Monday, July 24th
My last week already. Including today I now only have four days to finish it all. So first let's see what I still have to do in those four days. A big number one is of course the load test. That's going to happen this evening. I hope this time it will not be cancelled. During the day I confer with Alain and it turns out there's a plan-B, just in case.
During the afternoon Ferry walks in. A couple of minutes later Joachim comes up with the idea to go somewhere after work, sort of a goodbye party. We have some ideas as to where to go, but decide we like the beach best. And probably it's the easiest, because Tuesday and Wednesday the whole world is coming to Rome to talk about Lebanon. The only thing I know for sure is that the American Condoleezza Rice is coming. The rest of the italian news broadcast I didn't understand too well.
In the evening we do the long anticipated load test. 100 users is okay, 200 is also okay, but 250 is too much for the current configuration. We run into some memory error and I'm very pissed. Now we first have to deal with this before we can continue. I really hoped we coild go further than 200 users.
Later that evening Ferry and I are having dinner in the restaurant and he tells me Martin thinks the presentation last Friday went very good. And this cheers me up again.
Tuesday, July 25
We're still planning on going to the beach tonight. Secretly I'm having second thoughts because tonight we're going to do a third attempt to finish the loadtest. And if that takes until seven o'clock again, there's no time left to go to the beach. Besides that, Italian television is forecasting rain tonight, so the beach may turn out to be a bad choice anyway. Well, we'll see.
When I check the things-still-to-do-this-week I discover I can tick off quite a few things on that list. The only things that are still open are the cost-benefit-analysis and the loadtest. I'm going to process the test results of last night first. That way I can also see what results I'm expecting tonight. After that I work with Ferry on the cost-benefit-analysis (actually, he does the work and I look over his shoulder in an attempt to learn something). Ferry is also very skilled in excel-use. I try to remember some simple tips and tricks which will come in handy in the future. Now I really see how powerful excel can be when you know how to use properly.
The loadtest isn't going too well. We run into the same error as last night. After some more testing we are able to draw some conclusions nevertheless. It is not the result I hoped for, but it's a result! Too bad there's no time to go to the beach anymore. Instead, Joachim drops Ferry and me off close to the Santa Maria di Trastevere.
In that area is a very beautiful piece of Rome, and Ferry knows a good chinese restaurant there. We eat noodles, shrimp and peking-duck. Only, I never saw that peking-duck served like that. That few times I had it it was just some sort of roast duck. This is very different. These are slices of duck on top of white "strings", which turn out to be coconut. A dish of pancakes and vegetables is added. Since I don't get this all, I decide to have a drink first. That way I can watch how Ferry eats it and just do it exactly the same. You have to roll the slice of duck together with some vegetables in a pancake and eat that with your hands. It looks like a wrap. I think it's funny and try it. I like the taste of this very much!!
Wednesday, July 26
This morning first I'm going over the results of the load test of last night. And I have to update my action plan. While I'm working on that, Ferry is sweating over the cost-benefit-analysis. I'm very glad he's doing it, I really don't know where to start on that one. Clearly I still have much experience to gain.
And then it arrives, a little bit sooner than I expected: I'm finished. Everything that must be written down had been written down and everything that should be researched has been researched. Now I only have to clean up and say goodbye and that sort of things. Nice chores for tomorrow...
Thursday, July 27
Today is my last WFP-day. We have three meetings. At home we seldomly have meetings, but here we have them all the time. These three are all three "last-day-last-things-wrapup"-meetings. And of course I still have to thank everyone for their support and cooperation.
During the morning we watch the RTL4-news broadcast from last night. There's an item in there about the food convoys to Lebanon. It also has an interview with someone from WFP. I watch the interview and see the WFP-logo on trucks and bags. I feel very proud to have been part of this. That's wat its all about: feeding people.
Upon lunchtime Joachim think I should decide where we'll go, since today is my last day. I decide we're going to Bosch. That way Ferry can join us before he is off to the airport. And I like it best to have everyone come along. Besides that, they have a terrace at the Bosch-building, so we can sit outside in the shade and relax.
And then at last, the moment I feared a little: saying goodbye. I shake hands and say goodbye personally to everyone with whom I worked. I know already I'll miss WFP......
Ciao,
Ingrid