Big News . . . 2nd Edition!!

When I signed up for working with SLB, I knew that I had a chance of moving to a lot of different bases. I guess I never thought I would be going to my 3rd base in just one year!! I knew I was going to move this time but the big question was when and where. My manager here told me the transfer process could take a week or even 3 months . . . it was more like the 3 months for me.

I had been living in a hotel here in Poza Rica for the past 5 months and just got to move in to one of the staff houses with the 2 other Coiled Tubing girl engineers. I even unpacked everything which I have not done since I was in Reynosa over 8 months ago. I guess I have gotten used to living out of 2 suitcases!! Of course since I unpacked everything I found out where I was going the next day and will only be here till the end of the month!

I started to read my transfer letter and it said that I was headed to, drum roll please . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

CIUDAD DE CARMEN, MEXICO!

When I first saw this I guess I was a little disappointed because in the back of my mind I thought I was going to Africa or Asia or at least another country where I can finally speak English . . . but I know God has a plan for everything! It did not help that I have had a lot of friends being transferred and quite a few are moving to Scotland to work in the North Sea which would have been pretty awesome! However, Ciudad de Carmen I know will be an awesome experience because I am getting closer to Cancun!! The map shows my first stop in Mexico which was Reynosa, the middle is where I am now Poza Rica, and the last stop is Ciudad de Carmen!

This base is going to be even different than the other 2 which is hard to imagine but everything that is done there is offshore. I always thought it a possibility to go offshore but did not think that it was really going to happen. That means I will be reading on lots of boats and even helicopters! Plus, the base in Ciudad de Carmen has the most Coiled Tubing and Nitrogen units, 19 and 21 respectfully. Most base just have about 5! Having this many units means it has a lot of money so all the new technology will also be there. And to help with the transition there will be 2 engineers that were originally here in Poza Rica and another from Reynosa. Also, and the really exciting thing for me is that I will get to live with my best friend and roommate from Reynosa again. She was transferred there about 3 months ago!

I will now get the privilege of wearing a bright orange coveralls!! I will definitely look like a giant carrot but that is fine with me! You can see the orange coverall below . . . she was just transferred to Scotland, myself to Carmen, John in the white hardhat to Carmen also, and my Italian friend to north Africa. The other girl in the picture quit so things have definitely changed since we were all together at school!

Chile

So with the news of the Chilean miners finally getting to come home, I just wanted to show you a story of what someone I know from SLB was doing during the days leading up to the rescue. It is so awesome to see how even though I work in a very selfish and dark industry, people still care about others even though the will get nothing in return (I especially like one of the last paragraphs about their living situation while drilling one of the rescue holes)! Enjoy!

From the wellsite in Copiapo, Chile, where the Schlumberger drill team is working to reach Chile’s 33 trapped miners.
by Ma Jimena B B on Sunday, October 10, 2010 at 8:34am

IPM REPORTING FROM CHILE...

Like anyone would be, I was interested and intrigued when asked to come to Copiapo, Chile, to act as our company’s interface with the Chilean Rescue team and the world press as Schlumberger joined the effort to reach 33 miners trapped in a gold and copper mine since August 5th, when the main access tunnel collapsed. I needed only a few seconds to decide.

It’s a long way from Gatwick, England to Copiapo, a lonely agglomeration 700 kilometers north of Santiago and 1600km south of La Paz, Bolivia—with little in between. The mine itself is situated 40 kilometers outside of Copiapo, in the Atacama desert, in some of the most barren country on our planet. Since arriving here September 26 and taking up residence in a modest hotel in downtown Copiapo, I drive to the mine each morning, passing first through the camp for family members and the press before getting to the rig, where I spend the day with our team, our client and the rescue management group. They’ve got their work cut out for them.

To recap, Schlumberger has been contracted by ENAP (Empresa Nacional del Petróleo) to drill well “C,” officially called Atacama 33, the second of two rescue holes aimed at the mine’s tunnel network 608 meters below the surface, where the miners are holed up. While wells “A” and “B” are being drilled by mining rigs, which advance through the rock by hammering at it, we’re using a standard oil drilling rig and oilfield technology, which bores through the rock with a rotary bit.

The challenges of drilling here are enormous. The rock to be drilled is much harder than those encountered in oil and gas exploration, and we’re having to drill the entire hole with a very large, 28-inch bit, to make the hole big enough to pull the miners through. Because bits this big are designed for cutting through much softer, surface level rock, they’re wearing out quickly, and we’re having to replace them in rapid succession. Another challenge is getting the hole placement right, so that we eventually end up hitting the tunnel network where the miners are located. This has involved temporarily using a smaller, 17½” bit with greater directional sensitivity, and later enlarging the hole with a 28” "hole opener.” Yet another significant challenge here involves simple logistics—just getting the necessary equipment and people here to the mine, the majority of which and whom come from outside of Chile.

