Today marks the second week of my internship in Nalco. Well,
this far I enjoy working there. The work space is quite calm and the
supervisors are truly kind and easy going. Maybe it’s true what people say, it
all depends on your working environment.
Oh, I forgot to mention that Nalco adapts a rolling system
for it’s intern, which means in every two weeks I will be rolled and will be
working in another division. For instants, in the first to weeks I will work in
QC division, by the next two weeks, I will be rolled and start working at
Analytical support division, then making reagent division.
Pak Iwan, is the one holding the head of laboratory
position. I think he is kind and very caring, but we never talk a lot. The one
time talk about is when I have trouble in setting the BOD system, he gave me a
satisfying answer which I could understand. I never saw him saying farewell to
his underlings when going home. A lack of communication, I guess. But, every
people are with flaw, no one is perfect.
The assistant, Mas Rama Hakim, is my mentor and boss for two
weeks. The first time I met him, I thought he is a man without a smile, but I was
totally wrong. He is awesome! the best mentor I had until now. He always gives
me and Haidar something to do, almost never sparing us time to lay on our ass,
giving us many samples to analyze, many jobs to do, even though it’s pain in
the ass and exhausting as hell. But, like he said, better to work hard than do
nothing at all.
Next is Mas Verly. Yeah, he is the only employee who is yet
to get married. You can say he is the only guy who is single there, excluding
me. He attends collage and work at the same time, spending his work days in
Nalco and his weekends in Pakuan university. He is the one in charge of making
reagents. Just today he asked me how to make sulfuric acid 2N and how to
standardize it. He also asked me what indicator should I use. Damn! Everything
I learnt in school suddenly washed away without a trace. Well, I answer the
best I could, as I doubted my answer. He simple said, “Just try it, there is
nothing wrong in doing so. We have all the reagents you need. Remember, no
amount of reagents is too much for learning something new.”
Immediately I thought to myself, “Damn, it reminds me of
PKT. Damn! I’ve been in this kind of situation … Damn! This is a quiz!” But I did
something any analyst would do in times of tension; I stayed calm and did what
I though was right. And Bam! I was right! My method of analysis is correct.
Damn it feels good to be right!
Oh yeah, for your information, many people doesn’t know that
the Nalco company I work for has been bought by Ecolab. They bought the whole
damn share. The system and every top boss are replaced. The Employees who work
there also feel the change, like wind that touches the meadow-what the hell
does this have to do with what I’m discussing about.
I had many fun experiences, even if it’s only been two
weeks. Other than my friend, Haidar Alfan, which of course attends the same
school as mine, there are also two intern from Yogyakarta. I don’t really
understand why they want to have their internship all away from home, if I were
them I would pick something much closer to home. I bet they are really homesick
right now, missing their beloved ones back home.
It’s okay bro, I understand the feeling hahaha.
Although it’s only been a while, I always think this
internship would end soon. And as soon as this ends, the closer I am to my
graduation day-the moment every living person in SMAKBo dreams of- because to
graduate from a school as hard and tough as this one, is truly an achievement
beyond anything people could imagine, even beyond from graduating from Harvard
or Oxford. Okay, that was to much. But really, graduating from SMAKBo means you
have done the impossible, done something people believe cannot be done-okay
this is exaggerating as well.
Everyday, I have to ride from Bogor to Citeureup, where the
road is never free from traffic-this is what I hate the most from Bogor, never
ending traffic- where it would take you more than an hour just to exit the city
limits.
Shit, it’s frustrating as hell.
I miss school days and school activities, which is much
simpler than this. I do miss them. Now I regret not spending much time at
school. This new routine is killing me everyday-waking up at 5 o’clock,
departure at exactly 6 because if your only five minutes late the traffic would
kill you, working samples hours by hours, coming home at 7, tucking myself to
bed at 11 or 12.
Really … it’s killing me.
But I should endure this much. Remember, what kills you only
makes you stronger, right? Well, I hope that’s something true because I don’t
feel it, instead I’m getting sicker and weaker everyday. I still have many
months ahead, and tons of sample waiting for me to touch and arouse them-what
the hell.
