Countdown to going offshore

So I have been in the office now for 2 full months and finally got my rigpass to go offshore. That means that any day now I could be in the middle of nowhere in the Gulf of Mexico. Who would have ever thought I would be doing something like this . . . I didn't!!

My base is located at the port in Carmen so when you go outside to the patio there are a lot of boats of all types and of course water. Mostly there are fishing boats and of course barges that carry all the equipment and personnel to the wells. The patio is so different than the other bases too. There is not much space though there are 18 units because the units are most of the time on platforms. Also there does not need to be room for for trucks to move around because everything is lifted with a crane. It is already so different I can not imagine how different it will be when I do finally get to go offshore.

The office has been pretty tough but fun at the same time. I have gotten to know a lot of the engineers better and learn the ropes on how to be in-charge of coiled tubing units. I have had to talk on the phone all the time (those that know me this is not my favorite thing to do at all), check reports, send tickets and logistic information to different people, and of course know the operation of my units so if they have a question I can help out (all of this in spanish). Most of the time it is complete chaos though there are those few days of things being easy. I have had quite a few crazy ones because my units tend to have all the problems and incidents!! Below is a picture of one of my bosses with the other "gringos". He specifically wanted to take a picture with all the gringos (John, Nicolai, and myself) of Coiled Tubing and wanted me to stand next to him to show people how tall I am!!

Normally, I start work at 7:30, then have 3 short meetings, work until lunch which is from 2-4 pm, work more until the long meeting at 6 pm, and lastly maybe go home around 8:00 or 9 on a good day (bad days more like 11 or in my case 12:30). From the schedule you can tell that I do not have too much of a life but right now I am loving it! Once in a while I go to a movie or eat with my roommates (picture below of myself with Karina and Qarnain . . . just like old times in Reynosa) or other engineers. Somedays I just go straight to bed and then do it all over again!

Other days in the office it is a little more relaxed like one weekend there was not a ton to do at work so during our lunch break most of the engineers in the office went to a paintball facility and played for 2 hours. This was my first time I have ever done paintball before and it was really fun! We were all joking that it looked like we lived in Reynosa with the vests and guns!! I got hit only twice . . . once on each arm but they both left nasty bruises. The next day at work I was the talk of the town because I did pretty well picking people off and of course they wanted me to show off my battle wounds!! Below are pictures of that day including one of the beginning stage of the bruise . . . it does not give it justice at all!!

Next post will hopefully be of an adventure offshore!!

Home Sweet Home

So since I have started with Schlumberger I have lived longer in a hotel then anywhere else. In all I have lived in a hotel for almost 8 months, and I have been in Mexico for 11 months!! It was time to have a space that was mine!!

Well, that finally came true last week when I moved in with my roomie from Reynosa, Karina. There is also another engineer that lives with us that works for Haliburton. Her name is Stephanie, and she is also Mexican. This is good for me because then I will be forced to use my spanish outside of work more!! When all the other engineers heard that I was living with someone from Haliburton though, they said I was a traitor because I was sleeping with the enemy which I though was really funny!

I have a fairly large room with a nice closet which is pictured below. However, right now I do not have much to fill this space . . . there is only a bed and small dresser with a mirror and the closet is practically empty!! Thats what you get when you live out of 2 suitcases!!

I share my bathroom with Stephanie . . . I don't mind because it is big and clean, and I have always shared a bathroom my whole life with someone so it is no big deal!!

Below is my living room that I have never sat in because by the time I get home from work I get something to eat and then go to bed!! Eventually we will put the sofa together and get a big tv so we can watch movies . . . then maybe I will sit in this room!!

Dining room/kitchen . . . I can not put into words how nice it is to have a kitchen where I can cook!! Though I do not get to do it often, I am thankful that when I do have time I can do it!! Plus, I am sooo excited about not having to eat out all the time or eat in the hotel restaurant!!

Here is a picture of the outside of the house . . .this is a typical mexican developement for big houses. You are always attached to the houses next to you. There is also a nice little courtyard in the back of the house that is really private . . . I can't wait to put a hammock back there!!

Lastly is a picture of my street. It is in a gated community with security guards and it only has 2 streets so it is small and quiet. Mostly families live there so it is nice to finally see kids playing in the street, hitting a tennis ball like I used to always do with Becca. Kids never did this in Reynosa because it was to dangerous and Poza Rica was just to disorganized and dirty.

Soon I will buy a TV and then a car and then it will definitely feel like I live here in Mexico rather than me just visiting for an extended period of time! I do not mind riding in taxis all the time but it is time to have control of when I can leave and go so a car is a must!!

Feliz Navidad!

So it has taken me some time to post this so I am sorry. Things have been pretty interesting and I have had a lot of work. The week of Christmas I worked with 5 other engineers . . . that meant that I was in charge of 4 units that happened to be all working at the same time. Plus, the first day one of my units had a problem that made things a little more crazy . . . I survived the week though and learned a lot!!

Christmas eve all the internationals had Christmas dinner together. We got one of the operator's mom to cook the turkey and she ended up also cooking a pasta dish and mashed potatoes. Plus the norwegian, Nicolai who was a cook all through school, cooked carrots, made cranberry sauce, stuffing and a awesome dessert!! We had enough food for 20 people but there were only 5 of us!!

Sorry the pictures are not the best . . . my camera was acting up that night but above is Nicco cooking and then our beautiful table setting that if you look closely you can see the kitchen behind everybody . . . I do not know how we cooked a feast in that tiny kitchen!

The interesting thing about turkeys here in Mexico is that they stuff it in a way I could never imagined. When Nicco and I first cut into the turkey we thought it was not cooked all the way because it was pink. With further inspection we concluded that it was ham!! Yes thats right a turkey stuffed with ham!! It was also stuffed with prunes and almonds . . . it ended up being pretty good but I still prefer it without all that things in it!!

It ended up being a really nice time with friends with a real christmas tree and all!! However, it never felt like Christmas because it was about 80 degrees outside unlike North Carolina where it was snowing!! Maybe one day I will get my white Christmas!! I hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Years, and I wish I could have been with there!! Miss you and love you mucho!!