a decision had to be made

[tom adam]

On 19/12/2021 12:24, Peter Korsten wrote:
> Hey Tom,
>
>> I can't really go into much detail yet, but the company I work for 
>> asked me to go to the states to built and start up a new factory in 
>> Georgia.
>>
>> I said YES!
>
> Ooh, major change and a fantastic opportunity. Congratulations!
>
>> It's a greenfield 300m€ project that will be realized between sep '22 
>> and sep '25. For me the project starts in January. It's all going 
>> very fast now...
>> I'll be the production manager, in charge of commissioning and start 
>> up. It's not a new technology project, but it is a new process. Btw, 
>> it's a copper recycling plant.
>
> That's pretty cool. Doing recycling in a conservative area must be a 
> new thing for everybody, but if there's money to be made, things 
> usually become a lot easier.
Money is important in the decision we made to go to Georgia. But there 
are some other considerations involved too, mainly ecological with a 
view on the near future.
>
>> Children have left the building, wife can take a 3 years sabbatical, 
>> so all is good at that point.
>
> Having your wife with you makes things easier. One tip I'd like to 
> give, from personal experience: find a good friend (or a friend of 
> your wife's) that can help you figure things out. If you're not used 
> to how things work in a different country, and you're on your own, it 
> can be bewildering. I had the advantage that my wife (back then, 
> girlfriend) is Maltese and knew all those things: social security 
> numbers, insurance, possibly local legislation, etc.
There's a team of us already on location finding these things out. So 
I'm expecting some help from the company. I'm also trying to organize a 
scenario where a friend of my wife will make the trip to the US with 
her. They can get the lot organized there together so she's not on her 
own all the time to do these not so pleasant stuff. It will be a big 
change for her, 3 year vacation... I know she'll cope and find her way 
on this new location.
>
> During the just over two weeks I spent on a holiday in Ontario, 
> Canada, what struck me was that while do you recognise many things 
> from popular culture, many things are very different, too. Pretty much 
> the only brand I recognised was Coca Cola.
>
> Also, prepare for much better weather than in Belgium. 😁
Yeah baby! One of the reasons I agreed.
>
>> But the states, I actually hoped to go to south America or Africa, 
>> the states were not on my short list. You win some, you loose some ;-)
>
> Well, Malta wasn't on my short list either, but here we are. 🙂
>
>> I'll try to keep in touch as much as possible, but I think I'm going 
>> to be very busy the next 4 to 5 years...
>
> Best of luck! What I can tell you is that it can be a profoundly 
> enriching experience. Not in the least, you will appreciate, and not 
> so much appreciate, many aspects of your native country, when you get 
> to see them from afar and in a different light.
Thanks Peter!
>
> - Peter
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