T'was the night before take off...

Updating the old saying: 120-pounds in a 40-pound sack...

1) Love my cool new suitcases... they're huge with wheels for pulling them, and shoulder straps for carrying them like backpacks. Just the thing for a six month trip. Bought two.

2) Fascinated by these vacuum pack zip-lock bags... they compress a huge winter coat down to the size of a loaf of bread, and squeeze my tee-shirts, socks and unmentionables into something even smaller... ummm, like, uh... like a small loaf of bread. Had to buy half a dozen.

3) Clueless about the range of temperatures, the range of dress codes, the range of social occasions we'll need to attend... better bring a few of every kind of shirt, pants, sweater, coat, etc. Still packing light, mind you, but covering all my bases.

What do you get when you add these three together? One very well organized, very dense and wicked heavy suitcase. Good gracious, I nearly did myself in hefting the thing down off the bed. A quick visit to Delta's website confirmed my fears -- 40 lb. limit per piece of checked baggage.

On to plan B... two suitcases, less well organized, less dense and less heavy. And one bag of clothes for Ceil and the kids. (Note: Ceil was able to pull that bag together in 15 minutes -- and the weight? Spot on 39.5 lbs. Sigh.)

Hopefully the ticketing agents at Delta won't kick me back to the curb tomorrow morning.

A last minute flurry of activity

T-minus two days... for Andy anyway
The house is in chaos and my desk at work looks like a tornado came through recently and things are just about ready to go.

Ceil has done most of the lifting (literally and figuratively) getting the house packed up. I've busied myself with transferring our computer files onto the laptops we're bringing to France, sorting out which utilities to cancel vs. transfer to our tenant, dealing with the cars, etc., etc.

Last night we visited with Sprague and Anna, friends of the Scherger's who are just back from five years in Toulouse. They were a font of wisdom and practical tips about dealing with French bureaucracies (example, you can't rent a house without a bank account, but nor can you open a bank account without proof of your address). Sprague also offered advice on the in's and out's of working overseas for a US company, and avoiding any unnecessary hassles with expense reports, etc.

Tonight, I actually packed a suitcase. (By the way, those zip-lock bag doo-hickeys with the vacuum attachment to suck all the air out and compress the items are terrific. I got some that don't require a vacuum -- I was concerned I might have to unpack the bags going through customs and might not have access to a Hoover -- they've worked great.) No idea how much clothing to pack... I "aimed low" and will nonetheless discover that I brought more than I needed.

A letter from Lee to her teacher
Lee has become a woman of letters lately, typing all manner of correspondence on our computer, inserting clip art liberally, and usually failing to actually send the letters. Nonetheless, I enjoy them, as they offer a wonderful insight into her interior process. Here's one I found on the printer this afternoon, addressed to her school teacher:

Dear Mrs. Coulter,
I think you were a great teacher last year. I really like being in your class. Did you now I'm going to France for 6 moths [sic] and I'll miss everyone in 3A. I'm going to send you and 3A a PowerPoint each moth [sic]. But there is only one problem. I'm nervous. Love, Lee

I can dig it.

Watching baseball at the Shumways'

More good-byes
Another great evening out (when are we going to pack?), this time with Richard and Ana. It was great to have a laid-back evening: take-out pizza, ice cream and chocolate sauce, and kids running amok. The best part, for me, was sitting down with Richard and his brother Dan to watch a few innings of mid-season Mariners baseball. I'm not a big baseball fan lately, but I had a strong sense that watching a ball game on a Monday night in July is a creature comfort I'll miss while we're away.

And more travel plans
I had been worrying all weekend over the challenge of getting plane tickets for Ceil and the kids... and as with so many things, it fell right into place. The folks at corporate travel were very accomodating, ignoring the rule that the entire family needed to travel together, and then going further to arrange a one-week lay-over in NY for Ceil, Miles and Lee.

I fly out Saturday morning; Ceil and the kids fly to NY on Aug 12 and then on to France on Aug 19. With any luck, I'll have figured out how to order a sandwich by then... and who knows, maybe I'll have found a place for us to rent.

Brian Henn is a dirty, rotten, low-down...
I was up early this morning, checking the email, when I came across an email from an address I didn't recognize. Brian Henn is (usually) a great guy, and he's not above enlisting a friend from France to really get me spun up... at least I think that's what's going on here. Assuming this guy wasn't serious, then I fell for the gag head over heels. And if he's serious... well... hmmm... maybe I won't call him up when we're in Paris.

