2010-2011

Back in 2010, wearing the title Graduate Engineering Trainee, I held my first passport in my hand — and the first destination stamped on it was Saudi Arabia.

I still remember the day my Line Manager, Ashu Chauhan, called me in. “You’re going onsite to Saudi, because no one else… rofl” he said with the confidence, excitement and challenging eye. That moment changed everything.

Landing in Riyadh felt like stepping into another world — one where MMS was the king of communication. Yes, MMS. Back then, social media was still a dream here, and apps like WhatsApp were years away. People shared pictures, jokes, and celebrations through MMS, and my job was to make sure those messages didn’t break.

I worked with STC and Zain, two telecom giants, diving deep into MMSC logs and probes to optimize VAS services. The work was technical, but the lessons? They were life-changing.

I lived inside a compound — a world within a world — and got to see the best of Saudi culture. I can still picture the grandeur of the Nokia Tatweer Tower, the sheer scale of STC’s state and office — bigger than some cities back home! It was overwhelming, yet thrilling.

And then there was Absar Khan, my mentor. He didn’t just teach me about logs and networks. He taught me how to see things technically, how to think clearly when the room is on fire, and yes — even how to dress to own the room. His words still echo:
“Confidence isn’t loud. It’s calm.”

There were moments of laughter too — like renting my first left hand drive car without a second thought, navigating streets that looked nothing like the ones back home. And then, those tense days when India played Pakistan in cricket — you could feel the rivalry in the air, even at work.

I am talking about, back in those day, we learned people — not prompts.
If you wanted to understand signs, languages, or culture, you had to start a conversation, break the ice, maybe even make a fool of yourself. That was how we grew our interpersonal skills — one awkward hello at a time.

Today? We engineer prompts instead of relationships. AI fills the silence, but can it ever replace the magic of reading someone’s smile or the pause before their laughter?

Looking back now, I realize those days taught me what matters and what doesn’t. How not to take every situation personally. How to keep your calm when politics — in office or outside — tries to shake you.

That first trip wasn’t just about a job. It was about becoming a professional, and more importantly, becoming myself.