I'm flying back to the UK tomorrow after 7 months over here in the US. I thought it'd be cool to note down some of the highlights of my time - here are the top ten professional, and top ten social things that have made the international leg of the Saltire Fellowship such a great experience.Professional things (in no particular order...):Jeffery Swartz (President and CEO of Timeberland)'s talk on leadership and ethics. Scott McNealy (Founder and Chairman here at Sun) openly discussing the ups and downs of his 25 years at the helm of the company. Meeting many of Scotland's International Advisory Board and the members of the GlobalScot network in Boston and California, and hearing their perspective on Scotland, the Scottish economy and the Saltire Foundation.The first consulting project at Babson working with Edgeware Analytics (along with Messrs Miller, Reynolds and Boyle) was a load of fun and a great experience. The two-day 'Leadership Lab' at Babson.The day we spent with the Ariel Group, . I'd done some classes on presenting before but this was a whole different level. Twelve weeks at Sun seeing how key strategic decisions for a 30,000 employee company are made. Along with getting a unique insight into an emergent industry sector (the Cloud Computing space).Hearing leading tech-industry individuals speak at numerous technical conferences in California, and meeting a ton of interesting people at these events.12 weeks of lunches, dinners, meetups, forums, pitches and a whole load of other events taking in the entrepreneurial ecosystem here in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 16 weeks at Babson: hard work and intense but one of the best professional experiences I've ever had. All the professors were enthusiastic, knowledgable and experienced - each unique in their own way. The food was pretty good too...Social things:2am on a Saturday morning at the top of the Empire State Building.5 days in Yosemite National Park, CA.Diving in the chilly waters off Monteray, CA (cheers to Ian for sorting!)Skiing and Boarding in New Hampshire and Maine. Tandeming over the Golden Gate Bridge - a tourist classic!Hiking up Mt Tallac with stunning views across Lake Tahoe.The "New York Tartan Day Parade" After-Party.New England lobsters on the last night at Babson.Wineries of Napa Valley, California.Stretch Hummer down the strip in Vegas ... and the carnage that followed! Let me know if I've missed anything...See everyone in Scotland!Neil