"RED I CHINESISCH?"

26Feb2007 - days in the desert: 62

Na, ned, aber die meisten hier um mich herum, ist ein chinesisches Rig. Nun, Nationalitaeten sind mir nicht so wichtig. Da ists schon wesentlich bedeutsamer, dasz es ein steinaltes Rig ist. Waere auch nicht ganz so schlimm, aber die Crew scheint noch sehr unerfahren, dasz heiszt alles verlangsamt sich, sie brauchen ewig, und wissen teilweise nicht wirklich was sie machen sollen, wenn man sie was fragt. Naja, oder sie verstehens ueberhaupt nicht, weil sie schlicht und einfach gar kein Englisch sprechen.
Der Medic hier scheint ganz helle, ist natuerlich auch ein Chinese. Hat mir nach "Austria" ziemlich gleich "ah, Vienna!" gesagt, und Johann Strausz - etwas ungewohnt ausgesprochen, zugegebenermaszen - und gemeint, er liebt Walzer. Auch wenn er "humm-ta-ta, humm-ta-ta" nicht wirklich im richtigen Rhytmus gesagt hat, was solls. Nette Geste.
Was nett daran ist, dasz hier so viele Chinesen arbeiten, ist die Tatsache, dasz somit nicht alle Arabisch sprechen wie auf den meisten anderen rigs - und somit auch meine hiesigen Kollegen zum Englischsprechen gezwungen sind. Hehe.
Ah ja, apropos Klischees: Hier haben sie Hunde. Zwei junge sieht man. Uuuaeh. Erhoeht die Hygiene nicht grad umbedingt. Naja, zumindest Kueche habens hier keine, die ist ein paar Kilometer weiter. Sie bringen das Essen mit dem Auto. Weshalb ich seit meiner Ankunft hier (5 Tage) auch keine warme Mahlzeit mehr gegessen habe...
Mache hier die Nachtschicht, 18-6h, ganz in Ordnung. Zusammen mit einem Ami. Total redneck. But funny.
Und auszerdem truebt nicht viel meine Stimmung, Job ist ein einfacher, und in fuenf Tagen bin ich Abu Dhabi, hehe.

Cheers
CGA

The horizon.

Days in the desert: 49.

I just came back from my nice rig. Back to town, to do my entrance exam. For school, which will start in three weeks in Abu Dhabi. I passed my exam, so tomorrow i will go back to the desert. Till school. Yippiiiiieeeeh!!! I am really looking forward to school. Will be more like a normal life again, you know, a mixed environment, weekdays(weekends!), ...

Anyways, i don't have much time today - i still want to do some sport tonight before i go back to the desert tomorrow - so i'll leave you with some pictures. Commentary included :-)

Uh, and one clear indicator that there is no life for me here: in two months i only had to recharge my digital camera once. Once! I mean, yes, those SONY batteries are pretty good. But in my case that meant they last almost a week...



My working boots. When they are more or less clean, no nasty mud.
Only one step for a man, but... no, wrong. Just the view out of my first sleeping container. Middle of the night, yippiiieeeee, let's start working!
The containers in the back contain (haha) the senior mess where i get my meals. Chow was alright on mi first rig - if u like rice&chicken (and beefy stuff).
Senior mess: So that university degree's good for something - first time on the rig and i can skip the junior mess and directly go to senior. Well, better not ask how the junior's is like after having seen the senior...
Wuestenmaeuse - sorry for the pun (in German). That dirt on them is clearly the sign of sandy hands. Welcome to the desert.

We also have comfortable outdoor showers for the more daring amongst us ... just kidding, that's an emergency shower. Whatever that emergency might be...

So this is what happens when you send little CGA to this country and he never ever shaved here so far ... and yes, it feels like pubic hair (ouch! Had to be said.). I vividly remember my chemistry teacher talking about the -S-S- connections contained in all body hair, as opposed to head hair, that make it turn etc. Whatever he meant by that, who cares.
Modern means of communication on my second rig. Hey, and that right button even lets us choose which "party line" we want to use. Now, if that doesn't sound like fun...
And no, this is not a joke. It's the actual 'phone' we are using here on my second rig to contact the other working parties here on the rig. Push the left button, say whom you want to talk to - it is then audible through loudspeakers all over the rig, as long as you keep that button pressed - and then wait if that person pics up. Or anybody else pics up. Also if there's a call and it's hardly understandable who's the one that should answer you just pick up and say "Yes, MWD?" and see if you're the one. Or you just pick up and listen to a conversation taking place.
I found a marking up on the rigfloor on a badge with the year 1975 written on it. This party phone might as well be older...
M-I-C, K-E-Y, M-O-U-S-E,...
My working gloves. Make you feel kinda goofy ;-)

Sunrise from the rigfloor. I have seen better, but without my camera. And not too many because most of the times i was asleep - my shift usually ended at four in the morning...

Welcome to the unit. This is inside my logging unit=the container that i'm in most of the time. And those are some people i work with. All locals.
Top right u can see the one small window we have. The unit is 24/7 well lit by electrical light, no matter how dark or bright it is outside. Marvellous.

Sunrise crane. Somehow the picture doesn't really capture the beauty of that moment. Just was outside, now it's 16:40, and had a similar view with that crane and the sunset. (Written some weeks ago...)

So that's me in the entrance of the unit. Not wearing my safety glasses to avoid that tunnel vision.
Where i come from that beard might make me look like a homeless person. Here people just think i'm Egyptian or start talking to me in Arabic. Which is good because it makes me less of a target.
Different culture, beard-wise.

I don't know so much about the local culture. They have lots of sand. But i wouldn't have thought that they also have sandWITCHes. And enough of them to make a business out of that. Hmmm, what might "humbergers" be?
Love that colour. Sunrise can be really nice around here. If nothing else...
Easily the most beautiful picture of today's collection. Well, at least in high resolution, it was. Work life. On the rig floor. Roughnecks. Nightpusher.
"Ich hoere Dich sagen
mehr leise als laut
das haben sich die Jugendlichen
selbst aufgebaut"
Well, not really, but that was the song i had in mind whilst shooting this picture. Mmmmh, music.
CGA no want shave on rig. Actually, for two months, since he came to this country. Closing in on the sexy three-months beard. Wait, no! I got it all wrong, that was the three-day beard. Better shave. See what happens (yes, YOU! Or stop reading...).
!
Dedicated to a good friend of mine. And to what he has accomplished. Incredible. Amazing. (what he did, not my beard - that one grew all by itself)
Ayayay, it's getting worse. Someone told me "Shakesbeer" but i can see no literature in this :-) no bloody way i'll keep that "Filteranlage"...
At last, a decent picture. Reflects the status quo. Oooooh, tiny little feet...
Picture taken today, on my way back to town to my exam. Read "achmachmachmalla.." i mean "CGA in the mirror might appear closer than it seems" or something like this...

Well, well - those i drill in the desert - that's it for today. Some people have asked me what it is that i actually do in the desert. I plan to write a seperate blog about it. Promised. When i get to it.

Cheers
CGA