Birthdays in Mexico

Looking back over the years, I have to say that probably over half my life I have been somewhere besides my house for my birthday and this year was no different!! I have been in Spain, the bayou of Mississippi, camp, and so many other places. At each of those places they celebrate birthdays different and Mexico is no different.For my birthday I got to work in Tampico which is 5 hours north of Poza Rica on the coast. I was doing a nitrogen induction job at a rig so it was me with 20 Mexican men! I never would have thought I would have a birthday like I did that day! That morning we stopped at a grocery store really quick and I decided to buy a Tres leches cake . . . they are sooooo good and if you ever get a chance you need to try one! I bought a big one so I could feed all the people at the well, plus its always good to get on the good side of the client! Below is a picture of the cake. When I was handing out the cake some of the PEMEX guys asked why I was doing it and I said because it is my birthday. I quickly learned that when it is your birthday you get a hug from everyone . . . if you know them or not!! So now I can say that I have hugged about 10 complete strangers in a matter of minutes.


The pump operator during our down time while I was doing an inventory of tools and sweating went and picked some flowers, pictured below, for me which I thought was really sweet. He is an older man and about half my height . . . all I have to say is that I look so weird next to my crew they all are a lot shorter than I am!!

After we finished the job, around 10, we headed back to the hotel and a grill and meat were waiting for us. We had a nice little cookout with the other crew that was in town which was perfect and again I had a piece of tres leches cake!

When you get your cake you are supposed to eat the first bit with your face because then someone comes from behind and pushes your face into it . . . thankfully I say this happen at the base one day! No cake on my face this time!! (You can see no cake but you can see my beautiful farmers tan that I am getting!!)


All in all it will be a birthday I will never forget though I would have loved for my friends and family to have been there with me! Oh and one of the engineers has a little girl named Carolina and when this picture was taken they said I should email to my mom and say "Mom, look what I got in Mexico"!! I thought it was pretty funny and quick of them to say that! Don't worry mom that is not going to happen . . . you know me!!

Sarita Pope Worden Coble . . . aka Sarah Conner Wonder

So my name has transformed even more lately. I have been called Sarah Conner so many times now since most of the guys have watched the Terminator movies. Sarah Conner is what they think of when they first hear Sarah. Also, so many people have asked what my second last name is and then I have to explained that it is different in the US. I always say my name is Sarah Pope Worden and try to explain that Pope is a middle name and can be a normal name or family name like mine is. In the end it just becomes my second first name which everyone has here. Then they ask what my name would be if I was Mexican so I say Sarah Pope Worden Coble and then I have to explain that my last name would then become my middle name when I get married . . . It is so complicated! But can you imagine how long your name becomes here in Mexico?! An example would be my sister's name, Nadia Elizabeth Worden Coble de Merritt!! You do not loss any of your names!

So far I have enjoyed my time here so much!! The people here are a lot of fun to be around and there is more of a life here. The people enjoy each others company and look after each other (Below is a picture of some of the interns during their last night . . . the girl I mentored is the one sitting next to me, Lucero). And the location is better!! I mean I actually got to go somewhere for my days off instead of being stuck in my house all 4 days!

This past days off I went to Costa Esmeralda which is about 2 hours away from Poza Rica by bus. Going to the bus station and finding the right bus was pretty interesting. Since Costa Esmeralda is a smaller location you have to get on the Veracruz bus which I did not know at the time. Plus, when they stop at a station they don't really say where you are, so every stop I asked the guy sitting next to me "is this Costa Esmeralda"! In the end I made it and found the hotel I booked online. I just booked a random hotel that I found online . . . it had to be a place on the beach with a pool and most importantly a hammock! Well, this hotel ended up being perfect! I wanted a quite place and not that many people which was the case. It was just me and 2 other families there, and you got to know the staff as well. Below are some pictures of the place and the hammock I lived in reading one of the other engineers only English book she had!

Please keep praying for my Spanish and not getting to frustrated. It is hard when you want to help and do more but you can not communicate. Also that I keep my mind on the right track!

God's Embrace

God knows what He is doing . . . again I was feeling a little lonely because I am so different than most everyone else. I know that God prepared me for this situation during college and all but it is still hard. Thankfully, one day God showed me that he is still here with me though it may not seem like it sometimes. One of the lead supervisors, Mauricio from Columbia, who is in charge of maintenance and tools asked me to help him with inventory of all the tools and spare parts to make sure one of the units had everything before it went out on a job. It was a Sunday so there was not much going on around the base including in the yard and I did not want to be in the office anymore, so I quickly said yes. While counting everything and cleaning he asked me what type of church my family went to. He was the first person I have met so far here in Mexico that asked me that type of question. Most of the time it is just “eres catholica? (Are you catholic?)” and that’s it. Normally I say no a Christian but most don’t understand the meaning behind that. Hopefully people will start asking more.

