Crossing the Equator for the first time!!

Boa tarde everyone!!

I have made it safely to Sao Paulo and already am enjoying every second.

The trip started out wonderfully! I managed to kill my 5 hour layover in Chicago with almost no trouble. I made a few phone calls, ate at Wolfgang Pucks, walked to my terminal instead of taking the shuttle service that United offers and before I knew it, it was time to board!
I realized that flying business class (or most preferably first class) is really the only way to fly. I think the guy next to me probably realized that I don't fly in business class that often when I took a picture of myself with my glass of champagne they gave me before the plane took off. And I'm pretty sure he thought I was really mature when I chose to watch Alvin and the Chipmunks as my inflight entertainment. In all fairness though, the only other moving that looked pleasing was Atonement and I've already seen (and read) it. But we got along nicely and if it weren't for me, he never would have figured out how to turn on his reading light or where to plug in his headphones.

I arrived on Sunday morning and made it through customs and immigration with no problems. I met the driver/bodyguard after customs and it made me wish that he was there to greet me when I arrived back in Midland too. There is just something special about having someone hold up a sign with your name on it. It was funny b/c the first question he asked me was "Do you speak Spanish?" and you would think that he would have asked "Do you speak Portuguese?" He did have pretty decent English though and he taught me some Portuguese on the way to the hotel. He looked like a proud father when I thanked him at the end of the trip by saying "obrigado".

My hotel is nice. My room is bigger then my room at home and it has a huge open space in front of the bed. I packed my workout DVDs thinking I probably wouldn't need them since the hotel website said that it came with a "fully-equipped gym". By that, they meant 2 treadmills and 10 sets of free weights. Wow. But the open space, dvds, and my laptop will do just fine for the days that I don't feel like running. AND I figured out how to use the SAP feature on the tv to make some of the dubbed over channels go back to English. That was a great discovery!

It's actually fall right now in Brazil so the weather has "cooled down" to the mid to upper 70s. The humidity is a bit intense but nothing I'd complain about. I'm just happy to be around palm trees. And to make things even better, the conference room I work in is warm too which almost never happens at any of the warm places I travel to!

The best part about this place--the men. I'd have to say that 80% of the people staying at my hotel are men. And 65% of those men are attractive and approximately between the ages 25 and 35. And they're business men so they have to wear suits. Even if I can't talk to them, it's a lot better then the senior citizens I shared my hotel with in Germany. And who knows, maybe some of them know English. It's only day 1 so I have plenty of time to find out. And I should also add that all the women here are beautiful or if they're not beautiful, they're at least thin. So most of the women here have at least something going for them.

Let see…at lunch I ate some fruit that the name to me sounds like "Khaki". It was delicious. I also had some sort of local soda that wasn't all that bad but I think I'll stick to water. They have free hot chocolate and coffee on every floor but I don't drink coffee and who drinks hot chocolate when it's 75 degrees outside (minus the cup I drank this morning just to be polite). And after lunch every day people take a 15 minute walk around the block to socialize. Also somewhere between 4:15 and 4:45 they have a snack break. But I found out that's because most people work till 7 or 7:30. And apparently, we'll be working until 9 which means we don't eat until after 9. So some things will take getting used to!

Well, that's all for this post. I miss you all and I wish that some of you could have come down to play!

Back on American Soil

So, I'm happy to announce that the trip to Mexico ended on a strong note.

Nothing too exciting happened towards the end except for on Wednesday when we went to lunch and found (to my delight) they had CHEESEBURGERS and FRENCH FRIES!! How fabulous!

Wednesday evening when we got back to the hotel, I finally stopped procrastinating and went and took some pictures around Tlaxcala. Our hotel is actually in a cute area. I had seen some stairs I wanted to climb so...I did. And when I got to the top...well, it wasn't that great so I took some pictures and came right back down again.

