Observations!

2009 started with a great purchase and hope in our life. Pishi and I after much anticipated search for our first home, after driving my mom crazy!, we finally put an offer and it got accepted one day before our reception anniversary. It will be closed by the end of January and we will have a month to slowly move in before the end of February.

Despite my nagging about the size of our current place when we first moved in, thinking of moving out brings tears in my eyes. Pishi and I started our married life together in this apartment where we slowly made our life together from scratch. Gone are the days that we used to lay on the floor of the living room and watch movies together, because our furniture weren't ready! We experienced lots of firsts in this apartment and I wish the person who resides there after us, experience as much joy and happiness as we had here.


Our new apartment is perfect they way it is, except that we are going to remove the carpet in the bedrooms, as I am against carpets around the world!! As they are hygiene hazards!


As my days in production is slowly comes to an end, I have learned few valuable lessons. I enjoyed spending times with the operators learning how they do their job and help them with their tasks. I made connections with them on a personal level and got the answer to my first question from the supervisor who is training me, who brushed my question with a not so convincing answer. Our conversation went something like this:

J.E.:How deep is your level of understanding of the production process and machines when performing investigations or solving problems?

Trainer: Oh I don't need to know everything, I ask the team leads to find the solutions.

Surprised J.E.: What if the team lead leave here? Then how are you going to find the answers?

Trainer: They won't leave!! They can't find a job better that this! They have been working here for a long time and they probably will retire from here!

At that point, I just was astound and didn't say anything but I was amazed of his way of thinking and thinking why would the operators and team lead not leave this company.


15 days later, when observing and conversing with one of the team leads while testing a sample that I took from a 100 cubic feet blender, (yeah you read it right, 100 cubic feet!) Thank god I didn't fell into it! I find out the reason for the operators loyalty to this plant.

As I was listening quietly, he told me about the good old times of when the previous owner of the company used to run the company that wasn't as big as it is today. What he told me was very similar to what I have heard from other employees who has been with the company for a while.

"He was a gentleman. we could go see him anytime we wanted to. when I needed money for down payment of my new house, he gave me the check for $10,000 in 2 hours when he learned from my need." Another operator continued by saying that the company helped him when he needed $2000. This was the answer to my question. These people are loyal to this company not because they can't find another job, its because they truly feel that this plant and the people who they work with are like family.


Aside from the soft skills I practiced as a supervisor, I learned about the equipments and production process which I am proud of! Next week, I will go to QC lab and at the end of the month, I have a lunch interview with upper management to talk about my experiences thus far. I can't wait to tell them about what I have learned so far!

Winter is showing itself to Toronto and we will be experiencing a very cold week. Aside from the weather, what has been on my mind recently is the Gaza conflict and the violence Israel is leading on Palestinians civilians. I hope and pray that justice prevails.