xii: My Return to Work

For those who do not follow me on social media, I have officially started work again.  Monday was my first day back and I have started a five day training program.  Today, I wrapped up day three and so far, I am really enjoying it.  This is my first job in Budapest, as I had to wait nearly 3 months to receive my residence permit, a card needed in order to work legally within the country.

I work for a company called Stamford Global, a Hungarian based enterprise but one that does the majority of its business outside of the country.  Stamford Global is in the Event Services industry and has made a name under the brand “The HR Congress”.  This event has become the “Davos of HR”, the must attend event for a senior HR professional, especially the CHRO (Chief Human Resource Officer) of a company.  Imagine a TED style event, fast-paced and attended by nearly 900 attendees.  This is not your “death by powerpoint” event.  It is jam packed of speakers, networking sessions and roundtable discussions…an endless array of learning opportunities.  This year’s event will take place November 27-28 in Brussels, Belgium.

In addition to the live event held once per year, Stamford also hosts virtual summits that provide deep dives into important HR topics, such as enterprise agility.  The opportunities for the company continue to grow so it will be exciting to be on the team and witness the growth first hand.

My job is to sell, shocking right?  My job is to acquire delegates to attend the event live or via our virtual summit.  I will primarily work with delegates in Europe but I am not limited to one continent.  I am looking forward to hitting the phones and getting some sales under my belt.

Going back to work after a three month hiatus was at first, a bit unwelcomed for me.  I had spent three months exploring an amazing city, exercising more, spending time with Lily and doing my part maintaining our home and the essentials like cleaning and grocery shopping.  I was available for our guests who visited and was also able to make my own schedule…a dream of mine for years!  I guess you could say I was actually an expat wife but the reality was, I did not have a choice as I was not able to legally work.  During this time, I welcomed new healthy habits and started writing again.  I even started this blog, which does not have many followers but I enjoy the opportunity to write to those who are interested 🙂

The idea of working full time again was not my intent but I realized that I cannot wait for our next visitor and not be working at the same time.  I realized I missed mental stimulation and the chance to meet people and interact in an office setting.  Thus, when the opportunity presented itself, I felt it was the right time to work again.  I am only three days in but it has been a welcomed change to have a routine each day and get up and go into work.

Neil and I continue to LOVE Budapest and all that it has to offer.  We have had some visitors and will continue to do so through the warm months.  Mom is next along with our family’s best friend, Reeny.  I look forward to showing them around very soon!

Thank you as always for reading…

Ashley

PS – If you ever need a freelance writer, content provider or editor, I am still doing this on my own time.  Let me know and I would be happy to support!