One Last Visitor

Our first European visitor was Bartosz...but sadly he was the last in our home abroad.

Bartosz, one of my team members out in Poland, came to visit us for a weekend in London. Bartosz hadn’t been to London before, so it was a good opportunity for him to get out and see the city. And since Bartosz has one of the most brutal jobs on the project team in dealing with all the IT stuff in all the countries, I figured the least I could do is give him somewhere to sleep and introduce him to London.

Dining at Vapiano
In the London Underground

On the train back to Basildon

He arrived on Friday, but we spent the day in the lovely Basildon office. Compared to the Poland office, Basildon looks like it originated in the 1800s, so he wasn’t too impressed. On Saturday, we ventured into London for the day. We ended up splitting up and doing some sightseeing on our own before meeting back up for dinner. I think he got to see quite a bit of London while we were there; he didn’t mess around. While we were in Germany during the project, we ate several times at the Vapiano restaurant, so we decided to eat at the newly opened London restaurant. It is a pizza/pasta/salad type place where they cook in front of you with all fresh ingredients. It is really good and on the cheap side pricewise. I introduced Bartosz to Belgium beer, which is one of my favorites. Then on Saturday, we took him out to Chelmsford to meet up with some of our British friends for lunch at a Spanish tapas restaurant. He got to see some of the countryside of England on the way there. Then it was back to work on Monday. Unfortunately, he had to hitch a ride to the airport with some weird guy named Paul who leaves at 3:30 in the morning for a 6:30 flight when the airport is only 30 minutes away. Sorry Bartosz, that wasn’t my fault! We enjoyed having you and are looking forward to your visit to Colorado in the summer.

Matt

With the Buckleys at La Tasca

Our Dear Friends in Poland!

So, in Europe they want to say goodbye to you with a big bang. My office sent me off with a bowling party, Matt’s office sent him off with a dance party, and we said our final goodbyes to other friends in England.

Last dinner with my friend Ela

Unbeknownst to me, my ‘Leaving Do’ started out with a Sushi dinner with the Poland SSC leadership team. There was a huge sushi boat platter enjoyed by all! Amber doesn’t like sushi, so when I travel, I love to go out and get my fill. The guys in Poland love sushi and so we always have a good time.

Then afterwards, I was told we were going to a bar to have some drinks (well, something along those lines). It was earlier than normal that evening when we ate, so something didn’t feel right. We ended up parking our car near Sopot (seaside resort town), which has a lot of clubs and bars, and started walking towards the beach. Then we walked into a bar I hadn’t been to before. As we walked in, I noticed the DJ, who was near the door area, was staring right at me. I have always been conscience when walking around Europe, but I couldn’t figure out why she was staring directly at me. Then I took a few more steps and………the whole room erupted. Many of my colleagues had come to dance (with me of course) and party the night away. I had many fun nights dancing (no, I cannot dance, I just pretend and have fun) and partying with the team in Poland and this night was added to the memories. I will definitely miss those guys and I just have to say that the memories will never leave me!!!

The only picture from our Farewell Party

I can never thank the team in Poland enough, especially Mr. February (who asked not to be mentioned in this blog), for the absolutely unforgettable experience I had there over the last two years. It was more than I could have ever imagined and wished for. I am definitely inspired by such a young group of hard working team members and look forward to getting back to visit. Keep up the hard work, stay young, party some more, and remember me when I return. I will need a place to sleep!!!

Amber with Management Team

And for some last parting memories, I wish to leave some messages for my colleagues:

Mr Luty-drink some milk, it will stop your mouth from burning!
Mr Izydorczyk-can I borrow your small software?
Mr Twarowski-we all know you had a baby boy last year…you can stop smiling now!
Ms Rakiej-can you ask them to highlight the numbers and put some footnotes?
Mr Andryszak-Those German footballers are good!
Mr Wanagos-I found the printer receipt in Warsaw, should I send it over?
Mr Lutkiewicz-We are still anxious to meet your assistant!

Matt and Management Team

To the UK team-I still have my VIB membership, wanna bowl?
To the German team-Excuse me guys, but the other residents would like to sleep!
To the Baltic team-You are not invited to bowl with the UK team and me; I learned my lesson!

To all: Dziękuję & Do Widzenia!

Matt

BBWCVS

I did not mention this before, but I got a job back in the fall. I was volunteering with projects through the Volunteer Centre at Basildon, Billericay and Wickford Council for Voluntary Services (BBWCVS) since the summer of 2007 and had gotten to know the staff pretty well. Last summer they had a couple of people leave and when the new Chief Officer arrived I volunteered to fill in temporarily until they hired someone new or until we moved back. It was great returning to work and what was even better was that my schedule was flexible and part-time, so I was still able to travel and volunteer.

Volunteering at the Basildon Library (taken for the Yellow Advertiser)

Shortly before the end of my employment, a colleague and myself had planned an ‘Away Day’ for staff and volunteers but the day happened to fall during the week of the blizzard. We had planned a day out in London, which would have been fabulous, but had to change the location to somewhere local. We ended up going to Festival Leisure Park for bowling and lunch. It was a great day and we were grateful that the entire staff was able to make it as well as a couple of volunteers.

Some of my BBWCVS colleagues

Staff Members and Chief Officer (l to r)

My last day of work was at the end of February and for my ‘Leaving Do’ we returned to Festival Leisure Park for bowling and dinner. It was such a fun evening and it was hard saying goodbye to my colleagues. I do hope we can all keep in touch – especially since most of us are on Facebook!