One thing that's not so fun about these business trips and I'm usually in the pictures by myself. And 90% of the time i'm taking them with me in it by just extending my arm. So, when I finally post pictures, I would like to say that I actually did go to these places and didn't just photoshop myself into them.

We stayed in Mexico City on Thursday night but we didn't really have enough time to go sightsee. We did eat at a nice Italian restaurant so I was thrilled to have the option of eating something other then Mexican. Somehow my second meal in the U.S. later that weekend ended up being Chipotle so the good news is that I still love TexMex!

Friday I managed to make it all the way to Kansas City. There is just something so great about being back in the U.S. The weekend was a blast and of was so great to see Ben, Natalie, Bill, Blake, and Ryan. And of course, I'm sure they would all appreciate a shout out to the fine people at Waffle House without which we might not have made it through the weekend.

Sunday morning, Ben and Bill packed up and piled into the car for the drive back to Minneapolis. I tried to get permission from Northwest to skip the first leg of my flight so I could have some roadtrip fun but that wasn't allowed. Unfortunately, my flight to Minneapolis out of KC was later cancelled (only after spending the entire day in the airport of course!) and it was at that moment that I was wishing more then ever that I had been in the car with Ben and Bill who were less then an hour away from the Minneapolis airport. So I ended up staying ANOTHER night in KC which wouldn't have been that bad if it hadn't been 3 weeks since I'd last been back in my own bed. But I lived to tell about it so that's the important thing.

I was thrilled to be back in Midland for about 15 hours and then I walked out to my car this morning to find that it had rained and my car was iced over…fabulous. Sometimes it's a toss up between food that makes you sick and cold weather! But as long as it doesn't snow during the next 3 weeks I'll be okay. I leave for Sao Paulo, Brazil on April 5!

Let's wrap it up!!

Well, it's almost time for my Mexico trip to come to an end and it won't be a day too soon. As much as I'm enjoying the warmth outside, it's usually during the third week of the audit that I am ready to go back to Midland to regroup. Plus, the more I talk to Ben and Natalie, the more excited I get to see them this weekend!

This past weekend we didn't have to work so Friday evening me and the other lady on my audit hopped on a bus and 3.5 hours later we were in Veracruz!! We didn't actually get there until 10 pm so it was an early night. Saturday morning I woke up and stepped outside to see...RAIN!! Of all the days it could rain! Luckily, our hotel was attached to a shopping mall so I spent the day exploring stores. Some of it was...interesting. The best part was that they had a Zara which I love so I spent a good deal of time in there.

Early Saturday evening we ventured downtown (in a light drizzle) and took some pictures. It wasn't that cool so we then headed to a restaurant that was recommended to us by some people at the site here. I don't know how it happens but I always order the wrong thing on the menu. I even asked the waiter what I was getting and he said "A fillet of fish stuffed with shrimp, crab, and octopus". Ok, sounds good. What he failed to mention was that when it arrived, it would be coated in an usually thick (and unappetizing) layer of mayonaise. But after I scraped that part off, the rest was decent.

Sunday morning I woke up to find the rain had stopped and sun was shining. So I suited up and caught the shuttle to the "Galeria Plaza Beach Club"! It was a fabulous day complete with a warm sun, nice breeze and cold drinks by the pool. I decided not to venture onto the beach b/c I have learned from past experiences that sand is a lot like glitter and if you get it on you, be prepared to have it on you FOREVER.

Three and a half hours later, we headed back to hotel to shower and change. Then we stopped by the mall food court to get these delicous drinks called Liquados which are basically milkshakes that aren't as thick and come in cups the size of Den Pops! Then it was off to the buses. The buses are surprisingly punctual here so we made sure to get there with plenty of time.

