Hi everyone! I’m sorry that I haven’t posted in a while – it’s been a pretty busy month and I wanted to make sure this entry was as high-quality as can be rather than rushing it. There’s truly no need to put pressure on myself for something as tiny as this blog! Nevertheless, I once again come bearing a brand-new post for you on this lovely Monday morning. When writing these, I keep a list of topics to choose from and it remains quite plentiful – but it is also important to me that I choose a topic that is relevant for the week. I wasn’t ever planning on writing a blog dedicated to my appreciation for my colleagues, but it has been something that I have been pleasantly overwhelmed by as of late.
I’ve been reluctant to mention my specific place of work in these posts because I feel as though it is unnecessary to do so, especially since many of the topics I write about tend to be personal. I also prefer to frame my experiences in the mining industry as something more universal than specific aspects of the mine I work at. There’s a lot of things to talk about that are ubiquitous throughout all mines and I can manage writing about them without specifying where I work. Though today, I think highlighting my mine is apt and perhaps even necessary. I work at Kirkland Lake Gold, Macassa mine.
I think I’ve known for quite a while that this mine was filled with great people. It was probably my favourite thing about working here as a student – everyone was so great. Working with these people was also the biggest motivator as to why I came back. Mind you, as student I didn’t really meet that many people here. Although, this week marks my 6th-month work anniversary as an EIT, so I’ve had a lot more time to get to know the people I work with at a deeper level (pun not intended). One of the things that has quickly become clear to me is that everyone at the mine is always willing to help, no matter what. I often worry that my questions/concerns are dumb or that the answers are painfully obvious, but not once has anybody ever made me feel that way. Mining as an industry has this reputation of being tough, unforgiving, and relentless – I suppose that reputation had me worried about the kind of people I’d encounter here. While I may be tough and relentless in some sense, I am definitely not unforgiving. As such, I initially wasn’t sure that I’d mesh well with the work community, especially with the added complexities of not having a remotely relevant background. To my surprise, the one thing I did have in common with everyone which is also irrefutably the most important requirement about working in the industry is that we all wanted to ensure that every single person had the knowledge & tools to do any job/task safely and efficiently. So long as that is your goal, then there is room for you too.
Truly, my favourite part of my day is when I say goodbye. Before I leave, I usually waltz down to the office of my second level supervisor and he tells me the quote of the day that comes written in his agenda. We either reflect on it or make fun of it depending on its quality. Usually, one of my direct supervisors is there too, with another colleague I work closely with and look up to. I consider all three of them as mentors of mine. We usually discuss important work issues or we joke about something else, but it’s always fun and informative. This is also when I update them about my day, and I ask about theirs. Alternatively, if they’re already having a conversation, I just listen. My favourite part about working in the maintenance department is listening to the conversations other people have about what’s happening at the mine and what problems they need to address. Even picking up on idiosyncrasies in the language coworkers use (or behaviours they have) around here is tremendously interesting/valuable, whether I understand what they’re specifically talking about yet or not. The amount of times I heard coworkers talk about PM’s before I even knew what they were had to be in the hundreds. I’ve learned a lot about how to deal with issues and what kind of qualities a manager should have just by listening to these conversations. Sometimes I worry that everyone thinks I’m a strange sort of eavesdropper, but they don’t make me feel that way.
I think the first time I realized just how “family-esque” this environment is was when I was moving into my house back in July – I didn’t have to remind anybody that I was. They just remembered. Furthermore, handfulls of people offered their help. Whether it be offering me their truck to use, or coming by to help move things. At this time I hadn’t even worked full-time at the mine for 3 months. Thankfully, I didn’t have many things to move and didn’t require their help, but it was relieving to know that so many people who barely knew me wanted to help with something unrelated to work. There was also the time I wasn’t able to go home to Sudbury for the September long-weekend, and a coworker invited me over for supper on Saturday night. My favourite moment might be when a coworker learned that I hadn’t watched The Hobbit trilogy despite me being a Tolkien nerd whose read (and obsessed over) all the books – and so he lent them to me the next day. There’s also all of the times my supervisor has left me kind & uplifting notes on my desk when I’m at the workshop – or when another coworker leaves me notes in the electrical shop for everyone to see that makes fun of silly things I say.
In addition, these people somehow have profound interest in anything I have to say – whether it be about the topology of donuts, electrochemistry, or something I’ve learned about CANbus. In fact, their interests in my thoughts run so deep that when talking to them, I often find myself digressing into an effectively never-ending stream of consciousness since they just keep asking me questions and we always end up laughing about something silly. That’s actually how I ended up sharing that I struggle with the concept of “righty-tighty lefty-loosey” with everyone last week and it became a contentious discussion that involved far too many people (because while “clockwise” and “counter-clockwise” are well defined when rotating something, “right” and “left” are not – it only makes sense if you specify that your referencing the TOP of the thing you are rotating, because the bottom moves in the opposite direction. I will absolutely not elaborate on this or have another argument about it). I have also developed unique greetings & nicknames with everybody here, and everybody always goes out of their way to say hello. For some reason, my favourite interaction at the mine was two weeks ago when I merely walked by another coworker’s office and he laughed because “I brighten his day” (maybe he was lying and I just walk kinda funny, but nevertheless). All of these are silly examples – but there have also been many times where I have been given much needed insight, advice, and assurance on difficult problems I’ve encountered (personal or otherwise). It is without a doubt that these people care for me a whole lot – and I care for them too.
The most earnest indication that I’ve developed a family in the people I work with was about a month ago when I was sitting at my dining room table and I was thinking about what I want for the future. I thought about whether or not I hoped to stay at Kirkland Lake Gold forever. There may have been a time where I viewed this mine as a stepping stone to something different, such as working for a battery-related institution – but that’s slowly changing. After all, I do have a background in physics, not mining. Even though mining happens to be a new passion of mine, I am fundamentally a scientific person. Perhaps that is the reason I’m desperately trying to find ways in which I can simultaneously be a scientist and engineer here at the same time – the battery research is a great outlet for that. That being said, the thought of leaving this place makes me profoundly sad. I didn’t really feel this way when leaving high school or university, because I always knew that I couldn’t stay in those places forever. This happens to be different because there are people who spend their whole life in one place like this and are profoundly successful & happy. I suppose the real question I should be asking is whether I would be able to progress to “the room where it happens” if I spent my life here forever, because that’s what would make me happiest. That’s not something I know the answer to yet. At the very least, I know that if I do end up leaving then I will have to say goodbye to a family here too – and I sincerely hope they would remain apart of my life anyway.
Some people are rigid in their choice to keep work separate from social/personal life, and in most cases that is something I’d adhere to as well. It makes sense and keeps things uncomplicated. That is especially wise in the context of the type of society we live in, where workplaces are competitive and companies tend to protect their product more than the people who work for them. Fortunately, this company cannot afford to be so careless due to the nature of the community in which it operates, and as a result I wasn’t left with much of a choice. Kirkland Lake is quite small; consequently, the people here aren’t just colleagues – they’re all substantial constituents of a tight-knit ecosystem that extends much farther than just the workplace. There are generations of families who work at the mine, as well as life-long friends and neighbours. Perhaps it may be true that these people are often tough, unforgiving, and relentless – but I have also joined a family wherein the members evidently care about each other a lot. In the midst of a difficult transition from big-city life to small-town pandemic, I don’t think I could have done it without my work family’s support. These people are slowly becoming a large part of who I am and I don’t think I’d have it any other way.
(November 23rd, 2020)
astronomine 