Work work and more work, that is what we came here for
22 Apr 2005
It is about time for an update, we came here to work for ASML and that’s what we’re doing. It all started quite relaxed, start at 9am and going home around 6.30pm. Nowadays we start at 9am and are going home around 8pm. Last week was heavy, came home, made us some dinner and right after dinner the phone went, duty calls! The next morning I had just started breakfast, yes, you guessed right, the phone rang again. Last week Saturday, we had just gone to bed, the phone rings, I was up till 7am, working away. But I can’t complain, last week we had a problem with one of our systems, a Japanese colleague worked 48 hours straight!!!
But luckily there are still weekends (if the phone doesn’t ring). Last weekend was a long one due to Spring Equinox Day. Any excuse for a long weekend is fine by us. We went to Unzen, a two hour drive from Nagasaki. It is a small village on the foot of a volcano. This volcano was quite active the last couple of years, so you weren’t able to walk to the crater.
The village itself is small but touristy, the streets are clean with a lot of green. Throughout the village you see places where the steam escapes from the cracks in the rocks. You feel like you entered a cloud factory, but one which produces clouds smelling like rotten eggs.
We walked through the mountains, it was sunny with a nice temperature. The way up the mountain was heavy, with steep slopes. When we reached the top, we were treated to a great view over the village, the mountains and the plains leading to the sea. Back in the village we went to one of the bath houses, for a soak in the local hot spring. Our ways parted after we paid the entrance fee, so we soaked among the local people, who were very friendly but barely spoke any English. Before you can enter the hot spring, you have to wash yourself. There are little cubicles with little stools. There you wiggle about on your stool while washing yourself from top to toe. Only when you’re thoroughly cleansed, you are allowed to get into the hot spring. The smell is bad, but you get used to it. It is good for your skin, and very relaxing, just what we needed after the hike.
Last Sunday we experienced our first earthquake. It was around 11am, we were about to leave the apartment. At first we didn’t know what was happening, but after a while it became very apparent that it wasn’t a heavy truck passing by... I had read up upon what to do in case of an earthquake. Option 1 was to take cover under a table, to hide from falling debris and glass. Well, our coffee table is too low and the dining room table has a glass top, so that doesn’t help. Option 2 is to hide in the toilet, so Lenette and I went for option to, the toilet. Lenette thought the whole thing was very exciting while I nearly peed my pants (I was in the toilet anyway). As you know, we live on the 15th floor, so it felt like the whole apartment moved, which it did, but luckily not enough that things got broken. So we survived our first earthquake
But luckily there are still weekends (if the phone doesn’t ring). Last weekend was a long one due to Spring Equinox Day. Any excuse for a long weekend is fine by us. We went to Unzen, a two hour drive from Nagasaki. It is a small village on the foot of a volcano. This volcano was quite active the last couple of years, so you weren’t able to walk to the crater.
The village itself is small but touristy, the streets are clean with a lot of green. Throughout the village you see places where the steam escapes from the cracks in the rocks. You feel like you entered a cloud factory, but one which produces clouds smelling like rotten eggs.
We walked through the mountains, it was sunny with a nice temperature. The way up the mountain was heavy, with steep slopes. When we reached the top, we were treated to a great view over the village, the mountains and the plains leading to the sea. Back in the village we went to one of the bath houses, for a soak in the local hot spring. Our ways parted after we paid the entrance fee, so we soaked among the local people, who were very friendly but barely spoke any English. Before you can enter the hot spring, you have to wash yourself. There are little cubicles with little stools. There you wiggle about on your stool while washing yourself from top to toe. Only when you’re thoroughly cleansed, you are allowed to get into the hot spring. The smell is bad, but you get used to it. It is good for your skin, and very relaxing, just what we needed after the hike.
Last Sunday we experienced our first earthquake. It was around 11am, we were about to leave the apartment. At first we didn’t know what was happening, but after a while it became very apparent that it wasn’t a heavy truck passing by... I had read up upon what to do in case of an earthquake. Option 1 was to take cover under a table, to hide from falling debris and glass. Well, our coffee table is too low and the dining room table has a glass top, so that doesn’t help. Option 2 is to hide in the toilet, so Lenette and I went for option to, the toilet. Lenette thought the whole thing was very exciting while I nearly peed my pants (I was in the toilet anyway). As you know, we live on the 15th floor, so it felt like the whole apartment moved, which it did, but luckily not enough that things got broken. So we survived our first earthquake