Next week is my second work experience week. It was agreed to on the first day of week 39, and I was told, by the company, to email them in week 43, after my fall holiday from school ended. Well, we are now in week 43, so I emailed them at around 9 am. Within 15 minutes I got a reply back.
My first day starts at 8 am, and I have to be at a train station by then. That means I will have to get the train at 7.15 am, and I will arrive at 7.40 am. Now, the quick person will probably go "Wait, that's too early".. Yes, it is, but I prefer to be early for an appointment. Plus it gives me around 20 minutes to buy something to drink or eat.
It also means that I will have more time to get ready. Usually I am out of the door by 6.30 am, so I can stretch it for 15 minutes longer. Nice!
I know nothing about what type of haul I am going to be joining. I only know the name of the driver, Ismet. I am excited to know a new person, and to see what the job is about. From what I understand, it's a goods hauling business, which is exactly what I want to work with in the future.
It's gonna be so much fun!
Today was one of those days where the fun stopped, and the serious work began.
We were divided into groups of three, and we were told to try different stations. Lashing, stowage of trailer and the before mentioned crane. We started with the stowage of a trailer. There were a few pallets on it, that we had to get down on the ground, and then put back onto the trailer again. We worked well as a team, so we got that done very quickly. I have worked with pallets before, and one person in my group just had a weeks work experience working with pallets and pallet lifters, so it was a fairly easy task for us to complete.
Then we moved on to the crane, which was a tricky bit. We had to lift a gate, and make sure it was level. We got a few tips from the teacher, and then we replicated what he said. I will need some more practical work with it, so I have that nailed down. It shouldn't take long to do as well, since I am a very fast learner. Give me a week of full on practice, and I'll know it like the back of my hand. Speaking of things I know like the back of my hand..
Lashings. The lashings were done in quite a fast time, since I am confident with that. It doesn't hurt to repeat it, to see if I really have it nailed down. We were given a friction number and the weight of the load, and then we went to work. When we were done, the teacher came by, looked at our lashings and went "That's pretty much perfect! Well done. Unstrap it, and pack up".
To finish off the day, we were given a stern talking to by both teachers. It turns out, that some of the people in my class weren't pulling their weight, and would rather sit and smoke cigarettes than actually learn and practice. The talking to lasted about 15 minutes, and once it was done, we were let go for the day. I decided to catch the teachers to ask them, if I had to put in more work, or if I was one of the students who knew what they were doing and was pulling my weight. "You have nothing to worry about, you just keep doing what you do. You are pulling your weight". That made me happy! It means I am not one of those people who need a stern talking to. I just need to be more confident around the cranes, which we will learn about in due time.
About a month and a half in already, and I am still thrilled about what I have picked as my education! I can't wait for week 44!
This week, we have had a film project at school, which we had to show today. The best video would win a prize. We were divided into groups, and each group had to make a 5-7 minute video about a subject we picked ourselves. It could be an informative campaign, an advertisement or an "a day in the life of" video. My group chose advertisement. We then had to pick what kind of advertisement we wanted to make. We picked the only correct thing to make - a spoof of a 90s era tv shop advertisement. We then had to figure out what we had to sell. The advertisement was meant to be targeted towards truckers, so we decided to do an advertisement for ratchets and straps. Then we needed a name. Here's where my brilliance came in.. "Why not name it Strap-On?". The other people in my group looked at me and went "YES! Brilliant!". So we got to work with a storyboard. I was in charge of writing and filming, while another one was in charge of editing and one was in charge of doing some voice over work. Out fourth man in the group wasn't fairly active, but it was fine. He had some stuff going on, so his mind was somewhere else. He did help with setting up shots, so he did contribute something.
