Rabih and I started Sunday with brunch in a quaint café tucked away in an alley near Hotel St. Josef. Hands down, best cappuccino I’ve had so far… I’m wondering whether I will get to have one when we reach Milan that will change my mind.
May 21 is a special day, because this day 21 years ago my life changed forever… a most precious gift was given to me – my daughter, Patricia. Before leaving for GPP, one thing I made sure of was to find a way to hear mass today, and I did find St. Anton’s Church on Minervastrasse, a nice 20-minute walk away from our hotel. They had English mass at 11:30, and I planned to go. It was a pleasant surprise that I was able to share this special day with Allyne and Rabih! St. Anton’s was beautiful, and truly what I expected a church in Europe to be. It was a bit crowded, though, because the parish was celebrating first communion; regardless, what mattered the most is that I was able to celebrate Patricia’s birthday the way I wanted to, even if she was several time zones away.
We then went down to Lake Zurich to find a place by the water where we could eat lunch. I then had an opportunity to take this photo with this building at the background. Michael found it for me the day before, and it was such a nice way to remind me of how far I have come and where I started.
I graduated from college 17 years ago, and two weeks after graduation I started working for Andersen Consulting as a junior software engineer. Less than a year later, Andersen Consulting assumed an identity that was totally separate from its origins as the IT arm of Arthur Andersen, and was renamed as Accenture. I spent 6 great years there, eventually becoming a senior team lead. It was by no means a perfect experience, but it was a place with unforgettable experiences, where I built long and lasting relationships and certainly developed and grew as a professional. I will not be the person and educator I am today without Accenture.
So it was very meaningful that when we looked across the water, the Zurich office of Accenture was right there. Immediately, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s lyrics started playing in my mind… “Look at where you are… look at where you started….” It has been a great journey, and I could only look forward to what’s next!