Updates:
I do have a couple of updates. Last night I made a tactical mistake. I left my phone on Skype because I thought Cat might call. I did not plug it in so the battery died during the night. I woke up in the usual "what the heck time is it?" panic, when you realize you have no alarm and don't know the time. I plugged the thing in to find out it was still an hour before I planned to get up. Whew!!! Anyway, when the thing powered back up it started ringing off the hook with text messages. Every Facebook update anyone I follow had posted for the past 2 weeks rang onto my phone. I thought it would never quit. It finally did. Today I am receiving texts and I could receive a phone call. However, please don't call unless it is an emergency. There is no plan here so the calls are $5/minute + taxes and fees, so more like $6. I can receive texts for free, so feel free. Don't expect one back as they are $0.5 each to send. I'll hit you back on FB or EM, which I can do for free.
Dish:
OK, the team here gave the HP guys one last bunch of data to load before they left today. It was supposed to be the last of the containers in the yard that were not in the system. Then today I get an e-mail form one of the guys from HP who helped. He said it looked like it was all duplicate data. I got a look and agreed, that is what it appeared to be. If the data problems weren't bad enough we now had 197 suspected duplicate shipments in the system. I spent the rest of the day and enlisted a couple of guys to help, manually deleting all of the shipment and reject records associated with the ones I determined to be duplicates. It really sucked! I actually did not finish finding and purging all of it from the system until 9:00 PM tonight. I am absolutely exhausted from mining for data.
Other than that, it was in the low 50s here today and the sun did shine in the hazy way it does here. When the system went down for weekend processing, we wrapped up at the plant and went out to dinner. Lamb chops at Uz Turk again for me. Then we headed to a store. On the way our driver got pulled over. I have no idea why. It looks like anarchy on the streets so I don't see any objective way a cop could judge who violated some "law". I really think he saw a new car full of non-Asians and pulled us over, on general principles. The driver was clearly pissed and I think he got a ticket. He said everything was fine. We all knew what he meant.
We hit the little store to get some snacks. Not that we drink often but we have decided on our favorite Russian beer. It is the one with the 7 on the label. The 9 was too thick. So I have more Dove and Peanut M&Ms to share at work and a beer for our next movie night.
My cold lasted about 7 days. I plan to begin working out again in the morning. I need to get to sleep.
Enjoy where you are. Trust me, you are truly blessed.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
A New Experience
Thanks for all of the kind words about the photo album. I uploaded more today. Some I had neglected and others that another guy had posted, that I decided to share. I hope you like.
OK, at the risk of sounding inappropriate I need to report on the women. Please don't take any of this as more than my observations. They wear long skirts and dresses, knee high boots with high heels or colorful socks and open back slip on shoes. I've seen none in traditional Islam hijab but they do wear scarves or hats and long winter coats and always look dressed up. There are many who are quite beautiful, in a south central Asian way. There is a perfume that is very common that I have never smelled before but it is very nice. There are a couple in the office who are very pleasant. They are kind of the unofficial hostesses. I really enjoy them. Their names are Zilola and Gulzima. Gulzima wears the nice perfume. Zilola is young and lights up the room when she enters. They are both bright spots in a factory full of men.
This morning we were getting to work in our second floor office. The building began to sway. Initially we all thought it was a truck. But it was really exaggerated and continued for what must have been 20-30 seconds. I knew it had to be an earthquake. Nothing else could have caused the motion we were feeling. Sure enough...
== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
Region: TAJIKISTAN
Geographic coordinates: 38.437N, 72.749E
Magnitude: 6.1 M
Depth: 89 km
Universal Time (UTC): 24 Jan 2011 02:45:29
Time near the Epicenter: 24 Jan 2011 07:45:29
OK, at the risk of sounding inappropriate I need to report on the women. Please don't take any of this as more than my observations. They wear long skirts and dresses, knee high boots with high heels or colorful socks and open back slip on shoes. I've seen none in traditional Islam hijab but they do wear scarves or hats and long winter coats and always look dressed up. There are many who are quite beautiful, in a south central Asian way. There is a perfume that is very common that I have never smelled before but it is very nice. There are a couple in the office who are very pleasant. They are kind of the unofficial hostesses. I really enjoy them. Their names are Zilola and Gulzima. Gulzima wears the nice perfume. Zilola is young and lights up the room when she enters. They are both bright spots in a factory full of men.
This morning we were getting to work in our second floor office. The building began to sway. Initially we all thought it was a truck. But it was really exaggerated and continued for what must have been 20-30 seconds. I knew it had to be an earthquake. Nothing else could have caused the motion we were feeling. Sure enough...