Then it was time for filming. Tuesday was spent getting b roll footage, and Wednesday was the big day, where lines were to be said, and where I was going to do my first ever stunt. The majority of filming took about three hours to film, so we had plenty of time to edit and write. But what about the stunt? Well, it was glorious! The plan was to have a metal hook thrown at me, but not really hitting me. I then had to sell being hit, while a sound effect was playing, but when it was time to shoot it, I thought "Nah, that seems a bit too no-no. Let me just be pelted with straps". That was my stunt, and I nailed it! Anyway.. Thursday was spent getting an interview shot, with one of the teachers, playing the part of a trucker. I told him to improvise his lines, so it would flow naturally. Fifteen minutes later, everything was shot. I then sent the files over to the editor, and he went to work putting it all together, and making it look fantastic. At around 4 pm yesterday, we got our first rough cut - and it was fantastic! It was the proper 90s feel, and it really felt like we were watching something made back then. By 3 am, the video was complete. I watched it this morning, and I couldn't stop laughing.
It had a 90s filter on it, so it looked like VHS quality, and the entire video just had a nice flow to it. Then it was time for the premiere of the videos we all made. Group 1 made a video called Trucker Life, and it was about what a trucker did. There was also an interview with a trucker, where a student from my class played the trucker. Group 2 was my group. Group 3 made a video about the importance of having the correct safety gear. Group 4 was absent, and group 5 made a video about the school. It was fairly well made, and it was by far our toughest competition. Group 6 made a video about a company, where they also had an interview with a trucker. All in all, great videos.
Then it was time for a vote, and then the winner would be named.
5th place, with 1 vote: Group 6
4th place with 2 votes: Group 1
3rd place, with 6 votes: Group 3
It was then, where I thought "Can we really win this?"
I was about to find out. Only one vote separated 1st from 2nd.
In 2nd place, with 8 votes: Group 5
Which means, ladies and gentlemen, that group 2, my group.. The strap-on advertisement WON! The prize was our own safety vest, a pair of gloves, an air freshener for a car, a bag of candy and an ice scraper. Quite a good way to start your week off!
Earlier today, I went to the cinema to catch the 25th Bond film, No Time to Die. With me was my mother, my two uncles and my two aunts. The cinema we chose was Imperial in Copenhagen, one of the biggest cinemas in Northern Europe.
As we sat down in the cinema, my mind began to wander. "I hope it's as good as they say. How will the villain be?"
The lights went out, so I was about to get answers to all these questions.
The movie is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, and the synopsis is as follows: Bond has left active service and is enjoying a tranquil life in Jamaica. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter from the CIA turns up asking for help. The mission to rescue a kidnapped scientist turns out to be far more treacherous than expected, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.
Reprising their roles from previous films, we have Daniel Craig as Bond, Léa Seydoux as Madeleine Swann, Ralph Fiennes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenney, Ben Whishaw as Q, Rory Kinnear as Tanner, Jeffrey Wright as Felix Leiter and Christoph Waltz as Blofeld. Newcomers to the franchise are Ana de Armas as Paloma, Lashana Lynch as Nomi (007 for most of the film), Billy Magnussen as Logan Ash, Davic Dencik as Valdo Obruchev, Lisa-Dorah Sonnet as Mathilde and Rami Malek as Lyutsifer Safin, the main villain.
As usual with a Bond film, there are huge set pieces, and exotic locations. Of course there is a villain with his own island, who is bent on world domination. It gets old very quickly, and it keeps Rami Malek's character from being terrifying. He's actually quite boring, now that I think about it. Now, this being a Bond film, there is naturally going to be some explosions of some kind, and this movie has a few. It mostly relies on practical stunts, however, and there is one sequence that's almost near perfection. It's a car chase that starts on the side of a mountain, and ends up in a forest. Absolutely fantastic stuff, with some amazing car stunts. It never gets old seeing a Land Rover Defender fly through the air, at speed!
However, this movie is not without any flaws, sadly. One of the flaws is with the villain. As I wrote a while back, his villain is just plain boring. The Bond franchise really need to reinvent their villains. Give me a terrifying villain, who is looking for revenge for something either Bond or MI6 has done, kind of like Silva in Skyfall. That villain worked so well, because he had a personal score to settle, and not trying to take over the world.
