Long time, no write I could say. And that is completelly right. I just did not have the time/the will/strength :) to write. But I hope to make up for it.
First of all Happy Birthday Matt.Don't really know the exact date but I know it was last week (I also know that saying happy birthday a week after the birthday itself, is a bit weird :) ).
Anyway. Anything you wish for!And thousands of miles for you to walk,fly,swim,drive, just travel...and one more thing.30 is just the beginning...
The friday before last I hoped to see something different than the camp or the Parvadeh mine.But my hopes were shattered. I had two reports to write,lots of technical documentation to look through and spent the day in my room. It was too hot to be outside.So another friday at home.
But then came one of most terrifying weeks in my life. I saw three spiders!!!!!!!!!!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
One of them on the road. And it was quite ok.we stared at eachother for some time and then went our ways. But then....Out of nowhere...A spider was in my bed!!!AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!Imagine that.
I was going to lay meself in bed, i lifted the pillow and then he/she was. Big as a dragon, hairy as a mammoth (thanks to Zosia for the comparison :P) and ferocious as you can be. He was looking at me, eyes burning with fire, deep breaths, showed his big fangs and was ready to attack. But no, i did not fall for his pathetic games,i did not back out. I stayed there looking back at him. We stood like that for about 30 seconds I jumped to grab a newspaper to fight the bastard, but it just went somewhere. The result - since then I have been sleeping on the other bed in my room :)
And then a spider in my office. Big bastard as well. I though he was dead. Even wanted to make friends with him, gave him two flies but he rejected them. And the day after he was gone. The result - since then I have been checking my office carefully for spiders :)
But finally this Friday I made it out of the camp. With two mates from my room (one of them speaking farsi) and we headed for the Arg e Tabas. (the fortress of Tabas). In the city centre. a 600-year-old fortress made out of clay and its derivatives :) It's destroyed now but still nice. I now think I should've been an army commander in those days. I would have ordered 5 fire brigades to attack the fortress, flush it with water and win the war :) ah,dreams...
Then we went to Koriti (or something like that). Quite a big city, destroyed by an earthquake 150 years ago. It really was quite impressive. we were then chased by a herd of goats, but i bet they came in peace :) Then we went to the city. And decided to play it the hard way and have some Iranian ice cream :) (i've had Moroccon ice cream before and was ok). Strange they were, but nice quite. The force with me be.Listen to Yoda I had... :)
Then towards the mosque (I forgot the name). The pictures you can see in the first post. Though we did not enter it,yet...We ate a chicken kebab and guess what???Iranian food can be tasty!!Finally, the rumours were right. Though it was only just one incident I now assume than Iranian food is edible :) and hope to experience more of it.And that was the end of my free day. quite eventful, i know look like a boiled cancer :) burn can the sun, know i now...
On sunday we had an influx of new polish personnel. and i am responsible for them now.only 10 people experienced miners and such an inexperienced person is telling them what and why and when :) but they're ok.and i am preparing to replace the Administrative Manager when he goes on holiday in 3 weeks time...who's gonna be the daddy then? :)
oh, and of course.i almost forgot to write.
I went underground.for 4 hours!
250 meters underground.was ok.but now i am a miner :)!!!!
4th of December is my day!!i can officially get pissed :)
and one more thing.a big influx of new persian personnel...my god...our only hope is that they aren ot going to kill themselves.really.they are nice people but .....I say we but mean the mining managers.anyway.according to Persian supervisors they are ready to go underground and work.yeah,sure...one of them got hit by a hammer that was being used by his friend...so imagine what can happen when they work with 350Bar pressure...
but we are hopeful and maybe they're going to be alright.maybe...inshallah they say :)
I know I promised pictures.but it still was impossible.maybe i'll post some next time.
4th and 5th of June are supposed to be free and if they are i hope to go to Yazd.supposedly nice and impressive.hope it will be possible.
ok.motashakeram for reading and khoda hafez friends.till next time...
p.s.
