Round 1 Location

drumroll.....Atlanta GA!!!

January 25 - March 12, 2010

so much for my international traveling job! I get to stay in a hotel in my own city!

Round 6 Location

San Juan, Puerto Rico
October 26 - December 18, 2009

Round 5 Location

Manaus, Brazil
August 31, 2009 - October 23, 2009

I found out my next location...Brazil! I will be in the jungles of Brazil though...was hoping for Rio! There is a direct flight to Manaus from Atlanta...come visit! :)

Europe here I come!

I am so happy today because I found out I am finally going to Europe for an audit, and during the perfect time of year! I really cannot wait, definitely ready for a change of scenery from SE Asia. I have had some great weekends though here on the Philippines audit, and sadly I didn't stay much in the Philippines, but I have a feeling I will be back in Round 5. I am going to Ho Chi Mihn next weekend, and then off to Vienna! Would love to meet up if anyone is around Europe this summer!

Round 4 Location - Updated Location!

Vienna, Austria
July 5 - August 28, 2009

Yippee! I am not staying in Manila for 4 months in a row! I guess when you want something so much sometimes you can make it happen! :) They switched me to the Vienna audit, so I will be there during the summer season and it will be amazing! If anyone is going to be in Europe this summer let me know, maybe we can meet up! Please come visit!

(Old News)
Well, I am not so happy..I am staying in Manila for 2 more months...a total of 4 months here. Not that it's a bad place, but there are so many good options for Round 4, like Argentina, Italy, Austria...and I have to stay here :( But, I get to keep my big apartment, with kitchen, and will get to see more of the Philippines, and I might try to venture out of the country more weekends..maybe Japan, Korea, Bali...we'll see! Please come visit!

Same Same, But Different

Well I have reached my 3rd destination - hello from Manila! It really is same same, but different...weatherwise anyway. Very hot here..I don't know how much more heat I can take!

"Same Same, but Different" is my favorite expression from Thailand...I just think it's so funny. I even bought a t-shirt in Chiang Mai with this slogan.

I was definitely ready for a change of scenery! In Thailand, I got sunburnt badly twice, and I think dehydration too maybe a few times...jeez. I tried to play tennis in Krabi and only lasted 10 minutes.

We had a great weekend in Chiang Mai a few weeknds ago, after spending 3 weekends at the beach. We took a cooking class, which was so much fun - after visiting a local market, we got to make 6 courses throughout the day. My pad thai was amazing, I think better than any pad thai I had in Thailand!

Hanoi/Halong Bay was really nice too - took a boat cruise around Halong Bay for 2 nights, did some kayaking, and caught up on sleep. Hanoi is a chaotic city...the traffic is unbelievable! Great shopping though - we only had 2 hours to see the city and I need more shopping time!

I got in from Singapore last night, and also had a nice time. It's a really good city, very clean and safe, great food, and lots of shopping malls!

I am hoping the audit in Manila is more fun than in Bangkok...the group in Bangkok wasn't up for going out much, and so at night I didn't do much during the week sadly. I think things might be different here though! I think I got really lucky with a great group in Istanbul.

Hope all is well, send me an email and let me know how you are! And my apartment is very large here with kitchen, and attached to a big shopping mall - please come visit! :)

Should know this week where my next destination is!

Safe in Bangkok

Amazing that once again, I am in Thailand and the country is headlining the news....don't worry I am safe and sound in Bangkok after the long weekend in Phuket. Fortunately, we were in Phuket during the heat of the protests and arrived back once the protesters starting pulling back. Even so, our hotel is nowhere near where the protests were occurring, so we would have been fine :) We were worried that they would close the airport (like last time this happened) and we wouldn't be able to make it back from Phuket! We were driving home from work last week, and saw some of the protesters gathering in the street (in the distance) but that's the extent of what I've seen. The operation told us to leave work early 2 days last week because of the traffic problems sure to be caused by street closings.

I think maybe I shouldn't travel to Thailand anymore, since both times I've traveled here they issued a state of emergency!

Had a nice weekend in Phuket though, and took a day trip to Phi Phi which was so beautiful! Going to Krabi on Friday, then Chiang Mai the following weekend to take a cooking class (I am going to learn how to make mango and sticky rice!!!) and finally going to Hanoi/Halong Bay (Vietnam) and will take a 2 night cruise along Halong Bay. On the way to Manila, I am going to Singapore for the long weekend.

Will try to write more soon, but just wanted to give a quick update... will start working on my weekend pics from Thailand soon hopefully!

Update from Thailand

I am reaching the end of week 3 in Thailand, and I have to say I have hardly gotten the chance to see Bangkok! The first week I was sick the whole week and missed most of work....after taking antibiotics I was fine the first weekend to go to Kuala Lumpur. It was a nice trip...saw the Petronas Towers, went to the Batu Caves (where we saw the tallest Hindu structure in the world) and did a little shopping. Last weekend I went to Cambodia and saw Angkor Wat, which was amazing! We saw it at both sunrise and sunset. Also saw like 5 other temples too, and my favorite time was when we got up for sunrise on Sunday because it was so peaceful and also not as hot! The next 3 weekends I am headed to Thailand beaches (Ko Samui, Phuket, and Krabi). Will be nice to relax for once!

