Germany: Day 1 (12/04/12)

“Have I left Upstate NY? Okay, I must have. I am on a train, and they are speaking German over the PA. Oh and that town looks to compact.” The country side of southern Germany from Frankfurt to Stuttgart looks strikingly similar to that of upstate NY with rolling wooded hills and farm land. There are differences, but the environment is very similar.

I have desired to travel to Germany about the time my family hosted our first exchange student who was from Germany. At that same time my sister and I starting taking German lessons which we continued for 3 years. While at the end of the 3 years of study my German was okay, 4 subsequent years of college have left me with a very small vocabulary. Still I have wanted to explore the country and now, over 7 years later, I am finally here in Germany.

I arrive at the Stuttgart train station around 13:00 and meet Elske there. We take the city subway to the stop closest to her flat and then we walk the half mile or so to her place. I will be staying with some guys who live in the same apartment complex (house). As I learn more, I am excited about the house since it sounds so much like my college living arrangements. The housing is owned by one of the local churches and there are a group of girls on one side of the courtyard area, and a bunch of dudes on the other. They are about living in community with other believers! Sweet!

After dropping my bags off in her flat for the time being, I decide to roam the city instead of sleeping. (Jet lag is rough, but sleeping at 2 in the afternoon is not a good remedy) As we head out, I am given basic instructions on how to navigate my way through the city and how to get back to the house. I was then set loose at the city center. Queue sensory overload time.

The first thing that I notice on my way to the center of the city towards the old castle is all the people out walking, and the small number of cars. The closer to the center of the city the less vehicle roads there were to the point where a good portion of the city streets are pedestrian only. There were hundreds if not thousands of people out walking. The stream of people pouring in and out of the subway system tells of its effectiveness.  Also, while there are no high rise buildings, most are 4-6 stories and stacked one up against another. There are shops all along the bottom of the buildings along the streets, and some have a basement and a second floor. After that the rest of the buildings are either work places or living accommodations. Cool! As I neared the center square, there start to be little temporary shops on the street. This is one of the reasons that I was excited to come during the Christmas season, the Christmas markets!  

The stalls have unique stuff and are usually genre specific. Colorful candles and ornate candle holders, bees wax candles next to the honey stand, wood work in traditional Christmas themes, wool items like hats gloves and mittens, pottery for the kitchen, cookie supplies galore (they take Christmas cookies seriously!), colorful Christmas ornaments for both traditional and more modern, etc… and there are musicians scattered across the market through the streets playing festive Christmas music. Some soloing on cellos, violins, and guitars while others are small bands with multiple string, wind, and or brass instruments. Oh, and the best part, the food and sweet stands. The smell of caramelized sugar, roasted chestnuts, and glazed almonds wafts through the air. Mixed in is the smell of the bratwurst stands, bread and baked goods, various Christmas “cakes”, warm beer, hot chocolate, and gluhwein (pronounced “glue-vine”) which is warm spiced red wine. On a cold winter day gluhwein is the best for walking around the market. Thanks for the recomenndation KM.

While strolling through the winding streets I was also noticing all the normal shops along the street. Oh, and the massive churches which are kind of hard to miss. Pretty much every type of shop that you can think off you can find within easy walking distance of the town center. Also, some of the food shops are specialized like the bakery, delicatessen, fair trade, tea, chocolate and sweets. The food prices surpriseingly weren't that bad. For Europe being so expense, I had imagined that groceries would cost more then they do.  

I should also mention some other things I noticed that were not so good. People smoke cigarettes, cigars, and pipes freely in public and a lot of people smoke! I guess I already knew that, but it was still a bit of a surprise. Also, the beggars appear more destitute and instead of driving by them, you walk.

Overall, I like this city better than any of the ones I have been to in the US. The same can even be said when I was in Paris this summer for work. However, despite how much I like the city, you still can't see the stars. 

Of Brass, Rubber, and Parachute Cord

Houston is becoming that city of firsts for me. I am here in Texas for a total of 9 weeks for training with my company. I have been here for 4 weeks already and the time has gone by all together to quickly. The weeks have been a blast with work/training, building friendships with co-workers, trying new things, visiting with old friends, and finding a great church to be a part of even if but for short while.

