The last 5 working days have spent doing nothing much more than extensive reading of online newspapers and looking at funny pictures of George Bush pulling those faces only he (and monkeys) can do. My assigned task is boning up on power stations. I've got a basic grasp of things - boiler connected to the turbine, turbine connected to the generator, etc, etc - but beyond this, getting into the nitty gritty of the chemical composition of water leaving the hotwell of the condenser and the mathematical equations used to determine the correct position of the superheater has proved not only difficult but also extremely, extremely dull. Thus, I have been paying close to the 'controversy' (brouhaha, if you will) with Russell Brand and Jonathon Ross, and marvelling at how such a civilised, advanced and educated society such as our own can put a story about 3 fantastically unimportant people above a new report about the rapid and intensifying depletion of the planet's natural resources. British media, I salute you!
My internet activities have not gone unnoticed, however. This afternoon, the big boss, Chairman Qu, and his wife (head of HR), took me to a coffee house to discuss a few things. He praised my diligent attitude. If he was talking about my diligent newspaper reading, then he was spot on. He also wants me to arrange events with my foreign friends to get the staff used to dealing with foreigners, to revamp the English version of the website, and to explore possiblities of establishing links with foreign companies. No idea how to do any of this, but it sounds like what they like to call here 'opportunity for personal development'. He also wants me, next month, to move into to an office next to his, so opportunities for newspaper reading may diminish faster than you can say 'Drill, baby, drill'.
(Ed., enough with the newspaper comments.)
Earlier in the conversation, his wife was picking my brains about English education, because they want to send her daughter to England ('best country for education') to attend university. They said English people are nice and conservative, and don't carry guns around 'like those fat Americans'. I tried to introduce the idea that not everyone walks around in bowler hats opening doors for ladies. We didn't have time to get into the difference between a chav and a townie, which is probably best, I don't want to scare them. They want their daughter to be somewhere safe (' a walled university is best'), and somewhere where she won't live with boys, 'because boys will distract her from her studies'. I've been assigned the task of picking a good university and helping her with the application.
Apart from this, the last few days have been, as mentioned, dull. And not just for me. The other translators have an engineering exam on Friday. The guy in front of me spends most of his time somewhere between sleep mode and awake mode, and the guy next to him even started snoring yesterday, much to everyone's amusement. When not vaguely flicking through a book on turbines, time is whittled away by looking at photos of celebrities, chatting on QQ (Chinese instant messenger), and stretching, as well as, of course, napping.
There was an article in the newspaper today (Chinese newspaper) about 9 Chinese engineers who have been kidnapped in Sudan. I love the timing - today, the company sent out the second batch of engineers to their project in, yes, you guessed it, Sudan. And with even better timing, management sent out a request for translators to go to Sudan next year. Number of takers? Zero.
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Thursday, 23 October 2008
Danwei (work unit) Day 4 - Too many cooks spoil the broth
Today was the key event of the week. An Indonesian delegation came to inspect the possible purchase of a power plant control centre simulator and training programmes. I was meant to be translating. But it turns out one of the Indonesians could speak perfect Chinese, and our boss could speak reasonable English, so didn't actually do much. When I was about to speak, one of the Chinese employees piped up to get in there first. When I was called upon, I didn't understand what the guy said, and from the looks on people's faces, it looks like I guessed wrong. At one point there were 4 different people talking English, so no surprises the Indonesians were looking slightly confused. I was.
Besides from that, I've been boning up on circulating fluridized bed boilers, static thyristic excitation and the electromagnetic theory behind power generators. Some old friends from school physics have reappeared, notably Mr Fleming and his left hand rule, and the right hand rule, which is still yet to be claimed by anyone. I've been given the generator manual to read, and a Chinese-English book on conversations at an oil-fired power station. It's actually quite interesting stuff, just a fraction heavy.
As for the staff, I've yet to properly meet most of them. I mainly hang around with the 10 or so translators who I sit with. One guy, Frankie, big-boned, baby-faced, effete, likes talking to me about the standard topics - hating Japan, China's long history, foreigners are all so rich, the exchange rate, I love your Queen Elizabeth, etc. He also asked me why Edward VII adbicated. They have an exam on boilers next week, so spend all their time gazing listlessly at the computer screen.
