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Feb 21,
4:15 pm most everyone is leaving the office but I'm staying due to need to work on a few thing. The phone rings and I hear an excited man saying one of the guys is on his way to the hospital..... screech!!!!!!! What? I say? The other guy working with me just run his hand through a pinch point. I heard. And now he has my full attention! Is he all right o ask? What damage was sustained. "Well, I think he lost his thumb and finger." I ask "he lost?" Yes he said. Lost! As in its smashed on the kiln! f***!!! I said. Ok what hospital are you going to? He said he didn't know. Ok where are you? I'm in Guadalajara Mexico. And when I find the name I will tell you. He ask what else I need. I said to take care of the man and call the manager.
I end up leaving a msg for the manager and waiting in the office for the phone call. Be employee finally give me a cal. I find out that he is in a hospital in Guadalajara Mexico. I end up building a case for the employee. The manager then comes back to the office. We discuss the injury in length of how it could have happened. As I built the case, we talked about the next moves. One of us should go down there I said. Either you or me does not matter. Then the revelation it's me. We should both go down there. I do not have time to be investigator and an advocate for the injured employee. So we agree. I will let everybody know tomorrow we will go.
The next day we show up to the office and I let everybody know we are on our way during the meeting. We book our flight to Mexico pack bags and begin our journey. This will be my first flight into Mexico I have been to Tijuana before but never this far south into Mexico. I'm excited to see what Mexico has to offer. I look up the geographical area online and noticed there are no large skyscraper buildings. The town has about 7 million people which is the size of Dallas Texas. Yet no large buildings it's also about the 5000 feet elevation. The manager explains that we will meet our interpreter because neither of us speak fluent Spanish at the airport when we arrive. We get Omaha Park get on aeroplane fly to Houston then board another airline that will take us the remaining distance to Guadalajara Mexico. We are set to arrive after the Sun sets. We found the border aeroplane and the Middle seats are empty the plane is about only have full, I then decided at that point to get up from the full role that I was in and said in the nonfloral which is a exit row and next to another pilot. This is going to be about a three hour plane ride so the pilot plugs in a charging cord and says you could use this if you like. I figured that was him breaking the ice. The flight attendant think it's on the dispatch and starts to explain how to fill out the customs paperwork. I slowly go into panic mode. I forgot about customs what do I do now. They hand out the paperwork and the pilot sees one must see the look of confusion on my face. He smiles and says do you have an extra pen I can borrow. Of course I do if I London Eye p.m. you must help me with my customs paperwork he says deal. The other passenger sitting across the aisle from me then begins to tell me of an app for myself on his name is Dino and later on I will tell you more about him. I take a picture of Dino's phone so that I can match that with the apps in the App Store it's just a Google translator which interested me. I was worried I would not have Wi-Fi in Mexico. The pilots that sat with me his name was Jesus. He help me fill out my paperwork and get it turned into a mirror explain to me how customers worked in Mexico. I paid attention the best I could and then told him that I would just follow him through the airport. He said he's going to move fast. Dino exclaimed that I could just take with him as well. We dismount the aeroplane go into customs from Mexico they do not speak much English, So Dino began helping me after Jason screed away. He knew fluent Spanish and the manager was several people behind me matter fact I couldn't even see where the manager worse. We go to an area and he told me how to handle the situation we got to another area and he told me how to handle that situation and finally we were through customs was rather odd to walk through customs you press a button and it randomly select few of whether or not you get inspected. On the other side we began chatting and then he went on his way I waited for the manager. The manager arrived and we started walking out of the airport trying to figure out how we were going to get to our hotel. When we both bought up and seen the managers name on a piece of paper. This must be our interpreter how convenient is this well he can actually he'll a taxi for us we bought the taxi with our all of our luggage a very small car and a lot of luggage with three big guys. What do you say that car was full loaded. The taxi ride in to the hotel was interesting the first time that I have seen that the sort of culture I don't want to say that is less than what we have, but I will say it's not as no. The signs are all in Spanish and I could see into some businesses and it was just an eye-opening experience just to get from the airport to the hotel. I've been worried the point that we were going to have to change hotels on the final day that I was going to be there. We then start making a game plan of how to handle or where we will be to best handle the situation at hand. As we arrive at the hotel very unhurt supervisor that took the other heart supervisor to the hospital shows up in the lobby. We exchanged pleasantries and decide that we should have a beer in an hour or so. The manager checks a.m. and then I checked again both using the interpreter to talk for us. We then go to our rooms mine on the 84 there is on the third and reconvene in about half an hour. I learned at this point that I had Wi-Fi and immediately text Nancy telling her how wonderful it was to have some sort of service. I then start making my way downstairs to meet with the other gentlemen. We may have a beer maybe to make a game plan of what we are going to do in the following days. Let it be known that we are here 100% for the injured employee. That I was here for an investigation of how to not do this again or prevented in the future, the other manager was there as a comfort to the employee and to act as a company liaison. I am also here in an official capacity to help the client understand our commitment to safety. We decided the following day we were to go to the hospital. So that I may start my investigation. Then the day after that we would go to the plant and speak with the plant and do more investigation as I was there. The hotel did not seem as if it was in another country. It was the Howard Johnson's hotel and all we are manatees were there. A restaurant a bar. Just a normal hotel. I then decided to retire for the evening and go up to