AIESEC France at IC 2006

Day -1:
The Opening Ceremony took place in a big concert hall in the middle of Warsaw. The entire ceremony took a little longer than everyone expected, but it was still an interesting experience. We listened to few key note speeches from representatives of the government and corporate sector of Poland and enjoyed traditional polish dances and modern ballet performances.
Day 0:
The ultimate experience however, happened the following day, at the Global Village (GV). GV was organized in the center of Warsaw and offered the public an opportunity to get acquainted with 95 different countries and their unique cultures. Each AIESEC country had a 3x3 meter stand, which they decorated with flags, country maps and spiced up with traditional food. In the middle of the GV, there was a huge stage, where we watched some incredible live performances and danced on AIESEC songs.
Something special happened during Global Village. In one split of a second, I felt an incredible surge of passion and love for everyone around. This is when I realized how fortunate I am to be part of an organization that shares the same culture and identity across continents, while celebrating and living its diversity at the same time. More importantly, I started questioning again the role that I am currently playing and the role I will play in the future.
At IC, I am not only learning, but I am also re-clarifying my vision and purpose in life. During these four days, I met some incredible change agents who have realized that society is expecting from them to step up and make a contribution. I met people who challenged themselves by leading AIESEC’s expansion in countries such as Afghanistan, Qatar and Bahrain. These people were able to choose between a corporate career in any of AIESEC’s Global Exchange Partners (Alcatel, DHL, ABN Amro, etc.) and a leadership experience in a developing country… and they choose the latter for a reason. These people found meaning in their life after understanding that their role must reflect the needs of society. These are the people that AIESEC produces – globally competent and locally driven agents of positive change.
But what is a change agent? It’s a person who identifies a burning issue in society and aligns his personal vision with the change that he wants to see in that society. By demonstrating his commitment to that change and acting on it, he is inspiring people and making them aware of the role they need to play in society. A change agent is ultimately the one who is making people around him believe in the power of change. His legacy are the people who will continue the commitment to making the world better a place to live.
Now let me ask you a question: What is YOUR unique contribution to society? How are YOU making the world a better place every day? What is the change that YOU want to make?
…
posted by Meto

4 amazing days in the The Land of the Pulips

Wow, several days passed since I got back from the Netherlands, and I am still under impressions.

François, my dear comrade in war, accompanied me on the Friday 7 a.m. bus from Paris to Rotterdam. After having slept almost the entire way, the two of us arrived alive and kicking in the offices of AIESEC International in Rotterdam.

Space... the final frontier... those were the first words that came to my mind as I entered the vast office of AI. Around 20 desks with more than 40 computers in one of the biggest and widest offices I have ever seen. Even though AI members were still in transition when we arrived (and we were literally the first ones to get there), they did manage to find some time for coffee and chit-chat.

Well, their working hours finished around 5 p.m. and it was time to get ready for some.... PAAAARTY! More than 60 MC members and interns joined the two AI teams of 40 people for a weekend of fun, sports, parties and.... AIESEC talks of course:)

Friday night kicked off with a beer party on the roof of a building, where AI has rented several apartments. The party was so good, that at some point, we got too loud and had to move to a club in the city. That was probably the first time I realized what is it that I love about Dutch people: first thing is that all Dutch people speak English (unlike the French who still think they don't need English:)), and second thing I love about Dutch people... are Dutch women:)

Anyway, we somehow managed to crawl back into our sleeping bags and sleep for a few hours. Saturday morning, François got all ambitious and suggested we walk (and not take the tram!) to the Rotterdam lake for the Saturday cook-out and sports with AI. And so we did… and arrived at the lake in one hour. The food was amazing and the football games were incredibly exciting. A total of six teams were formed: two of them were the AI teams ’05/’06 and ‘06/’07, and the four other were random teams. I have to tell you that there was not a single person on the field who knew how to play football (except for Mike from AI), which made the games incredibly funny and interesting to watch. In the end, both of the AI teams got in the finals, which proved their incredible team spirit and joint commitment to winning.

The rest of our team, Martina, David and Audrey, arrived from Paris on Saturday evening and joined us for the Saturday night Party, which was the “main event” of the Transition Weekend. The party took place in a really cool club, where as the PAI speeches and takeover took place in an art gallery nearby the club. It was quite interesting to hear Brodie reflect on his amazing AIESEC Experience and even more inspiring to hear Dey speak about the role that we play in shaping the experience and learning of others.

Sunday morning, a Dutch friend of Audrey - Geerdina took us sightseeing in Rotterdam. After driving through the city, we went to a field not far from Rotterdam, known for the numerous windmills that are still working, many of which have been turned to tourist attractions. From there, we left for Den Hague, the European metropolis of law and order! Of course, we skipped the administrative buildings and headed directly for the beach. This was my first experience in swimming in the North Sea, and I can tell you, it was a cold one:)

Monday morning, as AI members left their homes to go to work, so did we, but not quite to workJ We extended our Dutchtrip with a one-day stay in Amsterdam. That’s where I met up with Dule - one of my best friends from Skopje, who is doing a research internship in the Technical University of Delft. This was my second visit to Amsterdam, and I had less trouble finding our way through the city. We spent the entire day walking through the historic places and taking occasional breaks in crowded but yet beautiful parks of Amsterdam.

We took the 22h bus back to Paris and arrived the next morning at 06 a.m. Quick shower, short nap and straight to the office. Life on the fast lane – I just LOVE IT!

Posted by Meto