Bring on the change

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?

Looking back 

Inspired by Nicole’s blog, I’ll take some time to think of how I ended up in Telenor. A friend recently asked me when I was returning to Brussels. The capital of the EU institutions would surely have been the natural choice for me after graduating from College of Europe. Albeit within days of graduating, I joined the team at the Norwegian Embassy in Rabat, followed by a position at the HQ in Oslo. For a year I was within the political sphere. Eager to try out a new industry and my own abilities I applied for Telenor’s traineeship. The answer I gave my friend: not any time soon!

Time to change

In my opinion, life is too short to stay in one place – both physically and mentally. I considered the traineeship as an excellent opportunity to live this statement. During 18 months I would have the opportunity to try out new fields of work in different markets, to be challenged and to develop my abilities. It is a fitting coincidence that one of my colleagues in Telenor Broadcast gave me a book on change as a read on the flight over to Kuala Lumpur. “Who moved my cheese?” (by Dr. Spencer Johnson) looks at the ability to deal with change, and is both an amusing and an interesting read. Change can be dealt with in different ways, and what I get from the book is this: it is all about your attitude!

Six months down, one year to go

The last six months have been very eventful! I started a new career path in the Broadcast and Telco industry which took me to Hungary, Denmark, and Malaysia for workshops and trainee gatherings. This has been an intense and rewarding experience thus far but have managed a personal balance: running the New York City Marathon (with a lung infection!), celebrating New Years in Las Vegas, hiking the Grand Canyon, a snowboarding team event (received a slight concussion), and taking my driving licence. All this, then I moved to Kuala Lumpur.

I can’t wait to see what lies ahead. I should probably add driving to the list of events. My first time driving alone took place in KL. My adrenalin level reached new heights as it seemed like many Malaysians got their driving licence rather easy.