June 14, 2011

Today I will be catching up on the last two days worth of news. I accidentally left my computer cord at the University on Monday, and just now got it back.

June 14, 2011
This morning I had to be out of bed at 5:30 am, in order to get to work by 7:00 am. I need to provide the following disclaimer: I do not like early mornings. Oky had my breakfast ready at 5:50 am, and normally I wouldn't dream of eating so early, but the sun was up, tricking my mind and body into believing that it was much later than 5:50 am, and I knew I had a big day ahead of me. I rode in a taxi to work this morning, because I was not sure which bus to catch. Taxi's typically run about 2,000 colones ($4.00) per trip, but the bus is only 270 colones (less than $1.00). You do not tip the taxi driver, and you are the only one in the car. Demian met me for my first day, and introduced me to Rey-nods (Reynolds). He is the man in charge of the production plant. The other workers are Henry (speaks a little bit of English), Jose (young fella that speaks no English) and Mikel (also does not speak English). I am able to communicate with my co-workers simply by using sign language. Sometimes this works, more often not. Most times they just point and direct. Once, Jose was trying to tell me what to do, and I just looked at him and shook my head no. The look on his face was priceless. I then started laughing and everyone cracked up.

The production plant is housed in the same building as the restaurant, but is sectioned off by plastic curtains. Everyone in the plant wears knee high rubber boots and a rubber apron that stops just above the top of the foot. The boots given to me had been cut off, ankle area, so needless to say, the first day my feet got soaked. Every day, fish comes to the plant for fabrication. Today my job was to cut corvina into small dice for ceviche. I receive the fish from another worker, who has skinned and de-boned the fish. I then am to cut a filet out of the tail area, aproximately 3" in length, which is used for the fish in "Fish and Chips", I then cut out all the blood lines, filet, and butterfly the remaining fish. The optimum cut to be made from a filet that is 1/4" thick. The filets are then match-sticked into 1/4" sticks, and then cut into small dice. Today, I cut 15 kg into ceviche. The knife I was given to cut with is very dull, and I am constantly "steeling" it. I brought my knives with me today, but Demian said I was to use the processing knives. After cutting the ceviche, I assisted the other workers by cryovacking their end product. The workers fabricate whatever fish came in that day. Today we had Tuna (it came in in the original state, and I was able to watch Mikel fabricate it). We also had Snapper, Octopus, Skate, Wahoo, Calamari, and three types of shrimp. Once the fish is fabricated, it is then placed in a plastic sleeve, and then put in a cryovack machine. After finishing up with the seafood, it was clean up time. Please let me say this, I have never seen a better cleaning job, done by 4 people in my career. No one person has a task or assignment. Everyone works together in tandem until everything is finished. Every, I mean EVERY surface of the production plant is scrubbed with a foamy cleaner, and then rinsed down. Did you get that? Every surface. Then the floor is scrubbed, and then swept, and then squeegied. This is typically a three hour process. This is done at the end of every day, no matter what.

Break (referred to as "coffee") is taken whenever Rey-nods says to. We are not allowed to use the bathrooms or sinks downstairs that the customers use. We have a small breakroom and bathroom upstairs. Jose brought up two packages of saltine crackers, and offered me one of them. We all had coffee and then we went back to work. Breaks last typically 20 minutes. There is no lunch period and no eating or drinking except on break.

Demian caught up with me today while I was working and gave me a hand written map showing me how to catch the bus. I have to walk about 2 blocks, dodge 3 lanes of one way traffic to get to my bus stop. There are no cross walks, street lights or caution here in Costa Rica. If there is a street light it is few and far between. I was able to catch the proper bus that would take me somewhat close to home, and on the way home, I usually get to sit down. On the bus ride to work, it is always standing room only. I live about 50 minutes (25 to walk, 25 to ride the bus) from the restaurant in Santa Ana, but only 30 from the restaurant in Escazu (I will be walking to work at Escazu). I will be working in Santa Ana for the first three weeks, and then Escazu. The map that Demian drew for me, with regards to the bus route showed me having to get off the first bus (Calle Veija) and then walking about 2 more blocks to another bus stop to catch the second bus (Bello Horizonte). Then I get off the second bus in front of Walmart (yes, I really said Walmart) and then I walk to my house which is approximately a 25 minute walk. It wasn't until Thursday that I figured out that the first bus I catch goes all the way to Walmart without me having to switch buses. Yipee! The first morning I rode the bus to work, we were involved in an accident. Another bus was coming towards our bus, in a curve, and he was a little bit in our lane, and both buses collided. I was sitting directly behind the driver, and had it not been for the plexiglass divider behind him, and God, I would have had a face full of glass. I literally saw the accident, and then the glass shattering and flying back towards me. The driver of both buses had glass cuts on their faces and the ambulances were called. Here in Costa Rica, the Cruz Rojo (Red Cross) is the ambulance service.

After making sure all the passengers were ok, the driver got out of the bus. The lady sitting next to me was gracious enough to send Demian a text that my bus was involved in an accident but that I was ok, and would be a little late to work. Wednesday, Demian brought me a cell phone to work and told me that he felt like I needed it just in case. I had to purchase the minutes (450 minutes for $10.00) but that is quite fine. Atleast I can now contact Oky or Demian if I am in need.

I decided to eat an early dinner and study for a bit. I have a test on Friday over sight recognition, Spanish and English names of 21 fish species.