Here in Bangkok I haven't been doing too much at night as traffic here is horrible and it takes us forever to get home from work. Sad to say I haven't had that much good thai food yet! My goal is to find some good restaurants nearby the hotel. I did have some street food this week which was better than most of the restaurants I've been to. My new favorite thai dish is mango w/ sticky rice, which is a dessert that is amazing! Next week I am going to start exploring the city more...at least do some shopping at night :)

The Round 3 schedule changed and I am now going to Manila (Philippines) instead of Moscow, as the audit was cancelled. I am really sad about that, because I think I will be tired of very warm weather after 5 more weeks here. But, we are staying in serviced apartments in philippines, which are supposed to be really nice. I will have a 2BR 2 Bath apartment with kitchen all to myself for 8 weeks, so if anyone wants to visit I would love some company! The beaches in the country are supposed to be amazing, so I should have some good weekend trips.

Work is very busy this time...I have lots to do and I don't know how I am going to get it done! It's much more stressful audit than Turkey. At least I can relax at the beach the next 3 weekends, and this weekend and next are long holiday weekends here, which will be nice! Hope everyone is well!

Hi from Bangkok and Round 3 Location

Round 3 Location:
Manila, Philippines, 5/11/09 - 7/3/09

I made it to Bangkok on Saturday, and brought a bug with me...I am in the hotel sick today with an infection...really is no fun! I saw a doctor and am on antibiotics so hopefully I will feel better by Friday! I've booked the first 3 weekend trips, this weekend is Kuala Lumpur, then Angkor Wat (Cambodia), then Ko Samui. Then I think we'll go to Phuket for a long 4 day weekend.

It's very warm here, but since I've hardly left my room it's hasn't gotten to me yet! The office is really nice, and the people are very friendly, just as I remember. Our room faces a golf course, so it's depressing staring at the course all day when we have to be working! I hope I have more interesting things to report once I am better and am able to explore a bit. Our hotel is really nice, and is supposedly in a really good area with lots of shops, restaurants, etc. although I have only been to the 711 for tylenol :)

Goodbye from Turkey!

My time in Istanbul has come to an end..I am getting ready to head to the airport to fly to Bangkok. I found out that I am no longer going to Vietnam, but will be in Bkk the whole time. My first weekend trip is booked - going to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and I think we'll go to Vietnam for vacation the 2nd weekend :)

I had a great last weekend trip to Petra, really it was amazing. The weather was perfect, and the scenery unbelievable. Everyone was so friendly there to us...I guess cause we were 3 girls, but we made some friends, with taxi drivers, bellman, everyone really! A taxi driver spent the whole day with us - drove us 2.5 hours each way to Petra from Amman, and then took us out on the town and then to the airport at 2am! He was so nice he gave me the disco CD we listened to in the car on the way to Petra that I loved :) We have some great pictures which I will try to share soon!

I was lucky to have such a good fun group to work with the first audit, and I think it will be another good one in Thailand. Definitely ready to leave the hotel/club I have been living in the past 7 weeks, and ready for a normal hotel with a pool! Tomorrow when I arrive I plan to sit at the pool all day - I can't wait! Will write soon from Thailand!

Upcoming excursion from Thailand!

I found out that I am going to be working in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, for two weeks during the Bangkok audit! Skippy - your motherland! :) It's just going to be two of us traveling there, but I am looking forward to it!

Looking forward to my last weekend in Turkey - Petra! It's going to be an exhausting trip and we are only there for just over 24 hours and leave at 4am on Sunday to fly back. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Turkey Update

I can already tell it's going to be difficult keeping up with posting to the blog, and responding to emails....things are so busy so I apologize if I have not returned your email yet! I promise I will soon.

Just 1.5 weeks left in Turkey, and honestly I think I am about ready to move on. The weather here is really depressing, after the first week or two it has really rained everyday! I am ready for the beaches of Thailand! I have really been enjoying the weekends though, after the tiring work weeks. It is hard going back to work on Monday though, after taking a mini vacation every weekend. Izmir/Ephesus was a great trip, we got some cool photos in Ephesus (one of which is now my new facebook profile pic) and saw some great history. Last weekend I went to Athens with one of the CAD girls, and we stayed with her friend who is from Athens (and Greek). So I basically lived like a local for the weekend, minus the 3 hour Athens Walking Tour I did on Saturday. The tour was called the Acropolis tour, but the guards there went on strike so it was closed the whole weekend. Despite that, it was still interesting and I got some great photos. It was carnivale in Athens over the weekend which was alot of fun...everyone was dressed up in costumes and the partying was plentiful. I really fell in love with the city and did not want to leave! The city is more laid back than Istanbul, which I really enjoyed, and because the weather was so nice there, people were outside all the time eating and having coffee.