Andrew!

Heard from Brian that you are moving to France for 6 months. First let me tell you, this is a mistake. And you can trust my word, because I live there (here). It took me 6 months only getting used to France, and then you will be moving back already.

But if we for a moment forget the fact that you are basically wasting your precious time, here is what you need to know:

1. Yes I confirm your suspicions from your blog - Issoudun is really in the middle of nowhere.

2. You will not be able to get anything done in August - because everybody is off on vacation.

3. We (it is actually a we thing on our side also, wife + 2 small daughters 3 & 5 years old) live in the suburbs of Paris (Fontenay le Fleury, close to Versailles). Come see us when you get desperate, home-sick, whatever...

4. If you need help trying to understand France, you can of course drop me a mail - or call me on any of the following numbers:

Getting ready for lift-off

A terrific weekend
We had a great weekend, checking things off our "to do list" and seeing friends and family to say "So long for now."

Two boxes arrived from Door to Door storage on Saturday morning, so now the packing can begin in earnest.

We had a wonderful lunch with my family Saturday afternoon at Todai in downtown Seattle. Oddly enough for a Japanese all-you-can-each joint, they had someone there making fresh crepes -- never was I so glad to have the kids eye my dessert plate, and then boldly reach over to claim a few bites of their own. They loved the crepes and soon were going up for their own. I have a hunch that this may pay off in a couple of months when they're longing for food from home... maybe we'll be able to disctract and console them with a trip to the local crepe-erie.

After Todai we went back to my folks place for a long swim in the pool -- could it possibly be this hot in France? I suspect so...

Home after lunch, throwing stuff in boxes, fiddling around with the computers, and cheering for Flloyd Landis as he took the lead in Tour de France. I regret that the French didn't win the World Cup -- I thought perhaps a victory might lighten the collective mood in time for arrival. But I draw the line at rooting for a Frenchman to win the Tour. Allez Flloyd!


The Schergers hosted a wonderful impromptu party for us on Saturday night. What a fabulous turn-out, given that we sent the invitation out late Friday night! Tom and Maureen laid out a fantastic spread, the Riordins donated a carton of snow crab, and the Delvalles showed up with terrific smoked salmon. It was wonderful to sit on the patio, talking with folks, sharing our anxieties, hearing about their travels to France and in general, being reminded of how much we like our life here in Seattle, and why we're going to be glad to come home in six months.

Home from the Schergers at a fairly reasonable hour, for another sweltering night, huddling in front of the fan.

Sunday morning came and I made sure to have one last feast of bagels, cream cheese and lox. We hustled around packing some more, cleaning the gutters, setting up the new laptops... and again, pausing to watch Flloyd cross the finish line in Paris. Strange that I've been watching the tour for weeks, but only Sunday did it dawn on me: "Man... we're going to be there in a week or so... no, I mean there, on that street. Holy cow..."

Our new friends the Phams came by Sunday afternoon and signed a lease to rent our house while we're away. Connecting with the Phams has been terrific -- every single detail seemed to fall into place in just the right way. I've been holding this up as a reminder to myself of how well things work out if only I'd let them!

And then it was off to a dinner with the Kris and Mat Dangla, our "authority" on all things French. We poured over the map while Mat grilled dinner, reviewing their favorite vacation spots. Kris and Mat did a terrific job engaging the kids over dinner -- helping to stoke their excitement, and getting Ian and Nico to share re-assuring stories about being an american kid in France. After we cleared the plates, the kids ran off and we had another long discussion of the trials and tribulations we're likely to experience in some settings while we're in France, being unable to express ourselves as well as were used to. For me, the discussion really clarified my intention to find a place to live as close to the heart of town as possible -- minimize the isolation we might feel, etc.

And then home again for another late night of messing around with the computers (success, at last) while a replay of the final stage of the Tour played in the background.

And so now it's Monday
I leave next Saturday... so five days to wrap things up. Breathe, man, breathe.

More pieces fall into place...

Setting departure dates...
The plan is for me to fly out on either Friday, July 28 or Saturday July 29, and to be at the factory ready to go (e.g. strung out from the jet-lag) on August 1. Ceil needs a bit more time to wrap things up at her job, so we're planning for her and the kids to leave Seattle on August 12 or 13. If I can get our travel people to sort it for us, we'll plan the flights so that Ceil and the kids get a few days in NY to say good-bye to her family.

