Updates! So I haven't kept up with this like I should have - so here are some things you may have missed!
End of November:
I flew back from Abu Dhabi after successfully completing my CORE training for Open Hole Wireline! I then went on to Kellyville, OK for a week long training for driving and whatnot! The school at Abu Dhabi was much, much better than that in Tulsa - I credit that to the fact that I didn't have to cook for myself in Abu Dhabi! :p
Thanksgiving Break:
Once I finished up my training in Kellyville I had exactly one week to travel back to Norman, see friends and family, and move to Bakersfield, California! It was definitely a short span of time, and I didn't get to nearly everyone I wanted to - but Austin and I managed to pack everything into the little red Aveo and drive into the mighty blue yonder (however that phrase goes)!
Bakersfield Roadtrip:
We decided to turn the move to Cali into a roadtrip - more memories and a lot less miserable of a drive!! One of the cool things we came across were the HUNDREDS of wind turbines! It was truly incredible to see the strides being made for green energy! (Yes, I am a petroleum engineer. We can love the planet too.)
We arrived at the Grand Canyon just at sunset - and it was amazing! Truly amazing. Seeing something so much bigger than myself was a very humbling moment. We stayed so we could also see it at sunrise, and somehow it was even more magical! :)
Driving through California definitely tested our will. We had to deal with rain, and then a sandstorm, and then hours of stop and go traffic. It was not the welcome greeting we were hoping for - but driving into Bakersfield instantly felt like home! It is a rather large city, but it has a small town feeling! We arrived on Sunday night and had only Monday to find somewhere to live - and move in - before I started work on Tuesday. Miraculously, we managed to find an amazing apartment to live in, sign all the paperwork, and move in - all before sundown! We are living with another JFE, Joseph - which makes things a lot less lonely! :) The apartment is a close 15 minute commute from my base, which comes in handy when I get called in at 2AM!!
Being a Field Engineer in Bakersfield:
As of now, I am a "JFE" - or Junior Field Engineer. This just means that I am still in training, and will have an engineer mentor during logging jobs. Once I break out (pass a sort of test that shows I capable of doing a job all by myself), I will drop the 'J'!! Working in California is so different from my experiences in Oklahoma! The oil here is very heavy, so steam injection wells are used. I log both the producer and injector wells! Field life has been all the I expected - long hours, late nights that turn into mornings, sleeping in a truck, eating gas station chips, being covered in mud. It's also been more than I could hope for - being trusted with collecting important well information for clients, given the responsibility to run tools that cost thousands of dollars, having to make decisions with the safety of others in mind! As a female out on the rig I have been...not lucky...but pleasantly surprised...at how much I am treated as an equal. Of course, that's how it should be. But so often that's not how it is - so it is refreshing to be treated so nicely! The other engineers respect my opinions. The operators trust my direction.
Back to Oklahoma:
Two weeks ago, I was told they needed me in Oklahoma for a project. So I hopped on a flight to my home state and was fortunate enough to be able to spend the holidays with friends and family! I finished up with the project yesterday - and am now back to California!
Back in Bakersfield:
Now that I am back in Bakersfield, things have been very busy! I've been on many jobs - and will be doing the first part of my breakout later this week! Part of why I enjoy this job is the travel - and just this week I have been able to go to some awesome places within California. I drove to the coast - a cute little town called Cayacos - and then to Southern California!
And that's it! You're all caught up. Many stories left out, but no one wants to read a novel :p