Tabas can be nice. Especially in the evening, at dawn. It is surrounded by mountains and when the sun is setting it really looks nice :) Though maybe i'll have enough of it in 3 months time :)
p.s.s.
I have officially been given holidays from the 3rd of August till the 17th.it is subject to change but hopefully i'll be in Poland then.that is of course if i get a work permit and taking under consideration the 'fardo/pas fardo' way of how Iranians perform their duties, it may be not so sure :)
p.s.s.s.
.ok,over and out
Monday 28 May 2007
Tuesday 15 May 2007
"...Take me to the magic of the moment on a glory night..."
Yes. Some of you might have guessed...The lyrics come from a song by SCORPIONS. And speaking of scorpions. We were chasing two of them. Noone invited them to our bathroom in the mine officess.And they came uninvited so we had to have them out. One of them died but the other one escaped. They were huge, with big pointy teeth :) Oh wait, that was some other monster. But these bastards were big and did not look friendly at all. But now I would like to say sorry to Mr.Scorpion we killed. I hope you went to scorpion heaven.I know you did!!
But to be honest this started a "scorpion psychosis". Everyone's checking their beds before going to sleep, their shoes. I know it might be stupid but it is wise :) Oh, and a few days ago one of the iranian workers killed a viper...nice one..
Everything's ok apart from that. I moved to a four bedroom house today. Was living alone but now it's going to be four of us. We'll see...
Work's ok. I am still finding out that i don't know many of the words. But it's ok.People understand. But the temperature is killing me.One of the thermometer measured 58Celsius yesterday. Ok.you may say it was in the sun but there's no bloody shade here :)
Hope the A/C is going to be working ok in my new house. Otherwise i am going to melt...
If not that, than the scorpions are going to eat me.or maybe the vipers, or the vultures or i'm gonna melt :)
no,it's ok.really.a week has passed since I arrived in Teheran.Only a week,bearing in mind that I have over 20 left :)
I am planning to go to Yazd in June.it's supposed to be a really nice place.it's "only" 400km.one day should be enough. the Tabas taxi drivers are said to cover this distance in 3 hours :) should be interesting...anyway,I hope to get a camera by then and finally post some pictures.
take care,all of you.
p.s.
the food.I've heard so many positive things about iranian food.but maybe Tabas is not Iranian :) or it may be for the fact that the cooks are male representatives of this society.anyway,it's only kebabcici or chicken :) and of course yoghurt...and the rice, which was supposed to be the best is only boiled.and nothign else...too bad...
cheerio
But to be honest this started a "scorpion psychosis". Everyone's checking their beds before going to sleep, their shoes. I know it might be stupid but it is wise :) Oh, and a few days ago one of the iranian workers killed a viper...nice one..
Everything's ok apart from that. I moved to a four bedroom house today. Was living alone but now it's going to be four of us. We'll see...
Work's ok. I am still finding out that i don't know many of the words. But it's ok.People understand. But the temperature is killing me.One of the thermometer measured 58Celsius yesterday. Ok.you may say it was in the sun but there's no bloody shade here :)
Hope the A/C is going to be working ok in my new house. Otherwise i am going to melt...
If not that, than the scorpions are going to eat me.or maybe the vipers, or the vultures or i'm gonna melt :)
no,it's ok.really.a week has passed since I arrived in Teheran.Only a week,bearing in mind that I have over 20 left :)
I am planning to go to Yazd in June.it's supposed to be a really nice place.it's "only" 400km.one day should be enough. the Tabas taxi drivers are said to cover this distance in 3 hours :) should be interesting...anyway,I hope to get a camera by then and finally post some pictures.
take care,all of you.
p.s.
the food.I've heard so many positive things about iranian food.but maybe Tabas is not Iranian :) or it may be for the fact that the cooks are male representatives of this society.anyway,it's only kebabcici or chicken :) and of course yoghurt...and the rice, which was supposed to be the best is only boiled.and nothign else...too bad...
cheerio
Saturday 12 May 2007
Free Friday, nothing to do...
