January 28, 2009: haida rises

For someone who has only been working with Haida for three weeks, Thursday was surprisingly emotional for me. Docking a vessel, even one that has not moved under its own power for more than 10 years, is like putting a person in a medically induced coma for an operation. The graving dock is the admitting room. As Haida slowly rose out of the water, she painfully parted with the water that held her, gave life to her engines, and let her glide freely around the world. As her weight transferred to the steel railway carriage and chock blocks, the soft plea to stop the lift could faintly be heard. And as the last drops of water ran down the keel and fell to the lift's deck, Haida knew that she wouldn't likely feel the Dubai Creek for many months....

Read more »

Posted in: al jadaf,haida,haida photos,work photos

kite surfing

My boss, Captain Scott, is an avid kite surfer. When I went over to his house last weekend, we watched a few kite surfing videos. There had been wind in the forecast last week, but the wind never arrived. Today was a different story. There was wind and plenty of it! Scott used his lunch break to go down to the beach, and I joined him after work. I didn't get to surf today, but I'm hoping to try it before I leave at the end of February. It was so cool to watch. I uploaded a dozen photographs to my Picasa site. When I went down to the beach after work, the sun was already pretty low. I love the way the light looks during the last 30-45 minutes of the day. When I'm at Webb, the sun hits the building and trees with a dazzling orange glow. I can't...

Read more »

Posted in: anticipation,kite surfing,leisure photos,sharjah

January 27, 2010: anglers?

First things first. Go right now and open Microsoft Word. Type "fishermen" without the quotations. You may want to put it in a sentance or type a few other words. Did a green grammar line squiggle its way underneath fishermen? Hmm. Right click on the word and select "About this Sentence." Microsoft has included fishermen, or fisherman, in a slew of gender-specific words that the grammar check should advise you to avoid. The replacement for fishermen: anglers. The replacement for stewardess: flight attendant. ABC's Desperate Housewives is retitled Desperate Homemakers. In other news, we're (probably) one day away from the Haida being lifted for the first time in 10 years. It seems everyone from the company wants to be there to see what her bottom looks like. I imagine that it will be covered...

Read more »

Posted in: haida

January 23, 2010: you typical american, you

Tonight, I failed. After two weeks, I sunk to being an American on holiday. My offense? At Scott's suggestion, I asked the hotel front desk if there were any additional English channels. Let's face it. There are three (2.5, really) English channels at the hotel: BBC World, CNN World, and some Middle Eastern channel that plays Grade D movies that are too unworthy of Arabic dubs. Sometimes this channel will play a home shopping program; however, I guess in the minds of the locals it is worthy of being dubbed. (Can't you just picture the 50-60 year old women sitting at home watching an Arab version of QVC? Who says that the Middle East is different from the US?)In other news, work has dulled to a low roar in what is surely the calm before the...

Read more »

Posted in: haida,leisure photos

Don't forget to pack your ethics...

It's undeniable that a catastrophe has occurred in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It seems that the worst natural disasters strike the countries that are least prepared. I found this article from CNN Travel interesting. Take a look and sound off. I'll be offering my views later this week.The Article: http://www.cnn.com/2010/TRAVEL/01/21/haiti.tourism.ethics/index.html?iref=allsearch...

Read more »

Posted in: announcements

The Binnacle - 2009 Yearbook

Long before I started "making waves" in Sharjah, a team of creative minds back at Webb Institute was working on this year's Binnacle, the school's oldest creative publication that annually chronicles the events and people in the Webb community. The theme for the 2008-2009 yearbook is adventure, a concept fully embodied by the Class of 2009. The cover leads readers to an article about "Making Waves a World Away." During the 2009 Winter Work period, 14 students worked overseas. The Class of 2009 really set an example for seeking and obtaining international internships. In fact, my current internship and this blog were inspired by their leadership.Webbies weren't the only ones making waves in 2009. The Binnacle itself broke ground in several ways....

Read more »

Posted in: announcements,webb institute

Winter Work 2010 Student Blogs

Webb Institute is featuring all of the student-created winter work blogs on its main website under the 2010 Winter Work section. Take a look at where Webbies are working around the world and read about their experienc...