Two weekends ago I took a couple of co-works to an indoor shooting range here in Houston where we shot a .22 and an AR 15. This was great fun as they have never shot a larger gun like the AR. While there I noticed that this gun shop also had machine guns that you could rent and fire on their gun range. The following day after church I went back there with a friend from college and we rented the P-90. What a fun and powerful little gun! I have never fired a fully auto rifle before, and let’s just say that firing a P-90 is a great first time. We each got 100 rounds or two clips for the gun and let loose. The first clip I shot off in short bursts of fire. There was essentially no kick or recoil. The second clip I let loose in one go. Holding it snug to my shoulder and leaning into the gun it fired off all 50 rounds in less than 4 seconds, and every bullet hit the “kill” zone on the target. The sensation was amazing as all the senses were tuned for the moment. The smell of the gunpowder from the range, the taste in the air, the soft tapping of the gun on my shoulder, the sound of the firing mechanism recycling, vision focused on the target on the other side of the sites, everything in sharp focus. I was wearing a grin for the rest of the afternoon.

This weekend, on Friday evening in an attempt to do something other than going out partying with my co-workers, I organized us to go to an indoor go karting place. I had never raced Go Karts before, but it was certainly a fun time had by all.  The Karts were very good and could reach top speeds of 45 mph in the straights if you came out of one of the tight corners right. We all raced 3 races with 14 laps to a race. While not meaning to turn into bumper cars, there were a couple of run ins, and bruises were distributed to all.  

Then on Saturday, I fell 8,000 feet and parachuted the remaining 6,000 feet. Skydiving is great fun and well worth the money and to be able to check it off my bucket list. I think the best way to describe my experience is that it was both surreal and sublime. As my feet left the plane and all that I could see was the sun and open sky above me, the clouds and earth far below, the feeling of immense peace and awe was overwhelming. Yes, I know the wind in my ears was loud, but I could not hear it. Perhaps the adrenaline is to be the cause, but my mind was completely clear. The only thoughts were of keeping track of my altitude so I would pull the parachute at the right time and of taking in the absolute grandeur of what was around me as I fell towards the clouds far below and the ground beyond that. There was no fear or nervousness from the moment I suited up to the time of landing. That part of the human response was absent and instead I was excited and confident that I would have a great experience. I don’t think I am afraid of heights anymore.

So those are my adventures of note at this point in the big city of Houston. Who knows what the next couple of weekends hold, but I should mind my budget a little more now. Haha… More posts to come.

Ramblings Part 1 - Food

On the importance of food:
This may sound like a very guy thing to talk about, but I invite you think about the role of food and dining in you life. I believe that shared meals with co-workers, friends, and family is in some way fundamentally to proper societal and psychological well being.

Humans are social by nature, even the most introverted of us fall somewhere on a spectrum in the need for social interaction.  Putting aside the obvious fact, digesting of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, et al is essential to human life, meals become a key way of said interaction. I have noted that in my conversations with friends and family back in the states, one of the first questions asked is, "How is the food?" When talking with other expatriates, one of the initial conversation pieces are about good place to dine. In talking with the locals, they want to know what you think about their national food, and what you like from your home country. All this could be because people are just trying to be polite and make small talk, but I think there is more to it. I propose that food is more than just nourishment, but a societal ingredient for a better life. 

Note: When eating one is usually more relaxed and therefore perhaps more willing to converse about controversial issues without getting overly worked up.    

Over a meals the topics I have discussed or listened to in the last 2 months have been incredible. The three no-no topics of politics, religion, sex, as well as literature, art, music, food and drink, etc have been discussed. The meal is a place to kick back in relax. Here lunch break is 2 hours long and after a day at work, dinner can take that long as well. However conversation over the meal leads to informing and sharping you own thoughts and opinions. It challenges you to think critically about how you understand yourself and how you perceive the world around you. Stimulating dinner conversation also drives you to be a better informed person, and how to express yourself confidently and boldly. It takes intellectual/metal courage at times to talk about the sticky subjects. Doing this with a steak, a side of vegetables, and a glass of wine just seems to help the whole evening be enjoyable. Meals then are important, and to be taken seriously.

