Internship, 2nd week

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.