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!!
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