So I had a free day. And to be honest nothing happened...
I woke up at 7, the breakfast at 8. and then wen back to sleep :) then I went to the city to send some e-mails, but guess what?The shops were closed because the shopkeepers have a siesta.good to know that. Well, after all Tabas is not London, you can go round all the shops within an hour. I still have the public park (supposedly to be vey nice) and the big mosque to see. But that's next Friday. That is of course if I make it till next Friday. The temperatures are really killing me, I am lucky it's not humid.
Unfortunatelly I do not have a camera, but maybe i'll sort one out.we'll see.
Work's ok. Today I was officially nominated an Assistant to the Administrative Manager...
basically it means I am a bloody secretary :) I have to make daily and weekly reports of the progress, keep everything in order,and so on. I also interpret every daily briefing and translate everything else possible :)
The vocabulary is still killing me but it's ok. I've got 5 weeks to catch up. Then the Manager is leaving and guess who's gonna be the daddy???Yes,you are right---->me :)
On our way back from work today we had a flat tire. Who would have thought I'd catch a tyre in the middle of bloody nowhere. And there we were. Standing in bloody 45 celcius for 20 minutes :)
ok.i gotta go.i'll keep you in touch...cheerio.sorry for not being funny today :)
I woke up at 7, the breakfast at 8. and then wen back to sleep :) then I went to the city to send some e-mails, but guess what?The shops were closed because the shopkeepers have a siesta.good to know that. Well, after all Tabas is not London, you can go round all the shops within an hour. I still have the public park (supposedly to be vey nice) and the big mosque to see. But that's next Friday. That is of course if I make it till next Friday. The temperatures are really killing me, I am lucky it's not humid.
Unfortunatelly I do not have a camera, but maybe i'll sort one out.we'll see.
Work's ok. Today I was officially nominated an Assistant to the Administrative Manager...
basically it means I am a bloody secretary :) I have to make daily and weekly reports of the progress, keep everything in order,and so on. I also interpret every daily briefing and translate everything else possible :)
The vocabulary is still killing me but it's ok. I've got 5 weeks to catch up. Then the Manager is leaving and guess who's gonna be the daddy???Yes,you are right---->me :)
On our way back from work today we had a flat tire. Who would have thought I'd catch a tyre in the middle of bloody nowhere. And there we were. Standing in bloody 45 celcius for 20 minutes :)
ok.i gotta go.i'll keep you in touch...cheerio.sorry for not being funny today :)
Thursday 10 May 2007
Dzizasz, dzizasz, ale jestem podjarany...
Witojcie wiaruchna. Oh, it was supposed to be in english. So it is going to be.
First of all thanks for the comments. I am alive and quite well.
But first things first.
The trip:
So I took a 2 am train to Katowice. Received my own private helmet, overall, trousers and boots :) I even have the name of the company on the back. A hell of a miner I am...
Then I was driven in a new Honda Accord to the airport (after all I am the man!!!). There was some sort of a party because they were opening a new connection to Turin. So I had a free glass of champagne, though i don't think I was really entitled to have it. The flight to Frankfurt, then a few hours at the airport. In Frankfurt I must admit I went to McDonalds to have the sandwich with bacon in it. Last one for 3 months at least...
The flight to Teheran was nothing out of the ordinary as well, apart maybe for a gorgeous flight attendant (a she, mind you :p)...Of course there I had my last alcohol for months.
I arrived in Teheran at 1 in the morning. Then we waited for an hour to be let into Iran. Finally made it...I changed one hundrer Euros and got 1,265,000 rials!That is quite a big pile of money. At the exit I was greeted by a man holding a piece of paper saying "Mr. Kukasz Wkodarczyk", a common mistake. Though nothing will beat the time when I was in Turkey and my name "LUKASZ WLODARCZYK" was spelled "TUKAJ UZODARCZYJ" on a I.D. I got. Anyway...
-Salam.
-Salem aleykum.
