After eight months of anticipation and planning, I recently visited our London office. While, I may have picked a less-than-perfect time to visit (the week before Easter), it was a fabulous experience.
I started as an Analyst at Coleman in August 2013 and am currently a Senior Associate. Having been with Coleman for a couple of years now, I have been a part of many new initiatives, perks and changes. When the Point-to-Point Program came about, I was completely thrilled and who wouldn’t be – the program allows eligible employees to travel to and work in another Coleman office for up to one week. When I was about eight or nine months from eligibility, I began following up about the opportunity on a weekly basis. When the time came to actually head to London, my world was a bit hectic (my colleagues can attest to that!); however, when it was time to hit the runway for my red eye, I was so excited that it was finally here!
I got to London very early on Sunday morning and immediately hit the ground running (6am!) – the Tower of London, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey and at sunset, caught a nice picture of the London Eye. Monday morning came about and I was ready to head to the office. My route was planned, and my courage was building as I stepped out of my hotel and lost all connection to Wi-Fi and the ability to use Google Maps. With 45 minutes allotted for my 10-minute walk, I managed to get to the office only 20 minutes late! Lucky for me, the lovely Coleman Londoners were more than understanding and happy to see me, flushed face and all. As I mentioned earlier, I visited the week before Easter so several colleagues were out of the office but those who were there made sure I got a feel for the fun, yet hardworking culture and their accents kept me smiling throughout the day. I have been working with some of these folks my whole tenure with Coleman, and it was really fun to interact with them face-to-face, grab tea, and discuss how I need to not say pants when referring to my trousers.
It was an amazing opportunity and I feel very thankful to work for a company that provided such an experience. I hit the hot spots and a few Broadway shows, gave some change to street performers, mastered the Tube, relearned how to use a real map, and got to meet and mingle with some awesome counterparts on the other side of the pond.