== PRELIMINARY EARTHQUAKE REPORT ==
Region: TAJIKISTAN
Geographic coordinates: 38.437N, 72.749E
Magnitude: 6.1 M
Depth: 89 km
Universal Time (UTC): 24 Jan 2011 02:45:29
Time near the Epicenter: 24 Jan 2011 07:45:29
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A Day of Rest!
Follow-Up:
Whew, that was quite a stretch. We went to the plant when we arrived last Friday then worked everyday until today. I had laundry to do, bills to pay and we went downtown for lunch and shopping. I did finally publish all of my pictures, many of which are from today. It is actually the first day we have been here in the daylight, except for the drop off before going to the plant, on our first day. Check out the pictures, I put a little effort into the captions. I hope you enjoy.
- Hanna was able to get the Nookbook I wanted and I was able to download it. The key is the purchase must be from the US or Canada.
- Boss said not to go to the plant today. He did not have to say it twice. We are a bunch of tired puppies.
Whew, that was quite a stretch. We went to the plant when we arrived last Friday then worked everyday until today. I had laundry to do, bills to pay and we went downtown for lunch and shopping. I did finally publish all of my pictures, many of which are from today. It is actually the first day we have been here in the daylight, except for the drop off before going to the plant, on our first day. Check out the pictures, I put a little effort into the captions. I hope you enjoy.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Exhausted
We had rain, then snow, then rain today. I just got back to my room. It is 19:20 Saturday evening. I am hoping that there is some dinner at the dinning cottage. I feel like I might be getting a cold. I thought we had tomorrow off. At this point I am not sure. I'll hear from my boss when he gets back. Long days of work here. 10, 12 or even 15 hours. I hope one day to see where I am living in the daylight. I will write again soon.
Sent from Jim Preslar's iPhone
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Work, Work, Work, Work and more Work
Sorry for going dark for a few days. I am fine and acclimating well. My typical day begins at 05:00. I get up, read emails, stretch, workout, shower etc. and head to breakfast at 06:30. The cook will make you eggs or oatmeal. There is bread, jam and cheese on the table. My standard is 1 egg and 2 pieces of toast with jam and cheese. On Sunday I had an omelet. I don't want to eat that much for breakfast and I just love the cheese and jam.
At 7:15 we all meet in the courtyard, where the drivers pick us up. We head to the plant. The drivers get us past the guys with the guns, then we walk a half a mile or so on the complex, to the office. So far our time has been spent working through terrible data, writing business processes and training folks. The reason I am here is because GM has implemented the material ordering and inventory management system we use in the USA and many other places around the world. The data here is just terrible. It will be 4-6 weeks before we get the system purified to work properly. It is really a shame no one was here to lead that had a clue until it was too late.
Computer connectivity issues are frustrating. Some days we sit for 2-3 hours waiting for the network to return. When there is so much to be done it is very frustrating to have those kinds of issues. To complicate things, the system I normally run is in Plano TX, but this one is in Adelaide, Australia. This has given me security challenges that I am still trying to overcome.
On the non-work side of things; B&N won't let me buy Nookbooks due to international copyright laws and VAT issues. I didn't plan well enough for that. I downloaded a bunch of samples but I want to buy a book and can't. Since I left the actual Nook at the house, Hanna is going to try to buy one for me. Theoretically, I should then be able to download it onto my phone. Here's hoping.
Cat and I Skyped tonight. God it was good to hear her voice. The IMs are cool but there is nothing like a voice. She was on her phone so I got no picture but I really did appreciate just talking. I Skyped with Hanna a couple of days ago. She had dogs in her room that went nuts when they heard my voice. We had video so I could see. It was fun.
We finally went to a little store yesterday evening. I got 2 Snickers for another guy, a small box of laundry soap and a couple of beers. It was 15,400 UZS. That is about $9.30 using the government fixed exchange rate or $7 if you change your money at a (black) market rate. The beer was Russian and was pretty good.
I'm off to bed. Post questions and I'll do my best to answer. I do plan on starting a photo album on FB soon so friend me if you want to see pictures.
PEACE
OUT
At 7:15 we all meet in the courtyard, where the drivers pick us up. We head to the plant. The drivers get us past the guys with the guns, then we walk a half a mile or so on the complex, to the office. So far our time has been spent working through terrible data, writing business processes and training folks. The reason I am here is because GM has implemented the material ordering and inventory management system we use in the USA and many other places around the world. The data here is just terrible. It will be 4-6 weeks before we get the system purified to work properly. It is really a shame no one was here to lead that had a clue until it was too late.
