When I packed my bags and left Port Harcourt for Lagos in March 2022 to join the Heirs Holdings Graduate Trainee Program, I was buzzing with excitement. A new job, a new city, a new chapter. Everything felt like a fresh adventure. In my excitement, I did what any enthusiastic fresher would do: I went shopping! I hit the shops to prepare, splurging on a wardrobe refresh. My pride and joy? A collection of beautiful flat shoes to match my new outfits. Little did I know that those flats would soon become a hilarious footnote in my HH journey.
On resumption day, I showed up prim and proper, rocking one of my many pairs of stylish flats, ready for the day. We had our medical screening and COVID testing, followed by some briefings. And then came the culture shock moment, “Please remember, at HH we do not wear flat shoes. Heels, no matter how short, are required from Monday through Thursday.”
My initial reaction was pure disbelief. My mind was racing: “How? Who does that? Every day? What if I don’t like heels? What about all those beautiful shoes I just bought? Surely, there has to be a concession! And what if I had knee issues?” These questions flooded my mind, some escaping into vocal protests, others swallowed reluctantly. In my mind, I screamed, “Na wa o, I don jam!”
That day, I grumbled my way through unfamiliar Lagos markets, hunting for a basic pair of black heels. The first day wearing them? Pure discomfort. My feet protested every step, and I was convinced this heel life wasn’t for me. But HH has a way of pulling you into its rhythm. I can still vividly recall counting down the hours until I could take them off. Slowly, I acclimatised. One wobbly step at a time, I went from dreading those heels to tolerating them, then, believe it or not, loving them.
Fast forward to today, and I’m a certified “4-inch and more” heel champion, strutting through the office like a baddie. Now I catch myself reaching for heels even when flats would suffice. Who would have thought? From a flat-shoe enthusiast sulking over wasted purchases to a confident heel-wearer owning the HH corporate catwalk, this culture shock transformed me in ways I never expected.
It’s amusing how something that seemed so daunting initially has become second nature to me today. My HH culture shock turned out to be one of my greatest adjustments and, surprisingly, something I have grown to genuinely love.
I guess that’s the beauty of joining the HH family; you never know what changes lie ahead, but more often than not, they help you discover strengths and styles you never knew you had.
Ire o.
