first trip to madison

Last week I visited Madison, Wisconsin for the first time. It was a trip of many firsts. First experience in the Midwest, first time staying at a hotel by myself, first "business trip," first rental car under my name, etc. They may have been seemingly small, insignificant firsts, but to me they were important place marks in stepping towards Adulthood.

Another significant first for me was missing my flight time. A few days before leaving I bought a new planner, something that I carry around with me almost religiously (sadly enough I carry that around more than my Bible). I painstakingly (and accurately) wrote in all the crucial information for the trip. I color coded and highlighted all the pertinent stuff- including my flight time from Phoenix airport. But somehow I thought that my flight was at 7:50am, not 6:50am. I almost broke down in tears when the lady at Northwest told me that they couldn't get me on the plane since I got to the airport 10 minutes before my scheduled flight. I ended up staying at the airport or on board an aircraft for about 14 hours...and managed to miss my first meeting with my future boss. Lucky for me, I work for an organization that believes in grace. Needless to say, I came back with many lessons, one of them being check your flight time the night before - it may come in handy.

Other than that, the trip was great! Madison is a beautiful city. It has a quaint, small town feeling that I really like. I drove to the hotel from the airport with a huge grin on my face after I saw cows sleeping in barns. Downtown Madison reminded me a lot of Berkeley, except a lot more clean and...nice. There are lots of trees; lots and lots of green everywhere! I have a feeling I'm going to really enjoy living there. I guess we'll see if I'll say the same thing this winter...

I also visited IV headquarters and met with my boss before she left for maternity leave. The National Service Center (NSC) looks very much like a real office building, with tons of cubicles and stuff. The people seem really nice, and I'm looking forward to working with them. During my visit they were having a funnel cake party to celebrate someone's birthday. I'm not sure who, but the funnel cake was good and I'm excited for more birthday parties to come.

Here are some pictures :)

The view from above

Lots of green!

State capital in downtown Madison
UofW-Madison is pretty much at the heart of downtown Madison. I think this is one of the UWM's buildings. I wish UCSD had buildings like this one.
Madison is an isthmus; bordered by Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. This is a view of Lake Mendota from Memorial Union Terrace.
A cute little market in downtown Madison
My soon-to-be workplace!There are some great looking Chipotles here, Jihee- another reason why you should come visit. :)