As a multinational company, Monitor Group offers its employees various opportunities of international exchanges. It enables the consultants a global perspective, and also brings an international outlook to its clients. Employee and client are the two key words in Monitor.

Not long after I entered Monitor, I began my first international project. It was the first time that I traveled across border of my motherland. I went to a middle-east country and stayed there for more than half a year. I thought, if it was not because of my work, I would not be bale to have the opportunity to visit this Islamic country in my entire life. The miraculous Arab world demonstrated its beauty to me during my trip. You can easily find in the internet the capital's picture –half in the sun and half in sandstorm. Even after the sun sets, the outdoor temperature can still reach 54 ℃. To adjust to the vastly different geography and culture is also a great challenge that a consultant must face.

It is not easy to integrate into a different culture, but it is surely harder to integrate into 18 various cultures. Our team can be the most diversified one the Monitor's history, with almost 20 employees from 30 offices around the globe. During this period, I worked closely with colleges from German, Brazil, the USA, Japan, Poland and Lebanon. In addition, I also came into contact with the local people in South Africa, Russia, Italy, the Republic of Korea, India, Pakistan, Holland, the Great Britain, Canada, Singapore, Kuwait and Saudi Arabian. There is one problem which is the simplest but at the same time the most complicated. That is , when I would like to eat Kung Pao Chicken, the Japanese preferred sushi, while the British wanted to have Fish & Chips, and the American would like eat hamburgers, I really felt puzzled to organize a dine together.

You maybe feel that my half year's life in Arab country is a torture to me due to all these cultural differences. However, when I think about it now, I find my experiences there very unique, special and valuable ones that can never be repeated. It is indeed rare to listen a the "Happy Birthday" song together in 8 languages. As a newly graduate like me, such opportunities to engage with the world will play a quiet positive role in my future development. When I decided to enter consulting sector at the start, I pursued two kinds of training: on one hand, it is the methodology and habit to have a structural thought to solve problems; on the other hand, it is the deep understanding to various industries. Now, I would like to add one aspect that may seem a little strange, that is, you can also pursue a colorful life in the consulting sector.

If you don't believe me, I can offer you some examples. In my more than half year's stay in Arab country, I became a PADI Advanced Open Water Diver (It sounds a little crazy to learn diving in desert, isn't it?). I witnessed the sunset in the Dead Sea and the lights in Jerusalem, visited Petra in Jordan where the beauty jumped over into it in the movie Transformer, walked in the Old stone town in Damascus, lost myself in the undersea restaurant in the Sailboat Hotel in Dubai and lay in the sun by the sea in Arab.