Happy Holidays!!!!!!!!!! I saw this for many reasons, but one of which is because being in the Middle East I never heard it. It has been a crazy week of traveling for me with 4 different countries, Bahrain, Egypt, France and now Belgium. And its only two days till I will be back home after more then six months away, I can’t wait. So we wrapped up the project in Bahrain and I headed to Egypt. I got to explore Cairo a little more in depth going to the different markets and getting to eat at my favorite Lebanese restaurant. As well as catch up with Amanda since it had been over a month since we had seen each other since I went to Bahrain and she went to Dubai.
Then I flew to Paris and had a couple of hours there, in the taxi along the way I got to see the Eiffel Tower at least from a distance. I have got to say I was a little shocked but I am told that it is much more impressive at night. But once I got to France I got to experience the cold of Europe again. While waiting on our train I was freezing and ended up looking like a bum putting on a sweater and two suit coats to try and keep warm. We arrived in Belgium after dark and had the driver at the train station waiting to take Amanda and Vivian to the company house and then me onto my hotel. I am staying at the Astoria Hotel in the heart of Brussels. http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fichehotel/gb/sof/1154/fiche_hotel.shtml
It is set alongside the Palace where the King of Belgium resides and numerous archechture wonders. The hotel reminds me of the classic days very similar to that of the Plaza Hotel in NYC. With huge chandeliers and gold walls and huge tapestries. I was blessed to be one of the few in the company to be staying in the hotel instead of one of the company houses. I got to get out of the hotel today and look around. The cobblestone streets that are everywhere remind you of the rich history beneath your feet and everything that you look at around you. The streets are lined with historic buildings that are still in use. Housing, offices, government buildings, and lots of art galleries and expensive jewelry and clothing stores.
New photos online at http://community.webshots.com/user/chadgriggs
I will be taking the train into Overpelt where the main office is to do my end of the year review and try and get the Bahrain project wrapped up. Then tomorrow night is my first true corporate Christmas party, kind of crazy to think about. And sticking with true tradition of the company we all got to vote on the theme and the one that won was Disco/ 70’s so it should be interesting. They have flown everyone in from around the world that works for the company for the party. It will be great getting to catch up and meet the people that I have heard so much about. I know the party will go late into the night with a bus planning on taking us back into Brussels at 3am. I have an early plane to catch on Saturday with a long lay over in London then finally I will touch down on good ol Texas soil at 6:30pm.
I feel as if I should say something intelligent now that I have been away from the US for over 6 months now again traveling the world. I am not exactly sure that there is need for a speech on this. But I will say that we are blessed with an amazing world in which we can explore. This job has been a complete blessing giving me the ability to grow, expand and learn. Meeting the different people throughout the 6 months has been the greatest blessing helping me to educate my self and begin to truly understand the different cultures and issues that people are dealing with both in a business and social sense. As we are in this Holiday Season and soo close to Christmas I am reminded that what is truly important to me is the blessing of a loving family and great friends in which we share so much. All my best to you in this Holiday season and may 2007 be greater and filled with even more blessings than 2006.
God Bless,
Chad
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home