No easy road....

First blog on the run!

2009-09-03T16:31:00.001-05:00

Trying out a new app on my iPhone, so far, so good! Was pretty heartened by an article I read in the Forethought section of this month's Harvard Business Review talking about a post-growth society - relieved this idea seems to be catching off. That would be my 'tip of the hat'...'wag of the finger' today goes to Jiffy Lube for doing a poor job of disgiluising the fact they're trying to push me into spending more money...yeah I know the slight incongruence of the two but unfortunately I can't quite get away from car ownership, at least not yet.....

Have you thanked the moon today?

2009-08-17T23:35:00.002-05:00

Finally got to watch "Fly Me To The Moon" from the CBC's Doc Zone. I might have heard this before and forgotten, but was struck by a brief mention that our beautiful moon was quite possibly instrumental to life arising (and surviving) on Earth. And what are the chances you're going to have a huge satellite (huge relative to your planet) orbiting you, along with all the other conditions necessary for life? Not very good according to the Rare Earth hypothesis - check it out on Wikipedia here. Helps explain the Fermi paradox. Gotta love the people that use information like this to argue that there has to be an 'intelligent creator' out there. If we didn't happen to have just the perfect conditions to be here - we wouldn't be here asking these questions :) Also the universe is huge - it's simply a numbers game. So who knows, maybe we are the only game in town?

The "problem" with renewable energy

2009-04-12T19:45:00.002-05:00

I'm currently reading "Managing Without Growth: Slower by Design, Not Disaster" by Peter A. Victor of York University. It helped me realize what the real "problem" is regarding renewable energy, from the perspective of the energy industry.

The problem with moving from a fossil-fuel based economy to a renewable resource based economy is not due to the level of investment required - it is due to the fact that it will be much more difficult to maintain the high level of profitability we currently see in the energy industry. Installing solar or wind-power generation does not prevent other people from installing it, unlike with the oil sands for example - either you have the rights to some of the limited amount of tar or you don't. When you do, you prevent other people from having those rights.

Not only is renewable energy, well, renewable, which means there is an endless supply, but there are relatively low barriers to entry. It's difficult to keep your competitors from opening up a windfarm in another locale. Also we will move from a centralized system to a more distributed energy system (with many people perhaps creating and consuming their own energy, or even feeding back into the grid). Energy companies obviously have vested interests in trying to prevent this.

Too many crises to keep track of

2008-11-23T16:18:00.001-05:00

Wondering what happened to the "global food crisis"? I was. You can find some info here:

Fuel from food- The feast is over - Associated Press

I wonder if the US government realized we were all getting a little too fatigued from the continual fears over terrorism, so now they're freaking us out over the food supply, the economy, etc. I'll put a plug in here for Naomi Klein's recent book "The Shock Doctrine" - highly recommended if you haven't already had a chance to read it.

The War for Talent vs. the Global Economic Crisis

2008-11-22T15:35:00.001-05:00

I've been wondering lately, with the "global economic crisis" bearing down on us, that has already resulted in tens of thousands of jobs lost (over 50,000 in the last month or so in Turkey alone, according to the Hurriyet, a national newspaper), how this ties in with the "war for talent" we've been hearing so much about the last several years. As someone who will very likely be on the job market herself in the near future, either voluntarily or involuntarily (I'm not sure which), it is a very interesting and timely question. My intention is to seek a job back home, should I end up seeking one. Canada's economy has so far weathered the storm pretty well compared to most other countries due to our solid fiscal underpinnings - we were ranked first out of all OECD countries on the strength of our banking system - but still it's probable the worst is yet to come, so what does that mean for young people on the job market?

Don Tapscott, author of a book "Grown Up Digital" and reporter/blogger for reportonbusiness.com, writes blithely "the disaster doesn't change the demographic fact that a few years from now, Boomers are going to retire and there won't be enough young people to replace them." But can young people starting their careers really afford to dismiss the current crisis so easily?