my room. I didn't sleep too wonderful but it wasn't horrible that night. I wake in the morning get myself ready and go downstairs to have a little breakfast to just see that everybody else has already had breakfast and I am the last one there. This p****herbs me a little bit because we were to me at a specific time to start breakfast I got there at that time and everybody was done. So I went and found some breakfast that I thought could be good enough for me we talked about the yoghurt which is unpasteurised just like the milk. And how good idiots. It was strange food a little bit it didn't seem like The regular American food I am used to. It tasted different and my stomach is not feeling very well that morning so I only had a very little bit. Quite possibly the full part of the menu though could have spoiled my appetite there is a soup with cow intestine's inside yuck. We then took a taxi to the plant, the plant was corn mill. When we arrived it seemed a little odd that everything was locked up with big huge walls and gates around everything. We got to the gate opening and then through the door into security past security and into the plant where we were to meet our contact. Our contact was to escort us to the scene of the accident where I was to then build my accident investigation. We were sidetracked into the plant managers office where we then discussed the incident and our steps for the next coming days. We all agree how unfortunate this incident was and he instructs his safety manager to accompany us on this investigation. We then make our way to the Key on where the incident happened. I start noticing how clean the planters. I also notice how much safety this plant house. I notice and feel that this plan has a better safety program then what I have given our man. This makes me wanna work even harder. We get to the kiln and I do some accident investigation. I asked questions I take pictures I look and see what we have and how we were working. Later I will ask Mark questions and right now I realise I'm talking too much about the accident investigation and not my travel however it is part of my travel. We then leave the plant. And make our way back to the hospital where The engine poorly since I tried to question him again but he is into much pain and aren't too many drugs to answer correctly so we call it a night I will finish up the following day. We make our way back to the hotel where we have dinner and a few drinks. We speak of the incident and come to a conclusion of what could have happened I need it desperately right now to speak with the employee again. I am not clear on his body position of how this has happened. The following day we were set to go back out to the plant again. Here we are attempting to keep our contract with the plan to do the work that we said that we would bill and the manager had a funny line while we were here and that was. "Can we please Grindr what's left of our employee of your tire ". At approximately noon I left the plant to go to the hospital to get more information from our employee. When I arrive at the hospital by myself I'm feeling a little out of touch and not in good place. I cannot speak the language. I cannot tell somebody to go someplace. The only thing I have is an application for my phone. I hope that phone translator works when I need it to. I arrived at the hospital after calling our interpreter which is there at the hospital and have him waiting for me when I arrive. It cost me 100 pesos to get to the hospital. When I arrive there being ready to release our employee. I also understand that I am to move this night. I asked the interpreter were going to move to when he explains and I didn't understand so I left it be. We then began to try and get a Rampley out of the hospital and hopefully back to the hotel with a good time. It takes some time for us to fill out the proper paperwork and the interpreter is doing a fantastic job. We find out that we cannot get him out of here unless we pay the bill with a credit card because he will not except your insurance. I completely understand and not taking our insurance where not from this country. We then get to the brass tacks of the whole thing. They cost $5000 or 100,000 pesos together and play out of the hospital. We didn't put in the taxi and off to the hotel we go. We get to the hotel get him checked into his room that is when the manager and other supervisor shows up. At this point it's about three 330 maybe four we exchange a few pleasantries with the employee and decided it is time for us to get some dinner in our stomachs and then to our hotel. The manager had started drinking and was drinking a lot at that point not that it is bad but he just had a few beers nothing no big deal. I just wanted to get over to our other hotel and get checked in and comfortable over there. And I could see where he wanted to stay and be with his crew. We finally get The manager to pay the bill and Altidore we go to the other hotel we arrived at your hotel and wow what a beautiful hotel. This place was very much Americanise it look like walking into an American hotel a very nice American hotel. It is called the fiesta Inn. We got there got checked into the room which was about twice as much as the other room was which really was not them hatch money I think maybe 2000 pesos which is about $100 away in a minute maybe it was about $100 and I don't know how many. Anyways we get checked in and upstairs we go and I get my suitcase laid out so that I can repack it for the trip home which is one of my rituals. And I asked the interpreter if he would like to have a drink downstairs along with the manager. The manager seem to have had a Enough. So he just fell asleep. Interpret myself and it up having another bite to eat and a few beers and we discussed a few things and decided that well were there and were not going to go back to the other hotel so that following morning we would have two hours to ourselves. These two hours we can go anywhere we want do anything we like. I ask if there's any old cathedrals or all buildings or anything like that nearby that we could go see. I was told there a long ways away maybe 15 minutes by taxi. That's a whole 100 pesos. Five dollars. Will go there. So we discussed Mexico and a lot of the things that are around Mexico and the things that make up Mexico and the people around there and all of the wonderful nurse of the place and how the people in Guadalajara look different then the other country and that there are prettier women there than anywhere else. My interpreters words. And how that state is a wonderful state and what made it a state and a little bit of the history not a whole bunch because that place is so rich in history I wouldn't have enough time to learn about it. But when I will have time to do is go see a few other sites just after breakfast. That night we decide to go downtown and go to marketplace.
