tomharter

Sorry for not posting in awhile, been busy. So when I first got here I lived with Sharon's brother whose knickname is Pinky, or at least thats how it's pronounced. He lives with his wife and two kids, Sunny and Jasmine. Sunny is 25 and more of a reserved character until you get to know him. Jasmine is 15, she's the one who was surprised I knew how to ride a bicycle. The compound, or society as they call it is gated in with two 4 story buildings facing eachother. Pinkys family stays in one with other familys living on the other floors. Sharon's sister lives in the other building which is occupied by the one family on all levels. Tony is her husband who is the main owner of the factory. They have 3 children, ... read more

So after all the heat tempering, each bar gets measured to make sure they are all the same size. Then they get assembled with eyelets and shot peened. Shot peening is basically sand blasting but with small lead shot. Then they get powder coated and shipped out. As far as actual work goes, I am just starting. The factory makes all of there own presses and furnaces etc to save money. They only buy very techincal machines like lathes, electric motors and hydraulics. Everything else gets fabricated. I have just started designing a press that will be made. They use autocad 2007. It's really good for 2d drawing but ancient tech for 3d. I also have the chance to design anything I want that I think will improve the factory and if it gets approved I ... read more

I answered most questions in the comments. I told the family I would cook dinner one day so I need an idea of what to make. They eat everything including beef but I didn't see beef at the grocery store so preferably not with beef. Give me some ideas of a good ol amurican meal! I was thinking buffalo chicken wings. They've never had that and its relatively easy to make. I'd have to make the sauce from scratch though since i doubt they sell it.... read more

I got here on a thursday and thursday is the only day the factory is closed. They keep it open 6 days a week without taking saturday or sunday off. They say most business' here have sunday off but the whole automotive has thursday off instead. It's a weird tradition that has been going on for 30 something years but oddly enough they are changing it to sunday while im here. The main factory they own makes anti-roll bars (sway bars) for almost 8 different companies. All unfamiliar to me besides Fiat. I came at a strange time because they are moving into a larger facility. The moving is almost completely done except for the furnaces, which i will come back to later. So far I have only been observing everything that is going on. On ... read more

I was expecting the house to be some type of compound but the city is much to crowded for houses like that. They live in a 3 bedroom apartment that is very clean and nice. They have a maid that is only 8 years old. She is from a very very poor family so they took her in. The maids arent like servants, they are more like family members because they live in the same house, although the maid never eats with us. At first I found it almost cruel that they have this child taking orders but I realized that they are actually doing good by giving her a home, food, and paying her. After eating breakfast (eggs and toast) and relaxing for awhile, they took me to a grocery store. The driving is absolutely ... read more

The flights weren't that bad. Each seat had its own tv with a bunch of good movies to watch from so i basically did that and slept the whole time. Right after walking off the plane it just felt humid but not really hot. Customs and immigration were easy to get through but after walking out of the airport it was basically a fenced off square you walk into with hundreds of people on the other sides all surrounding. It was shocking and I just walked along until I saw a guy holding up a sign that just said "Tom" ha. The guy was a driver and Sunny was also with him. After I walked up, the driver right away took my luggage out of my hand so I didnt have to roll it. We got ... read more

Hey everyone. I thought I would make this blog instead of having to explain things over and over. Im pretty sure they'll be a comments section after each blog so feel free to ask any questions there and I'll answer them. As I started writing this I was invited to have a few drinks so I'll catch up later about my flights and first impressions.... read more