Maybe so. Rob McGovern, CEO of Jobfox, a career website that matches candidates' job skills to job requirements of employers,recently wrote a whitepaper entitled "The Recession: A Silver Lining for Corporate Recruiters". Although a recession invariably means job losses which may make it easier/cheaper for companies to hire talent, McGovern says "After a period of reactionary cutting and freezing, hiring activity will return to a level of normalcy that closely replicates the hiring levels experienced during the first half of 2008. Hiring is largely a function of 'job churn' and we see no evidence that churn will do anything but accelerate in the coming quarters." Both Tapscott and McGovern, however, may be biased towards this particular viewpoint given their interests in the messages they are delivering.

After an admittedly somewhat cursory search, still, I am somewhat reassured about the labour market and my prospects within it. But I guess time will tell.

Flashbacks

2008-10-29T07:25:00.003-05:00

It's Republic Day here in Turkey. You always know it's a national holiday when the flags come out - and by the little icon of the Turkish flag and Ataturk displayed in the corner of the TV screens :) We have the day off, and we had yesterday afternoon as well. I plan to spend some time today considering my next steps.

If this return to blogging seems abrupt it's not really - I've been writing quite a lot since I've been here in Turkey. I've just been keeping it to myself :)

Watched an episode of Mad Men this morning (S01 E08). For those of you who watch, you'll be familiar with what I'm talking about (and for the others, I strongly suggest you start watching, from the beginning). We see some more of Don's flashbacks from his childhood in this episode, this time about a "rider of the rails" who stops by his family's farm (I use the term "family" loosely). Young Don tells the guy he's a "whore son" and the woman he lives with isn't his mother (we already kind of knew the latter). This situation really resonated with me. The bum tells little Don about the codes they use to tell each other how things are at the homes they visit - we learn Don's father is a "dishonest man" by the mark left by this traveler as he goes on his way.
I leave out a lot - again you should go and watch it yourself - but I love this show because like all true art, it selects pieces of the human reality and puts them up for our consideration. It really relies on us (the audience) a lot to connect the dots and to interpret them as we will, in the context of our own lives of course. I thought back to some of the memories I have from my childhood (been doing that a lot lately) and wondered, what makes us remember some things and forget others? Do we also select our own memories to be interpreted as we wish? Do dreams help us do this as well? More broadly - is life a collection of experiences put forth for us to build our own story, from which to infer deeper truths? What stories will I have built by the time I come to the end?

2008-01-03T13:45:00.000-05:00

After a slightly inauspicious start, my first day at Microsoft was really good. I was late getting to work because the person from AIESEC Istanbul who was supposed to take me slept in and didn't come to pick me up until over an hour after he was supposed to. Then neither he, nor our cab driver knew exactly where Microsoft was located! Fortunately, we finally arrived and my boss was very understanding - she knew it wasn't my fault.

Today was mostly about orientation. First we had to pass through a metal detector and check in with photo ID. I got a security card that I will have to use about 20 times a day to pass through different sets of doors etc. The bathroom doors are also locked and you need to know the code to enter them. Suffice it to say that I feel very safe in the building! I met my boss in person and she was very welcoming. There were even flowers on my desk for me!

My laptop wasn't quite ready so after talking with my boss for a bit I went upstairs to see the IT guy, who is (somewhat ironically) not actually from Microsoft - they outsource some of their IT operations to Siemens apparently! He was also very helpful and gave me a "welcome present" in the form of a wireless mouse. My email account and system username was all ready for me as well.

Besides touring the building and meeting a ton of people, I participated in 2 conference calls and reviewed a bunch of materials to orient myself as to what I will be working on. I'm still not clear on exactly what it is I need to do in the next little while in terms of the bulk of my job description, but I'm getting a good idea of the scope of it, what CPE does, and how. I know for sure that it will be a good job with real responsibilities.

I went for lunch with 2 AIESECers, Matthias and Emel (Matthias is also an intern while Emel is a 'real' employee). Emel recognized me from when I was in Turkey the last time - we were at the same conference. I found out that Microsoft will provide a card to use for buying food that should cover at least all my lunches while at work and probably more. It only takes about 20 minutes to get to/from work on the public transit. They are surprisingly pretty relaxed there, more so than I expected. Many people were wearing jeans and they are not really concerned about when you come to work etc. Holidays should not be much of a problem either as long as they don't interfere with important dates etc.

