Telenor Trainee blog

I am now back in Oslo loaded with great memories from my stay in Kyivstar - no.1 mobile operator in Ukraine and the most profitable company in the Telenor Group.

It has been finalized, I will stay in Hungary and Pannon for the next 5 months as well!

Recap of Budapest and on what’s next…

Having been taught “you can do anything you set your mind to”, I was keen to challenge my educational background and the notion of a “right” career choice. A trainee programme with an international company seemed like the perfect way to start. Then the tricky part began: How to choose and how to be chosen?

Even now penning my thoughts onto Microsoft Office while listening to the loud (very loud) thunderstorm, I’m barely aware that I’m no longer in Oslo.

Change! It’s part of the programme…

I have been a Telenor Global Trainee for a little more than a year now. The last year has been absolutely fantastic, with lots of experiences, impressions and exciting moments.

Crash! I am home again!

My journey in Asia is over for now, and after one year as a trainee in Telenor I am back in Oslo and Norway. At least for a while. About one year ago, I moved to Stockholm, and six months ago, the destination was Kuala Lumpur. Living abroad has been a good experience, and it has given me a taste for more.

All the 12 trainees gathered in Hungary last week to participate in our four days seminar which was a special “transit room” before we started the last module of the trainee programme.

It finally struck me last night that six months has passed in a blink of an eye. People say there are some things you learn and you won’t forget in your life, like cycling, swimming and playing the piano. I’m adding Sweden to that list of mine.

The Financial Services team could do nothing but smile as our management put on the yellow helmets to protect themselves from falling durians. The free one year Personal Accident insurance to our subscribers was launched!

The Global Trainee Programme is not the only trainee programme that is conducted in Telenor.

The end of the 2nd module of the trainee programme is getting closer and closer, which means loads of things to sort out, wrap up, pack in and finalize.

Six months I will never forget…

Some updates about my work so far…it’s not all just about crayfish party, Mamma Mia and R.E.M all the time

Seeming as work is the most frequently recurring event, lets get into that a little…

I was working with my headphones on and I was probably entirely engrossed in work when I woke up to see that the day outside had suddenly changed. Was it a total eclipse of the sun? Or had someone painted the windows black from the outside?

Hungarian music rocks!!!

I would like to invite our readers to consider sharing your thoughts…

During Ramadan Muslims don’t eat from sunrise to sunset and this year Ramadan starts on September 3rd and lasts for 30 days - effectively covering the rest of my stay.

After a rather calm July in Fornebu and a short vacation in August it is high time to speed up again.

I must honestly admit that coming to Hungary as a foreigner is not a walk in the park. You can always try to prepare up front by reading books etc., but in order to understand the Hungarian culture, behavior and way of communicating you actually need to experience it.

Malaysia is truly in the heart of Asia. I love traveling, so in my spare time I have had the chance to explore a bit around the region. Kuala Lumpur is a great hub for seeing South East Asia and I have spent many weekends experiencing this part of the world.

A fruit too smelly to eat in your car and forbidden to bring to your hotel or on the bus? Sure, I’ll give it a try! My colleagues had long been promoting Durian, the “King of the Fruit”, as a true feast for my taste buds and nostrils. I have to admit, it was a memorable experience, indeed.

This time I am posting some of the funniest TV commercials from around the Telenor Group

That is the motto you will find all over the DiGi office these days. A couple of weeks ago, a major environmental awareness campaign was launched for all the employees at DiGi. It is also challenging our customers and trying to engage them through a website and several contests.

My colleagues are really the best and the Pakistanis are so accommodating that I feel I am friends with everyone, even the ones I don’t work with.

In contrary to my last posting, this is where I realise how the internet and wireless world can help me(us) reduce my(our) carbon footprint.

Over the last two weeks, lively discussions from our office have only been modified by the constant murmur from the coffee maker. Suffice to say; pulling all-nighters do not stop after student life.

It is quite strange to reflect upon how quickly one adjusts to new settings, new people, new cultures and a new working environment. There are many reasons why adjusting to DiGi has gone smoothly.

Weddings have a very central place in the Pakistani society. Last weekend I got to attend one. Although having only known Talha for just about two weeks, we got along really well and I he invited me to his wedding. This was quite a surprise for me, and although his wedding was in Karachi, this was an invitation I just couldn’t say no to.

Wireless communication and the internet - how it has changed the way I live, work and play - and sometimes wished it didn’t.