When you have dinner, have it with a friend and don't rush off for the next tv episode or football game. That is all for now.    

A Long time in Coming

Well, it has been a while. So much as happened since I last wrote a blog entry that I might end up writing up several different post and putting them up over the next couple of days. Slash that, I am going to write several in the next couple of days. I wrote this first one when I was offshore in West Africa. When working the night tour (pronounce like ‘tower’) you have time to write some things, especially when in normal operations and you can look up and keep track of signals while still typing.

Where to start….

France:

On Sunday the 8^th of July I landed in Paris and took a bus out to the hotel that Schlumberger had booked for those of us going through are initial introduction and training. That first day I meet many of my fellow new hires from around the world, well mainly Europe, Africa, and several of us Americans. The following morning we all boarded a bus and drove 45 minutes through the French country side south of Paris to the training school. Throughout the week, the 50 of us went to class, used the coffee machine a ton, and went to dinner back near the hotel in the evening. We were quickly recognized as the SLB group at a couple of restaurants, which where frequented because of the good food/ price ratio. 

Sunday the 15^th we were given the day off and my roommate (a fellow American) and I took the subway system into Paris to go exploring! For 15 euro we got a day pass to the subway, went to town. We first got off near Norte Dame, and walked along the river to the cathedral. Talk about busy, we decided that we were going to just take photos from the outside and not bother trying to get in. We then walked down into the Latin Quarter for me to exchange some of my US money into euro and find lunch. The Latin Quarter was super legit! Many of the streets were for walking only as they were so narrow. The shops were bustling, and seeing as it was lunch time, the air was filled with the aroma of fantastic food. After stopping in at a Starbucks for free WiFi for our phones, we continued on back to the Luve, which we did not go in, and walked around the glass pyramids, down the gardens, to the beginning of the Champs Elysees. From there, we zigzagged our way back and forth over the river on some very ornate bridges until we decided to continue up the Champs Elysees towards De Truimphe de Arce. After taking some more photos, we walked over towards the Eiffel Tower. The tower is a very easy way to reference were one is at on the city streets. We were doing all this walking with coming to the corner of the streets, locating the tower and deciding which way to turn. It was great. The Eiffel tower is truly a wonder of the world! Walking underneath it and around it makes one feel overwhelmed and in awe of the impressiveness of the architecture and human inspiration.  At this point in the afternoon, we decided that since we didn’t want to wait in the incredibly long lines at any of the attractions we had been to in the main tourist part of the city that we would go up to the highest point in the city. While this spot was visited by tourist, on this Sunday afternoon there were plenty of Parisians there as well. Sainte Scouer is a dome cathedral built on the high point in the city. In pre-Christian times, this was the sight of Druid worship. As the early Christian missionaries brought the faith to the franks, this in turn became the sight for one of the earliest churches in what would become Paris. You can even see some of the older church structures around the cathedral. This church is a literal example of the defeat of the “gates of Hades”, I love it. This Church was spectacular and the lines were practically non-existent! We walked up the hill from the tube-station and got to the church at the end of the late afternoon mass. As we walked in they were singing the closing hymns, and the bells were ringing. After walking around the interior and admiring the ornamentation and grandeur we paid the 5 euro and walked the several hundred steps up to the top of the domes. Wow. From the vantage point of the highest point in the city and the late afternoon sunlight you could see many of the sight and landmarks of Paris, including the La Defense building we had been to on Friday. By the time we finished spending time at the cathedral is was early evening and we decided to take the tube back out to the outskirts of the suburbs of the city to our hotel and call it a day. We got back about 10 pm in the evening (we made a pit stop and spent about an extra hour or more getting back. It was a fantastic day.

West Africa:

Disclaimer, due to the nature of where I work this shall be brief and delicate. I flew from France on the 17^th of July and landed in the city that I will be calling home for the next couple of years. It is the rainy season here in West Africa and as we flew through the clouds into the airport I took my first glimpse of the steaming jungle. After going through customs and retrieving my bags, a driver took me to the SLB base where I was introduce to the site. As I write and post this as of September 2^nd I have been both offshore and on land at the base. My time has been filled with training, shop time, online quizzes, and learning the basic of my job. I really do enjoy work and enjoy the people I have met so far. That is all for this one.