-I'm mr wlodarczyk
-salam.how your family.
-thank you.good.and yours?
-yes.we go hotel.
-that's good.i need a bath and desperately need a sleep.
-yes.we go hotel.
:)
but trust me.He made Teheran, a big building site, look like the eigth wonder of the world.He was really excited telling me: This,ministry defence,this, ministry economy....
A really nice first impression.A second one to be honest.On the airport I helped an older lady placing her two big bags on a trolley. Then her son (I expect so) came, she told him that, and he almost had hugged me :) Thanking me in all possible ways.Very nice people I thought.
Anyway.Teheran is really big (like Stambul). But a big building site. Maybe it makes a better impression during the day and in the old part of the city.but i did not have the chance to see that.
So I was taken to a guest house. I was told I would pay the next day. The guesthouse occured to belong to the company our company is working for. So the standard was very good. Fresh fruit in the fridge. But all I wanted was a bath and a good sleep. So I woke up at 10. Had some more fruit and a taxi took me to the airport. They still said I would pay later. But eventually I did not pay at all...Two taxis through the city, one night in a hotel-priceless :)...quite a good deal...
Oh.On the way to the hotel the driver would stop playing his favorite music and put on...guess what???"Nothing Else Matters" by METALLICA!!! :) he was really happy with the fact that he could play 'my music'.
The domestic airport.
I was picked up by some from the company. A very nice man (Mr. Lukas, here, newspaper for you, orange juice for you...).
We went through three x-ray check, and two metal detecting gates and there I was, sitting in an old russian Ilusin on my way to Tabas. I even got a free cookie on a two hour flight!!And a soda.Woohoo!!
Then I saw it. The desert. Well not actually a desert with dunes and stuff. Just flat land, with occasional salt lakes. We landed in the middle of it :)
Went out of the plane.boom.a wave of hot air. (Mr.Lukas, nice weather,eyy?it's spring,not hot!!)...
Ok.Another taxi took me to my place of residence for the next 7 months.
It's a gated compound. With small houses (4 or 1 bedroom). But full of flowers and it even has fountains but they are not working ('cause when they were all kinds of lizard and snakes would come near it). But the whole place makes a nice impression.
I was given a single room with a bathroom and a kitchen!!But I was told that later this week I would be moved to a 4 bedroom house.
Anyway, I thought I had been taken to a wrong camp. I did not see any Polish people. But then finally they came.
"Z kaj jestes?" :) i wszystko bylo jasne.
All in all there's 27 of us here. But more are coming. Nice chaps they seem to be. Most of them really experienced miners. MAking a really nice impression.
There are also 3 englishmen,1 scotsman, an austrian and some italians. But the Russians are coming. It's going to be fun :)
Tabas is...well, it just is :) an oasis in the desert. Really I expected more of a shithole. And it really is nice. The mosque, the public park (though I only had the chance to see them from the bus). Quite nice.Tomorrow's a free day, I'll take a tour and maybe post some pictures (though I have to borrow a camera :/).
Work.
Well. I have to get up at 5.jesus,jesus...5.30 - breakfast. and guess what.a big selection of...a pita bread (with stones,yes,stones!! in it :) though occasional and I guess not on put there on purpose), carrott jam and yoghurt. I think this is their national dish :) Yoghurt or rather some kind of kefir, served cold. really cooling but having it three times a day may not be the best idea.
and then at 6 we take a minibus to work. 85km. Pierunsko daleko. but at least one can sleep on the bus. Yesterday we had to wait for 10 minutes for a flock (or however you call a group) of camels did not really want to get off the road :) The mining site is quite big. First, there's an entrance gate. Then the office when we sign our timesheets and then finally the workshop and our offices.
