Final Day at SAP America, Inc or as Vince Calls it......

Bad Touch Friday -- The Final Friday! And man, I haven't heard that phrased used since July when I had declared the month of July as bad touch July! That truly was a horrid time. Vince would bear hug me, try to tickle my side or grab my hand to make me feel uncomfortable in a jokingly way. All in good humor as usual.

So today was my last day at SAP America after spending about 6 months there. I started my internship there on the second week of April if I can remember correctly. I didn't want to leave but I had too... I didn't want my sister car-pooling with me to school early in the morning just so I could go to work at 8. I know how much it sucks having to go to school so early in the morning only to have your class later in the morning. It's such a waste of time and more importantly, a waste of valuable sleeping time. Poor Robo... Perhaps I should give her a metal for roughing it out for so long. Otherwise, I would still be interning till I graduated from school or had secured a full time job for after college. On the bright side, Tom, my manager, did offer to extend my internship and full time job, but neither opportunities were available so I had to stick with my self-declared exit date and leave as planned. A few weeks back Tom wanted me to give him exit date so he could prepare the termination process for my internship. I figured I'd leave on the the 12th, because today marks the end of the 1st half of the school semester and it would give me half a semester to rest up and search for full time position somewhere else.

I walked into the building around 8:15 today then I proceed through the turnstile to badge in, but I don't hear the clearance clear beep. I figure that the guys in security haven't extended my security access to today. I go to security to ask someone about it, but it eventually gets resolved around 9:00. Apparently, the guys in security didn't receive Tom's e-mail request to extend my security clearance till today afternoon till around 9ish. Luckily for me I bump into Steve and Dan who works in the NOC with me. I wait for them to finish up their smoke so I could get them to let me downstairs to the data center, but then I bump into Vince who caught the elevator with us. I have to say that this was perfect timing because I was about to turn on my pc so I could get the number to call one of the guys downstairs to let me down, but they were out in the back smoking and I bump into Vince. This definitely saved me a lot of time and effort in having to find the right phone numbers and then calling them to pick me up.

For the first half of the morning, I was asked by Steve to train Eric, one of the new interns, how to do the DBMON checks for the customer systems. I do that, but boy did I do a bad job. I missed a simple check box which caused him to have to redo it and he was halfway done.... Smart move, eh? The funny thing is that when Steve trained me how to perform the DBMON checks, he had forgot to tell me to check the same check box ALSO so I wasn't checking all server backups for like a month until Rich caught the error! >_< Then I go and review with Marc, an outside contractor from Quatro Systems, Inc., a little more on how to process tickets and use CSS. For the most part, I think I did a good job and either men know what's going on. Well... at least for Marc I did a good job!! I can't believe that I made that stupid mistake with Eric, which forced him to redo the stupid spreadsheet.... I feel pretty bad cause I know how painful it is having to perform the db checks for the customer systems. It takes about half an hour just to complete it and that's only if you're fully comfortable with it.

For the most part, I spent the morning goofing with the guys one last time. I got to play one last round with Ryan and Marc. I'd say I played an even match with the both of them. I won and lost an even amount of games. The best part was when Ryan, Vince and I were walking to 8DCF to check on some servers that's in storage. While we were walking away from their desks, I say,"Vince, I'm going to carry you there!" or something along that line. I bend forward for him to grab on and he does but then for some reason I actually do carry him. I was actually going to lift him off the ground using my legs and back but I ended up giving him a piggyback ride out to the floor from the office area, haha. I did this despite my sore knees that I got from running last Saturday with Robo. The funny thing is that while I was carrying Vince out to toward the side door, Ryan runs up and swipes his badge to open it up for us. I walk us through and I started picking up the pace! By now Vince is yelling at me to let him down which I do immediately. I guess the ride just got too scary for him, haha.

At 11:30 we leave to leave to go to Qdoba for lunch and damn did it take forever for me to decide where I wanted to go for lunch. Tom had asked me the previous day and earlier in the morning where I would like to go for lunch. I told him that I'll think about it and ask the guys to see what they wanted too do. When I asked them no one would give me an answer and Ryan told me that it's my decision. That's not helpful considering how indecisive I am, so I decided to stick with Mexican and go to Qdoba instead of the Bell cause it's more appropriate to go there since it's a little more upscale compared to Taco Bell.

Lunch was good and Tom paid for me as a good gesture to my departure from SAP. I had a Chicken Burrito that was massive! I was so full from eating it! The thing is huge because they pack it rice and everything! While eating it the wrapping broke and the guys were poking fun at my rookie way of eating the burrito, haha. Apparently there is a certain technique to eating it and you must never put the burrito back down on the tray after each bite according to Ryan and Marcus. It's considered traveling if you have to take more than 2 motions to eat it as Marc had so clearly explained to me, haha. Ah, man good times. The ride back was even more outrageous because we were talking about all shorts of crazy stuff. We rode in Tom's Nissan Titan with him, Tim, Vince, Marcus and myself. Ryan rode with Dean and his intern and Ajie who's one of the new data center interns.