One of the most captivating things I’ve encountered since arriving is the intensity of our team’s focus on getting the trapped miners out, no matter what it takes. We’ve got 12 people at the mine site—four from D&M, three each from Wireline and IPM including me, and two from Smith. Behind the scenes we have engineers supporting us in Santiago, Chile; Neuquen, Argentina, Gatwick and Houston. And tomorrow, Friday October 8, we have a person coming from Houston Engineering to help adapt our wireline to the rescue capsule. Our wellsite employees are living in tough conditions right next to the roaring rig motor—no running water, poor food, sharing five beds between them in two tiny port-a-cabins. It’s hot during the day and cold at night. Yet no one’s complaining and no one’s asking to be replaced. They are here because they want to be part of this remarkable effort. I know, because I feel exactly the same.

Cronin Wedding

So I have been really really bad at keeping up with this for the past couple of months and I apologize. I really do enjoy writing these posts but sometimes it is so crazy at work that when I get home I just crash. Thankfully, I got to go on vacation for 2 weeks to help with this situation and I got to go home!! I was itching to get back to the US like no other throughout the month of September, right before I was supposed to leave for vacation. It finally came true the last week of September . . . I ended up buying my ticket home the day I left which I had never done before!! Another crazy experience to add to my list!

I flew into Raleigh so I got to spend time with a couple of friends and hang out with my sisters and brother-in-law! Plus I found out some news that I am soooooo excited about . . . my sister is having a baby so that means that I am going to be Auntie Sarah (Tia Sarita)!! I am so excited and will for sure be buying a baby poncho for the new one!!

After spending a couple of days in Raleigh I made it back to High Point. I hung out with my parents and got to eat lunch with my grandma which I thoroughly enjoyed and glad I was able to do that! I also finally got to play golf which was the first time in a long time and I actually did pretty good! It was a fun day spent with dad!

However, the main reason of this trip, besides seeing my family, was to go to Sarah Schrum's or now Sarah Cronin's wedding!! I got to spend a lot of time with her and her 2 friends from CO the whole week which was soooooo much fun! It was nice feeling normal though it made it even harder for me to come back to work! I went to there house on Lake Norman, a bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner, and of course the wedding! It was such a beautiful wedding and very relaxing and fun! Plus I got to hang out with Carolyn and Dana . . . I miss them soo much!

And the surprise of the 2 weeks was that I was asked to do chapel for the middle and high school back at my old school! I still wonder why they chose me because I am just doing what any normal person does though in a different country! I was so nervous and not sure what I wanted or needed to say but in the end it worked out because I let God speak through me really than me speaking. I am not really a person that likes to talk in front of people but it was interesting to see how God could use one of my weaknesses for good and gave me peace throughout the morning! I was stretched even while on vacation!

A verse I keep going back too . . .

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Viva Mexico!

Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is not really that important here. Yes, it is part of the history of Mexico in that the Mexicans defeated the french in a battle in Puebla. It is really only celebrated there and no where else in Mexico. I guess Americans just wanted another excuse to drink . . . but really it is a celebration for the Mexican heritage/population that is now in the US!

Mexico's independence day is actually the 15th of September!! They celebrate from the night of the 15th through the 16th! And this year is really special because it is the bicentennial of Mexico. It has been fun being here for it because people go all out here like they do in the US. When September came around everyone brought out there flags and hung red, white, and green streamers and such. Plus on ever corner you can see a stand selling flags and stuff which is shown below. There are fireworks and all the churches ring there bells. Everyone from town gets together in the center of town and just celebrates and enjoys each other. At the schools they dress up in clothes of the time period of the day of independence and other types of traditional Mexican clothes.

Unlike the US where we celebrate on the day when they signed the declaration of independence, Mexicans celebrate the day a priest demanded independence from Spain. In the night of the 15th Miguel Hidalgo, a priest, sent his brother with other armed men to release the pro-independence inmates from jail. They ended up freeing 80 men. The next morning Hidalgo order the church bells to be rung and the people to congregate at the church. There he gave a famous independence speech to revolt against Spain called the "grito" which is now recited every independence day. This initiated the Mexican-Spanish war. The declaration of independence was not signed until September 27, 1821 . . . 10 years after the start of the war.

Of course, I was not around for most of the celebration because I was coming back from a well. I had spent 4 days at this well with not much sleep and a lot of problems! I pretty much slept only 2 hours in 36 which is probable a first for me! Again I was really stinky and ready to get back to sleep and take a shower so I missed out on the craziness that was outside my room. Below is the picture of the rig I worked at. We were doing a fishing job trying to get 100 meters of cable out of the well . . . unforunately we were not able to do so, oh well!

Just a tidbit of Mexican history for everyone!

