Back in 2005-06 when i was just a pup in this company, working in Grande Prairie, we hosted a couple of Russian employees that were even newer than I was. Looking back on that time now I see how hard of an experience it must have been for them when their English was as rough as my Russian. I ran into one of the guys I had worked with back then a few months ago and, at first, didn't even recognize him. He had to remind me of the time in GP and when I finally realized who he was I was surprised to see such a different person. In Canada, he was very quiet, seemingly unconfident and a bit slower at picking up the job. Now, I see him in his role as a manager overseeing operations in most of the eastern part of Russia. I'm sure he was always this type of person but you can easily get a different impression of someone when working in unfamiliar situations and countries.
The other day, I met the other Russian guy that worked with us back in Canada and we had a good chance to catch up with what each of us has been doing since our time working together. The stories that come from this company are amazing...I move from Canada to US to Russia, and these guys from Canada to Algeria to Congo and then back to Russia. I like hearing all the different places everyone's been to, the situations we've gotten ourselves into and realizing all the people that you both know from around the world. This is an experience that would be hard to find in most other companies.
I found out that these guys are either married, or have been, both with kids and I think about the things that maybe I'm missing out in my life....like having a dog.
It's been an up and down ride with this company and at times it feels like it's not worth it but running into old friends in a country on the other side of the world is a good feeling.
No comments:
Post a Comment