"I'm leaving, on a jet plane...."

First off, I'd like to thank everyone for their love and support.  I appreciate it more than you know.  You all really know how to make a brotha feel special haha. 

Well, I made it to Mexico!!  I can now better describe the feelings I was having last night; they manifested into nervousness and a bad case of anxiety!!  As I laid down in bed, I started to run through every last minute thought that could have possible come to mind; "Did I pack everything?  What's it going to be like down there?  I hope I live up to expectations and don't disappoint anyone....."  I honestly did not think I was going to sleep much.  But, my nervous thoughts quickly faded and I was asleep in no time.

My day started off bright (well not so bright, as the sun was still not up yet) and early at 4:00am.  My awesome roommate took me to the airport for my 6:45 flight and off I went.  I took a four hour flight to Huston, TX where I then got on my connecting flight to Mexico.  The flights flew by (pun intended haha).  I am that guy who falls asleep before the plane takes off and doesn't wake up till it is descending.  These flights were no exception.

I arrived in Mexico at 1:00pm.  After going through customs and collecting my luggage, I was greeted by a gentlemen holding a Groupo Bimbo sign.  His name was Carlos, he was 27, and he has worked for Bimbo for all of 7 months.  His English was pretty good, better than my Spanish.  So we chatted in broken dialect while we waited for another associated to arrive.  Tep Tsai (he goes by Chico) is another associate from BBU participating in the Cross Boarder Program.  He works as an Account Manager in Cleavland.  We had spoken on the phone before but this was the first time we met in person.  After Chico arrived, Carlos got us a taxis and brought us to our home for the next several months; Casa De La Condesa.

 Casa De La Condesa is a quaint little hotel in Mexico City.  As you can see from the pics, there really isn't much to it.  A kitchen with a microwave, fridge, and sink.  The bedroom with two twin beds (that are hard as a rock, in case you were wondering).  And a bathroom with the three essentials (sink, shower, toilet).  It isn't the Ritz, but this is home for the next 5 months!!

  
 After getting settled a little bit, Chico and I met two of the other associates that are joining us on our journey.  Joseph Gaetano and Jose Acevedo.  Joe, 24, works in Pennsylvania as an Arnold Brand Manager for Atlantic and Jose, 25, works as a District Sales Manager in Huston.  I am really pumped that they are both around my age.  I thought I was going to be the youngest candidate on the trip.  With all of us being in our mid-twenties, I feel we can relate to each other with our experiences.  I am looking forward to getting to know them better over the course our adventure.  One last associate that I did not meet is Corrin Capeles.  I believe she works in HR for the Mid-Atlantic.  Corrin has been in Mexico for about two weeks now so she is in the full swing of things.  She had a Spanish class from 7:30 to 9:00 pm.  Afterward we all meet up and went for a drink to get to know each other.   

Jose, Joe, Chico and I grabbed a bite to eat and took a walk to the nearest Supermarket to grab some necessities.  It's always cool to see Supermarkets in other countries.  The whole flow the this place was wild.  No real direction to go, tight isles, pretty crowded.  We walked around grabbing a few things before taking the obligatory stop at the bread isle.  Compared to the US, it is a very small section with very few brands.  I took some pictures, including one of Bimbo Thins!!!  Pretty cool if you ask me!  Other than the bread, we own the cookie and cake section.  So many things I have never heard of.  I am sure before my time is through here I will have a better grasp on all the items we make but, wow, it's a lot of stuff!!

 Only a small shot of the bread isle.  Orowheat, Wonder (which we actually distribute?), Bimbo!

BIMBO Thins!!
 
Tomorrow I begin my training at Groupo Bimbo.  We have to be at corporate HQ at 10:00am.  I am excited to see what they have in store for us.  I can already tell that there are going to be few dull moments here in Mexico.  My time here is going to be over before I know it.  I need to just make sure I stop and take it all in......