Computer connectivity issues are frustrating. Some days we sit for 2-3 hours waiting for the network to return. When there is so much to be done it is very frustrating to have those kinds of issues. To complicate things, the system I normally run is in Plano TX, but this one is in Adelaide, Australia. This has given me security challenges that I am still trying to overcome.
On the non-work side of things; B&N won't let me buy Nookbooks due to international copyright laws and VAT issues. I didn't plan well enough for that. I downloaded a bunch of samples but I want to buy a book and can't. Since I left the actual Nook at the house, Hanna is going to try to buy one for me. Theoretically, I should then be able to download it onto my phone. Here's hoping.
Cat and I Skyped tonight. God it was good to hear her voice. The IMs are cool but there is nothing like a voice. She was on her phone so I got no picture but I really did appreciate just talking. I Skyped with Hanna a couple of days ago. She had dogs in her room that went nuts when they heard my voice. We had video so I could see. It was fun.
We finally went to a little store yesterday evening. I got 2 Snickers for another guy, a small box of laundry soap and a couple of beers. It was 15,400 UZS. That is about $9.30 using the government fixed exchange rate or $7 if you change your money at a (black) market rate. The beer was Russian and was pretty good.
I'm off to bed. Post questions and I'll do my best to answer. I do plan on starting a photo album on FB soon so friend me if you want to see pictures.
PEACE
OUT
Friday, January 14, 2011
Arrival in Asaka
Follow-up:
I have absolutely no cell service. Email is the only way to contact me other than to comment on this blog or via Skype, if you see me there. I was not able to connect my phone at the plant because the wireless signal is too weak. The only e-mail account I will see during the day is my GM one. If the matter is not urgent, I'll get to both my yahoo and wku accounts each evening.
New Business:
We made it today. As expected we had breakfast and the driver appeared at about 8:10AM. The trip was about 5 hours. Tashkent appeared nice and was very colorful. After we left the city we drove for about 4 hours before we saw anything that wasn't brown, gray or white. The snow capped mountains were nice but the rest...blah. There is a great deal of poverty. I was really humbled by just how fortunate I really am. Along the way we saw a few interesting things:
Thanks for your interest and please don't forget about me!!!
I have absolutely no cell service. Email is the only way to contact me other than to comment on this blog or via Skype, if you see me there. I was not able to connect my phone at the plant because the wireless signal is too weak. The only e-mail account I will see during the day is my GM one. If the matter is not urgent, I'll get to both my yahoo and wku accounts each evening.
New Business:
We made it today. As expected we had breakfast and the driver appeared at about 8:10AM. The trip was about 5 hours. Tashkent appeared nice and was very colorful. After we left the city we drove for about 4 hours before we saw anything that wasn't brown, gray or white. The snow capped mountains were nice but the rest...blah. There is a great deal of poverty. I was really humbled by just how fortunate I really am. Along the way we saw a few interesting things:
- A street sweeper (woman with a broom).
- Road crews (men with shovels).
- Hundreds of men in fur hats.
- Thousands of cars that all looked alike.
- Cars with frame structures on them to carry cargo, like furniture, firewood or whatever.
- Many broken down cars.
- The number of lanes on the road is variable based on driver interpretation.
- Lines on the road, if any, are not really used for any purpose.
- Surprisingly, no accidents.
- Pipe lines, I suspect natural gas, above ground right next to the road.
- Housing that all pretty much looks alike. Corrugated steel roofs, walls of cement or some similar material and a gate or garage size door, with a man door in it.
- Goats crossing the road.
- A cow in the road.
- Many donkeys pulling carts full of wood or straw or whatever.
- Roads that are in worse repair than the ones in Detroit.
- AK47s, lots of AK47s.
- A rest room where everyone uses the same towel. (I used my jeans thank you).
- A passport checkpoint in the middle of the country. (Everywhere you go you must be registered so that the government knows where you are. If you leave a place for 3 days, you have to register again upon your return.)
Thanks for your interest and please don't forget about me!!!
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday - Thursday is a blur
I was able to do some pretty cool stuff before leaving the tech center. Nothing I can talk about but believe me, it was cool! I headed to DTW at 4:00PM. I made it to National Car Rental at 5:10 PM, with a full tank of gas. I piled onto the bus and headed for Delta check in. There was a problem with one of my bags. It was too heavy. Seventy pounds is the max. I had to relocate 10 pounds from my big suitcase to my garment bag. It is really suffering.