This weekend I am going to Petra with two of the girls on the audit, and that will be my last weekend trip here! Work is going ok, still getting adjusted to everything though. It's hard working in a room with 6 people constantly talking when I am used to my quiet cube!

I am off to play some tennis now - will try to write again soon!

Raining in Istanbul

After some unusually warm weather here in Istanbul, I think the winter decided to come back and now it's raining and cold here :( Last weekend I stayed in Istanbul and although the weather wasn't so pleasant, I was able to see most of the sights (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sofia, Spice Market, Topkapi Palace, Grand Bazaar). I have established myself as an expert bargainer already :) and bought a beautiful silver bracelet in the bazaar that I wanted to buy in Cappadocia but was too expensive! I am working on the pictures from the weekend and will send out soon.

For all of my tennis buddies, I am happy to say that I found a great hitting partner at least while I am Turkey. Sadly, she is going to Brazil for the next round. We have reserved an indoor court once a week for an hour, and the pro at the hotel (down the street from ours) who I think is bored most of the day said he would hit with us most weeks. We had a great workout on Tuesday and I look forward to playing each week.

We've finally booked all of our weekends in Turkey, and here is the plan:

WE3: Spa outside of Istanbul (supposed to be the nicest spa in Turkey!)
WE4: Izmir/Ephesus, Turkey
WE5: Athens, Greece
WE6: Petra, Jordan

On another note, I didn't realize I had the blog set up that you had to be registered to leave a comment. I have changed this so please leave your comments - I would love to hear from you!

Happy Valentines day to all! Sadly, I will be spending mine with 3 girls at the spa!

Istanbul Update

Just wanted to give a quick update of what is happening here in Istanbul. Things are busy but I will try to post as often as possible!

I'm working with a big mix of people - one from Greece, France, Brazil, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, and Venezuela. Everyone makes fun of how each other speaks English, and it's pretty funny.

A few random/interesting things that came to my mind:

- We stay in Europe and work in Asia, crossing the border every morning and evening!
- The food in the Coke cafeteria is amazing! We eat lunch there everyday and it's home cooked and delicious Turkish cuisine
- I found a tennis buddy, one of the girls from Ireland plays and we are going to try to play each week in an indoor court
- Traffic is crazy, and people drive crazy.
- Our hotel has parties Wed-Sat nights, and it basically turns into a club, and I can hear the beat slightly when I go to sleep. It's apparently the happening place to be in Istanbul on Wed nights. We went on Wed and there were many famous Turkish people there.

We've been busy so far, already gone to see a dance performance of Troy, went to the Wed night party/club at our hotel, hit the shopping malls in Istanbul (the girls are shopping maniacs). I really like the food here in general, and hope I don't put on too much weight! They have the best rice, I think that's my favorite thing, any kind of meat/chicken with rice.

Over the weekend we flew to Cappadocia (in Turkey), which is an area closer to the center of the country with amazing landscape. I'll send some pictures soon. It's described as an area with unique moon-like landscape, underground cities, and cave churches. We stayed at an amazing hotel inside of a cave. We were pretty much the only people staying at the hotel and had the whole place to ourselves. The hotel staff made us home cooked meals each night and we had our own living room to watch DVDs, etc. It was a great first CAD weekend! I'll send pics soon.

It rained/snowed in Cappadocia, but we still toured the area but couldn't do the hot air balloon ride that we were hoping to do. Our future weekend plans are: two weekends here in Istanbul, Izmir/Ephesus (Turkey), Athens, a spa weekend, and possibly a ski resort.

So I am really enjoying my new job/life and look forward to the adventures ahead! Hope everyone is well!

Round 2 Location

Bangkok, Thailand
3/16/09 - 5/8/09

Although this was not was one of my preferences since I've been already, I love the country and am excited to go back. Pray for no tsunami this time! I am especially excited to visit all of the surrounding countries on the weekends, and make it to Phuket since I was not able to go previously!

First day in Istanbul!

I made it safely to Istanbul yesterday and am at my first day of work! It's a really neat city - so much amazing architecture and landscape. We are staying within walking distance of the Bosphorus in a fabulous (and I mean seriously fabulous) hotel. I feel like I am walking into a club when I walk into the lobby with the dimmed lighting and posh decoration. My room is so chic and also huge!

The audit team is great - a very fun bunch of folks and should be a great time here. I'll try to send some photos soon!

Round 1 location

Istanbul, Turkey

January 25, 2009 - March 13, 2009

1 week to go

Welcome to my blog!
I'm going to try to use this to keep all of my friends and family updated as to my travels and experiences as I embark on this new journey of my life. You can check back here to see what country I'm in and where I'm going next. Maybe some pictures, some good stories, some rants and raves, some memorable experiences. You never know, so you'll just have to check back.

Of course, please leave comments when you come and visit so I'll know you've been by.

One more week at home until I leave...wish me luck!! I'm so excited but I'll certainly miss all of you. Keep in touch.

Love,
Lauren