News about the house...
Tonight we met a terrific family that's agreed to rent our house while we're gone. We couldn't have asked for a better situation -- they've got two young kids, and need a place to stay as they move back from San Francisco and search for a home to buy. And after all the uncertainty we felt, fielding offers from folks who could sign on for two or three months, or who'd take the place for six, but couldn't pay the asking price, this is a huge relief.

These folks need to move in on August 2, so this accelerates our plans a little more. The Piepers have come to the rescue and agree to host Ceil and the kids between then and their departure.

Thanks to everyone who helped us with referrals and recommendations as we've search for a family to rent our place!

Stay tuned...

The pace quickens...

A very brief post this morning.
Yesterday the folks organizing the trip called and said, "We've been on hold waiting for a team leader to be selected. We can't wait any longer. What if you were the team leader for a while, Andy?"

Ugh. No doubt I could lead the team, but I lack the requiste background and gravitas to represent my company with this supplier. I laid out my argument and an alternative proposal. We'll meet on Friday and I hope this will be resolved then.

In the mean time, it seems very likely that I will leave on or about July 30, and Ceil and the kids will come a couple or few weeks later. This makes me very happy -- give me a couple of weeks to get things squared away before they arrive.

Passports have all arrived. We purchased a couple of laptops to bring with us. Met with one potential tenent last night, and will meet another tonight. I'm very optimistic that the house will be "sorted" by the end of the week.

And still, a million things to do...

More to follow...

Progress... Mostly.

Since last we talked...Had a great day on the water yesterday with David and Kay MacVicar. Cruising, tubing, lunch in Kirkland -- and Miles capped the day with a few leaps off the high dive at Windermere beach club.

Ceil and the kids went for passports today. My homemade passport photos were not up to snuff, but they let us run across the street to Kinko's; all in all it was about a 45 minute process: passports will arrive in the mail in three days.

Ceil and I also got "International Driver's Permits" today. AAA issues them -- small paper pamphlets with our pictures pasted in them and the phrase, "Us folks in Washington State USA sure think this here guy is a swell driver" translated into forty different languages. Thank heavens we didn't need negotiate a round-about or parallel park on the opposite side of the road.

We picked up two large suit-cases as well -- duffle-bag looking things that can be pulled behind you on wheels or carried like a backpack.

And (in an example of burying the lead)... we've arranged for the cat to stay with a family down the street. So that takes care of Lee's primary objection to the whole affair!

Renting the house...
We had two very quick and very promising responses to our initial email. One fell through when the family chose another option; the other one has posed a dilemma -- a family, much like ours, loves the place, willing to pay the asking price, but only wants it for three months. This has been an interesting experiment in our willingness to trade off the certainty of having "a deal" in place, with the costs of carrying our mortgage while we're away. Ceil, whom I would characterize as the braver soul, has preferred "the bird in the hand" -- sign 'em up! I, to my surprise, have demurred, confident that other six-month-long tennants are out there.

We had a call last night from a friend's niece -- she'd need to find room-mates, but this would be the perfect place for her while she's trying to get into med-school. We've had two calls about families moving to town, looking for a short-term deal while they find a house to buy. And none of them are in any way definite at this time.

We called the "definite-but-only-for-three-months" family tonight and told them we wanted to keep looking for a longer term deal; they agreed to keep looking on their end, and that we'd stay in touch.

More to follow...

Where in the world is Issoudun, France?

Let's Look at the Map

Issoudun is a town of about 14,000 located in the center of France. (For comparison purposes, Centralia, WA has 15,000 residents... except they don't speak French in Centralia.)

This is France (I'm pretty sure):


France is comprised of twenty-two regions, which are in turn comprised of departements -- analogous to counties in the US. Issoudun is located in the Centre region (#11, below).

The departements are a relatively recent innovation: March of 1790 -- many people still refer to this area as the provence of Berry.

Within Centre are five departments. Issoudun is located in Indre. Chateauroux (pop. 50,000) is the prefecture ("county seat") and located south-west of Issoudun.

Bourges (pop. 71,000) , the nearest city you're likely to find on a map, is to the north-east in the departement of Cher.

