By Xie Linfeng
From February 2 is a lucky day, while in this year it also happened to be the traditional Chinese New Year’s Eve. However, it was the first time for me to spend the Chinese New Year in a foreign country far away from my family for over thirty years of my life. I was assigned to ATLANTIS in UAE in October 2010, responsible for the reservoir engineering work of UAQ gas field.
The traditional Chinese New Year’s Eve in Dubai was an ordinary working day as usual, with no deafening noise of the firecrackers and no “Fu” characters hanging upside down on the door of each family. Experiencing such a different and unfamiliar atmosphere on my way to work in the early morning, I said to myself: “it seems that I’m destined to spend a quiet New Year this year”. Thinking of the scenes of family reunion and the cheerful sound of gongs and drums back at home, I was a little upset.
After getting to the office, I checked my email box and was surprised by the dozens of emails from company leaders and colleagues expressing their New Year’s wishes. Looking at these special New Year gifts, I was suddenly cheered up and worked hard with particularly high efficiency.
At 10 a.m., we received an urgent notice from the local government that Sheikh Shaikh Ahmad of UAQ would come to visit the onshore control center of UAQ gas field in the company of other major government officials. It was the first visit of ATLANTIS paid by Sheikh Shaikh Ahmad since the operations of the gas field after his accession to the throne. Before his accession, Sheikh Shaikh Ahmad was in charge of the oil and energy projects for a long time and offered great support to Sinochem with a rich association with the UAQ gas field.
The large team of Sheikh Shaikh Ahmad soon arrived at the product control center located in the free industrial zone. Mr. Zhang Guoqing, General Manager of ATLANTIS, gave a passionate introduction of the status of the gas field project and the principles of onshore control; while the Sheikh also asked many detailed questions with respect to such issues as output, security control and offshore operations, and watched the simulated operations by the production staff on duty. The cordial and witty words of the Sheikh made everyone at the production control center radiant and joyful. At the end of the visit, the Sheikh shook hands with the entire staff. As Mr. Zhang especially mentioned that it was my first time to spend the Chinese New Year in a foreign country, the Sheikh kindly wished me: “HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!”
With the wish from the Sheikh, a busy day passed in the blink of an eye. As the clock struck midnight, the daily output of UAQ gas field again went beyond the production plan. Seeing the output numbers jumping merrily on the screen, I was filled with joy.
With the constant advances in Sinochem’s globalization process, I believe that more and more ordinary employees like me will have such special and unforgettable experiences overseas and grow together with the cause of Sinochem.