In the end, No Time to Die is a great Bond film.Lots of exotic locations, good looking cars and great action sequences. The real star of the show is Lisa-Dorah Sonnet, who is super adorable. An absolute joy to watch on the big screen.
8/10
My first work experience week as a mover was very hard work, but it was also rewarding. I have a new understanding on how to pack a box, and how not to pack one. I have also gotten valuable information on how to pack a truck when I have to move again, because I need to at some point. I hope it's soon, but I don't mind waiting another year.
Regarding the second week of work experience, I acted fast. The same day I was back at school, I had secured an interview with a haulage company called Taarnby Transport. The company is located in the town I grew up in, and it takes me about an hour to get there with public transport. I went there to talk to a guy called Tim, who is the Chairman of the Board and CFO of the company.
The conversation went well, and we had a great talk. We have agreed that I am going to spend week 44 at Taarnby Transport, so I have to make a great effort, and convince them that I am going to be their new apprentice. It was finalized this week by the job consultant at my school.
Speaking of school: I think I am setting a new record in the class: I have never been late or missed a day. I am participating in the classes, and I am one of the few students who seems to have a hang on things. The only thing I need to get a hang on, is the cranes. But soon, I will have more opportunities to really nail the crane stuff. Stowing and lashing is pretty much nailed down, to the point where I am helping the other students. The students who might not be as sharp at these things, which is fine. We are all there to learn, and I know they will nail it at some point. It just takes practice, practice and more practice.
Tomorrow, I am going to see the new Bond film, which I am VERY excited about. I have heard good things about it, so I hope it's as good as they say
Yesterday was a lot of fun. Thursday, I asked K if she wanted to go out and get some dinner on Saturday. She was up for that, so we went to a place where they served big American style food. Burgers mainly, but also something called freakshakes. It's a milkshake with some truly insane toppings - like donuts and whipped cream.
Anyway, the food was excellent, and the company was great as well. Not the cheapest meal ever, but not the most expensive one either. The most important thing was the company.
We sat for about 45 minutes eating and talking. We hadn't seen each other in over a month due to our various commitments, so it was nice to get together again for some food. On the drive home, K asked me how I felt about arcades. I told her I loved them, so we went to a place where they had retro arcades! We spent an hour there, playing loads of different games, and it was a ton of fun. When we arrived home, I told her that she could just come by whenever she wanted to. She can spend the night as well, but she lives about 30 seconds from me by car, so it's not going to happen. It would be a different story if we lived in different cities. Maybe in a few years, when I have moved, she can come and spend a night with me. We'll probably watch a bunch of movies, which is gonna be fun!
Tomorrow is another week of fun, and I can't wait!
Last week was work experience week. I told myself "I am not interested in moving companies", so what did I do? Spent a week at a moving company, that specialized in international moving. I heard some good stories about that place, so I decided to give it a shot. Who knows, maybe a moving company was for me?
Monday started out pretty easy. It was a full day of moving office furniture around on dollies. Not the hardest day ever.
Tuesday was a bit more hard work. We had to label a few pallets of items going to an orphanage in Greenland. Again, not the hardest job ever.
Wednesday was where it got a bit more intense. We were drafted in to help a British man move his stuff from the apartment to a truck, waiting at the end of the street, because he was moving back to the UK from Copenhagen. It was heavy, sweaty and, up until that day, pretty backbreaking work. What had seemed like a quick day got long very quickly. I was off three hours later than anticipated. That's where I started to question if this really was for me. I soon got my answer.
Thursday was the day where I made my decision. We went to Sweden, to move a guy's stuff into his apartment - on the 4th floor.. Luckily there was an elevator, because if there hadn't been one, I would have been broken in half. It was a British man moving to Sweden from India, and him and his wife had packed up their entire house in India, and shipped the items across the globe to Denmark, where it was put on a truck and driven to Sweden.