"The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page." ~ Saint Augustine

Of Trees and Fireworks

     I have been in western New York since last Monday after flying out from attending a friends wedding and visiting with college friends. Over the last week and a half I have had the great opportunity to visit with family, both close and extended, wrap up last minute stuff for starting work, and spend some fantastic quality time with my grandparents. Oh, and celebrate the 4th of July!

     The 4th of July here in the summer heat of NY was well celebrated. Don't ask me why, but the festivities started with firework on July 3rd in a small town in upstate NY where my Aunt and Uncle live. The show was very fun and was probably the longest lasting show I have seen thus far. While the E-days fireworks of Mines are hard to beat, this show sure was epic! The next morning, after we gathered some things together, grandma, grandpa, and I headed over to my Aunt and Uncle's place for lunch and for the rest of the afternoon and early evening. It was great to have lots of people there celebrating and to enjoy a ton of good American summer food which of course included corn of the cob, watermelon, and ice cream.

     Another thing that I am thankful for being able to do was to spend lots of time with my grandparents. Particularly in spending time with my grandpa out in the woods. One of my first days here we headed down to the hunting property to clear the hunting trails and mow the grass around the cabin and trails. He set me up with the chain saw and pruners and set me loose on the ATV to ride on ahead on the trails and clear out the dead fall from the winter and any brush that was growing onto the trail... and I tested to see how fast it would go up and down the road, safely of course. Then back home, due to the weather and their trip out to CO, my grandpa hadn't yet cut up and hauled in the trees he had cut last season for firewood. As such, several mornings where spent working with him in the cool of the morning, before the heat drove us inside, clearing the tops, bucking and splitting the logs, and hauling loads of wood up to the barn. (more time on the ATV!) Even in the mornings it was hot sweaty work, but I loved it. The hard wood stands with the tall oaks, beaches, ash, maple, and the rest are so awesome. Plus being out there with my grandpa was a lot of fun and, in a way, refreshing.

     I leave in the morning for work. I don't think it has fully hit me yet that it is actually happening. I am excited for many reasons and ready to start work in industry. Also, I am really not nervous about the whole deal. I might say so in conversation because I know nervousness is expected and part of me says I should be. However, it isn't the right word or phrase as I can't say what I am concretely 'nervous' about. Perhaps, eager anticipation coupled with an awareness for the uncertainties ahead, both those I recognize now and do not yet know... All the things I need or think I need are packed. Each stop I leave or throw away just a little bit more; things I deem unnecessary. My flight reservation is in hand and my passport is ready for more stamps!

Au Revoir!

Alaska!

For the majority of the month of June I was back home in the great state of Alaska. I will break up the time in the land of the Mid-night sun in several sections.

The Fjords! 

Kayker's Cove (Andrew Bosela)

      The first weekend back in Alaska I had the awesome opportunity with some friends to take a Sea Taxi service out of Seward down Resurrection Bay (a fjord) and stayed one night at a hostel on Kayaker's Cove. I had never been sea kayaking before but quickly fell in love with it. I was in a tandem sea kayak with a friend as we glided over the calm protected waters of the fjord. The first day we were there was some of the best weather one could hope for on the fjords. The sun was shining and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. We got to take turns with a fishing pole and caught several types of fish which became dinner and breakfast for the next day. We also kayaked up another cove and explored a fantastic water fall full of the spring run off. That evening after returning from a foray to Fox Island we prepared dinner and had some marshmallows around a camp fire. The following morning the usual cloud cover had rolled in over the fjord and we all had a lazy morning staying in our sleeping bags and talking about a whole bunch of random things. That afternoon several of us went out kayaking again for a short time and I decided that I wanted to try using a single instead of a tandem. I quickly discovered that for guys my size finding a single that fit long legs and big feet in rubber muck boots was a difficult proposition. Due to cramping in the legs and feet, I was the first one back that day.

