in Mexico. Pretty much everyone I work with are guys, especially on the field. Sometimes the sites are not that girl friendly either (no port-a-potty or place to change) but it has been doable so far! Also all the guys are macho men with mustaches, meat lovin, and want to be in control of everything!! You know how guys are with what they talk about and their bodily functions. They won't even let me carry some things or use the sledgehammer! Sometimes they think that I am not capable which might be true in some cases but not all! They also like to tease me about my height (which I am already used too!!) and how I swing the sledgehammer (when they let me do it!).

BUT and its a big but must of the guys I work with are very respectful to me and want to take care of me. Yes the pick on me a little being a trainee and all but they are always trying to make me feel comfortable and make sure I have gotten to eat and slept well. They are all like my big brothers!! Sometimes it is annoying but I have to say they have been gentlemen to me!! Below are some of the men in my life. They know how to have fun together but also know when it is time to work!! In second picture I really easy to find because one I am the only girl, two I am the one with the red hardhat, and lastly I am the one that is taller than all the rest!!

Psalms 136:3-9

Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever. to him who alone does great wonders, His love endures forever. who by his understanding made the heavens, His love endures forever. who spread out the earth upon the waters, His love endures forever. who made the great lights, His love endures forever. the sun to govern the day, His love endures forever. the moon and the stars to govern the night, His love endures forever.

What did I get my self into?!!!

So I have been working now in Reynosa for 3 weeks and it has been really interesting. I have worked every single day since I arrived, I am okay with that right now though! The first week at work was mainly getting certified and reading safety standards for the company and coiled tubing. I just sat in front of the computer for 10 hours a day! My first week was also Christmas which ended up being fine. I worked all day so I did not have to think about not being with family. Plus, it did not at all feel like it was Christmas. It was warm and it did not look like it was Christmas time. Christmas Eve I went to a co-workers house for dinner. We had a turkey and other little goodies. It ended up being a very nice time.

The second week I finally got to go outside in the base and start helping with maintenance of the units. Working outside on trucks has been a fun experience. I never would have thought that I would be learning about tracker-trailers or how hydraulic systems work. I also found out what the term grease monkey really means. Working on all the components for my job you get covered in grease. My new coveralls have been broken in for sure now. One day we were changing the size of different components on the units to fit a larger tubing size and we had to clean everything which is covered with lube and grease. By the end of the day I had it all over me including my face!! Below is a picture of me and an intern, Viviana, at the end of the day. The picture does not give justice to how much grease we had on us!

New Year's was also at the end of the second week, and I hung out with a lot of other engineers. Mainly they were trainees like myself or interns. We had carne asado, balloons, streamers, and all! The first picture below is me with two other trainees in Coiled Tubing Israel and Gustavo. They have both been really helpful the last couple of weeks. The other picture is all the Coiled Tubing guys I work with.

This past week I got to leave the base a couple of times and see what a the well really looks like. I even got to help pump fluid down the well . . . opening and closing valves and all!! Pictured below is some pictures from the well including pictures of the Coiled Tubing rig that I am learning how to run. Coiled Tubing is a do all service in the oil industry. The actual coiled tubing is one continuous string of pipe that you can pump fluid through and attach tools to at the bottom. Some call it the plumbing unit of the oil industry. I am learning a lot but I have soooooooo much more to learn and experience. More about this portion of my life will be definitely coming soon since the portion is probably 90% of my life right now!!

Here is a picture of one of my roommates too!! This is Flor and we are the same height . . . well when she stands on a step!! I will add more pictures hopefully soon of more of the people and places I deal with on a daily basis!

Colossians 3:15-16

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.