He had oak furniture - which was heavy.. It started pretty easy, with boxes. I was the elevator guy, meaning I had to move the boxes from the ground floor to the 4th floor. Easy, right? Well.. Yes, to an extend. While I was helping move boxes in, one of the guys on the team started talking about how the job was. I want to drive a truck full time, and that is not something that is going to happen at this company. That made me think: "Is this really what I want to do for the rest of my life?".. On the way home from Sweden that evening, I got my answer after some thinking. No. This wasn't to be where I was going to work for the foreseeable future.
Friday dawned, and by that time, I already knew what to say to the boss. "Thank you for the chance to see if this is for me. Unfortunately, it isn't". I was drafted to Sweden yet again, to finish where we left off the previous day. I really liked the customers. They bought us food the day before, and they offered breakfast on that day. They made sure we were well taken care of. We finished at around 2.30 pm, and we were given a tip to split evenly. They liked our help so much! A great way to finish a week of work experience.
When we got back to the yard, I did a debrief with the boss. I told him that I had made a decision regarding the job, and I told him it wasn't for me, and that I wanted to go a different path. He respected that decision, and thanked me for a job well done.
So... What's the damage, you might ask? How many injuries did I get? Well.. No big ones. My entire body was hurting, my calf muscles ached, my left arm has a big bruise and a few scratches, and my feet were hurting as well.
It's safe to say, that the moving business isn't for me. Now I turn my attention to week 44, where I have another week of work experience at another company - this time it's distribution, which I think will fit me well, since that job is mainly driving trucks, which is precisely what I want to do for years to come.
In short - great! I don't feel any different than before I was vaccinated. No 5G.. No Wifi.. I feel like I have always felt - great. Healthy.
Tomorrow will mark the two week threshold, which means the vaccine will be fully operational. I am now ready to travel again! Bring it on!
These past few weeks have been full of school stuff. I have learned a great deal, and I can feel my hunger to learn more grows.
One of the things I have to learn, is ADR. "But Philipsen. what is ADR specifically?", I hear someone ask.. Well.. ADR stands for Accord Dangereux Routier (European regulations concerning the international transport of dangerous goods by road), and basically what it means, is that any driver who has the ADR certificate, can move dangerous goods, up to a certain amount. I haven't been told the exact maximum you can haul with an ADR license, but it's up to 1000 points. How those points are distributed, I am not sure. I will know more later.
Yesterday was my first introduction to ADR, and I was told, that I would get a test today. If I passed it, I would have ADR 1.3. That means, I am allowed to ride along with someone who hauls dangerous goods, like fuel, dynamite, fireworks, paint and smoke detectors. Fun fact: Did you know that some smoke detectors are radioactive? It's due to americium-241, an isotope with a half-life of 432.2 years. The amount of radiation those smoke detectors emit is about 1/100 of a millirem per year. This is well below the background radiation level of about 360 millirems a year. If a smoke detector contains radioactive materials, a printed notice on the packaging will say so.
Anyway, the test was set to last for 45 minutes, but my group was done after about 30. We had a book to look in, so it made it much easier. Then the teacher went through each question, and everyone passed. That means, I am now ADR 1.3 certified, so if my work experience company hauls dangerous goods of any kind, I am allowed to join the person on the trip.
Very exciting times ahead!
I know that I went on and on in my last blog, that this was a "part 1", but after last night, I decided that it WILL be a garden party, USA style. Why did I come to that conclusion? I wrote the following to an American friend of mine: "Would you be interested in attending my 40th birthday in 2024? There's a theme and everything. It's USA theme, so I will probably need some help in order to nail the atmosphere completely. Food and drink will be plenty. Let me know if you're interested"
1:39 am this morning, there was a reply: "That would be awesome!" So I told her, that she had to mark her calendar, as she was invited.
That means that the USA garden party theme is ON! Oh BOY I AM SO EXCITED, I almost yelled... Anyway..