Water Fall (Andrew Bosela)

     A great aspect of staying at a hostel is meeting people from around the world. There was a couple staying there from Tasmania who were finishing up a three month trip across Europe and America; an elder gentleman who was the caretaker and has explored the world in his day including climbing many peaks in the Himalayas; a group of guys from Tennessee who travel to various locations for a different adventure every year since graduating from college together. All in all, the time out on the water next to amazing peaks inspired me and helped me see a new side to the beauty of Alaska.

Clamming! 
     So to me this doesn't seem like much, but in talking with friends in Colorado, clamming is definitely one of those unique coastal things. My family has been going clamming since I can practically remember and, while there was a break in going for a couple of years due to a "red tide," it is essentially a yearly tradition. (Red tides are due to a type of bacteria that reproduces quickly in the right conditions and such tides make the clams unsafe to eat.) Our favorite sight is down on the Ninilchik beach just north of the harbor by the second coal seam along the bluff. On what is called a very radical negative tides the water line is so far below the normal sea level that one can walk out of the sandy benches and dig for razor clams pictured below. On the east side of the Cook Inlet the limit is usually between 45-60 clams per person. While this may not seem like many, cleaning this many clams is quite a chore let me assure you. While they can be small, 4-6 inches in length, full grown razor clams are between 9-12 inches long and 2-4 inches wide.

Bucket of razor clams (Andrew Bosela)

Digging for the clams involves waiting for the clams to make their way to the surface of the beach just above the surf line as the tide is on the way our and coming back in. Once they are close enough to the surface you see tiny little round blow holes on the surface of the beach indicating where a clam is underneath. You have to dig very quickly and carefully if you want to get them while not breaking their shells into shards, which will tear your hands up. (hence "razor" clams) While you are digging, they are also working their way back down into the soft sand with their digger foot. If  you are using a shovel to dig for them, you will sometimes have to get down on your hands and knees to pick them out. This involves sticking your arm somewhere between elbow and armpit length into the watery sand hole you have just dug and pulling them out. Oh, and the neck of the clam will be squirting water into your face when you are pulling them out of the sand.

     Once you have reached your limit or the incoming tide chases you off the beach you take them home and clean them. This can take just as long as digging for all them and makes going clamming an all day event most of the time. The reward though is that evening as you fry up freshly cleaned and breaded clams sizzling away in the skillet. Then it is time to chow down. So good!

Hiking!

The Glenn Alps (Andrew Bosela)

    This last winter in Alaska many places across the state received record snow fall. As a result, many of my favorite hiking trails in the Chugach Mountains still had snow down below tree line for the first several weeks that I was home. However, I did get out with my dad and then with my room-mate from college on two different hikes. The first one was up a trail that I have wanted to climb but had not had the opportunity to do before. In Alaska there are many old mining roads and this one was to the top of one mountain to what we had presumed was a hard rock mine. While we were not able to get to the top of the mountain on account of the run off stream in the pass, we, my dad and I, had a very enjoyable walk in the sunny meadows of the alpine. Along the way we passed mine portals which some of them dated from the the early nineteen-hundreds. (Sweet!) The second hike was up in the Glenn Alps, east of Anchorage with my room-mate, his mom, and my dad. As we had a different pace, my room-mate and I forged ahead of our parents and made it to the top of Flat Top mountain rather quickly. The beauty of the mountains was spectacular. It was easy to picture the glaciers carving the sides of the steep rock faces and forming the "U" shape valley floor below arrayed with the rich green of early summer. Epic.

Family and Friends! 
      The best part of being home though was the time spent with family. My family is very fun and funky, we are peculiar to say the least. After 3.5 weeks together, we definitely made some memories, from working with my dad for the family business or doing odd jobs around the house, mom teaching me about essential oils, and my sister and I talking about Harry Potter, books, movies, and music. (I finally read the fourth book.) I am going to miss them a lot.

