Throughout our lives, we let many people in and out of our so-called “personal space.” Some of those people go very fast, some stay for a while, some we let go, but some are destined to stay until the end of the journey called life.
With some, we will share memories cause our paths have parted; with others, we will continue to remember and rejoice in all that is to come.
We call these people by different names; someone calls them by name, someone calls them buddies or mates, someone calls them brothers or sisters, but by definition, those are friends.
Friendship takes many shapes, especially you are young and believe it is only among peers. However, your mature self will probably agree that true friendship does not know age, characteristics, religion, nation, nor does it recognize distance.
In AP, we celebrate business successes, birthdays and births, promotions, and today we celebrate International Day of Friendship.
Authority Partners family is 450+ strong, spread around 5 continents and 33 countries, gathered around the same vision and vision and mission. Besides many connecting points, we cherish the value of friendship.
On this occasion, we share with you the story of Jose and Baris, who are colleagues by chance but became friends by choice.
“When I first joined AP, I was terrified as I had never been part of such a large project for which I got a chance to work. I was practically doing a Bootcamp, and I was mentored by one of the busiest people in the entire program. At the time, I wondered what I would even do with this large project. Not long before I started crying and questioning why I didn’t become a dentist, some dude from another time zone hit me up and basically went like, “Hey, I’m also new here. If you need anything, I’ll be happy to help you out!” After this, I realized I was not meant to become a dentist and that everything would be fine.”- said Jose Manuel Gomez Perez, Software Developer at AP from the Dominican Republic.
Ozan Keles, Software Developer at AP, was a colleague who helped Jose at his beginnings at Authority Partners. Later, Jose got a chance to carry forward the positive experience he had.
“I have told Ozan how much I appreciate that. Still, I don’t think words express how something that is considered a small thing can have such a huge effect on one individual, and later a chain reaction for the way that individual behaves.
So, when I first met Baris, I was really glad I’d have the opportunity to help someone out and pay my fortunes forward. But, when he called me up that day, I felt bad, only because I know he would be feeling bad for calling me off-hours. He then sent me a gift that got lost, and it was a map, so probably the delivery guys should have taken a peek at it to deliver.
One of the things that I love most about working in the AP global team is how friendships can develop across time zones, how you can learn and love about different cultures, and how amazed I am that “cevapi” are way better with yogurt than with beer. That dish seems to have been invented for it.”– said Jose.
Baris Boyukbas, Software Developer at AP from Turkey, also shared his thoughts: ” I love AP because AP values its employees by trying to understand them. When I just started working on the project, Jose helped me understand the reporting part, and he spent a good amount of time with me. He might be the coolest and most helpful guy in the project. Once, I forgot his timezone and invited him to a call, and he joined it. Then I realized that it is way too early for him. As an apology for forgetting the timezone difference, I sent him a gift kurzgesagt world map. It turns out he is a fan of kurzgesagt like me.”
There is no better feeling than being connected to the whole world and to colleagues who share the same passion. One of the advantages of working in a global team is the opportunity to embrace your fellow consultants who can become your best friends. Opening up to the world is equal to limitless possibilities for all of us.
Cheers to AP Family and to all friendships around the globe!