Life as expat in own country

Since this week we start the implementation of new software at one of our distribution platforms. We have been working and preparing this project for the last 4,5 months and now the software is more or less (hmmm!) ready. So the entire team moved their desks to an improvised room at the platform.

Right now we have 2 weeks in which we do the final testing, fixes etc... and in which we train the end users in the new system (not always a good combination to do at the same time!!). I am giving a couple of training sessions as well. Tough in another language!

It's in Liège, a big industrial city in the east of the country near the German border. It would make 90 -120 min drive for me to get here, so I am staying in a hotel all the time. there are actually quite a few of the team members staying in the hotel since we expect to work a lot of overtime in the coming weeks.

As a result it feels like I am being an expat again, although I am still in my own country. We found our rhythm right away: working long days, going to the hotel, waiting in the bar until everyone is down again in order to go out for dinner, walk around in the city to choose a restaurant, go and eat in a restaurant, (some then go out for another drink), get back in the hotel room, telephone, watch a little tv or read a few pages in a book, fall asleep .....

Being in a small hotel all the time is not very exciting, but somehow I manage to get more sleep than I do at home. I am offline all the time, so not tempted to chat with everybody , neither can I do any household chores. And I don't loose time commuting, so I can sleep longer. But I do miss chatting with you all though! Can hardly make it to check my mail her a couple of times a day :(.

It's ok for now, it can be really fun to all go out in a group every night. But I don't wanna think yet how long this is going to take, neither when I am going to do my household chores in the weekend combined with all the other things I want to do!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Well, a nice bottle or two, or should I say 4L, might help ease the worries of missing out on your every day routine.

Oh....wait....you have done that already right? :)

Hee hee hee

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