Read more »

Posted in: announcements,webb institute

January 19, 2010: Chirp goes the cuckoo

Remember those cuckoo birds that chirped relentlessly when I didn't have my itinerary? Yes. It seems that they also chirp if I don't chirp, er... post regularly. Not to fear! I'll update you on the goings-on in Sharjah.Scheduling conflicts prohibited me from popping over to Al Jadaf on Monday. By scheduling conflicts, I mean the ABS attending surveyor showed up at the office to talk about underwater lighting and the oily water separator. I'm glad that I didn't go to the shipyard because I learned a lot by being in the meeting. At some point, I really would like to intern with ABS on the survey/tonnage side of the business. It's fascinating stuff, and I think it would be a great way to learn the ins and outs of the ABS regulations. After we...

Read more »

Posted in: ABS,al jadaf,dubai,haida,sharjah

January 17, 2010: a new week

Happy Sunday, America! (Although, I definitely want to acknowledge Canada, China, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom -- go international readers!) While Americans enjoyed the final 24 hours of the weekend, those of us working in the Arab world started a new work week. Things have been pretty quiet around the office the past few days. Scott has been making trips during the day to Al Jadaf. He avoids the morning rush hour by leaving Sharjah after 10:00 am. I have sat through both Los Angeles and New York rush hours, but Dubai is. the. worst. The average commute between Sharjah and Dubai is under 20 kilometers (12.4 mi), but the average commute time is over 60 minutes. Workers could easily walk to work faster than riding in a car! (Wait...

Read more »

Posted in: al jadaf,dubai,work photos

the aquarium

I had a half-day of work today because it's Friday (cue Joe Maz!) I used my afternoon to visit the recently opened Sharjah Aquarium. I'm going to keep this entry as short as the time it took for me to go through the aquarium. Let's go to the pictures...I don't remember those fish being in the shark's mouth when I took the picture.These are silverfin catfish. They like to swim in schools that are spherical-shaped.The end of the exhibit had a short section on UAE environmentalism. This tank has a few fish coexisting with trash, but the moral is not to pollute the environment.Right... it was the tourists that made such a mess of the UAE coastli...

Read more »

Posted in: aquarium,leisure photos,sharjah

January 15, 2010: the office

Friday is the holy day for Muslims. As a result, the Arabic weekend is different from the American weekend. Friday and Saturday are considered the weekend here in Sharjah instead of Saturday and Sunday. My employer and most businesses are closed on Friday and usually open half a day on Saturday. While the offshore base is closed on Fridays, Captain Scott and the Haida team are hard at work. Friday is a great time to get work accomplished in the Port because it is practically void of other workers. While Haida is in drydock, Fridays will be a time of renewal and cleaning in preparation for the coming week's tasks. (How's that for a holy day?)Today, Scott and I went into the Sharjah office to do some drawings and reports. While I worked on a...

Read more »

Posted in: haida,oil platforms,work photos

January 14, 2010: Al Jadaf

Wake up, America! Let's see some real shipbuilding and repair.That was my first thought when we drove into Al Jadaf yesterday. Al Jadaf is aptly called the World's Shipyard, and while a lot of "world's (superlative here)" titles are UAE hyperbole, this facility is beyond impressive. The yard has two synchro-lift tables and a side transfer line that enables multiple ships to be blocked up at a time. Photography is not allowed in the shipyard, but some pictures of Haida and an Arabic dhow may appear in this entry later today. (Edit: The dhow now appears beleow. The Haida pictures from today weren't all that interesting.)A dhow undergoing extensive refitting. These things are built to last.The work ethic of the laborers is truly inspiring. They...

Read more »

Posted in: al jadaf,dhow,work photos

January 13, 2010: haida

My work with the Haida (HI-duh) project is both interesting and slightly sad. The yacht was beautiful in its day. Haida was built for Major Max Fleischmann in 1946. At the time, it was the largest pleasure yacht ever built, with an overall length of 168 feet. Major Fleischmann built 22 yachts over his lifetime; Haida was "America's Oustanding Seagoing Diesel Yacht."The owner of the offshore company acquired Haida in 1999 from Malaysia. The vessel was towed to the Arabian Gulf and Port Khalid in Sharjah. Since her acquisition, a lengthy restoration and retrofitting project has progressed, albeit slowly. The yacht's captain has overseen the work for the last 10 years. He has been instrumental in maintaining the aesthetics and beauty of the vessel....

Read more »

Posted in: haida,haida photos,work photos

January 12, 2010: guido

Three days into the work week, and I have already fallen behind in keeping you all updated. Shame on me. But really! There are so many things to tell you. My flight from Houston was blessed by a strong tailwind that shortened the flight by about an hour. That made my total travel time out to be roughly 16 hours of flying over the course of 30 hours. The strong tailwind also promoted strong turbulence. Unlike most people, I rather enjoy turbulence. The roller coaster is even better when you consult the altimeter to see just how many hundreds of feet you instantly dropped. I had an aisle seat on the plane (a Boing 777 -- quite large). Normally I am partial to the window seats, but the aisle was very convenient. George tells me that I was sitting...

