first 3 weeks... GREAT!!!

Monday morning, 7 am, 01-12-09! I have to wake up, it's my first day at work with Alcatel-Lucent in Murray Hill, New Jersey. My roommates (landlord and landlady are definitely not the right terms!) Sue and Manny have already woken up, so we can go together to the trainstation in Millburn with their Honda Accord. 8:14 am is my train arriving, direction to Dover and I have to get out at Murray Hill Station, to take the shuttlebus to Alcatel.



"Our" house and "our" vehicle the Accord


Here are some Pics of my way to work...



Millburn railroad station, the room to have a warm-up ;)




Millburn station

Our transport vehicle for the next 3 month... NJ Transit

The very comfortable train, with the newest technologies ;-)

After arriving at the huge building, I went at first to the front desk, to sign in and ask the Lady there, if she could call my supervisor, Mr. Vig Menen. This’ll be our first face to face contact and of course I’m a bit nervous, even though I speak perfect english ;-)

Vig arrived a bit later, because his car was broken this morning and his first action was to introduce Stephany to me, which is also in our department, even though she’s from IT-Auditing and works normally in Kanata, Canada. After passing the cafeteria (to which I have to come back later!!!) we went some very long floors, not always very nice and representative, but part of our history, with the former and old Bell Labs still in our building and part of our company. When we arrived at the CAS (Corporate Audit Service) Vig introduced me at first to almost all of the members of the Team and I now have the honor, to introduce them to the readers of our Blog:

My cubicle, or workplace, clean as all of you know me...

Vig, our Supervisor

Mary Jo (also MJ)

Lino, the italian guy ;)

Gabe

Deanna (left) and Donna Marie (also DM) aren't they sweet?! ;)

Joe (I think that's interesting for you Tanja :)

Ervisa

And last but not least Bob... uhhh, I forgot someone... Michelle I have to take a picture of you tomorrow!!!

Bob, or Mr. Robert N. Vogt has, as well as Michelle the honorable task to “care” about me. By the way, thank you both for wasting a lot of working time for me, Bob already helped me with the plannings before I arrived here in the US.

Bob helped me a lot over the first week, unfortunately for me, very good for him and Gabe, they had to go to brazil for 3 weeks to do some SOX-testing. So Vig had to find a new “guard” for me, which was Michelle, which was very friendly and also helpful from the first moment on (again, that’s the way americans are and I really like it, because I’m qute similar (give and receive;)).

Now let’s come to the cafeteria, uhhhh... DELICIOUS!!! What I have to clarify at first: The next part of my post is nothing for people with an empty stomach and I’ll take no responsibility to any psychiologic depression which may occur of my descriptions.

Americans don’t have their biggest meal for lunch, different to a lot of european cultures. Her you can only enjoy some food... i.e. fresh salad, best fresh sandwiches and toasts ever(!!!), chosen italian and chinese food (pizza, spaghetti, burgers) and sometimes very special food, like the famous “Philly Cheesesteak” (from Philadelphia, one of the reasons, why we want to visit it ;). Everything I really like, I can pick it at our cafeteria and in addition to that, we have a lot of restaurants in our direct surrounding (pictures follow later, I don’t want my Blog to become a restaurant guide, even though it would be hard to avoid that!!!) And I think I still forgot to speak about the best Muffins on earth, but I don’t want to bore someone *g*

My first week at work was interesting, not because I had to work a lot (I got my Laptop on Friday and my badge on Thursday (finally, because until then I still had to register at the front desk and someone had to pick up “little” Tobi)), rather because I got to know a lot of very interesting people (i.e. the CFO for America and the head of worldwide audit) and finally learned that I’m in auditing not in accounting ;). But what does that mean? This question I learned to answer in my first week and the longer I worked here in this very comfortable and friendly atmosphere and the better I got to know what there doing here (travelling a lot, communicate with a lot of people in different departments, internal as well as external) the more I thought and am still thinking about to choose this job for the future.

But I have at least one year time to make this decision (in belgium is also an audit- department ;) maybe I should ask Anne how it is, to work over there...:)).

On Wednesday in my first week here, we (Bob, MJ, Felipe, Stephany and me) went to Weehawken, which is fortunately directly across the Hudson river from Manhattan. A wonderful view over Manhattan and also not that expensive (a meal for 20 bucks, that’s great for this view, but see it by yourself...)

NY from Weehawken (directly next to the Hudson river where the plane emergency landing took place one day after!!!)

Bob and me with Felipe and Stephany, our IT auditors

At my second weekend here I didn’t do anything special, only walking around and enjoying my huge TV with approximately 300 different programs and a soccer channel, too (yes, I am in paradise!!) But over my second week, I got to know Michelle and also Mary Joe better and so we planned to go to the NY aquarium in Brooklyn. Now afterwards, I would say it was great only for driving around, crossing for example the famous Brooklyn Bridge with a gorgeous view on Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty, the ocean and also the area (Brooklyn, Staten Island...). Unfortunately Michelle went some wrong ways, but for me it was great only to drive around and enjoying overwhelming views...

When we arrived at the Aquarium, I was a ‘lil bit disappointed because the outside show, the cinema (3D) and also one of the exhibition rooms were closed. But they had a very nice waterfall (see video) and a big basin with some sharks, a big turtle and 2 or 3 rays. Then we left the aquarium and went to the beach which was only about 200 feet away and enjoyed being at the atlantic ocean on this sunny and very nice day...

Isn't MJ beautiful?!

The shark (roargh!!!)

Michelle (there she is, of course I didn't forget her) and her kids Andrew and Danielle :-)

The sea cow, which has some similarities with me, standing in font of my mirror every morning :-(

After enjoying the driving and the wrong ways ;) a 2^nd time and arriving at Michelles house, we small-talked a bit and ordered a Philly Cheesesteak, which was very delicious!

And I looked forward to meet Evelyn, my german fellow student again, because she should arrive at january 31^st and live together here with me downstairs in our apartment in Barbara Ave...