I’m in London for work today, and it’s a bit of a wasted trip. I needed to meet with one person to go over things, and could have met for about 3 hours on 2-4 different topics total. This person got busy and we only met for 30 minutes. Cripes. Why did I get up at 4:30 this morning to get to the train station, to get here, to not be totally productive? And it’s a beautiful day outside, too!
But now I have a chance to reflect on the two other times I’ve been back to London since moving to Paris…some observations :
1) Big Ben looks smaller than I remember it. When I lived here, I was surprised how much I liked seeing it all the time (I dislike pictures of it, postcards, etc. – I think in most it doesn’t look right, color is off, or it looks Disney-ish). Now, I’m a bit saddened by the fact that my memory makes it more than it is.
2) Oddly, I find the London Eye (gigantic Ferris wheel) and St. Paul’s Cathedral to look much larger than I remember them. Especially St. Paul’s – I don’t remember it’s dome being such a prominent site from around the city.
3) Compared to Paris, London is WAY MORE energetic / vibrant (or if you want some megativity, it’s crowded and loud). Paris is definitely more subdued. London culture is more hang out at the pubs, spill out onto the sidewalk (and late night, watch the people spill onto the sidewalks literally). It’s louder – conversations, music, etc. when you’re out and about. Sure, some parts of Paris are like this, but only some parts.
4) BY FAR London is less smelly. Still a dirty city (aren’t all big cities?) in terms of air/grime, not trash (as I’ve written before, despite the lack of rubbish bins, the sidewalks are surprisingly litter free). But no smell of random bodily excrements. Sure, some BO and bad breath, but nothing compared to Paris.
5) The city is “whiter” in terms of race, but more international, if that makes sense? And, a younger city it seems. Either that or the elderly in Paris still live in the city and get out a lot more than the elderly in London.
6) The London office – it’s like I’m still in France. 13 of the 33 people here are fluent in French and speak it often. Many times in side conversations, always in the kitchen – it’s like there’s two countries working here and interaction has diminished between the two since the French speaking population grew in numbers.
That’s all for now, time to head home soon.
Showing posts with label Transition. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transition. Show all posts
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Back to the Island
I arrived back in London this morning and am now (at 15:36) in my flat and am staying in the rest of the night. Yes, I know it is New Year's Eve but it is cold, cloudy and foggy here and I am NOT going out to battle the crowds and such. I'm looking forward to putting on my PJs, cooking something for dinner, watching a movie, watching CSI episodes on TV (the first 2 episodes with the miniatures! And, actually the first CSI episode I ever saw - a few years ago with Tiggs - it has a minature and a death at a Cirque du Soleil show in Vegas). Anyway.
The flight back was ok but I got only about 2 hours of sleep - which is unusual for me as I am a great plane sleeper. The woman next to me was probably in here early/mid 80s and obviously had arthritis / joing aches. Fine. I completely understand that sitting for 8 hours can be torture, especially when in pain. But, she kept rubbing her leg/knee, sometimes rocking back and forth with the motion, and changing her sitting position, and getting up to walk around. Every time she did this, she inadvertently hit me in the leg or arm or side or whatever. It made sleeping impossible! Somehow, I am still awake and not a zombie. Weird. Staying awake until midnight will be interesting.
I got back and all is well in my flat (although it is cold!). Went to the grocery and dry cleaner. Am doing laundry and unpacking. You know, the usual single-female-in-the-city activities on New Year's Eve. Wait, I must've missed that episode of "Sex and the City"
I want to go see the London New Year's Day Parade tomorrow, work on Friday, then musuems and packing this weekend. Movers come in exactly two weeks!
Anyway, happy new year to all!
