I'm writing this on my way back to Chicago after an exciting weekend exploring the sights of NYC! I can hardly believe that I'm coming towards the end of my American Adventure and in a couple of days I'll be flying back to the UK and will have to go back to driving on the other side of the road, using the Queen's English (no more sidewalks or malls or vacations!) and being a native, rather than feeling very special when people point out I'm not American and call my accent "cute".........
I feel like in my 10 weeks in the Americas I've matured by about 10 years both professionally and personally. I've made some great friends and learnt a lot about Cadbury Schweppes, both the confectionery side and the beverages side. It hasn't been easy working on 3 different audits back to back out here, and when I arrived for the third one in Chicago I was feeling more than a little jaded. However, Group Audit isn't somewhere you come to for rest, and we were straight on to looking at sales - going out with merchandisers and attending the 6am Sales meeting on Good Friday (one of the downsides of America - no long weekend for Easter!)
The market in Chicago is very different to that of Texas- Dr Pepper is out and Vitamin Water is in! The stores are different too, with many new names for me to learn and more focus on "downtown." I spent my first couple of days trying to get to grips with all the differences, and the fantastic Chicago accent, which is only rivalled, in my opinion, by the full of character New York one. Of course, there is also the change in climate to deal with - a good excuse to go shopping (again!) for warmer clothes - but I have to admit the purchase of a thick winter coat and complaints about the cold in April have made me feel a bit soft - real Geordies are supposed to be able to brave minus temperatures in only a football top.
It's going to be tough to leave the US and all the fantastic people I've met out here behind - though I do take consolation in the fact that the week after I fly back, we've got our audit global conference, so I'll get to see the team again in the UK. I've made a promise that we'll go for fish and chips - something I've missed A LOT out here.
After our conference I've got about 2 weeks in the UK to:
Do a quick trip back home to Newcastle to show off my cowgirl boots and matching hat (I know, I am the epitome of cool sophistication), and ridiculously oversized bags and sunglasses (which I'm convinced will open the doors to the first class lounge for me, as people confuse me with some up and coming celeb).
Do a 1 day trip to Dublin to help out with the risk assessment for our upcoming audit there.
Catch up with my family and friends.
Sort out 5 months of expenses - not a fun proposition; I would estimate I have about 200 different receipts :-(
Then it's off to Belgium for a couple of weeks to try and share what I've learnt from the US with my EMEA counterparts...............
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