Painting Day in Manchester..

Painting in the dark - Utrecht

Cultural Day in Manchester Office

Saying Our Goodbyes

The trip is coming to a close and it is with a heavy heart that we leave our EMEA team mates.  We are hard at work on our report out from this experience.  It is my personal goal to try to capture some of the hospitality, camaraderie and team work that we experienced this week.  A new page for Amsterdam Photos has been created and a Manchester page will follow shortly.   As we dig through our accumulation of notes, images, videos and memories we will try to share broadly.  

I want to thank my team mates that traveled with me for nearly half a month.  I think we were only alone for bathroom breaks and sleep.  It was an incredible experience that we took full advantage of each and every day.   You are both wonderful and I hope to see you again soon. 

Many many thanks goes to our mentors Johan & Simon.  They crafted a flawless itinerary that shared portions of the business I never knew about.  It also included quite a bit of fun. Thank you for opening your homes, hearts, offices, cars, and sacrificing personal space so we could get a little glimpse of your country.   

We cannot forget all of our co workers that helped share in our journey.  Thank you to everyone that participated in the tours, meetings, presentations, cultural day, arts and crafts and all the other activities we experienced.  This trip would not have been as much fun without you.  I know sometimes the group feels small in their new offices but you are far from it.   Your efforts were massive and it meant the world to me.  Thank you so much. 

Finally, WELCOME.   This isn't a good bye post.  You can't get rid of me that easily.  Now that I know all the awesome things that come from the EMEA region I am hungry to learn more.  I look forward to working with you and hopefully see some familiar faces in person in the future.  

The Bronte Parsonage - Not what we thought it would be

We set off quite early for Howarth where the Bronte sisters parsonage is housed and we had some misty weather over the Yorkshire Moors to accompany us. Seemed appropriate given the fact that the writing styles of the famous sisters is considered by most to be quite dark and depressing.

We got there and what greeted us was a little village which seemed to have frozen in time.

We got a private tour of the facility by one of the curators of the museum and she shared with us some unseen and rare artifacts of the Bronte family which are not only priceless but also gave a good glimpse into the lives and times of the family. Right from the father, Patrick to the brother Branwell. Who were equally talented in their own right but never gained the fame of the sisters.

After an enriching couple of hours at the museum, we decided to have a spot of lunch at the quaint village market eatery before heading back to Manchester

The drive back through the hilly roads was equally picturesque and winding. With the rolling hills and the little sheep dotting the landscape till we hit the motorway, we did not feel the rigors of the drive. Even though Simon was driving :-)

Manchester was ready to reveal it's rich heritage to us by the time we got back. Starting with the John Reynolds Library and it's amazing Gothic architecture.

We took a walk around the bustling city and realized that it is not given it's due credit for the rich cultural heritage and is often only associated with the industry that it supports.

By this time of course we had had a long day and we were ready to put up our poor little feet. 10 days of constantly being on our feet is taking it's toll. I daresay, there is more in store for us. I promise myself to keep going at this journey. Hungry for more. 

Beware of Bikes

Amsterdam October 27th 2015

We wrapped up our first half of Amsterdam with a trip to the Heineken Experience.   Saying goodbye to our first team was bitter sweet as we knew that we would be seeing them again in a few days.   The weather was beautiful and the tour of the city was cheerful and entertaining.

Mimicking the "Three Regenetesses of the Leprozenhuis"

Front Left: Raffe, Ashley, Gostav, Tapash, Johan, Osmunda

The experience till now is just awesome. I loved the city and the hospitality of the team here in Amsterdam. The office is very spacious and bright. I was able to meet people of different fields and also know their style of working and approach to business. I must say the team here in Amsterdam is very positive and ready to take any challenges. I am looking forward meeting with the team one on one and share our experiences and how they feel to be a part of Prometric family.”

Day 3 - The Sleepy Dutch Village

Day 3 for us started normally enough. A hearty breakfast followed by the quick walk to the office. Waiting there for us were the members of the team that were still in town. It is interesting to note that at any single point in time, half the office is travelling for work.

Since we were special, (at least I like to think so) the team made some concessions to make our acquaintance and have a chat with us. For which, we are grateful.

How else would we have found out the depth of knowledge and the similarities of challenges that exist in this region when compared to some of the others. The team opened up to us during the course of the day and we swapped stories about the good, bad and some hairy experiences we have had over the years with the company.

There wasn't a dull moment.