 At the airport (Sister)

     Seeing friends and catching up with what is happening in their lives was also wonderful. It can be difficult to meet up with everyone though in just a couple weeks time, especially when it is confined to the weekends and evenings. However, playing disc golf, meeting up for coffee or lunch, sitting around a campfire with friends is very important and I had a blast doing so. It is interesting to be gone for more or less four years with coming back only a couple of times and being able to pick right back up with people and sharing life together. Doing so teaches one about intentionally making time for others and pursuing friendships. One lesson I learned was that there is never enough time to spend with everyone as I might like, so make the most of it, now.  

Thoughts;
     My time in Alaska was very relaxing and refreshing. I slept in a lot as I didn't have classes or work to get to, and I would stay up late watching netflix or reading. I got to listen to several podcasts of sermons which were quite good and had some excellent time studying the bible. While it was nice to just relax with nothing pressing to do for the most part, I was getting anxious to get to work by my last week in Alaska. Work is good, and I am the type person that needs to stay busy and focused on tasks. Learning how to actually relax when it is time to relax is something I don't do readily. How do you rest well?

"So lift you your glasses ye lads and fine lasses,
To the travelling people wherever you be,
May the road rise to meet you and old friends,
To greet you and may all of your rambles be happy and free.

..... (Irish la-la lines for the first half of the chorus)
With my pack on my back, down the road I will stray,
For the ramble from [Sterling] is ramblin' away." - An Irish Tune ~ The Rambler from Derry

To start a blog

Hey All!

Yeah! First post! Several months ago it was recommended to me that I should write a blog to chronicle my post graduation adventures and as a place to share thoughts along the way. After talking with my sister who has blogged for several years, I decided to give it a shot. As my first post on this blog, I thought it best that I provide some background to the blog and where I see it going if I should manage to keep writing consistently. I was told that writing a blog is something where one writes and posts without re-editing the piece half a dozen times. So, as my audience, I ask you to bear with me and my ramblings, musings, and spelling errors.

The Pensive Turtle is a description of a mood that I get when I am pondering, contemplating, and reflecting on life, the universe, and everything else. The name was first given to me in orchestra practice when during a break I was reading a very thought provoking book. A violist walked up to me and said that I looked like a pensive turtle. I liked the title and quickly adopted it for when it fits. This seemed like a good title for the blog and one that might be easy to remember (also it wasn’t taken).

Borne on the Wind is likewise inspired from another source. In three years as an InterVarsity Christian Fellowship bible study leader at the Colorado School of Mines, one Bible study from three years ago stands out to me in particular for the thought it formed in my head. In John 3 we find Jesus talking to Nicodemus. Jesus says, and I paraphrase, “that everyone born of the Spirit is like the wind, which blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it and see the effects of it, but don’t know where it comes from and where it is going.“ I want my life to be like the wind and to live fully now.

Three weeks ago I graduated from Colorado School of Mines with a B.S. in Petroleum Engineering. Come mid July, I start work with Schlumberger (SLB) as an International Mobile (IM) Field Engineer working in Drilling and Measurements (D&M) in West/Central Africa. This Alaskan is going to the jungle where there are lots of bugs and the humidity is very high. However, I am very excited to go and look forward to the challenges and adventures that are sure to arise.  

This blog is primarily to keep you all informed on what is happening in my life; things that won’t always be on facebook. Also, given the title of The Pensive Turtle, I will be writing posts about my musings and pondering in spheres of engineering (but not in little boxes or free body diagrams), life, faith, and society. I may additionally post some of my poetry, maybe. I would ask you to be patient with my poor grammar, random thoughts, and idiosyncrasies which will undoubtedly come to the surface.

My game plan for the time being is that I am currently in Alaska until June 21^st! This will be the longest I will have been in the state since my freshman summer of college.

June 21^st – Fly back to Colorado for a friend’s wedding.

June 25^th – Fly to upstate NY visiting Grandparents and extended family.

July 9^th – Start training at Oilfield Services 1 (OFS 1) in France!

July – Start work in Africa

To close out my posts, I will try to leave some thoughts from my readings or pondering:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. i did not with to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion. For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it, whether it is of the devil or of God, and have somewhat hastily concluded that it is the chief end of mand here to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever, (Westminster Abby Catechism)."" - Thoreau

Feel free to leave a comment below!