Customer Support Blog

 Posts Tagged ‘Iona Brockie’

After thirty-one days and more new experiences than I can count, it is finally time to say goodbye to the country of Bangladesh. It has been a fascinating, surprising, beautiful, and incredibly informative trip, and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I could try to describe all of the amazing adventures I have had or all of the things I have learned, but I think these pictures will do them better justice.

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible. Thank you to all of the Bangladesh Therap team for your unending kindness and patience with all of my questions! Thank you to everyone in T&I for taking me under your wing and letting me invade your workspace. A massive thank you to Masum and his family for letting me stay with them. More than anything else, that really let me feel like a part of this country.

I return home with a much better grasp on the world outside my own backyard. I’m excited to start my second year of college with new energy and a new perspective, and I can’t thank everyone enough for that.

Iona

Danica and I had an easy morning, as Deb had some things to do and our meeting was canceled.  We explored the hotel breakfast more thoroughly.  I ordered a broccoli-mushroom-cheese omelet (delicious), while Danica took on the waffle maker.  We proceeded to watch Battle of the Wedding Designers while we packed up all our stuff and prepared to get back on the road.

Deb picked us up, and we chatted and listened to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince on tape (well, CD, but you know…) as we headed towards Ellsworth and our next hotel.

We stopped at a quite large, quite nice Panera for lunch, where I discovered that Deb shares my adoration for the BBQ Chopped Chicken salad.  Mmm.  Just wonderful.

We got back on the road and drove by gorgeous trees and water for another couple hours before arriving at our new hotel.  The beds were very tall, and quite entertaining.  We sat down with Deb and went over the basics on confluence that we used to change over the user guide, so she’d have an easy time when we worked on updating its content.

When that was settled, we headed back onto the road and drove to Acadia National Park.  This is located on the beautiful Mount Desert Island.  We drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain (fun fact: it’s one of the first places in the United States to see the sun rise!), a gorgeous winding drive up the steep sides of the mountain.  We got out at the extremely windy top and took our time taking pictures, climbing on rocks, and enjoying the beautiful view.

We got back in the car and continued along the road, getting out again to explore the trails around Bubble Pond, a beautiful lake edged by tree-covered hills and bathed in low sunlight.  We walked around the edge of the lake for a while, hopped across small streams using stepping stones, and explored to our heart’s content.

It was wandering along the side of one small stream that we encountered a cylindrical tunnel letting water through the hill under the road.  The water was only a few inches deep, and the tunnel several feet in diameter, so I was (obviously) determined to explore it.  Danica wouldn’t go in her Converse, but I and my trusty hiking boots made it through the entire tunnel, climbing back over the top of the road in a rather triumphant mood.

We explored a little longer, then headed over to the Jordan Pond House Restaurant for dinner.  That was awesome.  I had a popover (think…a croissant shaped like an eccentric muffin), swordfish with couscous and vegetables, and then Danica and I split some delicious brownie-with-chocolate-and-peach-ice-cream concoction.  Wonderful.

It was a tired ride back to the hotel, but we were serenaded again by Harry Potter on tape.  The moon was a deep red color, sitting on the horizon.  How peculiar.  What a day.  I certainly owe Deb a tremendous thank you for the wonderful adventures she leads us on (and the good food that comes with them)!

-Iona

I woke up this morning to an alarmingly bright room.  Convinced I overslept, I glanced over at Danica, who was awake as well.  Nope.  It was just six in the morning in Maine.  We both dozed off for another two hours, then got ready and headed downstairs for breakfast.  When we were back in our room packing some things for the day, we looked out the window and realized there was some gorgeous water behind the hotel, with waterfalls and a cute train track.  We still had a few minutes before Deb was supposed to come get us, so we hurried outside to take a look.  Beautiful!

Deb picked us up, and we went to visit Lutheran Social Services.  We spoke with a woman named Zoe Sweet. Danica and I got to ask her questions about how we can improve the user guide in the future, and watch as Deb helped her with some questions she had.  It was pretty awesome to see the program I’ve heard about for years (and spent the summer working on a user guide for) at work.  Ms. Sweet was very nice and very helpful, and it was great to be able to speak with her.

We had a little time before our next meeting, so we went to a local Starbucks to talk about the user guide, type up our notes, and drink double chocolaty chip frappuccinos.  Yum.  It’s like a chocolate shake, but it tastes expensive.