Alright, I'm going to stop there - I haven't seen the confidentiality agreement yet! :) Tomorrow I have a teleconference with an external consultant to learn more about the project, and then in the evening I will have 2 parties - Microsoft is having a New Year's Party and then later the interns will have a goodbye party for one of my roommates. Oh, and life in the dorm has improved as I was able to move "downstairs" last night so I have a bit more privacy. I also discovered I can get the internet (kind of) from my bed. Sweet! Also my contact at AIESEC Istanbul told me that a woman (she's a lawyer) called them wondering if they had a native English speaker in town who might be interested in helping her to improve her English, which might involve payment of some kind or at least nice dinners out. And it never hurts to know a lawyer! I am the only native speaking intern in the city these days. So we will see what that is about. Overall it was an interesting and productive day!

Picking up my second life again

2008-01-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

So it's been a while since I last blogged. I guess I don't feel very inspired to blog while I'm at home. Actually I'm lazy to blog all the time but just more so when I'm in my natural environment. But as I am "picking up my second life" again, or, embarking on a new adventure in Istanbul, I felt it was time to take up my blogging pen once more.

I was rather overwhelmed when I arrived a few nights ago. I am sharing a dorm room with about 12 or so other interns! We have a big common area with bunk beds and then a kitchen and bathroom/shower facilities for ourselves.

It was even more overwhelming than it might have been because I apparently walked in on a meeting that they were having about the New Year's Eve party they were planning - so all 13 of them were huddled around the table. They weren't expecting me at all but were instantly very welcoming! I didn't even start introductions at that time because I knew I wouldn't remember the names. Fortunately I have learned everyone's name by now!

My roommates are really great. Although I was hoping for more private accommodations, there are definitely benefits to this arrangement. Someone is always around when I need help or have questions, and it is fun to have people around to share with. My first night I arrived around 10:00pm local time after about 30 hours of travelling so I basically found my bunk and went right to sleep!

My first full day in Istanbul was mostly spent shopping with 2 of my Chinese roommates, Sandra and Simon. I saw some places that were familiar from my last visit here and picked up everything I needed (I forgot to bring a towel - so stupid) except for I need a photo taken so I can get an ID card for the dorm - but it doesn't seem to be a problem without. They have security here that checks everyone that comes in. In this building are a bunch of other students, both Turkish and international students.

On New Year's Eve we had a party in our room - although it seems to be a bit like a party around here most of the time :) Right now I have a top bunk, but I should get to move "downstairs" once 1 or 2 of my roommates leave for home. That will be better (although sad to see them go!) because I will have sheets surrounding the outside of the bed for a modicum of privacy. It seems quite a few of them stay for a short time only, several weeks or so, so it will be new people coming all the time. Should be interesting! There are also 2 Serbs here, one of whom I believe I met very briefly when I was in Serbia - Bojan - AIESEC is a small world! I will try to add some photos of the party and our other activities in the next few days.

Our dormitory is right by the Bosphorus Strait - I can hear the ships blasting sometimes and seagulls. We are right close to the Galata bridge that I remember from my last visit here. I found a borek place right near our dorm and had borek for the first time since I've been here today - it was delicious! (For those of you who have the misfortune of not knowing what it is, borek or burek is a pastry-type dish usually with cheese which is found in the former Yugoslavia and Turkey). It's not the same as in Serbia or Croatia - I think it is flakier there - but it was still good.

I have been spending the time so far settling in, finding things I need (you can't just go to Zellers or Walmart here for example - you must wander around the streets and find an appropriate small shop) and getting to know my roommates. Yesterday some of us took a ferry across the straight and had dinner at a nice little restaurant. And unfortunately today one of them left to return to Russia :( It was nice to know him for a few days though, we will miss his jokes here!