The flight back was ok but I got only about 2 hours of sleep - which is unusual for me as I am a great plane sleeper. The woman next to me was probably in here early/mid 80s and obviously had arthritis / joing aches. Fine. I completely understand that sitting for 8 hours can be torture, especially when in pain. But, she kept rubbing her leg/knee, sometimes rocking back and forth with the motion, and changing her sitting position, and getting up to walk around. Every time she did this, she inadvertently hit me in the leg or arm or side or whatever. It made sleeping impossible! Somehow, I am still awake and not a zombie. Weird. Staying awake until midnight will be interesting.
I got back and all is well in my flat (although it is cold!). Went to the grocery and dry cleaner. Am doing laundry and unpacking. You know, the usual single-female-in-the-city activities on New Year's Eve. Wait, I must've missed that episode of "Sex and the City"
I want to go see the London New Year's Day Parade tomorrow, work on Friday, then musuems and packing this weekend. Movers come in exactly two weeks!
Anyway, happy new year to all!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Life in Paris
Ok, on this trip to Paris I am being hit by major culture shock. There are several contributing factors:
1) I just didn’t want to be in Paris this week. Sure, I scheduled the trip, but there were meetings beyond my control that I needed to attend (such as my former boss from North America being in town). And, it’s Gwen, Marissa & Julia’s last week in the London office, so I’m missing that. Plus, I’m here for the entire week (Mon morning train & Friday late afternoon return).
But, it was good for me to be here all week because
(a) I got 2 days here myself w/ only one other person from the London office here;
(b) Some of the people I had to meet won’t be available the later part of this week; and,
(c) Gives my week some continuity
2) The Metro line that goes to our office is like the B line in Boston – the destination is Saint Denis University so it is overly crowded and mostly not with business professionals, but rather sardine-packed with students and crazys.
3) I got my new “GDF” laptop (I put that in quotations because even though we are now GDF SUEZ, we all still talk in terms of GDF things and SUEZ things). And, we are in a former GDF building and have to deal with GDF IT rules.
My laptop complaints:
a. It is a much larger (i.e. heavier) HP laptop and will have to give up my trendy little Vaio upon my move in January.
b. All the software is in French. Sure, you think you know MS Office and all of its menu commands well, but trust me, you don’t.
c. It uses Lotus Notes email, with which I am familiar, and like more than Outlook, but again, it’s all in French
d. And, I have my new email address, but it is only viewable on this new laptop and they do NOT have webmail and they do NOT allow forwarding to another account. So if someone emails me at that account, I will only see it when I am in the Paris office
e. Most frustrating of all is it has a French keyboard aka “azert” instead of “qwert”. Try typing my name with this layout. It took me sooo long yesterday to do any work whatsoever.
f. It uses Windows 2000. Don’t laugh. Yes, it really does look antiquated. Supposedly next year we’ll be upgraded to Vista (is that really an upgrade?) and switch from Lotus to Outlook.
g. I don’t have access to the LNG Department folder in “My Computer” – you would think that would be a given, wouldn’t you?
4) There is actually office space set up for us in the Portfolio Management team (5 of us) but we are at the complete other end of the hall, in the hinter lands. How we’re supposed to interact with the Operations and Shipping teams is beyond me. What, are we just expected to wander down there and ‘hang out’? From my experience in North America, proximity is key because if these teams haven’t had Portfolio input before, they’re not going to remember to stop and walk down the hall to ask us. Makes the job that much more challenging, and not in a fun way.
a. But, for someone who does like quiet, this location is good. However, for an introvert like me, it’s not that useful for job effectiveness
b. At least now I have a desk where I can leave stuff instead of lugging some of my things back and forth
5) Tea. I like to have a cuppa tea on my desk to sip on for a few hours. However, there is NO kitchen space in the Paris office. You cannot even bring in a kettle to plug in as brining in outside things to plug in is NOT allowed in big, giant, corporation land. Anyway, there is a little “coffee machine” out of which you get a really small cup of coffee / cappuccino / tea / hot chocolate / etc. All for 0.05 euros. It’s addictive – so cheap and the thrill is gone before you’ve started. The disgusting part, though, is the tea. You select the option without sugar yet what you get tastes like heated up Lipton tea from a can. When you’re finished, you can see the sugarwater at the bottom of the cup. Gross.
