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Saturday, May 15, 2010

~ Past Holiday Experiences 7 - New Jersey Feb-Mar 2005 (Part 1) ~

It was my very first and only business trip (to date) and I had a wonderful and memorable experience. First of all, I get to take the Business class flight and secondly, I'm going to the United States!! Never in my life did I ever thought that I would have this golden opportunity!

27th Feb 2005 (Sunday) - I have never gone travelling alone without my family and very soon I am embarking on a long flight with my 3 other colleagues to the U.S. Denver was only about 2 years old then and you can imagine how sad I was to be away from him for 2 weeks! I teared when Hubby and Denver came to send me off at the airport on a Sunday morning. After that, it is picking myself up and looking forward to the excitement for the next 14 days.

We went to the Business Class Lounge to have some drinks before heading to the plane.

The 18 hours of flight journey was long. I should count myself lucky as I am on the Airbus non-stop services between SG and US and that saves us the hassle of transiting in between. I felt pampered throughout as the air stewardess attended to my needs and I get to taste the different drinks and food on flight. :) Singapore Sling was one of them. There are Movies, Games and Music to keep me entertained. The seats are spacious with a lot of leg space and it can be converted to a nearly lie-flat bed where passengers can sit and rest comfortably. With such great services and facilities, I still have a hard time sleeping... probably since I'm not a frequent traveller.

When we finally reached the Newark International Airport - NJ, there were tight security checks and we had some minor hiccups along the way when one of our colleagues got taken into a separate room for further questioning. Thank goodness the green sign was finally given and we rushed out and found our company's cars are already waiting for us, pondering what might have happened that causes the delay. The chauffeurs were very friendly and it was my first ride in a cold winter night! I found myself enjoying the scenery and very soon we reached Marriott Courtyard. I was directed to my room and WOW it was so BIG! 2 double beds, 1 couch, a writing desk and a nice toilet with bathtub!

I left Singapore on a sunny Sunday morning and reached New Jersey on a cold winter Sunday night. A drastic weather change for me and it was already Monday morning back home! Just as I realised it has been almost a day journey for me, calling back home was the first thing to do and I already missed my family. Unpacking my luggage, switching on the heater and I finally manage to settle myself down and go to bed.

28th Feb 2005 (Monday) - I was welcomed by the winter breeze from my balcony when I woke up. I did not have a good idea of how it looked last night since it was so dark, but the view in the morning is fantastic! For a moment, I even felt as if I am on vacation!


Nice Pool in Marriott Courtyard
Since we arrived late last night, today is a rest day for my colleagues and I. After having our breakfast, we hired a limousine to take us to the Bridgewater Commons Mall. Our first day of shopping and yes, we are excited. ^_^

It started to snow very heavily in the evening and luckily the limo managed to send us back to Marriott. Back in my hotel room and just watching it snow is amazing. Earlier this morning, I can still see the roads and some greenary... now, the snow has covered them all once again.

1st March 2010 (Tuesday) - I woke up earlier to see the sun breaks. I was astonished as I stand by my balcony on a cold winter morning. Everything infront of me looks like the postcard photos. BEAUTIFUL! I have never seen so much snow before and everywhere around me looked so WHITE!

After breakfast, we took some photos inside and outside the hotel. :)

As it has snowed a lot the previous night, the grounds has been covered with a few inches of snow. Of course we had fun walking in it and making little snow balls. :)

Since non of us drives, the company van came to pick us to and fro to the office. We continued to pose for more photos during break time. :) Here we are at the office headquarters - WHS. Isn't it beautiful!??


2nd-3rd March 2010 - I continued having my training sessions at the office in Cokesbury and our bosses gave us a warm welcome dinner treat at La Casa Bianca resturant.



4th Mar 2010 (Friday) - Today, our manager, Alvis picked us up from the hotel and we travelled down to another site in Rahway. 外国的天空看起来真是不一样。Even the clouds looked different. :)



8th March 2010 (Tuesday) - It was raining and the snow melted away. So much difference from day 1. I still preferred the snow. ^_^

The rest of the days have been spent working and going through the training sessions. My manager, Alvis and team lead, Marie (then) also treated us dinner. They are very nice people and I really enjoyed my trip over here and getting to know and see the team.

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