Switzerland Adventures: All play no work?

So I guess it would seem with my last few posts that I am only in Europe for play and no work. But I do in fact have a job here. How else would I afford my crazy weekends gallivanting around Europe? And now that I’ve been at my job for about a month I guess I know a little bit about what I am doing so I thought I would share.

In fancy words, I work in the Design to Cost and Commonality team in the Research and Development Division of 2-stroke engines for Wartisila. Simply put that means that I work to make 2-stroke engines more cost effective.

One of my big projects that I was given for the month of July was to benchmark key data for the different bore sizes that Wartsila offers in 2-stroke. Thus, I looked at all the different engines we manufacture and I took the important components (bedplate, column, cylinder jacket and liner, crankshaft, etc.) and I looked at their key design features. So things like weight, length, height, etc. And then, upon graphing the relationships between these it would be easy to see if one of the data points falls above the curve. So for example, if the bedplate of the 500mm bore engine appeared to be relatively heavier than the other engines, a cost reduction might be possible here. By analyzing these relationships, people will be able to use the data I have gathered to determine how to more cost effectively manufacture and design engines.

The team I am on (the Design to Cost and Commonality team) in Wartsila consists of me and my boss. The rest of the team is situated around Europe and the world, mostly in Vassa (Finland) and Trieste (Italy). The team meets about twice a year, and I have been told that I may get the opportunity to attend one of these meetings in Finland around December. This will definitely be an exciting trip (especially since everything is paid for by the company). I am also looking forward to being able to get a tour of one of the engines. These engines, made mostly for large ships and vessels, thus they are HUMONGOUS. I deal with a lot of facts and figures, so I know that they are about 27 000 mm long, and 13 000 mm tall. But I think to actually see that in real life will make it all that much more apparent that this engine is almost 3 stories tall!!!

Beyond the life at work, living in Europe is coming along well. Life here is basically the same as Canada. Everywhere I go people speak English. And everyone is so friendly, so if I’m having trouble communicating, the next person in line will help me out. People always talks about how Canadians are so generous and kind, but I think I have experienced just as much kindness here. Switzerland is such a jumble of cultures and nationalities that everyone is accepted and the people here are used to it. I have met many permanent residents of Switzerland who have not even bothered to try learning German (or French or Italian) because it is so easy to get by with English. Switzerland really does seem to be that country that is just stuck in the middle of everything else and it absorbs its culture from the surrounding nations. Just look at the fact that there are the German, French and Italian parts of Switzerland, depending which country you are most closely bordering. But it makes it a really neat experience to travel across the country and be greeted by such different surroundings.

And, now that I have started to get a paycheck put into my Swiss bank account, I have begun planning some trips around Europe!! Before Christmas I plan to hit Paris, Berlin, Rome, Venice, Pisa, Munich, Luxembourg as well as many more places around Switzerland. I am also heading to Sardinia (Italy) at the end of this month to enjoy the warm sun at the beaches.

I included some pictures from my adventures over the last couple weeks...