Anyways, I told Mauricio that I grew up in a non-denominational church (this all in broken Spanish/English!). He said that he understood and asked because he could tell that I was different. He said my demeanor and the words I use “gave me away”! We ended up talking about religion and how for many people here in Mexico think of God just as that a “religion” or tradition. He said for him it was a “relationship”. When I heard that I almost started to cry . . . it was sooo nice hearing those words come out from someone else. It is so hard trying to fit into this culture and company but still be the person I truly am. God knew what I needed and again showed me that He is still embracing me. I know that God has a plan for me here (though I do not know for how long) and I hope that I will truly listen to what he wants not what I or the world wants. I told Mauricio this and he agreed with me! We ended up talking for a lot longer, still in broke Spanish/English but God allowed us to understand each other! In the end he invited me to meet his family and have dinner some time . . . I told him tell me when and where and I will be there!!

Another God send is a message from one of my friends recently. The message was very encouraging . . . she said that she admired me for following God’s will. I do not think I deserve that at all, my mind has not been right all the time and sometimes I don’t listen to what God really wants. I have been very afraid sometimes to tell others what I know and been very lazy in talking to Him. I am being very honest because I still need prayer and accountability from everyone to help me stay the right course and listen to my heart.

I think this blog has been really good for me. I never thought I would enjoy it or like writing but I do! It is nice to tell people that know me before this adventure what is going on in my life. It has been needed to help keep my sanity in this crazy world I have entered. Spanish all the time is not healthy for my mind either!! Maybe one day it will be fine but right now it is not!! I am confused enough that once in a while sitting down and writing in English and not about work gives me a clearer mind if that makes any sense!

Anyways, thanks for listening to my rant but soon there will be another post about my life here in Poza Rica . . . it is sooo much better than Reynosa right now!

Aceite pozo con mi alma

So I have been here a month now which is crazy . . . time sure does fly with this job (hence there has not been any new posts for a while which I am sorry about). Yes, you still have your very slow days at work like everyone else but it is still so different than a desk job. I have been in the office a little more that before school due to jobs just starting to pick up again. Plus, there are 3 interns and 3 trainees (including myself) vying for the position to go to well with 1 of the 5 units here. I have been working a lot of instructions and manuals for the software we use and troubleshooting. I do it first in English so I can get my thoughts straight and then translate it to Spanish. I use a combination of the internet and what I know, and I thought I was doing a pretty good job. Well, I got my mentee, Lucero, and another trainee from Reynosa, Luisa, to check over and correct it . . . well they pretty much changed the whole thing!! Oh well, maybe next time!

I live in a hotel that is not glamorous but works for what I need. I have a clean bathroom with hot and cold water, a TV, and sometimes internet!! For the first 2 weeks I could not connect to it with my computer for some reason but I prayed every night that it would work and it finally did!! It was great because I finally got to talk to my family on Skype! The hotel is near the center of the city so there are actually shops and restaurants and people! The city is actually alive unlike Reynosa. Below is a picture of my room and bathroom . . . small but comfortable!


Of course I have been going to wells also. They have been interesting because the landscape here in Poza Rica is so much different than Reynosa. It is soooo much greener and full of life. Every house has a mango, banana, or lime tree. Plus there are more hills and mountains. The people are very similar to those in Reynosa, however . . . I still work with a bunch of guys, enough said! The people here do however seem to enjoy each other's company more. One of the engineers had her "breakout" (which is what I am working on right now) so she had a little get together. A lot of the operators and other engineers came which would not have happened like it did if it was in Reynosa. Below is a picture of one of the views I had at a well and a place we ate at on the gulf coast!

Coming back to Mexico in the summer has been really hard to adjust to. You just walk outside and you are soaked . . . it is miserable if you are in the sun. The first time I went to a well I thought I was going to die . . . I had not sweat that much since summer soccer practices during my club years. I drank so much water tI thought I was going to float away!! However, I never had to use the bathroom which is always a good thing when you have to use a port-a-potty or worse!!

Big News!!

So I found out the night before going back to Reynosa that I am being moved to another location. The location, drum roll please is . . . Poza Rica, Mexico. It is a city on the gulf side in southern Mexico. It is part of the state of Veracruz. I am working my way down to Cancun!!

From my take on Poza Rica, it is an older city compared to Reynosa and has a little more culture and history, which I am excited about. It is a pretty big city (not quite as many people as Reynosa but still bigger than High Point). Below are the El Tajín Mayan temples outside the city. Now I have something to explore during my few days off!!

This will not be a permanent move but just until I "breakout". "Breakout" is a training step in SLB where you have to show that you are capable of designing and supervising a job. It is going to be pretty rough for me because I need to know perfect, or close to it, Spanish!! Once I breakout I will be sent back to Reynosa to be an Engineer in Charge . . . that is when I will go from being a trainee to a real field engineer!! So most likely I will be in Poza Rica till the end of the year.

I had 2 days in Reynosa before I was supposed to go to Poza Rica but I persuaded my manager to send me home to NC for 2 weeks!! I am soooooooooo excited . . . its been a little over 6 months since I left High Point!! I am glad I got to go to Reynosa first because I got to see some of my friends and talk with my manager about school and stuff. Plus I could bring all my stuff home to repack because I have realized I brought a lot of stuff that I did not need at all and wished I had other things!

