The Young Man and the Sea
a really bad description of my life at an offshore gas platform of the national oil company.
Prologue
If you’d ask me how I spent my last year. I’d say I spent half of it working offshore and the other half explaining to my family, friends, and sometimes complete strangers what’s it like to work offshore. And I loved answering those cute questions people had about offshore, it always felt like I was explaining rocket science to a five-year-old, especially when those people had no idea about Oil & Gas Industry. However, even inside the industry, especially in young professionals there was a limited understanding of life offshore. So it made perfect sense to pen down my experience. I have a strong bias towards writing with emotional sentiments, so forgive me if it gets over the top. I’ll try my best to paint a picture of offshore with words for you. I’m going to divide this into sections but I’d recommend that you read in a linear fashion.
Chapter 1
Don't Tell My Mother That I Was Afraid
The waves crashed on the shore as I looked through the infiniteness of the sea. I sat there with my legs crossed. The warm humid wind was blowing on my face. My eyes were glowing of the moonlight that divided the sea into two equal halves. Just like my mind that was always divided into two halves. One that believed in destiny and others that believed that sea is for fishes, the sky is for birds, and the sand is for the men. Men like me who have always feared of great depths and great heights. I could swim, but only if it was a four feet deep pool. I was six feet tall with a beer belly, however, I had been a teetotaller all my life.
There were so many people around me that night. I could hear children laughing around. I could see families bonding together. I could feel the warmth of two lovers holding each other’s hands. And yet I felt alone, far away from home. I kept sitting there with my legs crossed starring at the sea. I was thinking of tomorrow, how my next 14 days are going to be. I was excited about the new life that was about to begin, but I was also afraid. I sighed. But there was something magical about that place, maybe the smell of the sea, maybe the charm of the night. I felt hugged by the Queen’s Neckless. I was going to be just fine. I was afraid but I had to welcome the new life with an open heart. I unfolded my legs and allowed them to reach to the sea. Another wave crashed and splashed on my feet. The sea was calling me and I was ready to work offshore. Don’t tell my mother that I was afraid.