CEE stories live from Moscow

Just looking at my last post and realizing have not been the best blogger lately :) Getting back to Estonia, the last few weeks took me to increasingly cold Vilnius, traditional London, beautiful Slovenia, I spent amazing moments in Bosnia discovering recent history as well as travelled for 3 days to spend great time with amazing people discovering my new horizons and currently sitting in an amazing city of Moscow after coming back from Red Square and recording a short AI dance performance in front of Kremlin to a surprise of many people passing by. But, promise is a promise right directors ? :)

In Slovenia I had a chance to see one of the most beautiful places in the middle of mountains, lake Bled (so that makes it two beautiful lakes in two months) which is something that needs to be seen, strong recommendation ... In Bosnia I had walked the streets of one of the most diverse cities I have seen, tested by the war and violence in just more than 10 years ago and also seen small but beautiful town Mostar with a bridge that connects over two sides of a river as well as two worlds and two stories. Had a chance to see a movie about Sarajevo that explains it all, maybe it was my Nafaka, who knows ...

Than I did something I would not do the second time, took a train from Sarajevo to Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine (monday night to thursday morning) which was definitely something I will remember for a while challenging but beautiful at the same time. I have met and found friends in New Horizons conference, I have realized that AIESEC spirit can overcome just about anything that can seem to be challenging at first and I have met one of the most believing and passionate people in AIESEC.

Everywhere meeting great AIESEC people with a common goal and varying possibilities, skills, knowledge and conditions to realize it. But all trying their best which is what it is all about at the end. Things can go in many directions and sometimes surprise us with events we would not ever expect. And not always everything we find or experience is pink. But this is also life, this is also AIESEC, the only difference is how we approach these and are able to come out stronger, wiser and more capable to make the seemingly impossible happen. You know, at the end of the day it is about our everyday experience, about who will we become and what we will do, at the end of the day it will be us AIESEC people that are living our AIESEC and alumni experiences and who will define if we are successful or not in achieving what we want to achieve as an organization with the words leadership in its identity.

Sending greetings from beautiful and inspirational Moscow, three more countries to go, three more countries to discover, three more stories to tell :)

Few thoughts ...

A post that is two weeks old, lost it somewhere and got reminded that it mind be good idea to publish it, thanks Svitka :) ... Currently sitting on a train from Maribor to Ljubljana in Slovenia, full of impressions after visiting 1st LC meeting of LC maribor, LC that has a long history, challenging present and uncertain future. On invitation from LCP I came to speak in frontof few new members and current EB to try to give in 30 minutes all the beauty that AIESEC had for me in past 5 years, all theinspiration, development, challenges and experiences I had. Just 30 minutes for all of this, just 30 minutes to help people seewhat took me 5 years to discover. Why? Because it helps. It helps the overworked EB that puts so much hope in the new generationand tries to make things happen after some of them are in AIESEC for few months. It helps to new people that have big question marksin their heads. How much time? What is AIESEC? What will I do? Am I able? Will I manage? Will I like it? All these questions andmany more that will come and that are integral part of every AIESECers mind now matter what position and how much experiences he or shehad before. All around the world new members, old members, OCPs, team leaders, EBs, MCs all are going through this, it is the timeof the year when face of majority of local committees completely changes with new people coming in. They are our future. They arewhat will stay when we are alumni for a long time. They are people that will lead AIESEC in the future. Or ... will they? Every year one thing makes me excited and sad at the same time. Excited because I see so much potential, curiosity and energy. Sad because I know that most likely, over half of these people will not be in AIESEC in less than one year ...Why? Good question ... What helps people to stay? What to do to change this? How not to lose this energy, potential, passion and allthese people that can, but will never do? I know there are many answers to this and the retention debate has been spoken about manytimes in the past. But still let me share few thoughts coming from my experience for all you people around the world that now have a beautiful chance to influence what the future of your LC, country and ultimately of the people around you will be. - be there for the people : be available to help understand what is AIESEC. Why YOU are there. Why have YOU stayed. Be there when they have questions that nobody else can answer and challenge them to find these answers together. - make things simple : AIESEC, what we do, concepts, initiatives, identity, all these things do not need to be complex, hard or fluffy. They have very real and practical implications, find them yourself and give them to others. Make it simple, make it practical, connect itto tomorow and the days after. Connect it to you and your experience. Explore it together and discover yourselves in it and become excited how simple and inspirational this is. - get excited together : be a team. Newies, EB, OCPs all are part of LC team. You have different roles, tasks and responsibilites but same goal to make your LC more performing, sustainable and exciting committee. Take pleasure from small successess first. Enjoy the timespent together working, achieving, challenging and laughing together. Enojy overcoming obstacles, things will no be always easy but whenelse to learn how to deal with these challenges than right now, in AIESEC. - speak and communicate : most of the problems I have seen in AIESEC were while people stopped listening, understanding and talkingto each other. Challenges, misscommunications, problems, different points of view, happy moments, successess they will all be there as part of your experiences. Everyone has them. Speak about them, explore and share them, find solutions and live this together. - set high goals and strive to achieve them : no one likes to fail, and we want to learn how to make things happen right non only speak about how things can be. And that is different. It takes time to explore dead ends, time to find the right ways to achieve the goals. But ... that's why we are in AIESEC :) - enjoy the experience : it will never come back. It is just for once. Make things fun. Play. Experiment. Create. Laugh. Inspire. Laugh about yourself, the experience about your mistakes and successess. We are here to enjoy as well, never forget that. - choose your approach : choose your attitude. You have 365 energy units for your year. Do you use them to achieve? Do you use them foryour learning and learning of others? Do you use them to create something and leave things behind for people to come? Do you use them to inspire and give confidence? Do you use them? Or ... do you waste them to complain, doubt, make others feel bad and less confident on theirway to self-discovery. Your choice, no one else will make it for you ... - discover AIESEC : look around and see the beauty of available opportunities. See them and use them. For you, for the others. Get inspired and inspire.- think about the future of you, others and your LC/country : what are you leaving behind? people, energy, inspiration, finance, sustainable processess that work, experiences that are quality and quantity, challenges that are met and goals that are achieved? Good ...this should stay behind you. Find focus and assume that responsibility ... All of these I would recommend to you. Or maybe just a few. Or just one or none. Your choice, as you wish :) This all was and is AIESEC for meand maybe you can find yourself somewhere there as well, no matter if you are in AIESEC for few years or few days. To LC Maribor, to MCs, EBs and members all around the world all my best in making it happen ... Hugs, Jarda