Lunch Time!! The highlight of the lunch hour was the fine walk in the uncharacteristically sunny weather for Amsterdam this time of the year. Everyone is talking about it. Including the cab driver who drove us to the hotel from the airport on Day 1! The 10 minute walk saw us at this modern "Food Bar". Which all of us enjoyed thoroughly, especially since it was peppered with some very open, good humored conversation.

The Food Wall : Need I say more?

Ouderkerk - The Sleepy little Dutch Village. This place, just outside Amsterdam (17 Euro Cab Ride - In a swanky Mercedes!) is unbelievably quaint and I daresay Colloquial Dutch. 

Running on Dutch Coffee

For me, day one started with my departure from Dulles on Sunday.   The flight was smooth and included a never ending supply of juice, soda, snacks and meals.  I managed to sleep a bit so unfortunately I missed the Dutch breakfast.   When I arrived in Amsterdam the airport was stirring. I took a cab to the hotel to meet my team mates and start the day.  Although this is technically two days time, I feel as though it was one really long day.   We met Johan at the hotel and took a brisk walk to the office.  It's cold here, but the weather has been participating nicely.

The office is small, a stark contrast to canton or the POC.  However, it's open, full of natural light, and comfortable.  I was invigorated by the staff (and strong Dutch coffee).  We started chatting almost right away about clients, test centers and activities.  Following the agenda this continued well into the afternoon.   I took many quick notes on the conversation, but tried to focus on the discussion at hand instead of taking minutes.  

The main take away from all our discussions on Day one is this...

Prometric Netherlands...."Though she be but little, she is fierce"  
                                         -William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream

Day 1 - Amsterdam

The city is still just as full of romance and mystique as I remember. Full of life and verve. It makes you believe that the human race was meant to be happy. To enjoy the earth, be one with it and preserve it. The city and it's people have done a grand job of preserving what is important.

Tapash and I landed at the hotel at 8:30 AM after having spent the night aboard the KLM flight, quite comfortably, only to be told that we can only check in after 1400 hrs. No matter, the weary bones were mentally cast aside and we decided to take the Metro into the city centre.

After having figured out how to make the ticketing machine bend to our will after 20 minutes (there was an option for English, which I was too blind to spot for the first 19), we boarded train number 54 to "Amsterdam centraal (yes, with 2 "a"s)". Thus began our aimless wandering over the next 6 hours.

The weather was very mild and co operative and we just walked. Taking in the sights. The people. The streets. The Alleys. The Canals. The flowers. The smells. The Sounds. The shops. The windows.

Turning into every single conceivable alley and back alley. The city generously revealed her secrets to us. Much like the old aunt who smells of peppermint and eucalyptus, the city took us into this great big bear hug and we held on!

We sat when we were tired, we ate when we were hungry and we gawked when we saw something that we could never have imagined (which was most of the time). Half a day of aimless wandering on the streets is all it took for us to fall in love with the city.

Life is Good!

"All My Bags are packed....." croons John Denver. So do I, just a little bit. We will be embarking on this fabulous journey tomorrow. One the countries is my favourite of all the ones that I have had the good fortune of visiting. There is a goodly amount of giddy excitement that fills my rather large gut.

Nearly 15 weeks ago, this email from the CEO, was the advent of all the excitement and preparations that have gone into the actual fruition of this trip. Along the way, we got over some minor challenges and learnt loads (even before we have embarked on the actual trip). Sounds incredulous but it is true.

Simon and Johan have helped make the journey so far extremely interesting and enriching. The mood is set for what promises to be an immensely satisfying trip. For the body, mind and soul.

While I have a more than fair idea of what is in store for us over the next two weeks, I am still approaching this entire episode with a school boyish curiosity. Leaving all apprehensions behind and shedding all inhibitions is the only way we will be able to make the most of this unique opportunity.

Looking forward to absorb as much as possible from the countries and the people. 

Pre Trip - 4 weeks to go

I started to "test drive" my go pro.   Unlike a phone or tablet its best charged via computer while powered down.   I am going to try to take some video of the office and surrounding area here in Baltimore to share with you.  

Testing

I added the itinerary as a "page" on the blog.  We can add notes from our action items or photos as "pages" in order to keep organized.   This "post" portion is more informal and can be used similar to a sharepoint feed.  I envision this blog as a way for our team to be able to share information/drafts specific to our group since we work in different functional areas and we don't have access to one shared drive.   Anything "final"  we can duplicate on the Class of 21 sharepoint.