Breakfast is served in the canteen from 8 to half 8. Lunch at 12 on the dot in a room on the bottom floor next to the bikeshed. Every time I deliberately don't take a bowl of soup, because I don't want to drink it, and everytime someone brings one over for me. The rest of the breaking is spent chatting or playing table tennis in the room next door. 5.30 sharp everyone goes.
Probably the least satisfying thing is getting to and from work, which is at least one hour on stupidly overcrowded buses. I've had body part rubbed, scratched and stroked today by most of Xian, most of whom have decided that since summer has ended, showering is now optional. Being slightly taller than everyone else I feel like people are burrowing past me like moles, searching for the door and daylight. One guy has been working there for a year, and said with only slight exaggeration that he has never had a seat the entire time. The most moronic is the pushing and shoving to get on, especially when people are still to get off. I sometimes make a point of shoulder-barging them out of the way. I don't think I could get away with that in England, so there's an advantage.
Besides from that, I've been boning up on circulating fluridized bed boilers, static thyristic excitation and the electromagnetic theory behind power generators. Some old friends from school physics have reappeared, notably Mr Fleming and his left hand rule, and the right hand rule, which is still yet to be claimed by anyone. I've been given the generator manual to read, and a Chinese-English book on conversations at an oil-fired power station. It's actually quite interesting stuff, just a fraction heavy.
As for the staff, I've yet to properly meet most of them. I mainly hang around with the 10 or so translators who I sit with. One guy, Frankie, big-boned, baby-faced, effete, likes talking to me about the standard topics - hating Japan, China's long history, foreigners are all so rich, the exchange rate, I love your Queen Elizabeth, etc. He also asked me why Edward VII adbicated. They have an exam on boilers next week, so spend all their time gazing listlessly at the computer screen.
Breakfast is served in the canteen from 8 to half 8. Lunch at 12 on the dot in a room on the bottom floor next to the bikeshed. Every time I deliberately don't take a bowl of soup, because I don't want to drink it, and everytime someone brings one over for me. The rest of the breaking is spent chatting or playing table tennis in the room next door. 5.30 sharp everyone goes.
Probably the least satisfying thing is getting to and from work, which is at least one hour on stupidly overcrowded buses. I've had body part rubbed, scratched and stroked today by most of Xian, most of whom have decided that since summer has ended, showering is now optional. Being slightly taller than everyone else I feel like people are burrowing past me like moles, searching for the door and daylight. One guy has been working there for a year, and said with only slight exaggeration that he has never had a seat the entire time. The most moronic is the pushing and shoving to get on, especially when people are still to get off. I sometimes make a point of shoulder-barging them out of the way. I don't think I could get away with that in England, so there's an advantage.
Monday, 20 October 2008
Day One of the new job
Today was my first day working at ***, a company providing contractual services to power stations. After a year and a half of study, and just having the Chinese exam yesterday to prove I haven't been doing nothing this entire time, the chance came around with impeccable timing. Friend of a friend of someone I met once calls me, and a second later, I have a job.
I'm doing translation and English language training. The company is an electricity power generation company, with about 700 employees, 40 translators and projects in China as well as Indonesia, Nigeria and Sudan. All your favourite holiday spots.
First day went quite smoothly. There's an Indonesian delegation coming to the company on Thursday, and I've been appointed chief translator, despite the fact I can't speak Indonesian, the Indonesians apparently can't speak much English, and I still have no idea how to say 'power generation' in Chinese. I was going through some of the documents for presentation, correcting and re-writing the English according to the Chinese. It's not too bad, and should be easier when I can distinguish my operator control module LED panel from my instructor supervision component light display.
My 'team' consists of about 20 people, sitting in 2 rows in a sort of small compartment, i.e., not an open office. The thing that struck me most was how similar it was to working in an office in England. I guess most offices are pretty similar. The transaltors are all 22-23 years old, fresh English graduates out of university. I'll normally be doing 'staff training', although mostly they were speaking to me in Chinese, so that's a bonus.
I'm the only foreigner full-time there, and so there was some interest. The office gay guy - for it was he - was telling me about his undergraduate thesis on the works of Thomas Hardy and his love of Diana, one guy showed me his pictures taken off the internet of Steve Davis playing safety shots (and only safety shots, I might add), and the librarian's second question, after 'Where are you from', was 'What's the richest country in Europe?'. I tried to explain the difference between richest country and richest people, but it was lost.