You may be thinking – what is her problem? Really, a laptop, a keyboard, a cup of tea…get a grip, right? Well, it’s these little things that add up to culture shock for me. Sure, I expect people to speak French, to not understand menus, to have to study maps, etc. but things like this that catch me off guard really put me off kilter! True, on my next trip here, I’ll be expecting them, but it’s still an adjustment. Really, this keyboard thing is troublesome!
1) I just didn’t want to be in Paris this week. Sure, I scheduled the trip, but there were meetings beyond my control that I needed to attend (such as my former boss from North America being in town). And, it’s Gwen, Marissa & Julia’s last week in the London office, so I’m missing that. Plus, I’m here for the entire week (Mon morning train & Friday late afternoon return).
But, it was good for me to be here all week because
(a) I got 2 days here myself w/ only one other person from the London office here;
(b) Some of the people I had to meet won’t be available the later part of this week; and,
(c) Gives my week some continuity
2) The Metro line that goes to our office is like the B line in Boston – the destination is Saint Denis University so it is overly crowded and mostly not with business professionals, but rather sardine-packed with students and crazys.
3) I got my new “GDF” laptop (I put that in quotations because even though we are now GDF SUEZ, we all still talk in terms of GDF things and SUEZ things). And, we are in a former GDF building and have to deal with GDF IT rules.
My laptop complaints:
a. It is a much larger (i.e. heavier) HP laptop and will have to give up my trendy little Vaio upon my move in January.
b. All the software is in French. Sure, you think you know MS Office and all of its menu commands well, but trust me, you don’t.
c. It uses Lotus Notes email, with which I am familiar, and like more than Outlook, but again, it’s all in French
d. And, I have my new email address, but it is only viewable on this new laptop and they do NOT have webmail and they do NOT allow forwarding to another account. So if someone emails me at that account, I will only see it when I am in the Paris office
e. Most frustrating of all is it has a French keyboard aka “azert” instead of “qwert”. Try typing my name with this layout. It took me sooo long yesterday to do any work whatsoever.
f. It uses Windows 2000. Don’t laugh. Yes, it really does look antiquated. Supposedly next year we’ll be upgraded to Vista (is that really an upgrade?) and switch from Lotus to Outlook.
g. I don’t have access to the LNG Department folder in “My Computer” – you would think that would be a given, wouldn’t you?
4) There is actually office space set up for us in the Portfolio Management team (5 of us) but we are at the complete other end of the hall, in the hinter lands. How we’re supposed to interact with the Operations and Shipping teams is beyond me. What, are we just expected to wander down there and ‘hang out’? From my experience in North America, proximity is key because if these teams haven’t had Portfolio input before, they’re not going to remember to stop and walk down the hall to ask us. Makes the job that much more challenging, and not in a fun way.a. But, for someone who does like quiet, this location is good. However, for an introvert like me, it’s not that useful for job effectiveness
b. At least now I have a desk where I can leave stuff instead of lugging some of my things back and forth
5) Tea. I like to have a cuppa tea on my desk to sip on for a few hours. However, there is NO kitchen space in the Paris office. You cannot even bring in a kettle to plug in as brining in outside things to plug in is NOT allowed in big, giant, corporation land. Anyway, there is a little “coffee machine” out of which you get a really small cup of coffee / cappuccino / tea / hot chocolate / etc. All for 0.05 euros. It’s addictive – so cheap and the thrill is gone before you’ve started. The disgusting part, though, is the tea. You select the option without sugar yet what you get tastes like heated up Lipton tea from a can. When you’re finished, you can see the sugarwater at the bottom of the cup. Gross.
You may be thinking – what is her problem? Really, a laptop, a keyboard, a cup of tea…get a grip, right? Well, it’s these little things that add up to culture shock for me. Sure, I expect people to speak French, to not understand menus, to have to study maps, etc. but things like this that catch me off guard really put me off kilter! True, on my next trip here, I’ll be expecting them, but it’s still an adjustment. Really, this keyboard thing is troublesome!