The next place we visited was John F. Murphy Homes, where we spoke with a very friendly woman named Laurie Cyr.  It was quite a different meeting, as they have been using Therap for years.  She was very helpful, and gave us a good idea of where we think we want to take the project next.  She also spoke very nicely of my dad, and was cheerfully surprised to find out we were related.  I was rather proud. I guess he does do an okay job at what he does after all. (I love you, dad.)  It was really neat to see how differently two agencies can use the same tool.

After that, Deb took us to Heidi’s Brooklyn Deli, where Danica and I had chicken noodle soup in bread bowls, chocolate milk, and apples.  Not that we have similar tastes, or anything.  It was all delicious, and Deb had the pleasure of learning everything there is to know about the FIRST Robotics Competition and how awesome it is.

Deb dropped us off at a very classy Walmart so Danica could locate a swim suit and I could get some batteries.  I also (with Danica’s total support) spent two dollars on a gift bag with shiny silver tools on it.  I think I’ll just hang it on my wall in college.  It’s awesome.Danica and I napped briefly on the drive to the beach.  We got out of the car at Fort Popham, a coastal defense land battery named after George Popham, leader of the Popham Colony.  It is on the National Register of Historic Places, so you could stamp your passport there.  It was neat, and a lot of fun to explore.  Danica and I took a breath, held hands, and crept into a very dark room with only the light of our camera flash.  It was quite alarming, but luckily we encountered nothing scarier than a rather bemused spider.

Danica and I explored for the next two hours, leaving Deb to relax on the beach.  We walked up the beach, taking photos and playing with our reflections in the sand.  We realized that the changing tide was revealing a sort-of path out to an island, and decided to brave the remaining waters to get there.  It was well wroth it.  We scrambled on some rocks and chased some birds before heading back.  There was much excitement when I found a sand dollar, and when we realized there were several, we spent the whole walk back with our heads down.  Much fun.

For dinner, we went to a drive in place called Fat Boy.  That was fun.  I had a grilled cheese and, more excitingly, an orange cream frappe.  Ridiculously delicious.  When we discovered that Deb was a Harry Potter fan, Danica and I instantly had to show her the beginning of A Very Potter Musical.  She’s tolerating us very well.

Now we’re back at the hotel, listening to music, talking to everyone at home, and getting ready for tomorrow.  Today was pretty awesome.

-Iona

So.  Danica and I have left the comfort of our cozy intern cave (aka the tiny back room in Therap’s Waterbury office) to venture forth into the world (aka Maine).

At about eleven this morning, my mother drove the great distance (520 yards, actually) to pick up Danica, then took the two of us to the Bridgeport train station.  The parking garage had steep ramps and sharp corners and was generally terrifying in the boxy van.  However, it was quite conveniently right across from the train station.

There was a brief moment of panic when it was determined that our train to Boston was supposed to arrive at 12:12 and not 12:30 as we had previously believed (made worse by the fact that we picked up the tickets at 12:11), but as we rushed out onto the platform an announcement played stating that the train was running twenty minutes late. Relief.

After some waiting, I decided to double check with the others that we were on the right side of the tracks.  This thought had never occurred to my mother, and Danica just assumed that the train took up the entire space.  Oh dear.  Turns out we were supposed to be on the other side.

We made it with plenty of time.  Danica and I bid my mother farewell and got on the train.  However, we had to go all the way to the front of the coach cars (and were warned “no phones, no fun” in the quiet car) and then track back to the very last car in the train to find two seats together.  Exhausting.  However, the rest of the train ride was an easy, if long, one.

We got off the train and Deb met us at the top of the escalators.  I attempted to pull off a bag in one hand, a drink in the other, and balancing as we took another train.  Not so much.  The bag got to sit on the floor, but in no time we were off and at her car.The drive from Boston to Maine was beautiful, all green trees and blue water.  I dozed off at one point and woke up on the middle of a bridge, surrounded by gorgeous water and boats.  It was quite the surprise.

We drove into Portland and had dinner at the Flatbread Company, a flatbread pizza restaurant by the water.  There was a short wait, easily passed by watching kids play by the dock and listening to a man play something that sounded like a cross between bagpipes and a harmonica.

We ate out on a deck where you could see the water in between the floorboards.  The food was great, from the mandarin orange soda to the salad (with seaweed!) to the huge, cheesy, randomly sliced flatbread.  It was quite the satisfying meal.

Deb brought us back to a hotel, where we will be spending the next two nights.  In the morning, we’ll be heading off to help Deb as best we can and try and get some advice from Therap customers on what they want from their user guide.  Wish us luck!

–Iona

EDIT: Figured out how to add the images!  If anyone knows what the man in the photograph is playing, feel free to let me know.  Also, the titles for every day’s blog post by Danica and myself will be linked.  Keep an eye out.