This article**: People**Overseas Edition.
Baoluo (Uganda) Surveyor of the Busia to Tororo Project of China Railway 18th Bureau Group Uganda Company.
People** Overseas Edition (December 23, 2023 Edition 05).
Move a little to the left, slow down, okay, here it is. "Standing in front of the total station, I carefully checked the coordinate points. I shouted loudly over the walkie-talkie and waved to the pole keeper not far away to calibrate the lofting point.
This is the first time I have undertaken bridge lofting on my own. When I first received the task, I was apprehensive and felt a great responsibility, but I was also full of confidence in myself. With the positioning of each point, the position of the piers of the bridge gradually became clear, and the sense of accomplishment was full.
My name is Paul, my hometown is in Lushuinu Town, eastern Uganda, and I joined China Railway 18th Bureau Group Uganda Company in 2016. I am now a surveyor on the Busia to Tororo road project, which is the fifth project I have been involved in.
When I first started my career, due to my lack of knowledge, I could only start as a measurement helper, and I was responsible for simple tasks such as carrying and cleaning measuring instruments every day. Later, my Chinese master, Hao Zhanjun, gave me most of his spare time, patiently teaching me about surveying and reading drawings.
In the early stage, language communication was a problem, but the master often pulled me to talk and chatter. Although some words have to be repeated many times to remember. But the hard work is worth it, and before I know it, my Chinese level has improved a lot, and daily communication is no longer a problem.
The master also often shares his work experience and unforgettable stories, and presents the big bridges and highways in front of my eyes, which makes me admire and yearn for it.
Gradually, my professional skills have also improved a lot, from learning to operate levels, total stations, etc., gradually growing into the company's technical backbone, and now I can take charge of the measurement work of large-scale projects independently.
The Bushia-Majanki 104-kilometre road project was my first challenge. The construction period is tight and the task is heavy, and there are many swamps, hills, streams, etc. along the route, and many places cannot be reached by car, and it is often necessary to go on foot. The more difficult and dangerous I became, I crossed rivers and swamps, climbed over hills, passed through dense jungles, and accurately located the location of bridges and culverts and highway routes in a timely manner, providing sufficient working surface for the project, and accumulating a lot of on-site experience in the process.
Following in the footsteps of my master, I have participated in the construction of the Gulu Municipal Road Project, the Hoima Municipal Road Project, the Alvi-Naibi Road Project, etc., surveying and measuring more than 200 kilometers of highway routes and more than 10 bridges, and my heart is full of pride and a sense of achievement.
In the past 7 years of working in the company, I have gained a stable income, built a new house, already have a pair of children, and can buy gifts and new clothes for my family every holiday. My neighbors were envious and often asked me about the company's recruitment.
The company also often organizes cultural exchange activities to enhance the friendship of employees. Not long ago, I took my 7-year-old son Joseph to participate in the "Father in My Heart" painting competition organized by the project department, and he also made Chinese children through the ** connection.
I'm so happy to have made new friends here today. On the way home, Joseph happily told me, "My Chinese friend Dong told me that her father hadn't taken her out for a long time and missed him very much. Looking up at the smooth and brand-new asphalt pavement in front of me, I sighed in my heart: it is these Chinese friends who are far away from home and work hard, who owe their families, but help us pave a happy road and change the face of our hometown.
Switching to a new highway project, I am full of confidence in the future, and I believe that Chinese companies can fully demonstrate their talents, drive and train more local employees, and contribute to the development of CRCC and the construction of their hometown.
Kang Pu, Zhao Caizhi interview collation).