Earlier last week the managing director of my company approached me and asked me if I could help with something important. He told me what the situation was and made me a proposal.
The situation.
The very first KNX International Forum was taking place in Madrid that week. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the CEO of our company -who originally was the one to attend- had to cancel and our managing director was going to attend in his place. Due to even more unforeseen circumstances, the managing director could not attend either. Apparently, anyone else was simply too busy to even think about going.
The proposal.
The proposal was that I did go and make the presentation on behalf of the company. Why me? Apparently, the main reason why they chose me is because I am Spanish!
Hell!
My first reaction was “Thanks, but no thanks” (actually, it was also more like “No fucking chance“) but after speaking for a while with our managing director, I kind of changed my mind. On one side, I felt I didn’t want to let the company down, and on the other, I thought it was the opportunity that I had been waiting for to do a bit of geeky KNX networking myself.
This proposal brought up the eternal dichotomy in me: I am an extrovert but I am also very introvert. I am cheeky and I am shy. I am talkative and I am quiet. I want to believe that I think positive, but sometimes I am negative. I kept thinking that the negative side of me would take over and that made me nervous. Very nervous.
But then I thought: Come on. You’re 32 years old now. You’re not a little girl any more. You don’t need anyone by you all the time holding your hand. Be strong, be brave.
My conditions to accept this proposal were two:
- I wanted to go as late as possible (I landed at 7pm) and I wanted to be back as soon as possible too (I was back in Barajas by 1pm the following day)
- The presentation had to be done in English. There was no way I was to talk about KNX for half an hour in Spanish. No chance.
My conditions were accepted and a few hours later I was on a plane to Madrid!
This has been the very first time that I have been to Spain in a no-holiday situation. Since I left for the UK, I’ve only been back “home” for holidays and little breaks to see friends. I’ve been to Malaga, Motril, Granada, Alicante, Valencia, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria, and every time I went there I was in holiday mood. This time, however, I felt different. I felt like an important business woman in an important mission. I was looking back at my own country with different eyes, I was noticing different and exciting things.
The expercience was unique and really positive. I did my geeky networking around, I met some interesting people, I learnt a few things about speaking in public and everybody congratulated me after I had delivered my speech.
Now it’s done I can say: Been there, done that, got the t-shirt. However I am not completely sure that I want to see myself in that same spot any time soon.
On Driving »« News news news, or a quick update
)