Alright I'd better wrap this entry up. Those of you that know me well know that my journey in AIESEC has not always been an easy one (part of the reason for the name of this blog, actually). However, I am thankful for the challenges I have faced because I believe they have made me a much stronger, more compassionate, and richer person. I know now that perseverance really does pay off. Although I didn't reach every goal I set for myself in exactly the manner that I envisioned, I've reached my ultimate destination via an unexpected path, and I wouldn't change it for anything. Tomorrow I will begin an internship with Microsoft and I'm excited to find out what this new challenge will bring. :)

A new hope....

2006-12-04T22:00:00.000-05:00

Some interesting things are happening these days. First of all, of course, is the conclusion of the Liberal leadership race with Stephane Dion coming out on top. As someone who once considered herself pretty Liberal and interested in Canadian politics generally, I have been following the race to some degree but I hadn't formed a strong opinion about who I wanted to see as leader. I think I'm pretty happy about Dion, particularly because of his "three pillared approach" which includes economic prosperity, social justice AND environmental sustainability.

Yes, my faith in the party was shaken with the sponsorship scandal. I think the Liberals lost their way, and I think they needed a kick in the ass. I think Harper has provided that, and now it's getting close to the time when he is going to be brought to account. I can't believe that he has cut funding to the Status of Women, and I am absolutely embarrassed about Rona Ambrose's "performance" at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties. Perhaps we needed something to help us get excited about yet ANOTHER federal election! Bring it on!

On a more personal note, I had a very good day at work today even though I wasn't planning on going into work at all. I have been working part-time as an Assistant Advisor since September, and my three month probation period will soon come to an end. They have been very pleased with my work, and apparently glad to have me back in the office on a regular basis (I have worked for them on and off in various capacities over the last 7 years or so) and so they have asked me to come on full-time. I am really enjoying what I am doing, I believe it is good experience and relevant to my career aspirations and other personal goals, but this will give me more time at work to do what needs to be done, and of course, I am looking forward to a bigger number on my paycheck every two weeks! It is nice to feel truly appreciated for the contribution that I make and actually SEE that appreciation in a concrete way. So thank you to my colleagues/bosses if you are reading this!

One final note before I sign off - I saw "An Inconvenient Truth" over the weekend - if you haven't seen it, please do. And then do something about it. I will.

Canada in Twenty Twenty

2006-11-12T13:58:00.000-05:00

There is this cool website...even cooler because our friends Adrian and Brenda have contributed an essay to it so go check it out:

http://www.twenty-twenty.ca/dissertations_de_citoyens.phtml

Wouldn't it be amazing if our country could actually look like that in 2020? It begs the question: what kind of democracy do we have now - a shallow one? ;)

better late than never...

2006-11-11T19:57:00.000-05:00

I've managed to scrape together a few photos from last year (unfortunately I left a lot behind in Belgrade)...and here they are.

The obligatory photo :) Keep in mind it was about 5am on the last day of IC (i.e. no sleep)!

The Serbia & Montenegro delegation at Global Village, IC 2005. It was so hot the makeup was melting and running down our foreheads!

View over the Sava River in Belgrade in autumn

My good friend and roommate, Enora, & I drinking blueberry beer (YUM!)

Cambridge

2006-10-07T14:06:00.000-05:00

I figured it was about time for an update, and now that I've upgraded my technology at home (I finally have a laptop, a reasonable internet connection, and a wireless router) it makes doing so much more pleasant and convenient.

I write from my new front deck...in Cambridge. You can see photos here. (old house and rando photos first, new house later). And yes if you are wondering - I'm still living at home with M&D :)

I can see the Grand River if I look just the right way, which is nice. It reminds me of boat rides and picnics with my brother and cousin when we were younger, a ways downstream from here. It's scenic, peaceful yet...alive.

