Abu Dhabi :)

Some thoughts about Abu Dhabi so far :

• Favorite quote from Denni, the guy who is running most of the sessions, on the first day of orientation when talking about safety, "We are not in the business of killing people."
• This was said after they discussed the 8 fatalities worldwide last year. Most odd fatality? An engineer was speared multiple times in a tribal conflict in
• I have found that I like being ahead of you timewise, because I feel like I am winning a race for the future against you! Slowpokes...
• Favorite accents to listen to so far : Papua New Guinean and Russian
• Schlumberger has the 2nd largest internet network in the world. And it is the number one technical expert in the entire field of oil and gas.
• Got to give SLB props for trying to mix up the orientation lectures with powerpoint and short videos. Doesn't really help interest, but I appreciate the effort. :)
• About the food
• The number of lamb dishes they serve is kind of ridiculous (though they are all good)
• Either the main entrees are super spiced/oddly flavored/or lack spice, period.
• Yogurt is delicious here! I think the Arabic on the side of the package adds extra flavor to it.
• I don't know what is in their version of milky/creamy oatmeal and I don't want to. It is incredible tasting!!
• Just because something looks like tunafish sandwich, doesn't mean it is.
• Never had instant coffee before. Conclusion : it is not bad!
• They have ketchup here, but I am terrified of trying it and being incredibly disappointed if it is merely tomato paste.
• Best mini-sandwich ever : cucumbers, tomatoes, cheese, and mayonnaise
• Donuts here are not fried. They are baked and then chocolate is put on top. Sad.
• Best news ever - their chocolate pudding looks and tastes like chocolate bread pudding in a chocolate sauce. SOOOOO much better than ours at home.
• I am definitely enjoying myself. Everyone is really nice and even when I am bored in class I have something to distract myself with.

the almost-field engineer

Becca

Vacations and such

A few things from the last month :

- Louisiana either has the craziest or awesomest weather ever. It's either pouring like there is no tomorrow, or 95 degrees and 80 percent humidity.

- The second I decide I don't want to date any males, more of them than I thought possible crawl out of the woodwork telling me that they would like to date me. It's weird and annoying.

- Swamps and marshes have ugly names, but are absolutely beautiful.

- I miss my family more directly after they leave, than if I don't see them for 2 months.

- Alligators aren't as scary as I once thought.

- Shrimp taste okay.

- I have a new camera and it is pink! Sadly, my orange one broke.

- I don't realize that some adventures are actually adventures until they are over.

- Deet is a scary substance. There is a reason bugs don't bite when we wear it.

- I don't like managers.

- I can't wait until I get to see my family and friends again!!

- I am looking forward to August in Kansas for the first time in my life. It can't possibly be hotter than Louisiana. :)

- Cajun cooking rocks!! It's actually less spicy in most places here than it is in Kansas.

- Someone said I looked like Elisabeth Shue. I don't see the resemblance, but she says I am the spitting image.

- I complain a lot, but I've really enjoyed myself this summer.

Love you.

A Wednesday Morn'

Helloooo!!
First off, I really enjoyed getting your email today. It was the perfect size, length, and gave me all the information I want, but forget to ask you when we talk. We have had a crazy two days of crisises, confrontations, and issues, here on the rig, so I have thought of some things I wanted to tell you.

- Until stuff goes wrong, men (and women too, I guess, though I don't work with any) are genial, happy, and willing to work together.

- The second something goes wrong, common decency, respect, and patience are replaced by intolerance, anger, and yelling.

- I don't care if you are angry. Saying nasty racist things, swearing, and yelling; none of thes are a good way to deal with the fact that your life is stressful. If you can't take a stressful life, walk away.

- Angry men are alternatively ridiculously funny to watch, and scary to be around.

- I hope that when I am under stress, I will react the way a Christian should react.

On other notes :

- I am a pro at watching for rattlesnakes whilst running.

- They found a rattlesnake on the pad yesterday!!

- We might be done with this well in 2 or 3 days!

- My excitement is not because I can't stand not being here, or I am super tired of the job, but rather, because I have a huge project waiting for me that I haven't been able to get very much done on yet!

- My internship is a little over half over. It has been an incredible experience so far.