Yesterday I woke up not feeling so hot (which I have officially blamed on the chicken I ate on Sunday) and by noon, it was decided that I needed to see a doctor. So, our driver took me to the doctors office where she asked me some questions, poked me (she litterally poked me), and then wrote me 3 prescriptions. I have a feeling those are a lot easier to get around here. I then was taken back to the hotel where I slept from 4:30pm until 6 am and woke up feeling 85% better (so whatever the doctor gave me must be working)! Unfortuantely, one of the auditors got sick and she didn't make it into work today. I think if this would have been a 4 week audit, we wouldn't have made it.

I'm hoping that we'll all pull it together for these last couple of days and finish strong. Thursday afternoon after our exit meeting, we're being driven to Mexico City. Then Friday morning, I'm on the first flight to Houston where I'll meet up with Natalie and Ryan. Then we're all off to Kansas City to meet up Ben, Bill and Blake for some wedding fun!!

Elbows out, side to side

It's finally Friday and tonight me and the other lady on my audit and I are off to Veracruz!! We're staying at the Galeria Plaza Hotel which we picked mainly because it's attached to the mall. But it also looks nice and is supposed to have a great outdoor pool where I hope to be spending most of my time. Currently the weather forecast shows high winds so keep your fingers crossed that the indoor pool is below a glass roof on the top floor.

I finally figured out why they only make Spring Break a week long. If you stay in Mexico more then a week, you get sick of the food. I did try octopus this week and fresh guava. And I drank some sort of white powdery milky substance at lunch that smelled a lot like Christmas but didn't taste as good. They put some sort of sauce on everything and I think that's what has made me get sick of it. I've decided to stick to the basics of soups and salads for the remainder of the trip. I figure, 10 days of authentic Mexican was enough to satisfy any craving. I might actually be set for the year.

The other staff auditor on this audit is Brazilian and while his English is fantastic, we sometimes stumble across words that he doesn't know. For instance, the other day I said "Are you mocking me?" and he didn't know the word "mocking". So, I explained it and now I can say he's not leaving this audit empty handed. Another word I taught him is "baller". This one might not have be as useful but it's quite amusing when he points to random guys on the street and says "That guy is such a baller" in his sweet Brazilian accent. He tried to help me learn Portugese for my next audit but it's a very difficult language. I could barely get out the sentence "Where is the bathroom" so he said they'd probably know what I was talking about if I just asked in Spanish and that IS one of the things I know how to say in Spanish!

There is some construction going on between where we work and our hotel. At one point, the road splits and one side goes downhill and the other side (which is 2 lanes) goes up hill. Right before the road splits, there is a sign that says "Good traffic" which points to the side that goes up hill and another that says "Bad traffic" and points to the side that goes down. This in itself, I find amusing. But on top of all that, 95% of the time, we choose the "bad traffic" side!! We also pass a giant blowup Godzilla that we haven't figured out what it's there for. And you also see signs for bull fighting and cock fighting (which is apparently legal here).

The other night we went to dinner with some of the people from our sight. We went to an Argentinian restaurant which was quite delicious. And the people were so funny! They told some great stories about some of the spring break places and kept doing impersonations of people from other Latin American countries. It's meeting all these new people in addition to all the traveling that I love this job!

When I told the people here that I spent the best week of my life in Acapulco, the started recommending all these other places to go. They pushed Cancun really hard which I thought was wierd since there are so many other nice places in Mexico. I was sad to bring up the point that I don't have Spring Break anymore! Its one of the sad facts about getting older.

One of the people on this site bears a very strong resemblance to Mr. Bean. It's keepiing up with the fact that I'm constantly finding movie star look-alikes on all my trips.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Weekend fun...and some work

Well, it's Sunday evening and what a weekend it's been!

Saturday we were stuck counting inventory at the plant all day. However, I truely believe everything happens for a reason and this time was no different. Had I not been in front of my computer all day, I never would have received an e-mail from my sister telling me....SHE'S ENGAGED!! It took every ounce of self control I had to not jump up and down screaming in the conference room when I got the news!