Half way through my post at DiGi and things are really getting interesting. In the past three months I’ve experienced a new culture, got to know new team mates at a new company, and dove head first into the Malaysian telecommunications industry. Now it’s time to put that all together.

The teambuilding outing with the Marketing and Strategy department exceeded my expectations y far. We went to a beautiful island called Pangkor, some four hours drive north of Kuala Lumpur. We were about 150 people altogether, and for me and the other new employees in the division it was a great way to get to know more of our colleagues outside the office environment.

I guess this title sounds interesting enough to make you read this posting…However, instead of some fascinating travel stories I am going to write a bit about the project I am working on these days (The rainy season has already started in Oslo anyway…so i have to use my imagination to travel).

Am I not one of the luckiest young professionals around?

It’s always an exciting experience to pack your bags and move to a new country…

If Europe is all about football these days, Pakistan is all about cricket – any day. In public parks and in open areas people will gather in order to play some rounds. At first wasn’t very fascinated..

I absolutely loved working in Karlskrona - learning new things, meeting new people and seeing new places. After my last day, I went back to Stockholm and prepared a report of my work in Karlskrona and after that, went off straight to the Telenor Sweden’s Summer Party at Nacka where Charlotte Perrelli (a popular Swedish artist) gave us a surprise performance

Holding a scalpel in a gloved hand (and grabbing a railing in the other) I carefully dissected myself slowly, part by part. I then lay out the pieces and poked them, like how you would with your food when you were a kid (or maybe even now).

Belgrade - a city of surprises!

When I said bring on the change, this is not what I had in mind. Under the burning sun, I find myself in a bright yellow DiGi costume handing out balloons. Team building DiGi style!

Living abroad is a change, and moving all the way to Malaysia is a rather big change. And so far, it has been a very welcome change. I really enjoy living in Kuala Lumpur, and working here. Malaysians are nice people, and I feel that I have been taken good care of in DiGi so far.

One thing the taxi drivers of Islamabad sure don’t understand is that I like to walk around. Walk and relax, looking at places you never would have time to study closer from a car window when passing by. Sometimes I make new discoveries when walking, sometimes even close to where I live and work.

Since mid-April, Telenor Serbia is my new playground.

How else can I start? Two months have just flown away. Oslo is great! Spring. Sun. Sea. Green and blue. Nice people. New places. Changes. Challenges. Fun.

After a staggering trainee-gathering in Norway, I’m back in Bangkok, Thailand, with a better understanding of both myself and the culture I’m currently living in. In other words; I feel more than ready to face the last 4 months of my period with dtac.

One of the main learning possibilities for the Telenor trainees is to share our experiences from different subsidiaries with each other. In order to do so, we will have six workshops during the entire trainee program. While the first workshop took place in Oslo in October, just after we all started, and the second took […]

Sweden and Norway are considered to have very similar cultures, and after living in Oslo for six months I generally agree. But there are exceptions to every rule, and the National Day is supposed to be one of those.

Hi, it’s great to be wearing the “writing hat” again. Thanks to the “hat” I’m extremely late in my blog posting:). That’s the hard part of writing it has to be on the right day, time and place with the right mood with vibrantly colored “hat” otherwise I just end up staring at the screen!

Having been in Oslo for six months, I am curious to find out how different Sweden is from Norway - these two countries being situated next to each other, having similar languages and share a history of Vikings.

Currently I am in Budapest, Hungary. Nice city, really nice people and brilliant soups… in addition to that, a lot cheaper then Sweden so I get to feel a little rich. =) Language though, harder then chinese. Ordering a cab, not easy! But I will have 6 months to learn…

The view from my apartment in April usually holds the image of commuters’ frantic search for parking spots on the snow-covered pavement. This view has now been replaced or, more correctly, upgraded to a swimming pool surrounded by palm trees and tropical flowers. The second module of the Telenor traineeship has begun, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, will be my new home over the next six months. How did I end up here?

Prior to going to Pakistan, several of my friends and colleagues asked me to write them travel letters. Therefore, I figured, why don’t I just blog a travel letter. After all I would like to share it with all of you.

In response to David’s comment, I am going to do some retrospective reflections on how this extraordinary journey started for a girl from a small town

Having completed my first six months in Telenor Norway, I am now back to scratch.

This Easter will be special to me because like its true meaning, it will mark one end and one beginning for me.