CEE adventures revisited ...

Sitting in a university/MC dorm in Talinn, Estonia, taking a few moments to share my impressions from last week and a half (seems to be much longer though as so much has happened) before calling it a night and going to sleep just to wake up for another beautiful day that this journey is full of. After missing train from Skopje to Budapest spent one more day in Serbia, somehow this country is becoming a cornerstone of my travelling, I feel like I have been in every step of their recruitment so far :) After arriving into Bratislava spent great few days with the MC, LCPs and LC members, met my only Czech DAI predecessor and talked AIESEC, life and business, delivered visit and co-created plenty of ideas for yet another AIESEC country, met with an inspirational EBBF member to talk about vision, impact and importance of what AIESEC is doing every day. I have left Slovakia tired but happy to sleep overnight at the Stanstead airport in London, surprised to find that I was not the only one with a similar idea. Sleeping bag in my back pack that became my life, appartment and piece of home I cary with me although he's a bit overweight while confronted with the scales of low cost airport cariers. Friday arrived to Baltic Energy and having a unique chance to share undesrcribable spirit, passion and great effort done by all facis, delegates and one unique conference manager-chair couple. Feeling the energy, taking some time to think about myself and AIESEC, having great conversations, meeting Derek, a person that has meant so much for me during my times in AIESEC and reconnecting with 4 czech AIESECers somehow present at one conference without knowing about each other before ... Travelling to Riga and drinking Mojito among the skylines of the city after consulting, advising and supporting AIESEC Latvia on their efforts to achieve so much with limited time and resources in place and speaking with the MC that gave rest of their energy left after full week to speak about the future of their AIESEC country. When I look back on this post, there is so much that has happened in last week, in last month that was the first month of my 2 and 1/2 month adventure spent among passionate and hard working AIESEC people proudly shouting, who rocks the house ! Lots of people ask why AI, how can you give so much, why have you chosen to do this? For me the answer is more clear than ever, where else would I have a chance to live, give, learn, grow and help as much as right now. Often we don't see what is in front of our eyes every day, all the great experiences we live everyday, all the experiences that will stay with us forever all the unforgettable moments we are able to live and people we are able meet, all thanks to one special organization that only little over 20,000 call their home so far, organization with a vision, ambition and relevance for the world as well as for anyone who ever was part of it ... Stay tuned for more posts, from Baltic to Balkans soon ...