Now I just need a location. I also need to look up what usually goes to an American bbq. Everything needs to be home made, nothing store bought.. Well, apart from the meat, condiments and the snacks. But the sides will be.home made. I need to research how to make the best potato salad.. That means lots and LOTS of trial and quite possibly error. Or - I could borrow my American friend's recipe. I bet she has a pretty good one from her grandmother. The mac & cheese as well.. Oh yes, there will be mac & cheese in the tonnes. Well, maybe not, but there has to be a lot of it!
So now I need to plan. I have just under three years to plan the perfect party!
I am beginning to really love what I am studying, now that the practical side of the education is showing. Yesterday we had lashing exercises, and today we had our most realistic lashing exercise. We were divided into groups, and each group received a MY number and the weight of an imaginary cargo. It was up to us to lash it in correctly. In my groups case, the MY number was 0.45, and the weight was 1000 kilograms. We then had to consult our little green book, and work out how many straps we needed to secure the load as securely as possible.
We worked out, that we needed two to safely secure the load, so we put a pallet on top of the cargo, and began strapping. One person in my group went "Hang on, we need to measure the angle as well. By my calculations, we need two more straps, so four in total. Let's get two more and strap them to the load as well".
By the time we were done, the teacher came around to inspect our lashings. On the first try, my group and I passed, but not without remarks. "Make sure you get the straps as close to the load as possible. What you have done here is good, but if the wood on the pallet is rotten, if the board snaps, the cargo will not be secure. Other than that, nice work!".
By then, break time was upon us. When we came back, we had to untie our straps, move to the left and start over with a new MY number and a new weight. We got the exact same numbers, so we corrected our previous mistake. The teacher was impressed with us, and just how quickly we strapped the load down. We then had to unstrap the load, put the lashing strap and the hook back where we took it from, and then we were finished for the day.
Tomorrow is a day off, which I am looking forward to. I can sleep in! Saturday is the exhibition, so we need to get there for 10 am, which is fine. New trucks, lots of new things to see.. It's gonna be so much fun!
Monday morning, K informed me that she was home sick with sore throat, headache, pressure around her ears and a runny and clogged nose, and that she hadn't slept well. She took a PCR test and waited for the result, so she could get an appointment for her doctor. She advised me to do take a PCR test, as fast as possible. Thoughts was racing through my mind.. Did I possibly pass on covid to her? I wasn't that close to her during the concert, was I? Am I the reason she's possibly going to have to be forced to call in sick with covid? If it is covid, and I produce a positive test, how am I going to explain it to my 8 roommates?
You could say, I panicked.. Thinking "Oh shit, this is not good.."
I first went for a rapid test, and about 30 minutes later, it came back as negative. I then donned my face mask, that I got handed out during the rapid test, and went to do the PCR test. I felt fine, so I wasn't worried at all. Still, it didn't hurt to be tested, just to be safe. I have been light headed, and I did have some chest pains when I coughed.. This could end badly..
I went to bed a few hours later, my mind still racing. What if.. What if.. What if..
Sleeping didn't come easy, for some reason. I kept thinking about how bad K must be feeling, for her to visit her doctor
At 6 am this morning, I woke up to what could possibly be the best news ever - her test was negative. That lifted a HUGE weight off my shoulders. If her test was negative, then there is a possibility that mine is negative as well. I paid some bills and left for school.
A few hours later, while at school, my result came back. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous. I opened the app, and went to look at the result of the test. I read the best eleven letters ever: Not detected.
Phew!
I am now extremely confident, that what I had over the weekend, was a regular cold. I guess the vaccine really does work.. Who would have thunk, eh?
Still, this experience has left me with one new thing to do: Wear a face mask on public transport and in large gatherings. I don't have the time to be sick. I want to be the student, who gets put on the Wall of Fame. Who has a perfect attendance rate! I will not fulfill those wishes if I am sick.
I did see K today, though. Now that she knows it's just a bad cold, she's going outside again. She wears a face mask and keeps her distance from all people - including me. Six feet. I told her I was okay with that, and it was for the best because she's sick. She'll be back to normal in about a weeks time. Until then, it's plenty of rest for her, and a lot of fluids
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