Goodbye AutoForm: a love letter to my colleagues, friends, and AutoForm family

Over the past 14+ years with AutoForm, I have had the pleasure to visit every office but two (sorry India and Mexico). I have been to each AutoForm Weekend since Nice. I have taken part in nearly every competence group in one way another. Which has given me a chance to meet so many of all of you AutoFormers throughout the years.

StringGirl 3.0 waves goodbye

This August, I take my first step on a grand new adventure by departing AutoForm and Sheet Metal Forming as a whole. It has been a distinct pleasure to work with such a fine collection of professionals.

The original StringGirl and the original AutoFormer

 It was not an easy step to choose to move on, but move on I must. Know that I have treasured my time and AutoForm and believe that your company and solutions are bound for many great things. I am sad that I will not be a party to that future, and that I will not anymore be seeing those of you I ran into the most throughout my frequent travels.

On our way to another AutoForm dinner

Some of you I have been blessed to spend more time with than others, either through participation in the same competence groups, focus projects, training, and workshops. Maybe, we played futbol together in Nice ('02),  Axxams ('04), Mallorca ('07), Athens ('09), or Lisbon ('14).

Lisbon 2014

Many of you have welcomed me into your homes, allowed me to meet your family, and have gone very far to make me feel so very welcome. 

We've been hiking, skiing, boating, biking, and running together. We have drank at the seaside, the mountain top, grottos, dungeons, farms, fincas, rain forests, castles, mines, parks, and bars.

We went to Oktoberfest in Tokyo, we at sushi in Bavaria, had Brazilian Barbecue in Chicago, and Korean food in Dortmund.

You have hosted me in your offices and I've hosted you in mine. I've even cooked dinner at some of your flats, grilled on your patios, carried your wine over the ocean, and brought your amazon purchases by plane.

Traveled by train, taxi, plane, and boat with you. I've traveled nearly a million miles (and I would fly one million more) just to work with you. 

Over the years we have said hello and goodbye to many colleagues. And read together "Today is my last day at AutoForm" emails together, and unfortunately may have missed the chance to say goodbye to others as they departed AutoForm (or in case of Miro this mortal coil).

At least I got to say goodbye one last time to Miro

I am sorry that I will not get to have one last Apero with the gang at AutoForm Zurich (sorry I left without hosting the Apero. Lame but it was still not general knowledge when I left Zurich). I won't join another Friday breakfast with the Brazilian office, golf outing with the Americans, or Go-Kart with the Dortmund office.

No more AutoForm Rock Hard Band concerts.

And while I won't miss La Gazetta or Mongos or Rodizio especially, I will miss the laughing, debating, ranting, of our many group dinners together.

I have learned much from all of you. Culture and tolerance, technical knowledge and social grace, how to eat Sambar with my hands, how mesh a part. You've let me bore you with details about GeoCaching, high school robotics, and the tales of my travels.

We've raced each other around cart courses, slipped and slided down slopes, chased balls of all sizes, and been on scavenger hunts together.

You've been shocked by the language I use, and wondered who taught me how to say such things in your language. You've tolerated my atrocious 'Murican accent as I try with poor results to speak in your mother tongue.

You allowed the tours to be conducted in English for my benefit as we toured Cokeries, Mines, Breweries, and Castles.

You allowed me to take your pictures with a silly little wooden girl with string for hair, and even more graciously you asked about her health. You even reminded me to bring her with me if we were leaving the restaurant or bar.

You've taken my word for it when I suggested a certain restaurant or bar. Listened to my ideas about what to order from where. Asked me what is the best place to eat when in your town, because you know I eat out there more often than you do.

Many of you have given up your nights and weekend days to bring me out to dinner. Choosing to spend your valuable time with the American and his little "puppet".

Bistros, Trattoria, Cafes and Lounges. Clubs, Dives, Parlors, and Pubs. We've been there and done that. Together. I will miss the fellowship and collegial atmosphere.

You've stayed out MUCH TOO LATE with me while I soaked up your cities.

I've gotten you lost in the woods, only to have to get us found by the power of the internet.

You've been former customers who became colleagues.

Or we've been the only ones at the table together who could not speak German.

I may have crashed your holiday dinners a couple times and never invited you to ours in the US. How rude of me.

I am glad to have been the excuse for many of you to leave the office for lunch and be able to call it a "business" lunch.

You've nodded and laughed, even when I was rambling so fast in my american english that you really didn't know what I was saying. And yes I did the same.

Thanks for all the rides in your cars.

Remember that time when? Maybe you don't, maybe you wonder when I took these pictures. It has been bittersweet reviewing this pictures and adding them to the scrapbook. 

Company outings to baseball games, futbol games, you took me to Ice hockey games, Christmas markets, tourist traps, and little known local secrets.

Sometimes we ate the in the tourist traps in the heart of the city together, other times in the "Gemütlich huttes" on the side of the mountain.

You smiled and took interest in the goings of of the little wooden girl, and even noticed when she changed here hair, or outfit. You lamented her broken arm and fractured leg.

Here hold this and stand still for a picture...

My daughters gave me these toys, so that I would not feel lonely. How was I to know that it worked. StringGirl(s) helped to break the ice at so many company events and seemed to bring smiles to everyones faces.