“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”- This is a great saying by St. Augustine. Having an opportunity to travel to the United States of America was like a chance to come out of a well and get to see the other side of the world. It was definitely like my dream had come true.
When I joined Deerwalk three and a half years ago, I had thought that this company was the right platform for me to share my ideas, knowledge and expertise. But, as my desk started getting old and my chair started wearing down, I was proven wrong. Deerwalk was not only the platform to showcase my capabilities but also a platform where I could learn and experience something new every day. And, in March 2014, the experience I got was something big and extraordinary: the chance to travel to the USA, the land of opportunities, the land of dreams.
My journey started on February 29 from Kathmandu to Boston. It was my very first international flight and I was full of excitement. By the time I reached my final destination, I had already experienced different cuisines, traditions and people during the transits at Doha and London. I was very nervous on every step I took until I reached Boston and met my colleagues Sanjeev and Ashay at the airport who had come to pick me up.
I noticed that the life/work style at our Lexington office was very different than that at our Kathmandu office. It was not easy adjusting to this new style but I feel I managed it well. Unlike at our Kathmandu office, the Lexington people directly faced our clients and almost everything was urgent. And, like in our Kathmandu office, the tradition of daily stand-up meetings existed in the Lexington office too, and I feel fortunate to have been able to observe and contribute to those stand-ups. The most fruitful part of my visit was the opportunity to work alongside Rob, VP of Engineering, and to discuss improvements on Makalu, our data analytics platform.
After visiting Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston, Broadway, WTC site and Staten Island in New York, I’m now glad that I can say, “Yes, I was there!”. Thanks to Ashay, Sanjeev, Smriti, Rudra and the entire Deerwalk US family who made me feel so comfortable during my visit and made my trip really wonderful. The visit became more exciting when I met my friends from school and college. The trip ended on March 28 with a team dinner and it was difficult for me to bid good bye to friends and co-workers there and return to Nepal.
At last, what I would like to conclude is “If you work hard and give your best, you do not need to search for opportunities; opportunities themselves knock on your door!” Thank you Deerwalk and the whole team for everything.
