Would you like to take a survey? - Part 3
My first week out in the field supervising my surveyors (as well as doing a few surveys myself) went very well. We were located in Beaumont West - a nice rest stop on Autoroute 40 westbound, about 15 minutes east of our hotel in Lévis. Very good setup with good flow. We had one of those portable scrolling signs set up a fair distance before the turnoff to the stop. My crew and I had a good system down - one person would sit out front and activate/deactivate the sign as needed to bring two trucks in at a time, another would process and print out the axle weights from the portable scales as well as take the trucks' measurements, and the remaining two would interview the truckers. During the course of the shift, we would all rotate positions in order to make things interesting, as well as make sure everyone knows everyone else's job (in case of absences).
My crew is really awesome. We all get along great - no friction at all. We've really come together as a team, with practically no bumps along the way. Everyone is pretty patient, laid back and easygoing, yet still efficient and hard-working. They approach the work as professionals, while we maintain an informal atmosphere among ourselves. We seem to be able to reconcile these two "poles" and thus find the right balance with respect to our work ethic. I feel as though the four of us inherently understand one another and where we're coming from; there's a mutual respect that results from that. I can't sing their praises enough! They've really stepped up to the plate and taken charge of themselves and the survey process, with good humour and without complaint. I find that they need very little "supervision" in the strictest sense of the word; I admire their self-reliance. Makes my job just that much easier!...
Most of the truckers we've surveyed have been very friendly and cooperative. While we have had a few impatient ones who've refused to take the survey (to be expected), the vast majority are quite happy to give us the info we need. I think they enjoy the break in routine somewhat; they use the opportunity to stretch, have a smoke, or just plain chat & interact with another human being! Some are quite funny and generous: on her second-ever survey, one of my surveyors got a free baseball cap from the trucker she was interviewing! Another kind soul gave us 6 packages of overstock cookies! I heard that another crew got several packages of women's razors! You gotta love getting free stuff just for asking a few questions :-)
On the social front, our whole group in Lévis is really getting along well for the most part. On our off hours, we all tend to hang out together, either in someone's room or across the street at a local 24-hour restaurant. I've formed some lasting friendships here; we've all bonded to varying degrees. There's a remarkable current of trust, amicability and forthrightness that characterizes our interaction. In a lot of ways, it hardly seems like work at all! I really hope that we can all preserve this wonderful spirit and positive energy throughout our time out here...
For example, a bunch of us went up to Québec City earlier this afternoon for a little sightseeing and supper. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time, wandering through the cobblestoned streets and alleys of Vieux-Québec (the older part of town) taking in the sights and sounds. We did a little shopping, watched some really talented street performers (jugglers, unicyclists), and just generally hung out as friends. I personally loved the city. Being a history buff, Québec really resonated with me. I just adore all the old buildings and monuments - the architecture is just gorgeous! The city has a distinctly European feel to it - you could easily believe you're strolling through Paris or Rome. Québec is saturated with history in a way no other Canadian city can match. It's really quite refreshing!
Tomorrow morning we're packing it up here in Lévis and heading out for our next sites. Half are going Saint-Eugène (near Montréal), while the rest are bound for Lacolle in the Eastern Townships. My group is destined for the latter. Lacolle is right on the American border (it's a border station) - my local geography is a little fuzzy, but I think Vermont is on the other side of the border. It should be interesting...
Alors, mes amis, à la prochaine!
My crew is really awesome. We all get along great - no friction at all. We've really come together as a team, with practically no bumps along the way. Everyone is pretty patient, laid back and easygoing, yet still efficient and hard-working. They approach the work as professionals, while we maintain an informal atmosphere among ourselves. We seem to be able to reconcile these two "poles" and thus find the right balance with respect to our work ethic. I feel as though the four of us inherently understand one another and where we're coming from; there's a mutual respect that results from that. I can't sing their praises enough! They've really stepped up to the plate and taken charge of themselves and the survey process, with good humour and without complaint. I find that they need very little "supervision" in the strictest sense of the word; I admire their self-reliance. Makes my job just that much easier!...
Most of the truckers we've surveyed have been very friendly and cooperative. While we have had a few impatient ones who've refused to take the survey (to be expected), the vast majority are quite happy to give us the info we need. I think they enjoy the break in routine somewhat; they use the opportunity to stretch, have a smoke, or just plain chat & interact with another human being! Some are quite funny and generous: on her second-ever survey, one of my surveyors got a free baseball cap from the trucker she was interviewing! Another kind soul gave us 6 packages of overstock cookies! I heard that another crew got several packages of women's razors! You gotta love getting free stuff just for asking a few questions :-)
On the social front, our whole group in Lévis is really getting along well for the most part. On our off hours, we all tend to hang out together, either in someone's room or across the street at a local 24-hour restaurant. I've formed some lasting friendships here; we've all bonded to varying degrees. There's a remarkable current of trust, amicability and forthrightness that characterizes our interaction. In a lot of ways, it hardly seems like work at all! I really hope that we can all preserve this wonderful spirit and positive energy throughout our time out here...
For example, a bunch of us went up to Québec City earlier this afternoon for a little sightseeing and supper. It was a beautiful day and we all had a great time, wandering through the cobblestoned streets and alleys of Vieux-Québec (the older part of town) taking in the sights and sounds. We did a little shopping, watched some really talented street performers (jugglers, unicyclists), and just generally hung out as friends. I personally loved the city. Being a history buff, Québec really resonated with me. I just adore all the old buildings and monuments - the architecture is just gorgeous! The city has a distinctly European feel to it - you could easily believe you're strolling through Paris or Rome. Québec is saturated with history in a way no other Canadian city can match. It's really quite refreshing!
Tomorrow morning we're packing it up here in Lévis and heading out for our next sites. Half are going Saint-Eugène (near Montréal), while the rest are bound for Lacolle in the Eastern Townships. My group is destined for the latter. Lacolle is right on the American border (it's a border station) - my local geography is a little fuzzy, but I think Vermont is on the other side of the border. It should be interesting...
Alors, mes amis, à la prochaine!
posted by Blake @ 11:54 p.m.
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