What else is new? I've started a new job as Assistant Advisor at a small consulting firm, working mostly with First Nations - assisting them with project and economic development. My job - support the Advisors of the firm and sometimes work directly with clients, usually in the areas of public relations and general communications, and also drive strategic and marketing initiatives in the firm. I've been working for this company on and off for over 7 years now, but now that I have a degree things are a little different :) Working with friends is great, however, it remains to be seen if this is the right fit for all of us. I still have time for the little enterprise I started a few months ago so my eggs are diversified :)

I guess I'll leave it at that for now. At least you all know I'm still around :) Cheers!

ointment for my bruised ego

2006-02-21T18:41:00.000-05:00

I received my first alumni magazine in the mail today. The focus of the issue: the University of Guelph's international goals. As I was leafing through it I thought, of course, that we should get an article about AIESEC in the alumni magazine - alumni of the University of Guelph being a good target audience for messages about AIESEC. Then I saw a short little bit called "Canadian Students Travel More." It starts out talking about AIESEC Canada Inc.'s 04-05 exchange results, and ends with a little "quote" attributed to me - not sure where this article came from, and it's just a short one that doesn't really say anything about any accomplishments I may have made, but I'll take my name in print in some positive vein any day, particularly today :)

So much for my happy ending....

2006-02-16T05:23:00.000-05:00

It was half-way through the afternoon yesterday before I realized I was the only woman in a meeting room full of men. It's strange and a little disheartening that that still happens, no? Funny I didn't notice it earlier.

I've been thinking about the ends of stories lately. That's what's most disturbing about not returning to Belgrade - it's messy and unfinished. There's a lack of closure.

I know what my team and I did in Serbia & Montenegro, the positive impact that we had. The impact the experience had on me. My team and some others know, while others forget, the contributions I made. I worry only that what happened last weekend is the second part of a "one step forward, two steps back"-type deal - but this is now out of my hands. I truly wish the best for everyone there, that they will look for the best in others and each other, and take positive steps forward together.

I experienced the end of a different story a few weeks ago. A chance encounter assured me that a difficult step I'd taken in the name of friendship had been the right one, even though it was unwelcome at the time. It was nice to be able to see a positive ending, and put that sub-plot to rest, even though years have passed.

I thought I was managing to please people on both sides of the Atlantic and also, that they were all pleasing me. I was only partly right. I was pleasing the people important to me, personally, but in the end it wasn't enough.

But life goes on - work is going well here and I am getting busier, making more money, which is a nice little benefit of having real work. I enjoy the people I work for and with. The subject matter is interesting. I can feel good about the things we are doing. I will buy a car soon. Piece by piece, my life in Canada is coming back together.

Oh, for those of you who also like to know the ends of stories - there had been a check-in at the Hotel California. Not all stories have such a nice, neat, definitive ending. OK well - maybe that ending is not exactly "neat".

Growth in AIESEC Serbia & Montenegro

2006-02-10T12:13:00.000-05:00

Hey guys, (non-AIESECers, sorry for the AIESEC-speak),

The new and improved DAAL files are finally up and look great! I was so happy to read this:

"Serbia and Montenegro has shown positive growth of 25% after experiencing negative growth for 3 years at a stretch, largely due to the implementation of a structured induction process."

I'm so proud to be part of a team that played a role in this. Congratulations to every member of AIESEC Serbia & Montenegro who contributed to this amazing growth! I'm sure this is only the beginning of sustained growth in this country! I'll be back soon to celebrate with you guys! :D

thought for the day

2006-02-06T08:08:00.000-05:00

"The first man who, having enclosed a piece of land, thought of saying 'This is mine' and found people simple enough to believe him, was the true founder of civil society. How many crimes, wars, murders; how much misery and horror the human race would have been spared if someone had pulled up the stakes and filled in the ditch and cried out to his fellow men: 'Beware of listening to this impostor. You are lost if you forget that the fruits of the earth belong to everyone and that the earth itself belongs to no one!'" - Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on the Origin of Inequality, 1754

Discovering the Night

2006-02-05T00:46:00.000-05:00

Plodding through the thick brush
On a balmy summer's night,
I look up and take notice
Of the sliver of bright white.

I continue down the path
Thoughts closed tight like shutters
Blind to other creatures' worlds,
To all that the wind utters.

Trees enfold me, keep me, hold me,
But their secrets they won't share.
Mysteries surround me, mock me, hound me
'Til at last I deign to care.