We start work at 7.30. at 13.30 there's an hour long lunch break (guess what makes the starter?yes,yoghurt!!) and we finish at 16.30. we're home around 6pm it can be quite a long day.but no, i am not moaning :)
Work.Well, we lack everything. The translators (there's 5 of us) have a lot of manuals to translate and we only have 3 computers. Bt we are supposed to get 3 laptops (though 'inshallah', so i dont expect them soon).At 7:45 there's a daily meeting summing up the previous day. The parties meet and talk the problems over. and believe me,there are problems. and jesus,jesus, I was an interpreter on the second day of my work. but i guess it was ok. though having to know what a canopy sprag plate, pulley block, chock (mechanized powered roof support) or scraper conveyor is, may be quite hard and it still is. I've got to learn a lot of such expressions.
No, I still haven't been underground. Though I have to wear my beautiful orange helmet at times when I am in the workshop. The reason for not going underground is that I still haven't undergone safety training. I was to have one on Monday but the safety man said "Oh,Mr.Lukas,you are only one. No problem training for three, but only one is too few. Come back when there are more of you") and I will have the training in two weeks time. And then I'll probably enter one of the shaft and become a miner :)
Work is ok. people are quite cool. helpful, the Iranians nice .Anyway. I am really looking forward to the stay in Iran. Tomorrow I hope to see a bit more of Tabas. Nothing more really 'cause the closest city is 400km away :) I am hoping to learn new things and gain new experience and most of all experience a bit of Iran. Really. Can't say anything more about the people and the country. but i guess more reflections will come.
Be in touch soon...Take care...Inshallah...
First of all thanks for the comments. I am alive and quite well.
But first things first.
The trip:
So I took a 2 am train to Katowice. Received my own private helmet, overall, trousers and boots :) I even have the name of the company on the back. A hell of a miner I am...
Then I was driven in a new Honda Accord to the airport (after all I am the man!!!). There was some sort of a party because they were opening a new connection to Turin. So I had a free glass of champagne, though i don't think I was really entitled to have it. The flight to Frankfurt, then a few hours at the airport. In Frankfurt I must admit I went to McDonalds to have the sandwich with bacon in it. Last one for 3 months at least...
The flight to Teheran was nothing out of the ordinary as well, apart maybe for a gorgeous flight attendant (a she, mind you :p)...Of course there I had my last alcohol for months.
I arrived in Teheran at 1 in the morning. Then we waited for an hour to be let into Iran. Finally made it...I changed one hundrer Euros and got 1,265,000 rials!That is quite a big pile of money. At the exit I was greeted by a man holding a piece of paper saying "Mr. Kukasz Wkodarczyk", a common mistake. Though nothing will beat the time when I was in Turkey and my name "LUKASZ WLODARCZYK" was spelled "TUKAJ UZODARCZYJ" on a I.D. I got. Anyway...
-Salam.
-Salem aleykum.
-I'm mr wlodarczyk
-salam.how your family.
-thank you.good.and yours?
-yes.we go hotel.
-that's good.i need a bath and desperately need a sleep.
-yes.we go hotel.
:)
but trust me.He made Teheran, a big building site, look like the eigth wonder of the world.He was really excited telling me: This,ministry defence,this, ministry economy....
A really nice first impression.A second one to be honest.On the airport I helped an older lady placing her two big bags on a trolley. Then her son (I expect so) came, she told him that, and he almost had hugged me :) Thanking me in all possible ways.Very nice people I thought.
Anyway.Teheran is really big (like Stambul). But a big building site. Maybe it makes a better impression during the day and in the old part of the city.but i did not have the chance to see that.
So I was taken to a guest house. I was told I would pay the next day. The guesthouse occured to belong to the company our company is working for. So the standard was very good. Fresh fruit in the fridge. But all I wanted was a bath and a good sleep. So I woke up at 10. Had some more fruit and a taxi took me to the airport. They still said I would pay later. But eventually I did not pay at all...Two taxis through the city, one night in a hotel-priceless :)...quite a good deal...
Oh.On the way to the hotel the driver would stop playing his favorite music and put on...guess what???"Nothing Else Matters" by METALLICA!!! :) he was really happy with the fact that he could play 'my music'.
The domestic airport.
