CHILL INTERNSHIP AT CONRAD

When you hear the name Jan you don't immediately expect anything exotic. Yet the story of intern Jan Hellema is slightly different than average. Despite his Frisian roots, Jan grew up in Chile. He is now 23 years old and almost finished his Mechanical Engineering studies at Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile. He had already completed all subjects, but was still required to complete his internship. His father's drilling company coincidentally just bought an drilling machine - the CONRAD Comax 1000 and the connection was quickly made.

The Comax 1000 B from Conrad is Conrad's ultimate powerhouse. With its pull-up range of approximately 35 to 60 tons, it is simply the strongest. Although the Comax 1000 cannot be called refined compared to the other installations, it effortlessly competes in terms of innovation and ease of operation.

Bram Muurlink, owner and head of innovation at CONRAD, offered him the opportunity to complete his internship in Emmeloord. And Jan took up that challenge with both hands. He is convinced that the experience of working abroad will bring him a lot. He learns to communicate more easily, especially in English, and he sees up close what it is like to work and live in a different culture. Of course it would have been easier to just look for an internship in Chile. “That's where I have my network and I feel at home. But I couldn't refuse Bram's offer. This is a unique opportunity.”

“SHARING KNOWLEDGE MEANS PROFIT FOR BOTH SIDES”

Jan stays at home with Bram and Linda during his internship. There he can go his own way, but advice and fun are always close by. After work he likes to exercise. During the day he is busy on the Escudo 21 from 8 to 5. Here, from the Engineering department, he focuses on the design of a rod manipulator for the Comax 1000 drilling rig. This manipulator offers the possibility to work in multiple angles.

I will take all the experience I gain here with me to Chile and will later share it with the team at my father's organization. You can safely call that a win-win situation. Moreover, my colleagues might learn something from me, so here are a few facts about Chile:

• Chile is a very extensive country of no less than 3,400 kilometers in length. That means many different landscapes and diverse climates. In the north you will find the Atacama desert; the driest area in the entire world.
• Popular food in Chile is asado, grilling large pieces of meat. A well-known traditional Chilean dish is pastel de choclo, a casserole with corn, minced meat and olives.
• Although you mainly know Chile for its red wines, Chile also has a strong and diverse beer culture! The main beer brewed and drunk in Chile is pale lager, although the country also has a tradition of brewing corn beer, known as chicha.
• Everyone knows chili powder, of course. But did you know that it is a spice mixture of paprika powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper? Cayenne pepper consists only of ground hot chili pepper. In terms of taste, cayenne pepper is spicier than chili powder.