For those of you who think that being an accountant is no fun, you would be mistaken. Saturday while I was counting inventory, I got to play "dress up". The attached picture shows me in my hard hat and goggles. What you can see are my sweet Dow issued steel-toed shoes. Next to me is the in-charge auditor (who strangely enough was also a Kappa at Wash U in St. Louis.

When we finally made it back to the hotel there wasn't much else to do but relax and wait for dinner. And that's exactly what I did.

Sunday, our driver came to pick us up at 10 to take us out and about. Oh, but I would like to first talk about breakfast. Every day I get this delicious fruit and yogurt cup with granola for breakfast. It's beautiful when I get it and it tastes even better. I like it so much I even took a picture of it but since I don't have my camera cord, that will have to be attached at another time. However, on the weekend they have a huge brunch buffet. Frankly everything is so covered in sauce that I couldn't really see what it was so I stuck to the fruit section but everyone else seemed to be enjoying their meals so I'm sure it was good.

Our first stop for site-seeing was a city called Cholula (which some of you might regonize at the hot sauce you see at a lot of Mexican restaurants). We thought there were going to be pyramids but for some reason there wasn't (and the reason was lost in translation). But there were ruins of an old sacrificial alter where children between the ages of 6 and 7 were sacrificed so it would rain. There was also a church that we had to climb several steps to get to but the view from the top was worth it.

Our next stop was a city named Puebla. There is large cathedral but strangely enough it's closed on Sundays. I can't explain it. There was also a huge "art" fair. I put art in quotes b/c while there was jewelry and other hand made items there was also a lot of...junk. Old locks with keys, keys that go to nothing, tiny empty bottles (some with a little leftover stuff that seems to have molded), coin collections, and all sorts of other stuff that would just clutter a house. But as the saying goes "one man's trash is another man's treasure" so maybe someone found there treasure there today. We walked around for a while, had lunch and then headed back to Tlaxcala.

On the way home, we discussed the possibilities for next weekend. The original plan was Mexico city but now we're leaning towards a weekend on the beach in Veracruz!! Nothing has been decided yet but that's where my vote is going. I need to do something to fix this sweet tank top tan I got today.

I hope everyone had a good weekend!

Blending right in!

Buenos tardes everyone!

Yes, it's true, I'm using Spanish jargon on a daily basis now! Now when people ask me if I speak Spanish, I reply "Si, un poquito" which means "yes, a little." But then they usually start speaking to me in full-blown Spanish after that and I usually just stare at them blankly. But i'm getting better! I can even ask for the check at dinner!

So the other night, I ordered a steak for dinner and they asked me how I wanted it done. I wasn't sure how to say medium well so I just said "medio mas!" and even though it came out well done, I like to think I got my point across.

In other news, I've tried some new foods here in Mexico. Some good, some...not so good. For instance, I found that I really like Cactus!! It tastes a lot like okra. I have also discovered that I don't like corn fungus (which really shouldn't have been much of a surprise) and this sauce they called mole (which is supposed to rhyme with ole!). They told me it has chocolate in it but I know what chocolate tastes like, and that isn't it. The options at lunch the other day were pork and cooked cheese and since we all know my feelings on pork, i went with the cheese. Who knew something so simple could taste so good!

The in-charge auditor and I were joined by another staff auditor on Thursday. He spent the first few days of the audit on another site but will be completing the rest of his work here with us. This is a good thing b/c he tells some really funny stories. And he's on my next audit with me so if 2.5 weeks in Mexico wasn't enough Emel for him, he's going to get 3 more weeks in Brazil!!

I went to go do some testing the other day and I had to take my laptop with me. As I was closing everything down, the auditees saw my desktop picture which is a picture of some of me and the Kappas from KPs wedding. Needless to say they loved it and they told me several times that all my friends are beautiful! They'd also liked to be invited to the next wedding so I gave them Annie's number. (Just kidding Annie!!)

