April 17th, 2007: Arrival in the UK

Leaving on a Jet Plane
I had no idea how hard it would be to leave on this journey…it was horrible. I have grown to love Ottawa and have made some amazing friends there which made leaving it all behind for 9 months very hard. After finishing packing my 100lbs of luggage (delicately under the weight restriction for Air Canada) Jay and I hit Tim Hortons (see photo) then dinner with the gals and off to the airport. Leaving only 15 minutes until boarding time because, let’s face it, it’s Ottawa Airport I was shocked to see that the lineup was almost out the parking garage exit! After some panic and a few more tears I was on the plane complete with Lulu hoodie and asleep on take-off in true Tina style. London here I come!

Arrival in Woking
My plane arrived on schedule at 6:30 to Heathrow airport. My two huge bags made it through and I found my cab driver after a few more minutes of panic when I didn’t see him on my way out. Straight to work to meet Jaime to take me to my temporary flat. This flat actually belongs to Plan’s CIO Kelvin but has a small spare room (see photo) that he lets people stay in when he is not here. I am in the flat for a week then to a B&B for a week and then back here for 3 weeks before we leave for Sierra Leone. The flat is small but perfect for my needs. I have a fridge and laundry and a lot of large windows. It was a great day in Woking with the temp over 20 degrees and the sun shining.


I managed to get a shower and make my way back to the office getting only a little lost. Luckily Woking has a large replica Martian from the novel War of the Worlds in town centre that is my new landmark and guided me to the office.

A Day in the Office and Some Killer Jetlag
I get signed into the office and am greeted by Conor Sheehy who will be my ADP colleague and travel companion for the next 5 months across three countries. He is a Consultant and will working directly with me on testing and implementation activities. Conor is Irish and quite a hit with the ladies in the office. I have a feeling there will be no lack of excitement on our journey with him around.

I managed to stay awake for a full day from 9-4 of meetings and reading. Tomorrow I will spend most of the day with my boss Susan Smandych who was an ADPer herself when she worked for Accenture. I am hoping to have enough insight at that point that I can really sink my teeth into things. So many people to meet who are all over the world and we have deliverables to complete this week. Time to get a work on.

On my way home from work I stopped to take a peak into the mall. Looks very much like ours at home including stores like La Senza and Claire’s both of which I thought were Canadian so that shocked me a bit. Went to M&S and bough some snacks, dinner and breakfast.

Just watching a bit of telly now. I only get 4 channels but I didn’t have much more than that at home so I am not really feeling at a loss. I think it is time to head to bed (6:50pm) so I can be all ready for tomorrow. Susan is going to help me get my phone set up and buy a phone card so I look forward to calling home later this week.

I must say goodnight and take care.