I step out of the forest
Into the ring of firelight,
I lay down and watch that sliver
For the first time unafraid of night.

(That's old but I still like it.)

Guelph

2006-02-05T00:22:00.000-05:00

It's good to be home.

Don't get me wrong. I haven't given up the nomadlife entirely. I'm not done travelling by a long shot (and of course I am going back to Belgrade soon). But I really love the Guelph/Fergus area, I love my country (however screwed up our political scene is) and I know I want this to be my home base.

I'm in Guelph again almost everyday now and whenever I walk downtown I just smile. The (admittedly small) city is just so...interesting. It's unique. It's got character. It's very close-knit, which can be vaguely suffocating at times, but usually its a source of contentment. I love my alma mater. Deciding to leave Western and eventually enroll at Guelph was clearly one of the best decisions I've ever made. I really look forward to building my career here, which is what is going to happen, it looks like.

So my nickname "Guelph" is appropriate, it seems :)

As one moves forward sometimes one encounters reminders of one's past. Today I ran into one of the first major crushes of my life (small-town hazzard). I thought back to how my self-esteem was hugely impacted by this guy (negatively, we may say). And today I could hardly care less what he thinks...I think. Although if he is thinking about me tonight, well I suppose that wouldn't be an altogether bad thing, would it?

A time capsule and the Hotel California

2006-01-01T11:11:00.000-05:00

My family is really a little odd, but that's what I love about it.

Take last night for instance. I rang in the New Year quietly at home with my parents - after being away so long I wasn't too eager to be away from home again (along with the fact that I just didn't get my crap together soon enough to make plans with anyone else).

Mom and Dad, as usual, are renovating something around the house (Mom calls our house the "Renovation Station"). Currently they are working on painting and tiling their bathroom. In the 7.5 months I'd been gone, they'd redone the bathroom my brother and I share as well as my bedroom (thanks again guys). So New Year's Eve found Dad ripping out the old shower stall in hunks and putting it out on the front lawn while Mom was peeling wall paper.

As Dad was dismantling the shower and we were looking at the large gaping hole it left, Mom had the idea of putting a time capsule into the wall before they drywall and tile over it. I don't know about you, but as a kid (and still today to be honest) I always dreamed of finding something old and cool that someone hid in some cranny somewhere. I did actually leave some kind of time capsule buried in (what used to be) a field behind our old house when I was little - once in a while I wonder if it is still there, and what it contains (I don't remember). So when Mom brought up the idea, I knew I would bring it to fruition. It wasn't a big deal, I just printed off some of the current news from the internet, copied a photo of our family, and found a few photos of some of the other things we've done to the house since we got here in 2000, writing captions on the back. I left my email address in case anyone ever finds it - it's Gmail so hopefully I'll still be using it!

As I was doing this I told Mom I'd always dreamed of finding something like this and she offhandedly said, "Me too - well now you're making someone else's dream come true." Then she added, "You're always doing that." I don't know about that but it was nice to hear :)

I folded the sheets up and wrote on the outside "Hello! You've found a TIME CAPSULE!" on the outside, packaged it up in a couple of Ziplocs, and it's now stapled to a beam in the shower :)

******************************************

Well that's the time capsule story but what about the Hotel California?

I'm cooking a New Year's Morning pancake breakfast for the three of us and Mom says to my Dad, as he takes a big bite of pancake, "Nick told me he moved the Hotel California last week and when he looked the other day..." here she paused, making sure she had our attention while continuing delicately, "and the awning was down." I flipped a pancake and said, "do we really need to discuss the Hotel California right now?"

What the hell is the Hotel California, you may ask?

Well, we came across some type of mousetrap that is tubular in shape, but when you set it on the floor, the back of it is slightly bent up into the air. How it works is that when the mouse goes in and to the back to get the cheese, the back falls down against the floor because of its weight, the front tilts up, and the door that was propped open closes due to gravity, trapping the mouse. When my Mom saw this contraption, she thought the door, propped up, looked like an awning (she used to sell them, along with RVs, you know), possibly of a little hotel. And then the lyrics of that legendary Eagle's song sprung to mind: "You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave!" Thus we christened the mouse trap the Hotel California.

