ParentNET
A slice of campus life written by an MTU student

As my long anticipated trip to Canada and Seattle has now passed (and it is now time for my monthly internship update), I am reminded that everything in life goes by so quickly. And even when life’s events sometimes couldn’t seem to move any slower, I always remember the saying that is so true: “This too shall pass.” As I mentioned at the closing of my previous article, I just returned to Indiana from Calgary, Canada. I was an exhibitor with Cummins for the 2006 Global Petroleum Show.

I flew into Calgary on Monday and was relieved that customs involved a few mere questions. Most of my department, Oil & Gas, had flown in the day before for an important meeting. In total, there were nearly 75 Cummins representatives in Calgary to help with some aspect of the show. This included distributors from all over North America.

I viewed the world from on high. (Right, top) My hotel room view of downtown Calgary. (Right, bottom) The traffic is nearly 500 below my feet, as I stood on the glass edge of the observation room on the Calgary Tower. (Click on photos for larger images.)

The GPS officially began on Tuesday morning. Cummins was only one of the many hundreds of show participants. And even though there were so many exhibits from all over the world, everyone knew who the big corporate players were. Space was a premium, and needless to say, Cummins had one of the top spots. You couldn’t help but spot the fierce red and black from the moment you walked in the door!

During my time at the show on Tuesday, I helped attract visitors to the Cummins area by handing out free blinking lanyards, business card holders, and beverage holders, all sporting the Cummins image. Then in the evening, all of the Cummins representatives were invited to dinner at the Calgary Tower, in the rotating restaurant. I have never seen a view so beautiful, especially at night! And once night came, most of us headed down to the observation floor, where the outermost edge of the floor was glass for viewers to stand on (it definitely wasn’t for those afraid of heights). I was proud to say that I stood out on this edge, meaning I was more than 500 feet above the traffic below!

On Wednesday, I also helped in the Cummins area at the show, and then was told to “walk” the show to look at other displays and meet representatives from other companies. That was probably the best part of my trip. There were many displays outdoors, including many heavy machinery, oil rigs, and semi trucks. The best part of walking the show was being able to see Cummins engines used in real-life applications, as many of our engines were being used in machinery at the show. On Wednesday evening, I then attended a hospitality event hosted by one of the Canadian regions of Cummins. This event was also rewarding because I was able to meet many Cummins representatives along with current and potential customers.

While I was in Seattle, Cody and I went to the Space Needle and paid to visit the Observation Deck, also known as the O Deck, which was nearly equivalent in height to the Calgary Tower. The downtown district of Seattle is in the background.

My time in Calgary concluded on Thursday as I left for the airport around 4 a.m. Since my official duties with Cummins for the week were now over, I then traveled from Calgary to Seattle, Washington, to visit my boyfriend Cody. Cody is working at an internship for Boeing this summer, and so I was able to see Boeing facilities along with the city of Seattle itself. And although it does rain quite often in Seattle, it is all of that rain that makes the gorgeous mountainous region so lush and green.

Until next week,

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