37 countries down, and more to go, Sayma Rahman is on a roll! Senior Specialist in the Digital Partnership wing for Grameenphone Ltd, her high power job doesn’t stop her from setting her footprints all over the world. Natasha Rahman finds out about her zeal for travelling.
She is equally passionate about her work and her travels. Currently looking after digital partnership, Sayma works with a lot of global partners and her work is indeed hectic, to say the least. “I love my work a lot, it’s challenging and keeps me on my toes; however I realise that sometimes you need to break free and give time to yourself.” To ensure her itinerary doesn’t hamper her work, Sayma works late hours, ensures all her projects are smooth-sailing before she decides to take a vacation.
As a seasoned traveller, her trips are her own and not bound by others’ plans at all. “It’s difficult to find a travel buddy every time I go somewhere. When I was in Kathmandu with my friends, I decided to go for an 8 day trekking to the Annapurna base camp all by myself as most of my friends were unwilling to join me,” she laughs. Trekking itself needs insurmountable physical strength, but more than that you need to be mentally fit to take up such a challenge. With a sherpa, and packed snacks and water, she was on her way. “The first day, I wanted to quit. The steps were too inclined but my sherpa really encouraged me to go forward,” she shares. “On the first day, there is not much to see but the higher you go the more divine it becomes. The scenery changes from greens, to mountains, and finally the snow. When I was on top, it was snowing and nothing has been more surreal,” she reminisces. Sayma felt this experience was a great way to test your determination, willpower and dedication as well. “There is a beautiful feeling of achievement as you are reaching heights, literally.” Next on her list is the Everest base camp!
Even the thrill of adventure sports is something you can learn from. Despite her fears, she decided to try bungee jumping. Contrary to popular belief, bungee is actually scarier than skydiving. In skydiving, you have a professional attached to your back, but in bungee you are on your own. For those of you who wish to try bungee, Sayma advices you to get up there and jump. “I deliberated over the tower for five minutes which, to me, felt like an eternity and I decided to go after the rest of the people. When her instructor pushed her, she felt like she was having multiple heart attacks. “The feeling of free fall was unfamiliar and as soon as I landed in the pool and bounced back up, that’s when I started to enjoy the adrenaline rush as I knew how I would feel when I touch the pool again,” she exclaims.
While people choose to go to the popular countries, Sayma treks down the unbeaten road. From the medieval castles and folk architecture at Slovakia to the Antelope Canyon in Arizona and to Murren, a fairytale village in Switzerland, Sayma’s love for the world shows in the myriads of stamps on her passport. “I find the process and pre-planning of travelling exciting as well. For me, every city I go to is a learning experience. There were times I misplaced my passport and missed my flight and I learned to come out of it on my own. These little ways of self-discovery really helps you grow as an individual,” she says.