10) Rishwa's graduation from WIT- As with any college graduation, it's always such a highlight in a person's life when they are able to achieve their diploma and finish their Bachelor's Degree! The same is true with her and I was really proud and honored to be able to attend my little sister's college graduation. It was especially the case with Rishwa because of the extra time that she had to put in to finish up her degree and the few minor setbacks that popped up along the way! While it was a major accomplishment for her, it was definitely a highlight for everyone in my family!
9) New People- There is no question that 2011 brought some really wonderful people into my life. When I think about some of people that made a huge impact on my year, there is a definite smattering of new faces in that crowd. Sasha, Christina, Khadijah, Natasha, Christine, Riles, Stephen, Marqus, Amanda, Edouard, Brian, DC, Xavier, Kala, Shannon, Nona, and Marcus are some people that I met or became closer with in the last year and all of them had some impact on my year. While some of those people aren't a part of my daily life anymore, they still played some role in my work life in 2011!
8) PMG becomes C-13- There were some major work related changes that have made a significant impact on my life. When we changed our client and our broker, we also incorporated a new company and dissolved our old one. One really exciting thing about changing campaigns from AT&T to Action Aid was the chance to run and participate in more business trips. In the last few months, I've been able to get out to Philadelphia, Silver Springs, and New York City. Not only am I really glad that I got to spend a week in each of those cities, the business trips that came to our office also made a huge difference on how things are now run in Hartford. We switched offices spaces to go back to the original building that I started in and also partnered up with Frank in that same time period. While the campaign switch has been really tough in our office production and led to the loss of various people who worked with us, it has all-in-all led to some positive experiences!
7) Chicago Trips- In 2011, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Chicago 3 times. The first visit in January was an emergency trip that had to happen to ensure Behna's well being, but both of the other trips were for pure fun and pleasure! I got out there to see Soham Bhai's family and new apartment, hang out with Sabrina, catch up with HSO and SASA, and also sit in on some USGA meetings. This last trip in October was definitely the most memorable because it was right in time for Navratri Garba and also a surprise for both Romz and Behna! The other really great part of it was that I got out to both Lombard to see Vino and out to Evanston to spend some time with Shaleen! Anytime that I get the opportunity to get out to Chicago and see my friends and family is an awesome experience, but 2011 allowed me that chance 3 times and I'm grateful for that.
6) Fenway Park (Yankees vs. Red Sox)- One of the greatest things that happened while working with AT&T was the ability to attend a Yankees vs. Red Sox game at Fenway Park. Even though I've been to Fenway a couple times before and I've been to other Yankees/Red Sox games, never have I had the chance to sit in a corporate box at a professional stadium! Not only was it a beautiful summer night for baseball, but we were sitting in the corporate box on 3rd baseline! It's such a different experience being able to run in for free food being served in your own private box or going to the private bathroom and not waiting in line. I honestly felt like a VIP that night. Mike, Josh, and I had never had that type of experience so it was really amazing to be able to enjoy that. To top it all off, the Yankees won 4-2 which made the night so much better!
5) Business Building Blocks- An all expenses paid, three-day trip to Los Angeles and the opportunity to hang out with some really awesome people about to run their own companies!? Are you kidding me!? Mike and I flew out to LA to hang out at BBB and get some major insights on running your own company and how to really prepare yourself for all that endeavor actually encompasses. Not only was it great to get out there, but the best part was that I became much closer with the other members of my organization that were out there. I made some really good friends while out there, especially out exploring the local nightlife after our workshops were over! I also was named co-champion of a freestyle dance contest that was held there, which rocketed me to instant notoriety
4) "Rest and Relaxation" in Puerto Rico- Very similar to BBB, Puerto Rico was another first in my life. Many people had talked about how beautiful and amazing it was in PR and now I can join in the conversation! It was legitimately a 4 day vacation to a gorgeous resort in San Juan! We had one morning of meetings while the rest of the time was really about hanging out and just enjoying everything that the island and organization had to offer! We basically sat at the pool during the day and hung out in the casino at night! It was really amazing to just spend time in PR and get to really many of the other people that work in our business around the country. Our organization broke off from the broker right after that, so it was really a final event that everyone could come together and be in the same place! I met some amazing people, had a really wonderful time, and thoroughly enjoyed my first visit to Puerto Rico!
3) ESPN: The Weekend- I will forever be able to say that I attended the last ESPN: The Weekend! With the CJC now being an employee of ESPN and his future father-in-law also being an employee, the Administration guys and I decided to go down to Orlando in March! Not only did I attend the event, I was there in style! I hung out with Mike Golic, Collin Cowherd, and Karl Ravich in the airport. Trey Wingo was the first guy that I saw in the resort. We stayed in a luxury suite right in Downtown Disney across from the boardwalk! Not only that, but we got the chance to sit in on a live airing of Mike and Mike in the Morning at the Wide World of Sports Complex! I also got to see people like Chad Ochocinco, Rashad Mendenhall, Roddy White, Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Merrill Hoge, Karl Malone, Frank Thomas and many others! Not only that, but I also got to ask a direct question to Bernie Williams while they were doing a feature on the MLB! It was an amazing experience that I got to share with three of my best friends and two of their future wives! I love ESPN, I love DISNEY WORLD, and I love my Administration members so how could things not have been awesome!?
2) Promotion to Assistant Manager- There is no question that one of the top highlights of 2011 was my push and promotion to Assistant Manager in May! In a matter of two weeks, I built my team up to 15 people and smashed the necessary numbers to get promoted from Corporate Trainer to AM! That was the single biggest thing that has happened in this job, especially because of all of the doors that it opened up for me after that! There is no question that it made the last 6 months significantly more fun and educational. We had the official promotion and party in July, which my parents had the opportunity to attend as well! It was great to have everyone there for me and to be really just relish my accomplishments! While most of those people that were on my team aren't with our company anymore, it was still a great run at the push and was able to get it done as quickly as I could. I am so thankful to the people that got me there because without that, some of those other highlights definitely would not have happened!
1) India- The number one highlight of 2011 was my family's visit to India in July! Not only was it our first trip as a family in many years, but it was also the first time that everyone on my mother's side was all together in the same place! We went out there for Vishu's janoi ceremony and really as a family reunion for the Vasavada side! It was really awesome to be able to spend time together in one house and have everything taken care of. The actual events were good, but the real highlights happened when everyone was just sitting around at the house. We choreographed our own dance, killed at the garba, and just all around had a really good time! The other crazy thing was my ability to sit in on some procedures at Nilesh Masa's hospital! I still find it hard to believe that I saw a live birth and other such procedures being done with no medical training or preparation! With my grandparents both being in their 80's and not being able to travel back and forth to the United States, there is no telling when we will be able to see them again! It was really great for us and for them to have everyone attend this time! It was especially good because the last time that they saw me, I was just barely done dealing with the issues at RWU and my transition to LUC! This time, there was no such stress and everyone could just really enjoy themselves!
0 comments:
Post a Comment