Everyone was pretty helpful. You clock in with a fingerprint detector. I was given my badge with my number on it - I am now officially employee number A0097 - and a sturdy plastic bottle for drinking hot water out of. You start at 8.30, finish at 5.30 (with no variation), lunch is 12-1, and a break is from 3.45 to 4 in the afternoon. The receptionist brings out fruits and 'candy' for everyone to relax. Apart from maybe not being extremely flexible, it seems pretty good. They pay for your uniform (a suit), you get an accommodation allowance if you don't live in the dormitory, lunch allowance and health insurance. I'm getting a similar salary to that as a foreigner teaching English would get, which will go up in a couple of months if I don't cock anything up. And if I'm really lucky, I'll be spending my next holidays in Khartoum. My bank account will be someone else's name to avoid hassle with various authorities. As for my contract, well, as my visa says I'm a student not meant to be working, we'll quietly forget that. If anyone asks, I'm an intern.
It was quite interesting talking to Head of HR Mrs ***. The market for power generation in China is basically already saturated, she says, so there are now looking to expand futher abroad, which possible projects in Brazil and Pakistan. Maybe I've miss understood, but in 30 years power needs are met here, while countries on the end of Western 'assistance' for years and years now 'desperately need', as she said, Chinese help. Either way, I'd rather go to Rio than Islamabad. But for now, at least, I'll be getting the bus to and from work with everyone else, and taking one more step further into the phenomenom they call 21st century China.
I'm doing translation and English language training. The company is an electricity power generation company, with about 700 employees, 40 translators and projects in China as well as Indonesia, Nigeria and Sudan. All your favourite holiday spots.
First day went quite smoothly. There's an Indonesian delegation coming to the company on Thursday, and I've been appointed chief translator, despite the fact I can't speak Indonesian, the Indonesians apparently can't speak much English, and I still have no idea how to say 'power generation' in Chinese. I was going through some of the documents for presentation, correcting and re-writing the English according to the Chinese. It's not too bad, and should be easier when I can distinguish my operator control module LED panel from my instructor supervision component light display.
My 'team' consists of about 20 people, sitting in 2 rows in a sort of small compartment, i.e., not an open office. The thing that struck me most was how similar it was to working in an office in England. I guess most offices are pretty similar. The transaltors are all 22-23 years old, fresh English graduates out of university. I'll normally be doing 'staff training', although mostly they were speaking to me in Chinese, so that's a bonus.
I'm the only foreigner full-time there, and so there was some interest. The office gay guy - for it was he - was telling me about his undergraduate thesis on the works of Thomas Hardy and his love of Diana, one guy showed me his pictures taken off the internet of Steve Davis playing safety shots (and only safety shots, I might add), and the librarian's second question, after 'Where are you from', was 'What's the richest country in Europe?'. I tried to explain the difference between richest country and richest people, but it was lost.
Everyone was pretty helpful. You clock in with a fingerprint detector. I was given my badge with my number on it - I am now officially employee number A0097 - and a sturdy plastic bottle for drinking hot water out of. You start at 8.30, finish at 5.30 (with no variation), lunch is 12-1, and a break is from 3.45 to 4 in the afternoon. The receptionist brings out fruits and 'candy' for everyone to relax. Apart from maybe not being extremely flexible, it seems pretty good. They pay for your uniform (a suit), you get an accommodation allowance if you don't live in the dormitory, lunch allowance and health insurance. I'm getting a similar salary to that as a foreigner teaching English would get, which will go up in a couple of months if I don't cock anything up. And if I'm really lucky, I'll be spending my next holidays in Khartoum. My bank account will be someone else's name to avoid hassle with various authorities. As for my contract, well, as my visa says I'm a student not meant to be working, we'll quietly forget that. If anyone asks, I'm an intern.
It was quite interesting talking to Head of HR Mrs ***. The market for power generation in China is basically already saturated, she says, so there are now looking to expand futher abroad, which possible projects in Brazil and Pakistan. Maybe I've miss understood, but in 30 years power needs are met here, while countries on the end of Western 'assistance' for years and years now 'desperately need', as she said, Chinese help. Either way, I'd rather go to Rio than Islamabad. But for now, at least, I'll be getting the bus to and from work with everyone else, and taking one more step further into the phenomenom they call 21st century China.
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