Amazing time at EuroCo 2006

Currently sitting in Belgrade MC office (we missed the train to Bratislava and spent one additional day in Serbia :) I wanted to take a bit of time to reflect on the amazing experience that I had as a 1/2 chair (Mairi was the second 1/2 :) at EuroCo 2006. The conference has happened near the lake close to Ohrid town in the Republic of Macedonia, one of the most beautiful and spiritual places I have been to, where you have more churches than there are days in the year and one of the oldest lakes in the world that is impossible to describe, you have to see it to know what I mean :) The place itself was very calm, peaceful and inspirational and for sure added to the outcome of the conference together with great OC work and hotel staff. But about the conference, I spent amazing time working with great facilitators, Zuzka (conference manager) and Mairi (1/2 half of the chair) ... I have rarely seen so much passion, innovation, energy, commitment and willingness to do virtually anything that they have shown during the conference for the benefit of the delegates. A team of great individuals that have never worked together but yet created an unforgettable experience for everyone involved and for themselves as well. All at the only conference where LCPs from 2 GNs (WENA and CEE) meet together to share, network, create and get inspired. Big thank you for the facis, OC and brilliant OCP :), delegates and everyone else, it was amazing to share the experience with you ... I am taking a lot of inspiration for the rest of my country visits from talks, smiles, kind words, challenges and sparkles in your eyes. All of you are the ones to thank for it. And special message for the the delegates ... good luck for all the beautiful things you have in your mind that are about to happen and remember, no one is more prepared, ready or able to do them than YOU. Can't wait to hear the news ... :) Jarda P.S. We all have the same sky, but do we have the same horizon? :) P.P.S. Next country on way to Baltic Energy is Slovakia, will keep updated ...

CEE journey continues

Second post from my journey, sitting in Nis, Serbia, tired but happy about the 4 full days of working hard with the MC, LCPs and others, partying, discovering new words like rakija, stomaklija, etc., walking streets of Belgrade, looking over where rivers meet, dining in the oldest pub in Belgrade and listening about Serbia, its history, culture and most importantly getting to know its people and spirit... Great times :) I have always been thinking about what can be done in such a short time, but I have discovered that if the right approach is chosen, a lot can be the answer :) Today and yesterday I have attended an info meeting for people interested in AIESEC, one in Belgrade and one in Nis, it was like coming back five years when I joined AIESEC in LC Prague, unconscious about what will come. A lot has happened since that time, and I have discovered among other things that AIESEC (and life:) is about looking, not giving up and enjoying what one has and goes through, and that there is always something to find if one looks hard enough :) Tomorow early morning hopping on the bus to Skopje, looking forward to seeing all the WENA and CEE LCPs on EuroCo ! Anyone that is coming, be sure it will be a blast :) Further news to come after the EuroCo time is over ... Jarda

CEE adventure begins ...

Currently sitting on a bus to Belgrade wanted to take a minute to reflect on the amazing time I just finished in Hungary. I have flown to Budapest on Saturday and spent a very full week talking with the MC, LCPs, LC coaches, GN board and finally attending the enterCEE conference. The time spent was really great, I have enjoyed working with the MC to support their efforts and I appreciated their enthusiasm, energy and clear vision of what they want to do. It was great to work, discuss, share and party together, I hope some of the ideas I left behind will mean a difference for AIESEC in Hungary.

The enterCEE conference as a crucial point of the programme was very inspiring, Ines, Eva (chair) and the entire faci team and delegates; all of these people make the conference a success. It was very pleasant to be there and see how the programme is progressing and see, meet and talkto the people from 17 CEE countries that will actually be taking this forward. It is very important for CEE to come out strongly and make enterCEE successfull, building up 1st generation of entrepreneurs for CEE can begin :)

Budapest is a very beautiful city, I have enjoyed the beautiful river, parliament, buildings, bars, food, drinks, people and great salami that I love from childhood ... Need to come back once more for sure to explore places I have not seen ...

The experience of jumping into the country, working hard, discovering people, culture, focusing on achieving the goals and endless number of powerful conversations and all of this within few days is simply mind blowing and it is exciting to know that more is coming.

Will keep the blog informed :) Jarda