Here's an even closer look. It's about 18 miles from Bourges to Issoudun, and folks tell me that it's a 30 minute drive -- I guess traffic slows to a crawl as you go through the small villages along the way. (click on the map for a closer view)


Getting to Issoudun
There aren't too many options, and both begin with a flight to Paris.

Driving from Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) to Issoudun takes about 3 hours. Gas is spendy and many of the highways are toll roads.

The other option is to take a cab or bus to the gare (train station) Austerlitz in Paris, and from there, a train to Issoudun. The train costs $50 to $75 per person and gets you there in 2 hours.

Stay tuned... more to follow.

Illusions and Peace of Mind

Creating an image of what it'll be like
Today I attended two planning meetings about the work ahead in France, and I find myself feeling excited and confident. It occurs to me that I didn't learn all that much -- but by the end of the day I could conjure up a picture of where I'll be working, what I'll be doing and where we'll live. And having that picture is quite comforting.

I attended a meeting of another team heading to a different supplier in Rochefort, France. Their team is complete, including a team leader -- a manager with loads of relevant experience designing and building seats -- so they're heading out on July 24th. One my my goals while in France is to ensure communication and support between the three teams (one will be in Italy), so I introduced myself to them as a well-meaning interloper. We heard a presentation by a guy who had lived in France for many years -- it was lots of the same stuff I'd read in books, and again, because there was a real, live, in-the-flesh person to talk with, I left feeling more confident that I knew what to expect.

After that session, I spent a couple of hours with a guy who works in a group that does process improvement consutling for suppliers and has worked with the company I'll be visiting for about 18-months. Alex walked me through a presentation summarizing the improvement activities the supplier has made during that time, and listing off about a dozen key team members and managers.

Here too, simply seeing photographs and hearing names (of people I've never met) was very comforting. I committed to Alex that I my work will be an extension and continuation of his -- it would be very typical for us to parachute in for six months, call for a new program and a change of course, and then disappear, leaving Alex to pick up the pieces. I want none of that. So given that we haven't had much direction thus far, we're going to move out and begin planning, getting me introduced to the team at the supplier and including me in the weekly teleconferences.

Alex and I spent an hour or so discussing the details of flying to France, getting from Paris to Issoudun, and the best places to stay. Alex identified two or three supplier team members who are fluent in English and would be willing to help -- I look forward to being in contact with them soon, and soliciting their input on a hundred questions.

Where things stand right now -- 8:47pm July 12
Our first prospect for renting the house fell through... the family decided to move their stuff into an empty house owned by a friend. I think part of the problem may have been their anxiety about their young kids damaging our stuff. Too bad. In talking to them on Sunday, I realized how un-attached I am to most of our things -- the only item I'm even remotely concerned about is the leather couch -- the pots and pans, plates and silver, books and bookcases, even the wine... who cares?

We've got one other interested person, but she'll only need the house for a few months. We've posted our place at the UW office for visiting faculty, and I've given a few folks around town permission to mention our place to their HR or employee relocation offices.

We're going for passports on Monday morning. Still to do: talk with the kids' school here in Seattle, apply for an international driver's license, see about getting my current group to provide me with a laptop and international cel-phone before I go. And about a hundred other things...

"My God. What have I done?" -- Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads

Prelude

The call came on Thursday morning.

"Andy? Yeah, hi. Hey, about that trip to France: we've changed our mind about paying expenses for your family. So howsabout it? Are you in? We really need you, big guy."

Oh crap. Why didn't I see this coming? I was so relieved a month or two back when this thing had blown over -- I had done the "brave" thing, and said "yes" to a six-month gig in France, but when the word came back saying "No dependant expenses will be covered by the company", I got to play the righteous card and bow out: "No family? No Andy!"... all the while, my knees shaking... whew! That was close!

But now they're back! Crap! Ok... what to say, what to say... something decisive, assertive and self-confident.... deep breath...

"Ummm, wow, uhhh... well... gee, I guess I'd have to talk it over with my wife."

Geeze, Erickson, you're a first rate pud-knocker. Ok... but it's true. Ceil will know what to do... she'll find a way around this...

"Hey honey... it's me... Andy.... yeah, Andy Erickson... "
"Oh, yeah. Hi, Andy. Wassup?"
"Umm... you remember that France thing I talked about? Well, uhh, it's back. They say they'll pay expenses for you and the kids -- tuition and room / board. All that stuff. Ummm... what do you think?"

Good job Andy, put the ball in her court. She'll know how to get out of this.

