You don’t need to be in an international position or a famous speaker to be your country’s ambassador. Most of the time, you are invited because of your accomplishments or expertise rather than where are you from and what is your culture.

Actually, it was pretty amazing how small things and little actions often opened great discussions about my country, my culture, and traditions more than the speeches I did.

I can’t tell anymore whether it is just my taste or a subconscious decision I made years ago and has become a habit, to wear typical Tunisian neckless, scarf, bags…; it ended up to become a part of my daily style. I feel like my look will not be complete without wearing my blue neckless, or a traditional bracelet. When people usually ask me about this or that, I am more likely to say that I wore them to protect me from envy and evil eyes or to bring fortune.

I am not really that kind of suppositious person, I don’t really believe in luck. Luck, for me, is having the “right opportunity” to chase, or getting the “right timing”. I believe that we make our destiny, but it amuses me sometimes to think about fortune and those kinds of things. After all, they are a part of my culture, and they are a part of who I am and where I came from. They remind me always my roots and values, and knowing my roots makes me rooted and, thus, unable to be removed from my ground.

When I wear those traditional things, it triggers social discussions too: some are curious to know more about those items, others want to get the same, third like the design… thus it is a nice “ice-breaker” in any conversation. Sometimes, it reminds others with their culture or courtiers where they have similar items there too. They remember their homes and families, like I do, which creates a beautiful bond in common. Either way, you would be surprised that despite how big and diverse our world is, it can be so tiny and has many mutual things.

Never forget that nothing impresses people more than talking about what they like, or listen to what they are interested in.

Besides the advantage of creating a good start, believe it or not, wearing those traditional things also helped me to get great deals in different places in the world many times. You never know who you can meet: in shops, on streets, or in networking events or meetings… It’s like a double-faced brand. People can be attracted to it because of their culture or just because they liked it.

Mostly, remember that wearing these traditional items is not only going to promote your country, but it will encourage the others to wear their traditional items too. However, it is not only a privilege, but it is also a responsibility too, so make sure that you honor the image of your country.