As promised to Atip and Yuin, here are some more photos of my weekend getaway in Malaysia with Istvan and Ole Johan.

Last week I was placed in the hands of the technical department in Canal Digital. It was an exciting week where I got to go “back to my roots”, being an telecom engineer and all. Although I have had a lot of telecommunications subjects during my period at school, it’s always in thrilling to see how it works and is used in real life. I have posted some pictures, so have a look…

Finally, after 4 months of worrying where I will be working during the outplacement, I got the news. I will be working in Kuala Lumpur for six months, beginning in April. The opportunity to live and work for 6 months in Malaysia is something that I’m very much looking forward to:-)

The trainee-life in Stockholm has been a good one. It has been very exciting, informative and developing; but also stressful and confusing at times. I guess that’s all part of being a trainee and moving to a new place. I have now worked at Canal Digital in Stockholm for more than four months. Somehow, that sunny October day when I packed my bag and got on a plane from Oslo to Stockholm seems so close, and yet so far away. The days and weeks have come and gone incredibly fast, and in another two months my stay here will be over. But the journey doesn’t end just yet. My next stop on the trainee-road is Kuala Lumpur, in the beautiful country of Malaysia (- Truly Asia!).

As I cannot think very straight now (I think my head is filled with mucus, ugh), I will post some photos of our trip in KL for you to enjoy!

My past four months in Telenor has been what I call, a visit in an amusement park. Some rides were fun, some were frightening, and often some we had to queue for a long time before we get our turn.

The male team members exchanged nervous looks as their female counterparts escorted them to the waiting taxi at Fornebu. Instructed to bring warm, water proof clothing, torches, large backpacks, but also tight jeans, casual shirts, and blazers in true 1980s’ style, it is safe to say that the confusion was total. The day of our lives could begin!

After a staggering week with the other trainees in Kuala Lumpur, I sit here at Fornebu as a gently tanned and a slightly more reflected man. What a feeling

Okay! You are totally crazy, but at least funny! That would be my answer, if somebody from my university had prophesied to me the following scene one year ago.

It was the strangest game of croquet I had ever played. Not that I often play croquet, but I still find playing croquet with the queen a little strange, especially as she constantly orders the solitaire soldiers or just anyone to be beheaded, not to mention the flamingo mallets and the hedgehog balls. In the middle of this chaos, the telephone suddenly rang. It might be the White Rabbit, the Hatter or even the Cheshire Cat I thought, before I picked up the speaker.

Hi, in this blog, I will deviate from the usual job related issues which tend to become boring after some time not only for you as a reader but also for me as a writer. However I’m in luck as January had been a pretty happening month for the trainees. Wondering what could have taken place?

I’ve now spent four months working in Global Coordination, which is a corporate function that utilises group capabilities to contribute to local competitive advantage for Telenor’s OpCos.

After packing and opening loads of presents, taking part in calm and relaxing Christmas dinners, and surviving some pretty loud new years eve parties I had enough time to go over a little bit on my experiences regarding the past year. Fortunately the results were quite inspiring…

Happy New Year, and the best of wishes for the coming year. For me, one thing seems certain; that 2008 is going to bring a lot of new challenges, experiences and probably some frustration. But after 3 months as a trainee in Telenor, that seems like business as usual

Going intergalactic is of course the reason why the Telenor headquarter has its own convenience store, electronics store, gift shop, hairdresser, you name it. In several ways the complex reminds me of the Biosphere project. Moving between galaxies, it’s just a question of time before Telenor launches its first teleporting service. -Literally.

Having had a relaxing and fun Christmas Holiday, I am now really looking forward to a new year! There are so many exciting things that will happen, and I can not wait to get started.

I have just had my first paid holiday days in my life! Was a little bit worried that I would have a hard time relaxing and dropping work completely, but in the end, a piece of cake =)

2008 has started off at Fornebu and it feels good to start working after a 10-days long holiday. However, it was great relaxing and celebrating Christmas with friends and family home in Oslo!

At the moment I am working on a project to further improve customer experience at dealer outlet. In the coming weeks, I will be moving around the various divisions of sales to get an all rounded view of what constitutes as sales since my task related to platinum dealers are almost complete.

This week has been fairly busy for Dealer Sales. We are in the midst of finalising sales activities to be undertaken for the year 2008 and I am also in the midst of finalising and waiting for reply on whether the recommendation that I put forward to my superiors are viable.