El Tajin

So I unexpectedly got some days off and I was going to use them when I come home in October but after talking with my manager decided to take them now. This is due to the news that I will not be going back to Reynosa . . . its a blessing but still sad at the same time! Since there is not any work in Mexico really, I have been placed on the transfer list. This means that I could be going to either Cuidad de Carmen, Mexico, which is the largest Coiled Tubing base in the world, or another country. And when I mean another country, I literally mean another country anywhere in the world!! My life is soooo crazy! I could be going back to the US or staying in Latin America or going somewhere crazy in Africa or Asia . . . who knows! Plus, I do not know when this is taking place! I guess I am staying here in Poza Rica until I find out but it is driving me a little crazy . . . but I guess this is what I signed up for!

Since, I am possible going to be leaving here soon for my days off I decided to go to the ancient ruins, El Tajin. Another engineer here has been in Poza Rica for 2 years and still has not gone, so I thought I better do it when I have a chance. Well it ended up that that same engineer, Viridiana, had days off too so we went together which was fun. The site was amazing . . . it has around 40 different buildings and it was really interesting. I kept telling myself how on earth they built these things back then when all the had were stones as tools!! Anyways my favorite building/temple is the "la piramide de los 365 niches" (the first picture below). It had 365 niches that symbolizes the 365 days of the year. It was also really nice just being outside and walking around . . . yes it was really hot but the air was fresh.

A couple of times I thought I was in an Indiana Jones movie with the jungle and ruins, like the picture above. Anyways, here are some other pictures I took and when I find out what is going on with my transfer I will tell everyone right away!!

Breakout Session!

So things have been crazy here . . . lots of work with a little bit of fun! I have been to about 30 jobs and 4o days in the field since I arrived in Poza Rica. It has been a lot of hard work but also really fun. I have learned soooo much and I have to say my Spanish is getting much better though I still have trouble speaking! Also I was able to travel during my days off.

My roommate and best friend from Reynosa, Karina, was going to get married the weekend after my birthday but things changed due to lack of documents but I still got to go see her in her hometown, Puebla. I took a bus in the middle of the night which took about 6 hours . . . surprisingly I am getting a lot better at sleeping in cars, buses and unusually places. It can be one of the things I can say I have learned from this job!! When I got there I went to breakfast with her whole family . . . aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. for her mom's birthday! Her fiancee, Qarnain was also there (he is another engineer/friend from Canada that works in Reynosa). It was soooo nice seeing her and doing normal things . . . just hanging out with a friend! We went out to eat and then decided to go ice skating! It was the first time I did that since I was about 10! I was horrible especially when you compare me to Qarnain who is from Canada and Karina who practiced figure skating for awhile! It was still a lot of fun. After that we went bowling which I was a lot better at! Karina and I both thought that day was so nice . . . a time with friends, laughing, and just enjoying life and the time with each other.

After the lst day of craziness, the next two were pretty chill . . . watched movies, hung out with her family, and walked around the beautiful city. The city is surrounded by mountains and had an amazing climate. Unlike Poza Rica, when it rains it cools off instead of being sticky. It was a perfect vacation from work! I will upload more pictures but the ones below will give you a taste of what Puebla is all about!

Karina and I at lunch eating some really good food. This picture was the first picture together we realized which is horrible since we lived together and all!!

Karina, Qarnain, and I goofing off at the ice rink . . . man was I bad!! Just look at my beautiful form!

Me spending the day with Karina and her dad and brother in the center of Puebla at the famous cathedral.

I loved looking at all the building . . . they had a lot of Spanish influence and a lot were covered in tiles that Puebla is known for, pictured above.

The last day we spent in a town outside of Puebla that had a beautiful cathedral on top of the hill which is actually ancient ruins that you can see some of in the picture.

After the much needed break, I started going to a lot of jobs and started getting even more responsibilities. When I went to the well most of the time I was in charge of the reports and all the paperwork and sometimes even talking to the client which was scary!! With that my manager here said it was time for my breakout job which means that I would be operating the unit and doing all the meetings and stuff (acting as supervisor). We planned for one job but we had some issues so it ended not being my job which was a little disappointing. Little did I know a few days later I would be going to do 8 wells in 7 days!!

Well . . . during those wells, I operated the unit the whole time for a milling job. Come to find out that the supervisor and the other engineer there were watching me and ended up making that my breakout job! When I got back to the base my manager said that I had broken out, meaning that I was being promoted from a trainee to an actual engineer!! It is really exciting but scary at the same time because that brings more responsibilities. The day after my breakout I got to design two jobs and perform those operations which was awesome. I will get to have a lot more practice very soon because there is another 8 well job that we will start in the next week. I am finally getting comfortable here, however, with my breakout means I will be heading back to Reynosa soon. Below are just a couple of pictures from those 8 wells!

Christian and Eric writing the number of the well on a sign so the water guys would not get lost.

Jesus and I showing off our hard work after we finished mixing a batch of gel. You had to put this powder in diesel and then mix it to from a gel. It was crazy, the powder would stick to you everywhere and then when you sweat it would form a gel. I rubbed my neck and it was not normally!! After these I was the smelliest and dirtiest I had ever been in my whole life . . . I guess that's what happens when you do not shower for 6 days and wearing the same clothes after working in the mud and sun!!

2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

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!!