Last month, I made my first offshore trip after a 6-year hiatus. And now I am on the second one. The first one was just a short 3-day visit. The current one is the real deal as I am currently having a freaking nervous breakdown.
When I stepped into the chopper last month, I was immediately reminded of one of the reasons why I wanted out 6 years ago. It’s the chopper ride. It made me sick that I needed to nap as soon as I arrived on the rig. Often times, however, I did not have this luxury. Forget about a ride on a fucking boat, I could puke till I fucking die!
Upon arriving and entering the rig’s accommodation, the second reason came to me. It’s the smell. All rigs and ships that I’ve stayed on smell the same. I guess they all use the same materials for floors, walls, etc. and are never aired. This does not make me sick, but annoying nevertheless since I have a very keen sense of smell.
The third came during lunch. The food can be too yucky to eat. It can be too salty, too fatty, and the worst part is it is rarely fresh (because it has been frozen for a long time, especially the meat).
The fourth came at night when I was ready for some shut-eye. The room was made so cold that I could not sleep without wearing a jacket and long pants under my already thick blanket. Even with all these, I still sometimes shivered and woke up so damn early to an overwhelming urge to pee.
The list can go on. But if I take ALL of the annoying aspects of working offshore and make a big deal out of every single one of them, they STILL cannot beat the suckiness I feel when I was stuck in traffic jams while trying to get to the office on time every fucking day. That can just kill my sometimes already fragile spirit.
So in conclusion, I hope to maintain my status quo. For how long I don’t know.
