I have just finished off a business trip to the UK. Sadly, I think that my business trips are the only time I’m going to find to be able keep this blog fresh. Eh, so much being so fresh.
When I accepted my current position, I knew that travel was involved and my support system (The Husband and Grandma) was accepting. Of course, we didn’t think that I would be on two week-long business trips within a month of each other. (Let’s knock on wood that I won’t have to go anywhere for a while! Though, collecting stamps in the passport is quite fun!)
To make this most recent trip a bit more digestible, I proposed to The Husband that I drop off Peanut with her grandparents, stay a day or two, she would then stay the week there, spend quality time with them, while getting fully immersed in francais, I would fly back, stay a day, then we would both fly home. What a grand idea it was!
Peanut was so excited to be going on the plane with mommy! She was so excited, that she barely slept on the plane. Yeah, my idea of actually wanting to watch a movie or read were thwarted. In fact, I was the one that slept, not soundly, of course. Peanut was playing quietly on the floor in front of her seat or watching Wallace & Grommit on her tv. (Thank goodness AF has individual entertainment screens!)
She, at first, was not thrilled when I told her I had to go to work. Though she was crying when I was leaving for the airport, I knew she would be just fine with Grany. She’s apparently had loads of fun with her cousin and her friends!
I, on the other hand, have been tired from the long work days and late workouts. The town in which my company has an office isn’t that quite exciting. So, after dinner, I hit up the gym. (I did go out for dinner with coworkers one night – amazing Indian food! The other night I was invited to a coworkers’ home a for take away dinner.)
Thanks to the gracious hospitality of a coworker, he had invited my boss and I over to his house for dinner (as mentioned) – fish n’ chips, complete with mushy peas, pickled eggs and pickled gherkins – an opportunity to relax in a non-hotel environment. It was interesting to see my coworker in this dimension – you’re obviously only seeing their “work persona” and once you see them in their home and meet their family, your idea of who you think they are is either confirmed or completely way off.
Anyhow, the town that he lives in has this unusual religious presence. This town lays exactly on the GMT line and another geographical line which in some religions has HUGE meaning. Tom Cruise has a house in the area as there is a huge Scientology center. People, churches also used to burn witches here, too. Used to.
So, now I am wasting time at Heathrow, waiting for my flight. Terminal 5 at Heathrow actually isn’t too bad. Harrods, duty free shopping…and Starbucks.
Oh, after being in the UK for a week, dodgy and bugger are my favorite words du jour.
Off to find Burberry…and possibly give in to Starbucks.