Before starting back at Symantec, my manager had let me know that there would be a training in Florida, at our Heathrow office, covering one of the products I would be supporting. Since I had been gone for so long, we felt it would be a good refresher. It would also be a good chance to meet with people outside the company, as there would be partners that would also work with it.
At the airport, I met a coworker from our Oregon office, and we would end up traveling together on the trip. This was my first trip to Florida, and the flight from Salt Lake airport was entertaining. A large number of the people on the flight were families going to Disneyworld. Once we boarded, the flight attendants pointed out that our flight was full, so to be sure we got airborne, we had to lift our arms in the air like it was a roller coaster. They did other silly things and jokes, for example when we landed, they got over the PA system and asked if anyone lost a briefcase full of hundred dollar bills, as they had an empty briefcase to return. It added to the experience, which really feels that Disneyworld (and the other parks in the area) get a lot of attention. Some day I hope we get there for a vacation.
We arrived in the evening to mild, rainy weather. I understand Florida is like this quite often, and was a decent change from a Utah winter. It took around an hour to reach the hotel from the airport, but fortunately the hotel was pretty close to the office. During our trip, we got a chance to explore the area whilst looking for food and other things to do, although they wasn’t much. We drove down to Cocoa Beach, the city I Dream of Jeannie took place in, although it didn’t look like I imagined it from the TV series.
We got a chance to try some new food, like Alligator and Frogs Legs, at a local place a coworker recommended. Whoever thought Frogs Legs taste like chicken was eating some bad chicken, because it tasted nothing like it, and not good at all, either. At least the Alligator was decent, when battered and deep fried.
As for the trip, the training was good. Over the few days I was there, I met some people I had worked with in the past, and got the refresher and update I needed on our product. I am glad I went, even if everyone missed me during the trip.