I am a creature of habit, a person who would do all things to stay within the radius of her comfort zone, an employee who would work silently.  I feared being challenged, I feared the uncertainties in life.  I feared a lot of things. Hence, I never thought I would have the courage to apply for the KPMG Tax Trek program.  

However, realizations hit me and the same fears that held me back for years ignited my desire to change.  I wanted to do things on my own – without my family, away from friends and mentors, away from my then five-year relationship with KPMG in the Philippines.  

KPMG in the Philippines acknowledged my desire to change.  In fact, the Firm acknowledged it too well that from a land near the equator, I was relocated to the Arctic Circle.  I was sent to KPMG Finland.  

Change brought me to a land entirely different from home.  A land where people from the tropics would be freezing, a land where sunshine would not be a guarantee, a land with time difference long enough to challenge my relationships with people from home.  Nonetheless, this decision is one of the most fulfilling steps I have made in my life to date.  

Working in Finland made me realize that there is more to myself.  Finns showed me that we Filipinos have much more to offer – that the Philippines have much more potential. They taught me to be more open to uncertainties and that there is nothing to fear, just more to learn. 

I learned that taking bold actions, although frightening, is very rewarding. 

In KPMG, there would always be an opportunity for you to learn and to teach, to understand different cultures, to have a global mindset and to build your own network which would not only give you work relationships but more importantly, a family.