The flight was delayed due to a water issue. The countermeasure was to use bottled water and make the sinks, in the bathrooms, out of order. They put hand purifier lotion in each. We had a snack in the Delta Sky Club, while we waited. They got us going about 30 minutes late. The only real deal with the water was the coffee makers would not work. That was a bummer!
We made it to Frankfort and rushed to catch the Uzbekistan Airways flight. We found our way and got there in time. When I gave my passport to the lady to get my boarding pass, the information page had gotten ripped. I don't know if it happened during the big shuffle in Detroit or where. She called someone and cleared me to get on the plane. She had me put my carry on bag on the scale. Then she put a yellow band on it to indicate it was approved. She leaned over and told me quietly, do not put anything more in it, the maximum weight for carry on luggage on Uzbekistan Airways is 5 KG. The scale clearly said 8.8. I said thanks and moved along.
The plane was a Boeing 767, very similar to the Delta plane that brought us to Frankfort. The seats were a little older model. No personal screens with a near infinite choice of entertainment. Just ear buds, the movie and a few music stations. Just like the old days. The flight was pleasant. Some of the food strange but mostly tasty. When we arrived at the Tashkent Airport, they moved a giant staircase up to the door of this jumbo jet and we walked down the staircase, onto the tarmac. An airport worker took our baggage claims and we headed for Passport Control, on a bus. There was no issue at all with the rip. I was worried. Our luggage took forever to come into the building. Then we cleared customs. The agent thought I must be bringing statins to sell. I promised him that all of the medicine I had was for me. He made me write that on the declaration and sign it.
Just as we were released from Customs, a guy walked in and looked at us and said "General Motors?" That was good enough for us. We piled our luggage into a little car and headed to the Intercontinental Hotel. The driver was pulled over once on the way there. All he did was show the police officer a document and told him we were Americans. The cop let us go. Then the driver pulled up to the Dedeman Hotel. We told him that our reservation was at the Intercontinental Hotel. A bunch of them discussed and one who spoke English came and told us that all GMUZ people stay here. The rate is better and this is where the driver would be retrieving us in the morning. What the heck were we going to do. We checked in.
When we finally got in touch with Am Ex, they said we would probably be charged for both hotels. Oh well, I have a room, I've made a WiFi connection and now I am going to bed. Breakfast at 7:00 and a driver to Asaka at 8:00. What a trip!
The flight was delayed due to a water issue. The countermeasure was to use bottled water and make the sinks, in the bathrooms, out of order. They put hand purifier lotion in each. We had a snack in the Delta Sky Club, while we waited. They got us going about 30 minutes late. The only real deal with the water was the coffee makers would not work. That was a bummer!
We made it to Frankfort and rushed to catch the Uzbekistan Airways flight. We found our way and got there in time. When I gave my passport to the lady to get my boarding pass, the information page had gotten ripped. I don't know if it happened during the big shuffle in Detroit or where. She called someone and cleared me to get on the plane. She had me put my carry on bag on the scale. Then she put a yellow band on it to indicate it was approved. She leaned over and told me quietly, do not put anything more in it, the maximum weight for carry on luggage on Uzbekistan Airways is 5 KG. The scale clearly said 8.8. I said thanks and moved along.
The plane was a Boeing 767, very similar to the Delta plane that brought us to Frankfort. The seats were a little older model. No personal screens with a near infinite choice of entertainment. Just ear buds, the movie and a few music stations. Just like the old days. The flight was pleasant. Some of the food strange but mostly tasty. When we arrived at the Tashkent Airport, they moved a giant staircase up to the door of this jumbo jet and we walked down the staircase, onto the tarmac. An airport worker took our baggage claims and we headed for Passport Control, on a bus. There was no issue at all with the rip. I was worried. Our luggage took forever to come into the building. Then we cleared customs. The agent thought I must be bringing statins to sell. I promised him that all of the medicine I had was for me. He made me write that on the declaration and sign it.
Just as we were released from Customs, a guy walked in and looked at us and said "General Motors?" That was good enough for us. We piled our luggage into a little car and headed to the Intercontinental Hotel. The driver was pulled over once on the way there. All he did was show the police officer a document and told him we were Americans. The cop let us go. Then the driver pulled up to the Dedeman Hotel. We told him that our reservation was at the Intercontinental Hotel. A bunch of them discussed and one who spoke English came and told us that all GMUZ people stay here. The rate is better and this is where the driver would be retrieving us in the morning. What the heck were we going to do. We checked in.
When we finally got in touch with Am Ex, they said we would probably be charged for both hotels. Oh well, I have a room, I've made a WiFi connection and now I am going to bed. Breakfast at 7:00 and a driver to Asaka at 8:00. What a trip!
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