Crew change

If there’s a word or sentence that really influence me for the last 2 years in my life that would be a “crew change.”

Actually, I have heard this kind of terminology more than 8 years ago, but now I am a part of the crew change. I am one of thousands of people that having a job away from home for couple of weeks; and at the end of day we heading back home for holiday, before we come back to the work site.

For those who haven’t heard this kind of activity before, I can briefly explain here. The crew change involves two different groups of people that we call “crew” or “group of people.” The company that employs us, split-up the people became two different groups so the business keep running for 365 days a year. There are the “ON” crew and the “OFF” crew. The ON crew is the crew that is working on the job site, and the OFF crew is the crew that is having holiday at their own home.

When the crew change time is coming, those two crews have their own ways, one opposite to the other. The crew that is traveling from home to work and the crew that is traveling from the job site to their own homes; one always be opposite to another.

I can find a little bit contradiction between those two ways. While the onboard crew counting the crew-change date with full of joy and happiness and feels like the time is slowly passing by; the crew that is standing by at home feels like the time is running very fast and sometimes reluctantly head back to work. Not because of they are lazy, but because of the normal psychological conditions of human being.

This time, I am in a good position. I am the part of the crew that head back to home. I am facing the crew change with full of hope, and of course, happiness. Since I heard that the approximate crew change time has been set, I feel like I have extra energy to boost my activity here.

A little bit of happiness that can be given by this crew change can be compared with a happiness that comes to every one that is fasting and counting down the time, waiting for the break-time (sunset or Maghrib). A little bit of happiness deep inside of my heart while the date is approaching. Everyday I am counting the day, counting down the time, counting every minutes that I spend here; the more we realize that the time is closer, the more excitement and happiness lies on our heart.

The excitement can be seen in everybody’s faces. For the last 2 days, since we have an announcement that the crew change is getting closer, and the date has been set; I have seen the most honest smiles from everybody, the smiles that come from the deepest of their heart.

Once, a friend of mine has said that “traveling home is always good”. He's right, and this is the best part of my job.