Sunday, July 13, 2008
57 Channels (And Nothin' On)
Another reason I haven’t blogged much, especially the past week - Television. After six years, I now have a TV, and I got cable TV July 3rd. Needless to say, I’ve become enthralled with the moving pictures and voices in the big black box. Not that I’m becoming a better person for this, quite the contrary. I’m only watching reruns of Ally McBeal and CSI. I could choose from any number of US reruns to commandeer my free time – from Scrubs to Frasier to Simpsons to every CSI and Law & Order to Ally McBeal to Friends to Sex and the City and so forth. And that’s just the shows I recognize. Of course, there’s all the British stuff (but honestly, I haven’t been that enthralled with what I’ve seen). I have discovered that when you watch one or two episodes of a show every night, you start to realize just how formulaic each series is. When they’re only one once per week, you don’t quite notice it.
I do get TCM and TCM2 (it seems most channels here have a “2” – meaning if you missed a show, no worries, it’ll be on an hour later). Last night I watched the Cole Porter musical “High Society” (1956) with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, and Louis Armstrong on music. It was good – at least something different.
The ironic part about having a TV and cable is that on Monday, July 7th, the daily devotional from the United Church of Christ (UCC) happened to be written by Quinn Caldwell, the Associate Pastor at Old South – and it was about TV. Using Romans 1:18-23, he wrote:
“Have you ever waited all week long for the next episode of your favorite TV show, your excitement building day by day until finally, heart going pitter-pat, you sit down to see what will happen next? Ever felt that way about church? ...
“Look, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty here; I think most of us are like this. But it's a legitimate question. Why don't most of us--even the churchgoers--get as excited about God as we do about Carrie Bradshaw?
“At least some of the time, the problem is with the church, maybe more than any of us wants to admit. But I think the real issue is this: TV seeks to give us exactly what we want, when we want it, and so elicits an excitement and devotion that almost nothing else can…
“God, on the other hand, seeks our devotion not by giving us what we want, but what we need: redemption, repentance, salvation. Which, God forgive us, is less riveting than The Wire, and significantly less funny than The Simpsons.
“Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with watching TV. It's just that it's nowhere near as right as worshiping God.”
Amen!
I do get TCM and TCM2 (it seems most channels here have a “2” – meaning if you missed a show, no worries, it’ll be on an hour later). Last night I watched the Cole Porter musical “High Society” (1956) with Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly, and Louis Armstrong on music. It was good – at least something different.
The ironic part about having a TV and cable is that on Monday, July 7th, the daily devotional from the United Church of Christ (UCC) happened to be written by Quinn Caldwell, the Associate Pastor at Old South – and it was about TV. Using Romans 1:18-23, he wrote:
“Have you ever waited all week long for the next episode of your favorite TV show, your excitement building day by day until finally, heart going pitter-pat, you sit down to see what will happen next? Ever felt that way about church? ...
“Look, I'm not trying to make you feel guilty here; I think most of us are like this. But it's a legitimate question. Why don't most of us--even the churchgoers--get as excited about God as we do about Carrie Bradshaw?
“At least some of the time, the problem is with the church, maybe more than any of us wants to admit. But I think the real issue is this: TV seeks to give us exactly what we want, when we want it, and so elicits an excitement and devotion that almost nothing else can…
“God, on the other hand, seeks our devotion not by giving us what we want, but what we need: redemption, repentance, salvation. Which, God forgive us, is less riveting than The Wire, and significantly less funny than The Simpsons.
“Don't get me wrong; there's nothing wrong with watching TV. It's just that it's nowhere near as right as worshiping God.”
Amen!
Friday, July 11, 2008
Happily Ever After (Now & Then)
You’re probably wondering where I’ve been for the past week (well, hopefully you are!). And really, I have several good excuses which I will proceed to post about today and this weekend (in no particular order: culture shock, television, and tourism).
