The V.I.P. Room

Every time I go to a new rig, there's one thing that I have come to expect without fail: the problem of finding me a room. You see I always ask my manager ahead of time "Does this rig have the proper accomodation for women?" You would think the manager in question might make sure to check on that before sending a female engineer out to a rig, but I have known colleagues of mine to be sent home immediately upon arrival to an offshore location with little more than a "Ain't no space for females here, ma'am."

No matter my efforts in ensuring my accomodations, on my three most recent rig arrivals I have invariably been welcomed with a "deer caught in headlights" look. A blank stare, a gaped mouth, and a virtual speech bubble above our orientation leader's head that might say something like "Oh crap, where are we gonna put her?!"

On the past couple of rigs I had to wait a good three or more hours for some men to wake up so they could be kicked out of their room before I moved in. But on this rig I didn't have to wait at all! They had a room, which although not planned to house me, was available and the only room which gave me the regulatory accomodations (which are: attached bathroom with lock on bathroom door).

I have the VIP Room. It actually says on a plaque on the door: "VIP Room". It's not the nicest room I've ever had, but it is relatively spacious. There are four bunkbeds, and as I'm the only female, I have no roommates. The bathroom is also attached to the neighboring room, however I've never seen or heard anyone from that room using it. Other than the attached bathroom, the only extra amenity available in the VIP room is a clunky old T.V. which may or may not be hooked up to the rig's satellite dish; I haven't turned it on to check.

I do consider it a lucky thing that I have a four-bed room to myself. They blast the air conditioning so strongly on this rig -- to keep the mildew and mold from accumulating, I am told -- that it is hard to get any sleep with the one measly blanket provided with each bed. After lying awake for about an hour last night with wet hair and shivering feet (despite my three layers of warm clothing!), I got up and scavenged the rest of the beds for their goods. I ended up with all four blankets and enough insulation to keep me toasty warm all night long.

That was a lucky thing, indeed. For after 32 hours on the rig with no better rest than a catnap in my office chair, I may have done something desperate to get to sleep in a cozy bed.