From Malaysia, we go now to the Netherlands to meet one of our youngest colleagues; nevertheless, one who has stuck with us since the early beginnings of our Dutch Office (back then, we were only seven people!).
In this interview, Jethro shares with us about his life
in and out Blue Wireless and his journey in this wireless world!
Let’s get to know you first. Who is Jethro?!
Hi, Jethro here! I’m 23 years old and working as a
Network Engineer for Blue Wireless Europe, based in the Netherlands – although I
am originally from the Philippines. I live in a beautiful city called Nijmegen with
my girlfriend, and sometimes when I need to be in the Office, I’m in Castricum
with my father.
From the Philippines to the Netherlands, can you tell us
more about that?
I was only nine when I moved from the Philippines to the
Netherlands. One thing I remember when arriving at Schiphol Airport was thinking,
“why is it still day?” because I left the PH at noon. That was also my first
time flying, and it was really exciting.
After those first impressions, I quickly noticed a lot of
cultural differences growing up. But it’s quite interesting because I’m now
used to both cultures. I don’t remember much about learning the Dutch language,
but I fluently speak it now, and without a Tagalog accent! The big difference
is the weather (no wonder). I was used to the tropical seasons: so, rain, sun,
repeat. In the Netherlands, the weather changes every hour. Sometimes it would
rain, and a couple of hours later, it would snow or hail, and then be sunny
after the cloud goes—all seasons in one day!
You’ve been in Blue Wireless for some time (and we are incredibly grateful for it!). Can you share with us how you arrived here and, more importantly, why you are still with us?
I joined the Blue Wireless family, starting as an intern.
This was the early years of Blue Wireless in Europe, with only seven colleagues
based in our Haarlem office.
Because I was still at school at that time, I couldn’t
work full-time at Blue Wireless. Then, I was working under an on-call contract,
mainly in charge of on-site installs, which I enjoyed doing, especially when
visiting places I’d never been before, adding a bit of sightseeing while
working. That work and travel combination was great for me at that time. It was
up to me to decide if I could handle the job depending on my studies. Plus,
needless to say, working with the Blue Wireless NL team is always a blast;
everyone is always open to helping you out when you need it, which is also the
reason I decided to take a full-time role once I finished my studies. So altogether,
I’ve been close to three years in the team.