Read more »

Posted in: Emirates Airline,traveling

January 9, 2010: a lesson on waiting

In the early hours this morning, I gave a short lesson on structured procrastination. In essence, I put off doing the long list of tasks to prepare for today's journey by doing other things. Today I bring you a great lesson on waiting. I'll be doing a lot of waiting today. Actually -- seven hours worth of waiting. I'll update throughout the day right up to the moment that I am waiting on my plane to takeoff for Dubai.11:15AM EST (GMT -5.00) Presently, I'm waiting in Jacksonville to board the little plane for the hop to Houston. I'm enjoying Free Wi-Fi at the airport courtesy of Google. I decided to sit near the Jet Blue gate because I feel more at home in that section of the airport. I just watched the midday flight to JFK board and push back for taxi. 15:33 CST (GMT -6.00)Wow! You missed...

Read more »

Posted in: traveling

January 9, 2010: a lesson in procrastination

Less than 12 hours away from the first flight. I should be packing. I should be printing travel documents. I should be sleeping.Instead, I've spent most of today visiting with friends and making rounds at the high school. I had lunch with Mr. Smith in the band room. I dropped in on Ms. Wenum and Dr. Slusser in the theatre. I made a quick trip down to Huckins to see Cindy and Buddy and give them the brochure for Haida, the yacht in Sharjah. I got my last Chick-Fil-A fix for 6 months with Brad. I've sorted my iPod music and prepped the PowerBook for a deep sleep. (I'm only taking the school laptop to Sharjah.) Now, I'm procrastinating by updating the blog and skype-ing with Christopherrr. I've officially hit the "just get me over there stage," and I'd preferably like to skip the part where I...

Read more »

Posted in: lessons,procrastination

January 5, 2010: Houston, we have ignition

That's right. I am now holding (in my email inbox) the travel itinerary for my flight from Jacksonville to Dubai. My first leg begins mid-afternoon on Saturday. Of course, Jacksonville has been short on flights directly to Dubai, so I am first flying to Houston. Let's go to the map...View My Flight in a larger mapObserve the two lines crossing Florida. Those lines depict what I like to call "back tracking." Ask the members of the Rafting Trip '08 that rode in my van how I feel about back tracking. (I swear... we may have gotten the nickel tour of Burlington, NJ, but it was a great detour. AND we still beat the others vans to West Virginia.) After crossing Florida for the second time, I have another 13 hours to Dubai International. The reason...

Read more »

Posted in: maps,traveling

January 4, 2010: Go with the Flow

Let us begin with a word association game. I say, "Go with the flow," and you say?...Right, I doubt anyone connected me with "Go with the flow." Right? Right. Let's be honest; I'm a bit (I'll go easy on myself) of a control freak. I have a logical thought process, and precision thrills me. Yet, here I am living day by day at home patiently awaiting my travel information for winter work -- and I'm okay with it. In a surprising turn of events, my parents are the ones who chirp on the quarter-hour like a cuckoo clock. Meanwhile, I am able to spend a little extra time with friends around Camden. I enjoyed catching up with a lost friend this morning at Chick-Fil-A. We sat for more than two hours talking about all that had transpired in our lives since our last conversation. Assuming that I'm here...

Read more »

Posted in: Nemo

January 3, 2010: "A Whole New World"

Last night on the way back from seeing Avatar with my best friend, we swapped expectations for our upcoming semesters. I gave my standard rundown on my internship and my understanding of Dubai and Sharjah. "All expenses paid. Classic motor yacht. Mostly drawing organization. Living within walking distance of work. Sharjah is the most conservative emirate. Radically different from life here..."That's where I caught myself. I've probably explained this internship to fifty different people, and each time I've managed to gloss over the "radically different" part. As we talked more in the car, a second conversation began in my head. I began to realize the gravity of traveling to a foreign land with a truly foreign culture. It sounds trite, but I actually started to consider the things that I take...

Read more »

Posted in: anticipation,censorship,culture

Making Waves

Within the next few days, I'll be on my way to making waves in the United Arab Emirates. My travel itinerary is still tentative, but it appears that I will fly out of Jacksonville and the USA on Monday, January 4th. I'll be chronicling my adventures and work on this blog. You can expect regular entries and photos....

Read more »

Posted in: announcements,traveling