I came to America in April 2012. It was cold for me then and its still cold for me now. I came with my Aunt Lesline on her return trip from Guyana. I spent a couple of days laying around the house and exploring my immediate surroundings. I lived on Ellery and Tompkins Ave, a block away from Marcy Avenue Projects where Jay Z grew up. There was a large parking lot where movie sets would come to shoot scenes for different movies & tv shows. I lived in my aunt's basement and one of uncles, Orin, asked if i know anything about plumbing. He asked because that was his job at the time. I responded in the affirmative and the next morning at 7 am he was outside in his van to pick me up for work. 

Now it was not smooth sailing from there...no life is too much fun for that to happen. Orin had a team working with him. At the time we were piping out residential buildings in Bed Stuy Brooklyn mainly. Now I had beginner knowledge of plumbing at best so i started out as a helper but had to learn quickly. It helped greatly that i did technical drawing in high school and was able to use that to my advantage. I was able to read the blueprints and identify paths for the pipes. within 8 months i was piping buildings by myself. It was decent money (off de books) but it was taking atoll on me as well because of my weekend job at the time. My weekend job was photographer for Energy Squad Entertainment. So my weekends were typically sleepless for some periods. A typical weekend would go like...

Friday: Plumbing...wake up and be on site for 9....8 hours later head home eat maybe watch some tv.....11 head to the club with OC Dread take pictures till 4 am...

Saturday: 6 now reaching home after waking up with a bake and saltfish from GT Paradise paired with a nice cornmeal porridge #propathings turn on computer upload/edit/post/share party pics....9 head out for work fetching/strapping/pasting/laying/testing pipes, off early go take a drink, get home by 9....12 club again pictures till 4.....

Sunday: 6 home same wake up food same routine but today I off so guess what...sleeeeeepppppp...............

 So after a while I burnt out and i also needed a tax paying job. As a result i applied for and go the post of mailroom clerk for the Melinnium Group. That takes us somewhere else...more on this later. 

Being a plumber working with my uncle i learnt a lot more than just plumbing. Most of all i learnt how to deal with peplefrom all walks of life and social strata. I am one to observe quietly and to even listen to conversations and meetings while I'm working. As a result I watched real estate agents and saw how they assess and valuate a property. The way they communicate with the neighbors especially during construction periods. I'vd come to realize after doing some research just how lucrative that industry can be if you have the connections and resources. That is a field i wish to venture into in the near future especially given my skillset.

Being a plumber also calls for critical thinking and close attention to detail. Pipes must be cut precisely and laid properly. Everything must be up to code and must be able to pass inspection. Many times I would've cut a pipe too short or pasted a Y the wrong way or not tightening s strap too tight, so many things go wrong daily. However...the feeling of turning on the water to test the hot and cold water lines and hearing "No leaks we good" after checking properly and knowing that you sweat each and every joint in that building is one of the best feelings in the world. Cant wait to build my next house!!!!!