So, Dad's on his way upstairs now to see if anyone's "checked out".

Happy New Year, everyone!

the obligatory posting from a new country - Turkey

2005-09-26T16:59:00.000-05:00

Hello dear readers,

Yes, I have turned up in Turkey on a last-minute visit to an AIESEC Turkey national conference! Since I seem to be posting once for each country visited so far on my journey, I thought I should blog.

I am in the MC office in Istanbul. As advertised, it is a beautiful, large office, complete with a sitting room and television, shower, kitchen and even a dishwasher! You can imagine how jealous I am considering I'm still living in an apartment sans-fridge.

The conference was great and I felt very warmly welcomed. The main purpose of my visit is to promote the mentorship partnership we're building between AIESEC in Serbia & Montenegro and AIESEC Turkey. I met with most of Turkey's 11 LCs, facilitated a discussion about the international MC experience (even had a short video interview - I'll try to get the file) and co-delivered a session about which I received very positive feedback, which is always welcome but particularly so in the middle of a term where I seem to receive negative feedback all too often, a lot of which I think (hope) is due to the culture - not just Serbian culture, but also the culture in AIESEC in Serbia and Montenegro, which I hope our team will help to change for the better - and not strictly a reflection of my performance. This aspect of the culture has been very trying for me, particularly because (as those of you who know me know) I tend to take criticism to heart. On the bright side, it is a learning and personal development experience for me :)

Istanbul is a beautiful city and I hope to see more of it tomorrow before I return to Belgrade (on a 24 hour train ride!). I spent most of today chilling out first at the MC flat and then at the office. Then some of the MC guys took me out for dinner at Turkey's answer to McDonald's, and then to a shisha (sp?) bar :) (memories of NPM 2004 came flooding back - miss you guys!)

OK time to head back to the flat and bed!

Namaste from India!

2005-09-02T07:24:00.000-05:00

This is a quick blog update since I am actually in a conference session! But for those of you who have been checking this and waiting to see something new, here you go finally!

I am at AIESEC's International Congress 2005 in Agra, India, the home of the Taj Mahal. I have seen the Taj from a distance; unfortunately I have yet to actually go to the site and see it. Hopefully I will have a chance either at the crack of dawn one of these days before sessions, or after the conference ends.

Although I haven't seen too much of India, what I have seen has been amazing. It was not quite what I expected - I haven't seen throngs of people, and I wasn't absolutely overwhelmed when I arrived (although granted, it was 1:00 am), however things like rickshaws - and actually riding in an autorickshaw :) - and stray cows - it's cool. I was also really enjoying the Indian food here until I got very sick from it. A lot of people have fallen ill - either from the food or the air-conditioning - so I was in good company! I'm feeling much better now though, and am less adventurous when it comes to meal times!

For the AIESECers reading this, this IC has been amazing! If you're not here - I'm sorry! The agenda and content have been fantastic. Also, it has been great to see so many old friends, and people from home! :)

Unfortunately I don't have time for more right now....see ya!

Finally, a post from Belgrade!

2005-05-27T06:59:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone!

I am finally getting around to updating this thing, yay!!!

Well, after almost a month in Belgrade, I have quite a few things to report.

First of all, you can see a photo of a temple that is right near where I am living here. It is called the St. Sava's Temple. It has been under construction since 1894 apparently and is STILL under construction today!

I haven't been able to get any photos from my camera yet, I need to get someone to let me put my software to do so onto the computers here in the MC office...but hopefully soon.

Here are some interesting things I've found out about Serbia & Montenegro since I've been here. There is some AIESEC jargon in here - non-AIESECers please just ignore!

- there are really crazy expressions in Serbian that translate to things like "funny
as a painting" or "funny as a cinema". Their expletives are very entertaining as
well: for example, "Oh bread!" or "F*&# your sun!"

- beer is extremely cheap and comes in 2L bottles at your average corner store!
Although it is usually warm, which is not so great, you can buy said 2L bottles for
less than $2 CDN!

