“I would love to travel around the world like you do”

Like I said in my previous post, I hear that a lot.

My First Assignment

It was mid-February, 1993. I had just finished my 6 weeks of application software training. I was given my first assignment. Travel to Waltham, Massachusetts and train users on the new manufacturing software.

I was staying at a full service hotel in Stamford, Connecticut. An army of roadies from my company was also there. All of us were packing our bags and preparing to checkout. Most would join me in Waltham while others would head to downtown Boston.

After checkout I was on the road. I decided not to take 95 North. Though it was early Sunday afternoon, that route could still be congested. I would leave Stamford l, Connecticut and take 95 South. From 95 South, I would cross the New York state line and take 287 West. From 287 West I would take 684 North and pick up 84 East. It was sort of a roundabout way to go because I would end up in Connecticut again but the traffic would be light.

Traveling 84 East gave me a chance to see the Connecticut countryside. There were no leaves on the trees, therefore I would have full view of the neighborhoods and towns along the way.

Waterbury was the most interesting to me. You could clearly see most of the town center from the highway. A few steeples and spires stood out amongst the old brown and red brick buildings that adorned the streets. The terrain of the city was not plain flat. It consisted of hillsides and ridges thus adding to the charm of the town. It was not a town filled with brand new buildings. Most of the structures seemed old. It seemed like the structures were built in the 1940’s or perhaps earlier. Again, I thought this look just added to the city’s charm. Looking at it from my window reminded me of many scenes painted by Norman Rockwell.

I smiled as I kept driving on 84 East towards Hartford.

Stay tuned for my next post in this series.