Dora Mocsinka encourages us to follow the hero’s journey with a bold leap forward.
I clearly remember six months ago, as the last days of my summer vacation were approaching, I was on my way to Lake Balaton to enjoy the weekend with friends.
I can even recall the excited voice of Emese, our local staffing coordinator in charge of assigning consultants to projects and clients, as I answered her call. She had an offer for me, an exciting tourism project in Saudi Arabia starting in two days.
To be honest, I was shocked for a minute. Then I turned doubtful. From one minute to another so many questions came to my mind. We, westerners have very limited knowledge about the kingdom. In the media, most of the time we do not see the most tempting face of the country. As a woman, is this country the right place to go? Should I be scared, or rather excited?
Finally, an inner voice subsides all the doubts and convinced me as I was drawn by the topic and the magic of the unknown.
I was ready to be bold, and the following day, I was already on my way to Riyadh.
I thought to myself, What do I have to wear? An abaya covering my body or also a niqab covering my whole face? Can it be colourful or only black? When do I have to wear it? What about the office, the hotel, the lobby, the meeting rooms? Am I allowed to take a taxi on my own? How am I going to present in front of dozens of local gentlemen? Am I going to be allowed to speak up?
Yes, I had to accommodate to the local traditions, and I tried to learn as much as I could about them. Surely, it was a tough decision to sit on a plane and prepare a project in a different culture, but I really wanted to be open for something unusual.
Read the full article, Be Bold, Be Open, on LinkedIn.