- red wine is also very cheap and very tasty and comes in handy when you start
feeling a little homesick :)

- stopping at stop signs, or even slowing down for that matter, is entirely optional

- cab drivers can easily become "SN managers" who like to try to make matches with
"TNs" that are on the road by driving really fast on a 2-way, 1-lane roads.

- eating burek is as tempting as being led to the dark side. Burek is a very tasty
pastry that can be filled with various things like cheese, meat or mushrooms among
other things. It is also however extremely greasy. I think burek is a conspiracy
among Serbian girls to make the international girls fat! :P

I have been having an amazing time since I've been here and have had the opportunity
to make close friendships with people from Ireland/UK, Poland, Malaysia, France
and...surprise...Canada :) as well as connecting with people actually FROM Serbia &
Montenegro of course, and re-connecting with some friends that I made when I was
here 2 years ago for International Congress.

Well I think that is enough for my first update. Now that I'm back into this blogging thing there should be more soon.

"With all it's sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world..."

2005-04-13T00:19:00.000-05:00

Have you ever felt slightly unhinged?

Yesterday was a little like that for me. A lot of contributing factors, which in and of themselves, are not necessarily all that stressful (or shouldn't be), but added up had me considering what a nervous breakdown would feel like. Although I've never experienced one myself, I've seen one or two first hand, and I know they're not pretty. The scariest thing is when you begin to doubt yourself. I just came across Nacho's recent posting of Desiderata and found that extremely comforting and relevant. We used to have that poem in our front hall while I was growing up.

On the bright side, it was probably a good thing for me to go through, considering I'm leaving the country in 19 days and no doubt will be experiencing some stress due to culture shock. I got to utilize some techniques for dealing with stress, like talking it through with good friends/family. It's nice to know that I will have a great support network there, here, and...well all over the place :)

My grandmother ("Oma") was put into the hospital on Saturday (one of the contributing factors). Her health has not been good for a while, but she has contracted pneumonia and we were all really worried there for a bit. I have a huge family; my Oma had 10 kids...so when the nurse told my Aunt that they might want to start calling the family and getting us down there that night, they said "are you sure? is it that serious?" (the hospital she is at is not all that big) ... but they ended up calling and of course most of us came. Although it was very difficult to see her in such a condition, it was very comforting to have the family there and to know that we come together in times of crisis like that. Fortunately she is doing much better now and should be released from the hospital within the week. I feel very blessed to have them; I will definitely miss my fam while I'm away!

Some other good news is that another team mate of mine has been selected: Deeptesh Gill from India will be the VP External Relations on our team! I am really excited about the team (my new family!) that I will have the privilege of working with in Serbia and Montenegro :D

Going to Serbia and Montenegro! :)

2005-04-07T22:23:00.000-05:00

Wow...where do I begin...?

I found out just over a week ago that I was selected to be MC VP Learning for AIESEC in Serbia and Montenegro! I am incredibly excited about this amazing opportunity and a week later, am still trying to process it!

I was in Belgrade almost 2 years ago for an AIESEC conference so I have some idea of what I have gotten myself into. Serbia & Montenegro are beautiful and I am getting more and more excited every day about returning there and seeing all of my friends, old and new! I am also extremely excited about being on an MC and the opportunities for making an impact that go along with that.

I suppose I will leave it at that for now...but look forward to more blogs as I progress through this incredible experience! I look forward to posting lots of my thoughts, experiences and photos for my friends and family while I am away :)

Comings and goings

2005-03-26T16:46:00.000-05:00

The thing about meeting so many people like one does when you're in an organization like AIESEC is that it's difficult to keep up with them all (at least I think so).

There are so many people that I've really felt a connection with at one time or another - you know, had a really great conversation one night, or more than one night, or helped out in a crisis, or have helped ME out in a crisis, or just really made an impact on me...but not all that many that I've been able to hold on to and remain close with. Probably many of you reading this would fit into one of those categories. I would love to hear from you :)

On the other hand, there are those that I make the effort with for one reason or another...and then there are also those that I've severed ties with, for one reason or another. I guess that's life.