We wake up the following morning and convene downstairs at about 7 o'clock I see him having breakfast and I ask I thought we were going to have breakfast somewhere downtown. He said it was just easier to do this. Okay I'm alright with that so I'll have breakfast to so we end up having breakfast. He then starts asking questions and we find out that's a lot of places are closed that day and were not going to get to see them. No way this sucks that didn't necessarily turn out to be true. So we decided to go downtown and see a cathedral. We take a taxi ride downtown through some areas that have a lot of restaurants and are a little bit touristy but look rather nice and like an area that if I knew the language I would probably go visit that area the next time that I am there. We arrived at our destination as I look around there are all of these all the buildings with wonderful architecture around them all the cathedrals and futures and other buildings should I just don't know what they are. They must be having a graduation that day as we entered the park or common area of downtown. This is also a market area with shops and stores looking around the shops and stores I see a jewellery store and in the jewellery store there are police the police here I've seen right around in the back of pick ups with the M-16 and very militaristic. It was rather interesting and intimidating to see them drive-by. I didn't feel safe with their police. I did only if I had my interpreter with me. We spoke to one of the cops and he told us where some of the places that we wanted to see work. We walked through a corridor ask area that had some water falling through and I seen a roadrunner bird which was very fun for me I hadn't seen one since last Vegas. We are on our way to the building that was at the end of this quarter. When we got down there I asked him what it was that we were looking for and he said it was an orphanage from way back in the day. That was very interesting but the thing that caught my interest more was the women that were cooking in mud ovens. These mad ovens were the traditional way of cooking their dishes for whatever states they were from. I wish that I had stuck around to taste some of the food that they were preparing. But we had other places to go like the marketplace and it was getting late we only had about an hour and a half left. It was rather Rhineland two hours for all the things we seen and all the places you will see the pictures that I took in areas that were that I had visited. We left from there and made our way down towards the marketplace. We walked in the marketplace and they were just opening all of the boots so we were one of the first in there. And as I walked through people would laugh because I was American and did not know how to speak Spanish. They would try and copy me and my accent. I'm sure some of it was ridicule. But some of it people were genuinely taken aback because I could not speak their language they could not speak my language. So the interpreter had to do all of the negotiations. As I walked around there I looked at many different stores in different items and I finally decided I wanted to buy a poncho. So we walked past the place and I seen a poncho a letter one that they had burned into the letter the cathedral and the soccer team and I don't know what else is your nearest going to crazy but I looked at this and in the United States that poncho would probably go for $120. In Mexico I got it for $30 then I purchased some candies and a purse for Nancy and a poncho Hoody they can't drug rugs here in the states. We then went upstairs into a few of the other areas but it was not deafly not as interesting as the bottom portion wise we decided it was getting late and then we had better head back to the hotel so that we can get to the airport. And we did just that back to the hotel got our luggage hailed a taxi and on our way to the airport we go about three hours early. International travel usually requires a bout three hours at the airport prior to departure. On our way to the airport he decided he wanted a sandwich I didn't know what he was getting but later found out it was a sandwich and we took about 15 minute detour to go find some shop off in some neighbourhood that was kind of this little crab pasta Garion did look really much different then downtown LA Kinder but there was a little sandwich shop right there and he stopped and had a sandwich made for and that he was going to take home to his wife I think. He then jump back into the taxi and off we went to the airport. We get to the airport and I'm feeling a little bit lost like I'm having to rely upon him a little bit too much wood can a soft for me that sucked a lot of the experience out of it. I wished I could have known of the language a little better but I didn't and that bugged me but I realise some point in time I am going to be in countries that I don't know the language. I'd better get used to this. Except Spanish I'm gonna learn it. So we find out what airline I'm on and we go to the ticket counter. As I'm standing there at the ticket counter the interpreter is helping me talk to the ticket agent. As I'm standing there talking to the ticket agent I hear hi stranger I've seen you here again and I look over and see Dino. I didn't tell my interpreter if he can go to his gate any time he wishes I've got do you know there help me up now he's on his way back to and I find out where he's from he's from about 120 miles away from me in the exact same state I live in Iowa. Dino and I hang out in the airport and exchange business information. He works for a railroad. I touch down in the USA feeling a little accomplished and very rushed to get a report back to the GM of the company and receive a call from the Project Manager asking for help again. He says he will stay and perform the company work in place of the injured however he needs someone to escort him home.
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