First up, culture shock.
I think I’m in phase 2, or maybe 3, of culture shock* - the I-hate-everything or I’ll-put-up-with-it-because-I-have-to phases respectively. Several things are annoying me and otherwise, I’m just a bit complacent / blasé about being here.
(*I am referring to an article by Kay Clifford from University of Michigan (at least I think it was her) – a summary is here . I have to give kudos to Professor Barbara MacHaffie at Marietta College. She was my Freshman Seminar advisor and while I cannot remember what the theme of my Seminar class was, I think I reference the culture shock article monthly. I read that 13 years ago and I still remember it, use it, and find it relevant!)
This whole week I’ve been feeling very uncertain / not at ease with what I’m doing at work. It’s just that I’m not 100% sure what it is I’m supposed to be doing, and whenever I am given direction, or come up with it on my own, I soon discover that the focus has shifted and what was once important no longer is.
Also, I think all of us at work are just a bit over stressed and uncertain about or futures due to the GDF SUEZ merger. I think 95% of us in the Operations team (Logistics, Trading, Shipping, Portfolio) have each other’s best interests at heart and are working for the good of the team, company and each other. But that 5%.... It’s difficult to keep spirits up and be ‘normal’ when no one knows for sure what his/her new job description will be (will there be enough responsibility, is it a good career move, etc.) nor when he/she is expected to move (Sept, Oct, Jan, not defined, etc.) Adding these uncertainties to each person’s already quirky personalities is a bit much.
Earlier this week at work, the Lucinda Williams song “Are You Alright” came on my iPod. (Link here for lyrics and video with audio.) Whenever this song comes on, it always gives me pause and makes me think. The lyrics are just so haunting – the beat, the constant questioning “are you alright?” just make me think. “Are you alright? All of a sudden you went away…Are you alright? Is there somethin’ been botherin’ you?” Even now, when I found the link for the lyrics and video, I couldn't keep typing or surfing, I just had to stop and listen.
I think the major thing that’s bothering me is that I have no friends or acquaintances or mentors or anyone in London except my coworkers. And, even then, I really only socialize with 2-3 of them. Makes for a very small circle. I am missing having non-work related people in my life! I think that's really getting to me. Sure, I can complain about people or tasks to coworkers, but they have their own complaints, and it’s just not good to be gossipy or whiny like that in an office of Type A Personality Over Achievers. You don’t realize until it’s gone how good it is to (1) be able to vent to friends just for reason of venting; (2) have friends who will agree with you just because you're friends; (3) have friends who will give you advice based upon what they know of you, not what they think is best for the company / you in the company; (4) listen to your friends vent about their jobs because their venting can lend insight into your own issues; (5) I'm sure I could go on...
I contemplated not posting any of this, thinking ‘why would I want to post anything about my insecurities, worries, etc.’ but part of me just needs to vent this, and part of me realizes that if I don’t post it, I’ll be presenting a false picture of myself. I’m reminded of two things – one is the Jimmy Buffett song from the Banana Wind album that goes "Some people never find it, some only pretend; But me, I just want to live happily ever after, Every now and then."
The other is from the movie You’ve Got Mail, where Meg Ryan’s character expresses some of her concerns and sadness, typing (thank you IMDB): "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but valuable. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."
I’d be a fool if I thought life was happy-go-lucky all the time and I have to remind myself that it’s ok if it’s not. Good night.
First up, culture shock.
I think I’m in phase 2, or maybe 3, of culture shock* - the I-hate-everything or I’ll-put-up-with-it-because-I-have-to phases respectively. Several things are annoying me and otherwise, I’m just a bit complacent / blasé about being here.
(*I am referring to an article by Kay Clifford from University of Michigan (at least I think it was her) – a summary is here . I have to give kudos to Professor Barbara MacHaffie at Marietta College. She was my Freshman Seminar advisor and while I cannot remember what the theme of my Seminar class was, I think I reference the culture shock article monthly. I read that 13 years ago and I still remember it, use it, and find it relevant!)
