Junicon Global Meeting in SF 2010

Since Shyla was about 6 months old, I’ve worked for a company involved in healthcare market research. I’ve had a number of responsibilities that range from cold calling hospitals to recruit doctors to participate in a survey, to transcribing audio/video group interviews, to coding open ended questions.

Each year (not sure when they first started doing it, but I’m guessing this is the second year) they get together for a global meeting. Several new people have been added since I began. It was a very fun weekend for me and I loved getting to meet everyone. They are all so cultured. Everyone (except those of us in the US of course) spoke multiple languages, some even 4 languages). Most had lived in more than one country. All, except myself and one other girl, had Master’s Degrees in Business and Finance and had worked with other market research company’s. It was a little intimidating to not feel as cultured as the rest, but I didn’t let it bother me.

Two of them are from Japan, one from Switzerland, a few from Germany, several from Barcelona, and several of us from the US (from San Ramon, to Dallas, to DC). I stayed at the Hilton in SF with the rest of the group. I went out on Thursday afternoon. They all got together for dinner that first night, but I was excited to be away from the house and wanted to spend my time alone. It was the first time in 5 years that I was away from both kids and spouse. HEAVEN! I took an evening and didn’t do much. I took a looong shower, took forever to get dressed, gave myself a pedicure, painted my fingernails, watched TV, and read a magazine.

Friday the meeting began. It was all day. We stopped for lunch. Dim sum. I had never had dim sum before. I ate way too much. Seriously way too much, but it was good. I ate some things I don’t normally eat. I tried to spread my wings a bit. I ate shrimp and something else that was raw seafood of some sort that I’m still not sure what it was.

After the meeting we all met up for dinner. We went to a fancy restaurant. The bill for all of us was around $1500. It was safe to say that any dinner we went to ran about $100/person. The couple in the picture below, the lady works for the company. They are from Barcelona. They went to Vegas a few days early and got married in a little chapel. We toasted them at dinner.

Saturday, after a half day of meeting, we had a “working lunch” and then headed out for a “boating trip”. That’s what I heard it was. It was an actual sailing trip, like on a sailboat. I had never been on an actual sailboat and sailed before. It was a good time. I got nervous a few times from the tilting of the boat. I’m not used to seeing the ocean so close or at such a steep angle! It was a little cloudy that day, but we made it (a little damp and cold) under the Golden Gate bridge and then back to the dock. The trip took about 2 hours. Of course Sunday, there were no clouds and the weather was perfect, but I can’t complain too much, I did get to sail on a real sailboat!

Saturday night we met up for dinner again at an Italian restaurant in Little Italy. Jake came out to have dinner with me and meet the group. Sunday, everyone sort of did their own thing. Some went to an A’s game, other to the Sausalito Art Fair, and some biked across the Golden Gate bridge. My dad came with me and the kids and we went to the Sausalito Art Fair and then we all met back at a cafe and to say our “goodbyes”. I had such a fun time and wish it lasted longer. Everyone was so fun and very nice to be around. Last year, the meeting was in Barcelona, but I heard next year should be in Barcelona too!