- I want to make Monster Cookies!!!

- Men on a rig have WAY more drama than women in a sorority or women's scholarship house ever had.

- I slept yesterday for 5 hours in a trailer that had lost AC in 110 degree heat. It was...an experience. :D

- We have beautiful sunsets and sunrises here.

I love you.

Becca

RAIN!

I saw rain for the first time in 3 weeks, today!!!!

- Rain is marvelous. People who don’t like it are weirdos.

- Corrugated metal is a lot more slippery when wet. I now understand the reason Schlumberger requires us to walk up and down the stairs in a specific way.

- Watching the sun come up over a real horizion (one without any sort of building in its way), is absolutely beautiful.

I love you.

TEXAS!!!!

K. Somethings from this past week.

- I can get used to anything. Even 115 degree weather.

- I love running so much that it doesn't matter that I sweat a disproportionate amount due to the high humidity and heat here.

- I have met some incredibly awesome people doing this job. Fun people with ironic views on life, gentle Sri Lankans with mad cooking skills, hilarious Vietnamese guys who have a crazy accent even though they were raised in Kansas, Mexicans who are interesting and funny and think that being stopped by the Border Patrol everytime they drive in South Texas is kind of hilarious.

- Night shifts really are not that bad.

- I miss real meals every once in awhile.

- I enjoy being places where I can see miles and miles and miles away.

- Rattlesnakes haunt my dreams, though I have yet to step on one while running down here.

- The internet can be an endless source of entertainment when we are circulating in an oil well for 4 hours.

- Stuff just happens, and I have no choice about it. Things break down, events happen faster or slower than I expect them, and a few days with a little bit of perspective help a lot.

- I smell like "oilfield" right now. Its kind of a musty, muddy, sweaty gross smell. And for some reason it really doesn't bother me. :)

- NUTELLA IS AMAZING. 'nuff said.

- I need to learn to ask more questions.

- I underestimate the genuine niceness of the men around me sometimes. I work with some of the sweetest husbands, fathers, boyfriends, and fiances of women who I have never met, but I know they are blessed.

- I am enjoying myself, 100 percent.

Love you. I hope your week is wonderful.

Becca

Always Learning

I continue to hope that one day I will just be amazing at everything (or, as Ginger says, "Have all the knowledge in the world entrapted in my brain"). Sadly, this will never be true, so here are some things I learned in the past week.

1) It is possible to fail at making pancakes from a mix.

2) When you miss something a lot (like running), even being able to do it to an infinitesimally small degree (like on a treadmill for ten minutes at a time) can be amazing!!

3) I wish that I lived my whole life only 30 seconds from a swimming pool.

4) I can actually get tired of eating pasta.

5) Once, every so often, I wish I picked a job where (a) more people understood what I do, (b) there were more women, and (c) I was close enough to my old friends that I didn't have to make new ones.

6) Even with all the things in number 5, I still love what I am doing.

7) I really really want to go out to an oil rig right now.

8) There are decent romantic comedies out there. Shocker, I know.

9) I miss being there for mum's birthday, mother's day, father's day, 4th of July, etc. I guess missing family holidays is the downside to being older :(

10) It is a lot more difficult for me to memorize stuff now that it was when I was Junior in high school.

Love you.

A Typical Saturday

As Saturday is one of the few days of the week I have absolutely no obligations, I like to make them as busy as possible, doing as little as possible. This includes the following in no particular order :

- Sleeping until approximately 11:57 am (it is a commonly known fact that people that actually sleep until 12 are extremely lazy, and not to be trusted by the general populace).

- Wander around my apartment until I decide what to eat. Well, this one happens several times a day, actually.

- Lay by one of the two apartment swimming pools for about 8 times as long as I actually sit/swim in the pool.

- Glare at the annoying small children that are splashing with joy in the water.

- Read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- Contemplate some studying for work. Nix that thought in about 8 seconds.

- Work out in the apt. gym-thing.

- And, of course, find some activity that involves going out in public and iteracting with something that is not a tv. Seriously...losing some crazy social skills with all my non-interacting.

- Napping at some point of time during the afternoon/evening.

And another amazing Saturday draws to a close. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...........

Becca