This office also really knows how to party! The Jacobs Women's Network in Malaysia successfully organized an annual dinner with the theme, The Great Gatsby. We also had a Christmas and Year End Celebration last year, where the entire team came together, ate delicious food, played a funny duck game and sang karaoke.

This experience will always be memorable and part of my life as my longtime boyfriend proposed to me when he visited me in Malaysia - a cherry on top of an amazing year.

What did you like the most about the experience?

With Malaysia being a multicultural country, I loved having the opportunity to learn about the Malay culture and other prominent cultures in the area, such as Chinese and Indian.

I spent several weekends exploring the city both with new friends and on my own. I visited Buddhist and Hindu temples and mosques, wore a saree (a garment worn by South Asian women) to a Malaysian-Indian wedding and celebrated Deepavali, the Indian festival of lights, at a colleague's home.

A true highlight, however, was the street market food. I even tried durian, a delicious fruit known for its strong aroma - and surprisingly enjoyed it!

How did you manage the time-zone difference?

I worked as a Jacobs' Global Integrated Delivery (GID) engineer on our U.S. projects. Being in KL, I was facing a 13-16-hour time difference from the U.S., which meant working at odd hours. However, I was offered a flexible remote working option to solve this.

What did you learn?

Living in a Southeast Asian country has shown me the importance of slowing down from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to pause and reflect on the more meaningful aspects of life.

The other piece is about diverse cultures and seeing the dynamics between them. It highlighted the shared values and the distinctions from the cultural norms in the U.S. For instance, I learned about communication styles - direct and indirect, mannerisms, languages, approaches to work-life balance, greater emphasis on values like family, faith and religion, and respect for hierarchy - all unique to Malaysia.

What do you want others to know?

Jacobs Go! is a life-changing experience! You will be able to explore the world while still building your resume and making new friends along the way. If you are truly looking for a cultural experience with a fun group of talented people, I highly suggest Jacobs Go!

Attachments

  • Original Link
  • Permalink

Disclaimer

Jacobs Solutions Inc. published this content on 02 May 2024 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 02 May 2024 13:52:32 UTC.