This whole week I’ve been feeling very uncertain / not at ease with what I’m doing at work. It’s just that I’m not 100% sure what it is I’m supposed to be doing, and whenever I am given direction, or come up with it on my own, I soon discover that the focus has shifted and what was once important no longer is.
Also, I think all of us at work are just a bit over stressed and uncertain about or futures due to the GDF SUEZ merger. I think 95% of us in the Operations team (Logistics, Trading, Shipping, Portfolio) have each other’s best interests at heart and are working for the good of the team, company and each other. But that 5%.... It’s difficult to keep spirits up and be ‘normal’ when no one knows for sure what his/her new job description will be (will there be enough responsibility, is it a good career move, etc.) nor when he/she is expected to move (Sept, Oct, Jan, not defined, etc.) Adding these uncertainties to each person’s already quirky personalities is a bit much.
Earlier this week at work, the Lucinda Williams song “Are You Alright” came on my iPod. (Link here for lyrics and video with audio.) Whenever this song comes on, it always gives me pause and makes me think. The lyrics are just so haunting – the beat, the constant questioning “are you alright?” just make me think. “Are you alright? All of a sudden you went away…Are you alright? Is there somethin’ been botherin’ you?” Even now, when I found the link for the lyrics and video, I couldn't keep typing or surfing, I just had to stop and listen.
I think the major thing that’s bothering me is that I have no friends or acquaintances or mentors or anyone in London except my coworkers. And, even then, I really only socialize with 2-3 of them. Makes for a very small circle. I am missing having non-work related people in my life! I think that's really getting to me. Sure, I can complain about people or tasks to coworkers, but they have their own complaints, and it’s just not good to be gossipy or whiny like that in an office of Type A Personality Over Achievers. You don’t realize until it’s gone how good it is to (1) be able to vent to friends just for reason of venting; (2) have friends who will agree with you just because you're friends; (3) have friends who will give you advice based upon what they know of you, not what they think is best for the company / you in the company; (4) listen to your friends vent about their jobs because their venting can lend insight into your own issues; (5) I'm sure I could go on...
I contemplated not posting any of this, thinking ‘why would I want to post anything about my insecurities, worries, etc.’ but part of me just needs to vent this, and part of me realizes that if I don’t post it, I’ll be presenting a false picture of myself. I’m reminded of two things – one is the Jimmy Buffett song from the Banana Wind album that goes "Some people never find it, some only pretend; But me, I just want to live happily ever after, Every now and then."
The other is from the movie You’ve Got Mail, where Meg Ryan’s character expresses some of her concerns and sadness, typing (thank you IMDB): "Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, not small, but valuable. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don't really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void. So good night, dear void."
I’d be a fool if I thought life was happy-go-lucky all the time and I have to remind myself that it’s ok if it’s not. Good night.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
For those of you who have talked to me in the past, oh, six months, you are probably sick and tired of me talking about my moving to London. I even had people at church asking "haven't you left yet?"
Literally, this has been a twelve month process. Let me walk you through it...
Background - I've worked as a portfolio analyst for SUEZ LNG North America (SLNGNA) in Boston since Sept 2004. SUEZ's Global LNG (SGLNG, Global) operations have been in London for over eight years. About two years ago, the operations, supply and shipping groups within SLNGNA found out that their jobs, and therefore themselves, were being moved to London. Same overall parent company, but a separate legal entity from SLNGNA. Because of this, it is an internal company transfer and thus one's current boss has as much, if not more of a say in the entire transfer process. It's not as simple as giving one's two week notice and starting a new job.
May 2007 - A job posting for a portfolio analyst with SUEZ Global LNG was listed on SUEZ's internal job board. Imagine my surprise when it seemed more identical to my current job description with SLNGNA than different! I didn't send my resume right away because I wasn't certain about the political atmosphere between SLNGNA and SGLNG, the pending merger between SUEZ and Gaz de France (GdF), and the job responsibilities.