Man, does my manager have some big expectations for me!! He said that I am a brilliant engineer and expects that I breakout soon and learn more than just what is expected of you to pass. He wants me to be a big boss (what he is) in less than 4 years! No pressure right!!

Jeremiah 29:11

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

I made it!!

So I made it finally to the last week of training. The main part is over and now just a week of well control certification left. I ended up "graduating" top 3 in my class so I hope my manager will approve!! Now that it is over my body has told me to just chill out for a little while . . . it has been a long and tiring, mentally and physically, time but I did it!! We had our graduation dinner Thursday night were we got our "diplomas". It was just a fun time together with a lot of laughing.

Below is a picture of me, Carolina, my instructor, and Ryan, the one who ended up top of the class. We definitely pushed and helped each other throughout this training!

Rafa and Henrik messing around with Ryan's top of class statue!

The 2 other CT girls Daiana and Susanne.

The crazy Canadians Hassan and the other Ryan.

And finally John, Paolo and Cesar, another instructor that helped us.

You can just see the relief and happiness of in everyone's faces!! We all wanted to finish together and we did it!!

Because I needed some me time and sleep, I decided not to go to Las Vegas with most of the rest of the class for the weekend. And now I am sooooo thankful I did not go. I had so much fun hanging out with the 2 Canadians and 1 other classmate this weekend. This Friday we went go-karting which was a lot of fun. These were not the slow little go-karts, they are the ones that can go 50 mph!! At first I was so timid to go fast. One because I have not driven in 6 months, and two I felt like I was going to roll the karts even though I knew that was not going to happen! By the last 10 minute run however I was getting really good! I was one of the fastest people on the track! Below are just some photos of the day!! The last one is of the gang that did not go to Vegas and Raul, a supervisor that helped us out. Afterwards we went to Iron Man 2 with Carolina and had fun joking around with her. It was a great day!

This final picture shows just how much fun I had with these people. They made this process soooo much better. I thank God for one allowing me to make it to this specific school and two meeting these people. It is going to be hard going back to the real world because it was so nice having other people in the exact some boat. It is looking like they are sending me to Villahermosa in southern Mexico for a little bit which will be good. An added bonus is that Rafa works there so I know at least one person! I will let everyone know when I find out exactly what is going on!! Please keep praying that wherever I go I will find community!

Where the Wild Things Are

I cannot believe that I only have 3 more weeks here in Tulsa. Time has flown by!! The next 2 weeks are going to be pretty tough but I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel! Its taken a long time but I see it now! I have one final job to run and exam this week, and then the final exam and project the next. It is doable but I know it is going to take a long time and a couple sleepless nights!

I have learned so much so far. The ins and outs of pumping, running the CT unit, downhole tools, downhole hydraulics, mechanical hydraulic systems, electric systems, just to name a few! I never ever would have thought I would be learning and doing the things I have been doing. It is so hard to explain what I am really doing. Sometimes I would like to just have everyone in my brain when I do things so you would understand. When people ask what do I do, I do not know where to start so I end up just saying that I work for an oil services company that goes to wells and performs services to make the well more efficient but that does not give it any justice!

Below is just some pictures of the group learning how to operate the liquid nitrogen pumping unit. Pretty much we just sat around waiting for ice to form on the pipes!! The guys had a lot of fun wearing the aprons too!! Just another piece of protective clothing you need on the job!

This weekend we final got off a Saturday which was soooooooo nice!! To celebrate we went out to dinner Friday night to a restaurant near our apartments that was supposedly famous. It was good but it was one of the most bizarre experiences I have ever had. You walk in and it looked pretty fancy but then you get at the tables and the menus were just fliers and we had some random person seat us (he was the only one not in a shirt and tie). Then they just started putting random food on the table. Come to find out it was a steakhouse with middle eastern influence. So we had a cabbage roll and taboli, and then pork ribs and a big juicy steak. Its another experience that I cannot give it justice when trying to explain it! A little look into the craziness is the picture below of Ryan and Daiana . . . they ordered a porron of wine and the waiter brought out this plastic measuring pitcher of wine. All I got to say is bizarre!

The next day a group of us decided to go to the Tulsa Zoo. Supposedly, this zoo was named the best zoo of the US at one point from customer reviews but not sure if that really is the case!! It was a lot of fun and such a beautiful day. It was nice just to be outside and doing something different for once!! We saw lions and tigers and bears, oh my!! I have to say that the chimps, penguins, and giraffes were my favorite. I could have sat for hours watching the 2 baby chimps swinging all over the place and the old woman playing with her food and grossing out the crowd! I definitely saw God's beauty all day long!

Below is me, Suzanne, Paolo, and Daiana!! Of course they made me be the giraffe!! It was a lot of fun with these guys. At one point Paolo told everyone that we were only allowed to speak in our native language. It was complete craziness!! Paolo was speaking Italian while Suz spoke Norwegian and Daiana spoke Portuguese!! I was the boring one who spoke English. I told them it was not fair because they understood what I was saying while I couldn't understand them!! The other picture is just of the CT girls with the elephants!

Hopefully by the next post I will know if I am still going to be in Reynosa or if they are going to transfer me to another city or country!!