I was picked up by some from the company. A very nice man (Mr. Lukas, here, newspaper for you, orange juice for you...).
We went through three x-ray check, and two metal detecting gates and there I was, sitting in an old russian Ilusin on my way to Tabas. I even got a free cookie on a two hour flight!!And a soda.Woohoo!!
Then I saw it. The desert. Well not actually a desert with dunes and stuff. Just flat land, with occasional salt lakes. We landed in the middle of it :)
Went out of the plane.boom.a wave of hot air. (Mr.Lukas, nice weather,eyy?it's spring,not hot!!)...
Ok.Another taxi took me to my place of residence for the next 7 months.
It's a gated compound. With small houses (4 or 1 bedroom). But full of flowers and it even has fountains but they are not working ('cause when they were all kinds of lizard and snakes would come near it). But the whole place makes a nice impression.
I was given a single room with a bathroom and a kitchen!!But I was told that later this week I would be moved to a 4 bedroom house.
Anyway, I thought I had been taken to a wrong camp. I did not see any Polish people. But then finally they came.
"Z kaj jestes?" :) i wszystko bylo jasne.
All in all there's 27 of us here. But more are coming. Nice chaps they seem to be. Most of them really experienced miners. MAking a really nice impression.
There are also 3 englishmen,1 scotsman, an austrian and some italians. But the Russians are coming. It's going to be fun :)
Tabas is...well, it just is :) an oasis in the desert. Really I expected more of a shithole. And it really is nice. The mosque, the public park (though I only had the chance to see them from the bus). Quite nice.Tomorrow's a free day, I'll take a tour and maybe post some pictures (though I have to borrow a camera :/).
Work.
Well. I have to get up at 5.jesus,jesus...5.30 - breakfast. and guess what.a big selection of...a pita bread (with stones,yes,stones!! in it :) though occasional and I guess not on put there on purpose), carrott jam and yoghurt. I think this is their national dish :) Yoghurt or rather some kind of kefir, served cold. really cooling but having it three times a day may not be the best idea.
and then at 6 we take a minibus to work. 85km. Pierunsko daleko. but at least one can sleep on the bus. Yesterday we had to wait for 10 minutes for a flock (or however you call a group) of camels did not really want to get off the road :) The mining site is quite big. First, there's an entrance gate. Then the office when we sign our timesheets and then finally the workshop and our offices.
We start work at 7.30. at 13.30 there's an hour long lunch break (guess what makes the starter?yes,yoghurt!!) and we finish at 16.30. we're home around 6pm it can be quite a long day.but no, i am not moaning :)
Work.Well, we lack everything. The translators (there's 5 of us) have a lot of manuals to translate and we only have 3 computers. Bt we are supposed to get 3 laptops (though 'inshallah', so i dont expect them soon).At 7:45 there's a daily meeting summing up the previous day. The parties meet and talk the problems over. and believe me,there are problems. and jesus,jesus, I was an interpreter on the second day of my work. but i guess it was ok. though having to know what a canopy sprag plate, pulley block, chock (mechanized powered roof support) or scraper conveyor is, may be quite hard and it still is. I've got to learn a lot of such expressions.
No, I still haven't been underground. Though I have to wear my beautiful orange helmet at times when I am in the workshop. The reason for not going underground is that I still haven't undergone safety training. I was to have one on Monday but the safety man said "Oh,Mr.Lukas,you are only one. No problem training for three, but only one is too few. Come back when there are more of you") and I will have the training in two weeks time. And then I'll probably enter one of the shaft and become a miner :)
Work is ok. people are quite cool. helpful, the Iranians nice .Anyway. I am really looking forward to the stay in Iran. Tomorrow I hope to see a bit more of Tabas. Nothing more really 'cause the closest city is 400km away :) I am hoping to learn new things and gain new experience and most of all experience a bit of Iran. Really. Can't say anything more about the people and the country. but i guess more reflections will come.
Be in touch soon...Take care...Inshallah...
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