Mid June 2007 - After thinking it over a bit and talking it over with a few friends, I approached Global about the opportunity.
July 2007 - I was given more of the details - responsibilities, compensation, logistics, etc. I got all of this two days before leaving for a two week vacation.
August 2007 - I was back from vacation, but Jane, my soon-to-be Global boss was on vacation for two weeks. Then I was in NYC for a work trip for a week. Voila, end of August.
September 2007 - Jane wanted me to come to London for an exploratory visit asap. My then current boss, Helen, said no. It was budget preparation time and I was needed in Boston. They negotiated and finally I was allowed to travel the week of October 9th.
October 2007 - I visit the London office, stay at the fabulous Hyatt Regency - The Churchill hotel, and get more details, questions answered, etc. I return to Boston and think about it some more.
November 2007 - I accept the offer from Global (or maybe it was late October?). Global then says they want me to start asap, Dec 1, Jan 1 or Feb 1 - a three month transfer period. Helen counters with a transfer occurring after my replacement is hired and trained. After much back-and-forth, 1-May-2008 was settled upon as my official transfer date.
Dec-2007 to April-2008 - I basically begin to prepare for moving. Sorting through my things, booking flights, having fun with friends (that was mainly all I tried to do), and working insane hours in March/April as it was time for another budget forecast update.
May 2008 - I am now the Manager, Portfolio Management for SUEZ Global LNG in London! Whew!
Literally, this has been a twelve month process. Let me walk you through it...
Background - I've worked as a portfolio analyst for SUEZ LNG North America (SLNGNA) in Boston since Sept 2004. SUEZ's Global LNG (SGLNG, Global) operations have been in London for over eight years. About two years ago, the operations, supply and shipping groups within SLNGNA found out that their jobs, and therefore themselves, were being moved to London. Same overall parent company, but a separate legal entity from SLNGNA. Because of this, it is an internal company transfer and thus one's current boss has as much, if not more of a say in the entire transfer process. It's not as simple as giving one's two week notice and starting a new job.
May 2007 - A job posting for a portfolio analyst with SUEZ Global LNG was listed on SUEZ's internal job board. Imagine my surprise when it seemed more identical to my current job description with SLNGNA than different! I didn't send my resume right away because I wasn't certain about the political atmosphere between SLNGNA and SGLNG, the pending merger between SUEZ and Gaz de France (GdF), and the job responsibilities.
Mid June 2007 - After thinking it over a bit and talking it over with a few friends, I approached Global about the opportunity.
July 2007 - I was given more of the details - responsibilities, compensation, logistics, etc. I got all of this two days before leaving for a two week vacation.
August 2007 - I was back from vacation, but Jane, my soon-to-be Global boss was on vacation for two weeks. Then I was in NYC for a work trip for a week. Voila, end of August.
September 2007 - Jane wanted me to come to London for an exploratory visit asap. My then current boss, Helen, said no. It was budget preparation time and I was needed in Boston. They negotiated and finally I was allowed to travel the week of October 9th.
October 2007 - I visit the London office, stay at the fabulous Hyatt Regency - The Churchill hotel, and get more details, questions answered, etc. I return to Boston and think about it some more.
November 2007 - I accept the offer from Global (or maybe it was late October?). Global then says they want me to start asap, Dec 1, Jan 1 or Feb 1 - a three month transfer period. Helen counters with a transfer occurring after my replacement is hired and trained. After much back-and-forth, 1-May-2008 was settled upon as my official transfer date.
Dec-2007 to April-2008 - I basically begin to prepare for moving. Sorting through my things, booking flights, having fun with friends (that was mainly all I tried to do), and working insane hours in March/April as it was time for another budget forecast update.
May 2008 - I am now the Manager, Portfolio Management for SUEZ Global LNG in London! Whew!
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