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 |  I travel the country on business, sometimes the world. Come see where I've been. |
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Talk about perks, my job has one of the best ones I can think of! I travel in the course of business, delivering classes for my employer. I am a Senior Training Specialist for Motorola Solutions, and teach classes on a wide variety of subjects centered around 2 way radio communications. I'm qualified to deliver approximately 30 different classes, but about half of those are 'Legacy' classes, and are not in demand anymore. My students are technicians, those who maintain, program, calibrate, and repair large 2-way radio systems. Some of these systems are statewide, and use TCP-IP networking to allow sites to communicate with others. Some are small, traditional type radio sites. The size doesn't matter, in each case the systems must be kept operational at all times, since many of them are Public Safety Systems. So I get to travel, sometimes frequently, 3-4 weeks in a row.... where am I this week? This probably won't have daily entries, but I will make entries when I get to go somewhere, and keep an updated list of coming trips. My schedule changes faster than the weather, so don't be too surprised to see me list an upcoming class, only to remark later on that it is cancelled, or delayed. Delays are fine of course, but a later date might mean that someone else gets to go instead of me,,, Well, here we go with this, let's see where it takes us.  Best Cultural And Regional Honorable Mention |
| Locale: Algiers, Algeria I will be here in Algeria the next two weeks to deliver a basic RF Theory class to their radio techs. This entry will enlighten you about the 'hazards' of every day travel.  My flights were fine, a little bumpy crossing the Atlantic, even on a 747. I managed to get a seat in the upper level, so it was very quiet, and only about half full! I have to give kudos to people like Kåre Enga in Montana  who travel on their own, often sitting 'in-the-back-of-the-bus' so to speak to get where they long to be. I'll admit to being a bit spoiled, but in thinking about what Kåre Enga in Montana does and sees, I often wonder who's seeing more. Actually, I know who's seeing more, and it's not me.  I arrived in Algiers about noon after having traveled all night to Frankfurt, then down to here after a two hour layover. That part was fine, everything went smoothly. The Algiers airport is new, but was fairly empty when we arrived. My driver (yes, my company has a man they've hired to drive the instructors to and from work, and airport) met me outside baggage claim and we headed to the hotel. I know I haven't seen much of Algeria yet, but initial impressions are that it reminded me a lot of being in Kuwait in 2004. We arrived at the hotel, and I checked in. Or should I say, I attempted to check in. Two things happened about the same time. First, I realized that my PNC bank card was missing! This is my card, not the company card. I'd deposited a small amount yesterday before leaving, and had NEVER REMOVED IT FROM THE ATM SLOT!  A quick call home, and checking with the bank fixed it. Some kind, angelic soul had found it in the ATM and turned it in. Fortunately, I'd used an ATM at the bank, so that made it easier too. The cards is being mailed to my house.(This part I'm summarizing more than anything) The second thing that happened on checking in, is that my Corporate card was declined! Without going in to a lot of unnecessary details, let's just say we have a limit on our cards, and there wasn't enough room on mine to allow me to check in for two weeks. It's fixed now of course, but it took a few phone calls, a couple of e-mails, and some amount of stress to get it done. My own fault for not making sure everything was fine before leaving. After checking in, I toured the grounds some, grabbed a bite to eat at one of the numerous restaurants that are part of this complex, and crashed for a few hours. Need more sleep, so going back to bed in a bit. In Closing Like I said, I'm here for two weeks, and will post again about things I see or experience. Til next time, be good to yourselves and those you love, and WRITE!  Jim Dorrell |
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I then went to Taiwan for two weeks; but, although that was nice, it wasn't 'home'. 