By the time we get back it's around 1:00 and I help Eric with a problem he was having with saving the DBMON spreadsheet. I fix it for him but I noticed that he hasn't completed it yet because he's been receiving training from Ed on how to image and re-imagine a server using Altiris. As such, Steve asks that I take over for him and finish it up. As I bring up the spreadsheet and fire up the DBMON page on internet explorer Ryan walks in and tells me that Tom wants me to go over to the GSC building to finalize my termination process instead of him coming to the data center to meet up with me. Originally he was suppose to meet me in the noc before he would give a tour of the data center for some people but it got canceled so he wanted me to go over there.

Before I go to the GSC, I say my farewells with Rad, Steve and Dan which was extremely touching. It's been a good run with them and I've had fun working with those guys. They've been like an older brother and father figure to me. Rad even begins singing the "nah, nah, nah,nah, hey, hey, good bye" song to me to wish me off, but I tell him to stop, haha. It was just too much to embarrassing for me. The guys tell me that I'll do well because of my ethnics and etc, which I found to be very encouraging. Afterwards, I go over to Center City, where the office area is held at to say bye to Vince, Ryan and Marc. I tell them that I was leaving and Vince gets up and gives me a big ol' hug. I hug back but twice as hard which causes him to fart, haha. I was not expecting that at all. He then lets go and walks toward the back door to go check on something out on the floor. Before he goes through it, I tell him to keep in touch and that we should hang out. He agrees and tells me to call him whenever. Next I walk over to Marc's desk and Ryan gets up. We both check out Marc's laptop cause he has something funny to show up. After looking at what he has to show us I offer my hand to Ryan and he shakes it. We say our good byes and I do the same with Marcus. Next I walk out casually which would be the last time I step foot in that data center.

I catch the elevator upstairs to the first floor and by this time I'm debating on whether I should use my $4.25 on some snacks at the cafeteria instead of wasting the money, but because I was short on time I decide to the garage to pick up my car so I can drive over to the GSC building to see Tom. I get there around 1:30, but I get lost because I forget which floor Tom's office is... I haven't been to that building in months!!!!! I finally find the floor after a single try and proceed to Tom's office. Before I go see him, I quickly stop by my old half-desk to check to see if my name tag is still there and IT IS! I quickly take it out of the placard and carefully fold it up so I can put it into my pocket without wrinkling it.

I knock on Tom's office and he tells me to walk in. We speak for a few minutes and like the idiot that I am I don't tell Tom' what I really wanted to say when he asked if I had any final comments, concerns or questions. I shake my head no and say that I don't like always.... What an idiot... Obviously I have lots to say but it never comes to me at the right time or place so I leave his office without truly and sincerely thanking him for the opportunity that he has given me and how much of an experience it has been to me. Then a minute later Judy Miller, the lady that handle's the affairs for interns, walks by and Tom calls her in. He tells her who I am and I hand over my laptop and badge to her. Earlier he had checked my laptop bag to make sure that I have everything inside and tells me that he's doing this as it is procedure and not because he doesn't trust me. Judy accepts the stuff, wishes me farewell and walks away. Then Tom asks me if there's anyone I want to say bye too before I leave. I tell him to give my goodbyes to Jim and Rick since the both of them are out. We both get up and I tell that I want to say bye to Tim before I leave. We both go over to his desk and we shake hands and etc. I talk a little more with Tim and Tom about when I'll be graduating how much longer I have left. Then he tells me that he'll show me the way out and walks me to the side door that leads directly to the parking garage. We both walk to the door and before Tom heads back to his office he reminds me to stay in touch and that if I ever need anything just ask him and he'll do whatever he can may it be a letter of recommendation, a inquiry about a job opening and etc. He gives me his business card, then we shake hands and we say goodbye one last time. He goes back to his office and I turn around to walk through the door and down path leading to the garage.

That moment felt truly strange because I no longer had my security bad around my neck of the weight of my laptop pulling my right shoulder down. I remind myself that I was no longer an employee of SAP and proceed to my car. I drive out of the garage and through the path behind the buildings that leads to the exit of the premises. By this time, I'm listening to Finch and I get onto route 3 which leads me back to school. I'm running a bit late for my Anthropology class but i wasn't going to go because I wanted to stay longer at work. When I finally get to school, it hits me in the face that I'm back to being a full time student and I go to the library to photocopy my internship evaluation sheet. I want a copy of it before I hand it in to Mr. McGlinchey, which I'll have to do some time soon.

And so, that's basically my morning up to 2ish this afternoon. It still feels a bit depressing to think about because I really enjoyed working with those guys. There were some ups and downs but definitely more ups than downs. I wish I could go back to working there until i graduate but things happen and so I must roll with the punches. I still keep in contact with Tim and Kishan and I plan to do the same with the guys that still work there. Perhaps I can call them up next week and ask Ryan, Marc and Vince to go to lunch with me. My school is about 15 minutes away from SAP so it won't be out of the way to meet up with the guys for lunch one of these days before I go to school. And not to go sappy on everyone, but this has been one hell of an experience and I will cherish it. I am going to use what I've learned at SAP and apply it to whatever I do in life and at my next job.

I've spoken enough and I will leave it at that, haha. Good night all!