This weekend we have to count inventory on Saturday (boo!) but Sunday we're going to hopefully see some pyramids and go to a city called Puebla for some sightseeing. I brought my camera on this trip so I hope to get some good pictures!

People here keep asking me if the weather is too cold because it dropped into the the 60s for one day. I'd like them to come spend the week in Midland with me so they can see what cold really feels like. I look forward to our walk to the cafeteria every day b/c it's the only time I really spend in the sun! Hopefully that'll change this weekend!

As always, I've brought some books along on this trip. They've come in handy since we have a 40 minute drive to work everyday. So, if anyone needs any suggestions, here they are.

Atonement by Ian McEwan or something like that. I'm a little sorry I saw the movie first b/c now I already know what happened but it's still an enjoyable book.

A Time To Kill by John Grisham. I have yet to not like a book he's written. I believe that this was actually his first book but he didn't become famous until he wrote another one and then everyone went back to read A Time to Kill.

I'm signing off for now but hopefully the inventory count and day of sightseeing will provide lots more entertainment next week!!

I love you all!!

Spring Break--Corporate Style

Hola Senoritas!

Well, I'm out on another audit and this time they sent me to Mexico!! It's kinda like Spring Break 2004 and 2006...except not at all. For one, I'm about 2 hours south east of Mexico City and am surrounded by land and mountains. Second, instead of spending my days baking in the sun enjoying all inclusive beverages poolside, I'm in a conference room working. And instead of prancing around in a swimsuit, I'm stuck in workclothes and I'm actually freezing in the conference room so the whole outfit is complimented by my Northface fleece.

But there are definately some perks.

For one...it's about 60 degrees warmer here then it is in Midland and there isn't even any humidity! There isn't a cloud in the sky and i'm definately geting my moneys worth from my sunglasses. Two, our hotel is super cute and if my room had balcony doors that opened, i could walk right out onto the pool deck and hopefully I'll be spending some time there Saturday and Sunday. Also, we're in downtown Tlaxcala so we have tons of cute restaurants we can walk to. Last night when were were walking around they had all these booths of jewelry and stuff that we walked around to look at. While the lady here with me is super into all that stuff, I prefer to look. They do offer all that hair braiding stuff that they offered on the beaches of Alcapulco so maybe i'll come back to the U.S. with a sweet new hairstyle.

I do have to say that I was relieved to find when I arrived, 2 sealed bottles of water in my room. That was the one thing lacking for most of the trip to Germany.

There is currently talk about 2 of us going to Mexico City next weekend just to explore a bit more. One of the auditors wants to go to a town where there is supposedly good pottery. Now, call me crazy but I could care less about the pottery and would rather go to the big city!! Plus I heard the accomodations there are amazing and I want to see what it's all about!

Of course, my lack of Spanish isn't really helping me at all while I'm here. I've actually already received an e-mail back from one of my interviewees that said "I don't speak English." Sweet. And more then once I've had people just look at me and assume I speak Spanish. Even my customs guy refused to believe I didn't know what he was saying! Also, apprently having an L at the end of your name is a very difficult thing to pronounce here so I'm enjoying all the creativity with the pronunciation of my name. I also had a little deja vu when the guy who picked us up in the airport were waiting for the other lady to withdraw some money. He looked at me and said "Do you speak Spanish?" which is a key phrase that I memorized so that I could respond "No." He then replied "I don't speak English" and we went back to standing in silence.

Even though Farley and I are not in the same area, I feel some bonding going on between me and her. It's about 7900 feet above sea level here and I was a little short of breath during my workout this morning. But I figure, if her training in Arizona will get her more red blood cells that will get her Eugene then far be it for me to deny the benefits. Maybe this will be the first step in my quest to become the next American Gladiator.

I miss you all and if anyone wants to come play, they gave me two beds (with extremely hard mattresses) so if anyone wants to bask in the "luxury", come visit. It wouldn't be the worst thing to hang out by the pool while I worked all day! Otherwise, just look forward to more e-mails!