Traveling has been a large part of my life since I was a little girl. Being Italian, my family and I (when I was much younger) took trips to Italy as well as toured around Europe, and I believe this is what sparked my love to explore new places. In the last year alone, I have been blessed and incredibly fortunate enough to have lived in multiple countries.
I spent May of 2012 in Palau and then studied abroad in Australia and New Zealand for the following fall semester. After making that 14-hour flight four times in a six month period, along with many shorter flights, I had no intention of doing it again any time soon. My long legs couldn’t handle another round!
During this past summer, I had planned to work as a summer camp counselor, but when I was given the opportunity to intern at Pronto and travel to Thailand, my drive to travel was turned on once again.
To be honest, I did not know a whole lot about Thailand, beyond what one automatically assumes and already knows; such as elephants, jungles and Thai food. Regardless, I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to be an intern at a Thai company while being a tourist on the weekends! In less than two weeks, it was all arranged and I was off.
I dove head first into unknown waters and it has been one of the most rewarding dives I have ever taken. Not only have I met wonderful people, made lifelong friends, and been able to explore a foreign country, but I have also grown so much as a person. And it is all thanks to Pronto!
I feel I am very lucky to have worked at a company like Pronto for my first real office job. Possibly too lucky as I am now afraid my expectations have been set quite high for my next employer. Everything, from the way the office has been set up, to the people working around me, is outstanding.
Not to mention the daily spread of delicious snacks that everyone gathers for in the late afternoon! Snack time?? Count me in! Not only are the snacks a healthy treat, but it keeps everyone going through the final push of remaining hours at the office. These afternoon snacks are almost as sweet as the people!
Upon arriving at the office, the Pronto team welcomed me with open arms. One of the many things I have learned while living here is that Thai people are extraordinarily kind, and the team here did not fall short of that by any means. From the very first day, groups would invite me to go to lunch with them and on the weekends I was able to hang out with them even more, creating lasting bonds.
In some aspects however, leading this type of tourist/full time employee double life was challenging at times. Living in Bangkok, less than a 5 minute walk from a BTS station, there were endless possibilities for tourism excursions, but sometimes after work I would be too tired to go out and explore the city. Although, the weekends proved to be sufficient enough to complete my list of activities.
Along with that, I had never been in an Asian country before, let alone lived in one, so it was a big change from what I knew. (The fact that I am 5’10” with blonde hair did not help my cause either!) However, the learning curve took its course and now I feel completely at ease here.
My journey here would not have gone nearly as smooth without generosity and family feeling of the Pronto team. Opportunities like this truly are once in a lifetime, and I am so happy to have been able to spend it with Pronto and all of the wonderful Protons. Because of this, I say thank you, thank you, and a million times more. Thailand and the team will be dearly missed, but I know I will be back one day!
Pronto susu!!
About the author
Sofia Ziemienski is currently in her final year at the University of Redlands where she is studying Environmental Sciences. Over the summer, she assisted our Marketing Team with some very big and exciting projects and still found time to travel around and enjoy Thailand.
