Saturday, 15 November 2008

Day 27: Homecoming

It's happened. The time to come home is here, and as I write this I'm packing my bags and saying goodbye to London.

Today was actually a really good day -- one of my best, actually. I got an email from Raif van der Linden (MDR in Slough), who extended an invitation to go see a movie and have a few pints with his friends in Central London. So I hopped the tube and met up with Raif and his friends Kevin and Mioka. We caught the 3:30pm showing of the new James Bond movie and (eventually) found a pub near the SoHo area of London that wasn't completely packed on a Saturday night. Kevin and Mioka are fantastically nice people (as is Raif of course), and we had a great time. It was cool hanging out with locals in London, and I couldn't feel more gracious to Raif for inviting me. A very good last day!

I've pretty much finished packed my suitcases and will set the alarm for 9am to wrap things up at the flat and catch a cab to Paddington Station before taking the train to Heathrow. I'll probably have to pay for a third checked bag because of all the extra stuff I bought, but it'll be well worth it. My plane is nearly empty, so I should be able to grab a four-seat row to myself without much effort (fingers crossed!).

I took some pics of Picadilly Square today, but don't have time to post them. Maybe after I get back?

All in all, this has been a phenominal trip. I've probably already alluded to this, but the Concur office in Slough is an absolutely great place to visit. The people are top-notch, and although Slough and Redmond are separated by 5000 miles, the Concur culture and spirit has clearly spanned the distance. I can't thank my fellow colleagues enough for their generosity and hospitality.

Quite sincerely, I could have spent more time here without a single thought, but I miss my girlfriend (Love you Kelly!) and my friends, and I suppose if I have to go home it's a good time to do it. It'll be good to be back in Redmond and especially great to get back to the business at hand -- namely to sell a LOT of Concur solutions! :)

To all that have read this blog, thanks for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed it. I had hoped to write every day, but got a little lazy in the past couple weeks, so I apologize for that. Just know that I've had a GREAT time in London, and will always look back fondly on this superb experience. I'm looking forward to having green money, better broadband, driving a car, and sleeping in my own bed.

So for now, I say goodbye to my good friends in London, and "see you soon" to my friends in the States. I feel priviledged and thankful to have been here.

Talk to you all soon,
Tim

Over and out.

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