"GREAT! Let's do it! Sounds like a blast!"

WHAT!!! Is she crazy! We don't even speak French? What will we do about the house? The kids' school? The cat? What about our jobs... will they be here when we get back? What the hell was I thinking putting the ball in her court? She's nuts!

"Ok, dear. that's what I thought too. Just checking in."

+++++++++++++++++++

So we're off to France for six months. God my wife is brave.

Some background:
I've been invited to join a team going to a company in Issoudun, France (south of Tours and Orleans) that supplies passenger seats to airframe manufacturers. They are currently behind schedule and over-committed. Our goal is to cajole them into getting the seats currently in production back on schedule, and along the way, identify and implement solutions to the problems which got them off-track in the first place.

Seats are a "wicked" problem. The airframe manfacturer doesn't buy them directly -- the airlines want to control the look and feel of their interior, so they choose their own seat suppliers -- and we don't have much recourse when they pick poor-performers. Seats have grown more complex (in-seat video, PC power and networking, satellite phones, credit card readers, etc.) and are increasingly integrated into the electrical systems of the plane. It's gotten to the point that we can't complete the testing of a plane if we don't have the seats. So we want the damn seats on time. The airlines, meanwhile, would prefer to wait as long as possible before committing to a seat design, in hopes of getting a leg up on their competitors. They want to design the damn seats at the last minute. And to further exacerbate the situation, the FAA and other regulatory agencies have dramatically increased the performance requirements for the seats -- often requiring many months of testing before approving a new design. They want the damn seats yesterday and wish we'd quit changing the design so often. Lots of conflicting requirements (time, perhaps, to enlarge the question).

To make matters worse, the seat manufacturers are going through the same "outsourcing" process my company has, sub-contracting for part fabrication and sub-assembly work -- but they haven't mastered the process of making sure the right bits get ordered and delivered at the right time to the right place. We hear lot's of stories which end with some poor guy saying, "oh crap, we forgot to order fitzenjammer-whatsits."

As our production rates are picking up, and a handful of seat suppliers are falling behind, we've reached a point where we cannot deliver certain airplanes per our commitments. If a plane doesn't deliver in the month we promised, the airlines get mad (which is silly, because it's their choice in seat suppliers causing the problem). But when a delivery slides out of the planned quarter then Wall Street gets mad, which is a bigger deal.

So.... my hunch is that the folks who manage commercial airplanes want to do everything possible to a) help the seat suppliers who are struggling and b) make sure it looks like we're helping (e.g. when the bosses in Chicago call, we need to be able to say, "we've pulled out all the stops.")

I've been included on the team mainly based on my background in Lean applied to production and supply-chain issues. I'm also looking forward to providing some 'process consultation' and leadership for the team along the way.

The whole thing is moving very quickly and seems chaotic. I'm not optimistic about our chances of implementing lasting change -- very little thought has been given to 'contracting' with the folks who run this factory -- we're going to be a "boarding party" in many respects. I've got more French than most of the team, and I haven't spoken a word since high school -- this is worrisome. And many of the problems seem to stem from cultural / social / political conditions -- most of which would be tough to address even if we had years and spoke fluent French. This project feels like it's "full speed ahead, direction to be determined later".

On the other hand, this is a great chance for me to practice "entering a system" and working across cultural boundaries.

And I couldn't pass up the chance to expose my kids to a different country.

Where things stand - 10:08pm PST July 9, 2006
We don't know precisely when we'll be leaving, but it'll likely be within the next month or so. We're planning to put the kids into school over there -- preferably an international school with at least part of the day conducted in English. Issoudun is a small town though, and we've yet to find such a school near-by, so we may wind up tossing the kids into the deep end of the pool, so to speak, and sending them to a French school. Several of our friends argue in favor of this approach, and it scares the hell out of me.

We've got some great leads on folks interested in renting the house (and, as importantly, watching the cat) while we're gone.

A million things to do: call the school and tell them the kids will be going to school in France for half the year; FIND a school in France; forward the mail; cancel the cable, phone, netflix, wine-of-the-month-club (well, maybe not the wine club... not yet...)

Looking forward... the plan for this "blog"
Not sure how we'll use this, but my hunch is that it'll be theraputic for us, and of interest to friends and family, if we keep a journal of our trip. Not sure how often we'll update it, but my ambition is running high.

Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers and offers of support. Stay tuned!

Andy E.