Linnar Viik had a blogpost about Thailand proverb - Experience is a comb which nature gives to men when they are bald. If you think about it - this proverb definitely has a meaning.
But I want to get the comb when I have potential that my hair will grow again - I am trying to loose my first set of hair in AIESEC :).
“He who wants to change the world should already begin by cleaning the dishes.” (or EB office for example :))
(Paul Carvel)
Last Saturday I joined Siki´s cleaning team to get rid of trash in AIESEC TTY office. At first I was hesitating a bit, because of the recent AC experience, where there tended to be A Lot of cleaning, but in the end I didn’t regret my decision at all and had an opportunity to spend some good time with friends and be useful. Luckily the office is quite small, so there couldn’t be much trash, at least I thought so… but there ended to be a quite large amount of trash outside of the office. Mainly we found many old papers, flipps, posters etc. especially behind one cupboard J Seemed to be a nice place where to hide not useful things. Anyway, now it’s empty again.
It reminded me one incident of my childhood. I wanted some cornflakes, but accidentally I put keefir instead of milk in the bowl. I couldn’t eat that, because it was disgusting. So I decided to get rid of it and not to tell mom about that. And guess what seemed the best place at the moment? Kitchen cupboad of course. So I poured all the cornflakes with keefir behind the kitchen cupboard hoping it will disappear eventually. Well, obviously it didn’t, and honestly I don’t remember what happened next. Probably mom found it and cleaned it up. So much from hiding things behind the cupboard :)
I want to thank our small office cleaning team for the nice Saturday evening: Siki, Gertel and Marina and hope the EB feels gooood in their nice clean office.
Keep it clean! :P
Siret
It's not that long since the New Year's Eve when everyone makes promises for the coming year. Almost two weeks of this year, fabulous 2007 has gone by and what has happened since? It is clearly the time when people look to the coming year and decide what they want to get out of it. From my point of view, I guess it's even more important to do this in the first days of the year, rather than spending last days of the previous year for it.
So have I started to look into the future and I have started to believe what all the astrologists have been saying in different forecasts for this year - year 2007 will be a lot better than the last one, it will bring great success for those who know what they want and know where they want to go. So it's time to set our compasses ready, for that will be one of the things that lead to fulfill all the expectations we have.
However, in the sense of AIESEC, some setbacks that are common to happen in January, have already started. I think that for a People Development responsible, the hardest times are firstly in the fall, sometime in October when you find out about first people who at first thought AIESEC would be cool, but then decide to focus on something else. The second time will come around in January, where people look back to their schoolyear, what they have done in AIESEC so far and decide that it really isn't for them. I do believe that the time is not over yet, it has only begun.
The last period will be the end of May, when the term ends and you're no longer sure what's going to happen with all these people under the new EB. Will they stay, will they go? Will they find new challenges in AIESEC or do they want to achieve so much more in their personal lives? These are tough times for any person in leadership position in AIESEC, but most of all, for the one who really cares for each and every one of the members and doesn't want to see them go at all. The best thing to remember at times like these, is to make sure that I know - it's nothing personal - it's not about what I haven't been doing, not caring enough - it's about people developing so fast these days that they grow out of their own ideas so quickly.
Well, I'm sad to see any of you go, but if you really have to - it was really great to get to know you and I wish you all great success in the future and I do hope that you have found something great out of the times you got to spend with us ;)
God speed,
your PD girl Riina
Christmas 2006
Today I feel a bit nostalgic... I was looking for some photos to create an album which I can show my friends and family without the help of the computer and I noticed one thing - most of the pics are actually AIESEC pics. Looking through all these albums (not done by far yet, there're more albums to look through) came all those fun memories flushing back to me.
My PD team, most of it anyways :)
Looking back to my own year in the most of fun kind of way, with pics - that is something I recommend for each and every one of you. Pictures are the best reminders of good times (and bad as well, if you've had them). Pics also have the ability to bring out the best in the situations we've had. You might not want to remember that bad food from that conference, but you will most definately remember the great people and cool sessions and awesome parties, right :)
LTS - Local Training Seminar for newies 2006
LTS - my very first facilitating experience. It really showed me that the most important thing about making such a seminar happening are the people who you do it with. Feeling so sick just minutes before my performance and being able to pull it together within 5 minutes - that is something special and the biggest thanks are to Siim, our LCP, who was willing to make this thing for me, should I not have been able to. But seeing him gave me so much strength ;) Ahh, sweet memories.
Photoshoot in July 2006
This years recruitment started already in June. We had such fun time together with the recruitment teams from Tallinn, Tartu and Pärnu, especially at our photoshoot where we made some pics for the recruitment materials. The team was awesome and the photoshoot even better :D Just some month before the photoshoot we had LC Tallinn picnic in the very same place, Kadrioru Park, and it was the very first time we had a chance to feel ourselves as a team with our EB. I still remember so vividly the yellow hair of Siki's on Siim's pic :D
Transition in May
It doesn't seem that long ago at all when we first started our transition for this term. The old EB trying to get all their knowledge delivered to us within 1,5 days. Seemed impossible at the time, but here we are now - half of the term is already over and soon we begin preparing everything for the new EB for the next term. Even now that two of the former EB members are in MC, I feel somehow close to them, connected in some level - knowing that I can always turn to them when I feel like it. I wish that the next term's EB would be as close to us as we are to the previous ones. It adds extra value to the term and the whole picture :)
Synergy 2006
And last, but not least greatest memory of the past year - this is where it all got started for me. I was so doubtful about going to Synergy. I felt that it wasn't for me, I don't want to go, it's something silly and so on. But then I somehow managed to get all my schoolthings done on time and I even managed to get there on time for the election of MC members. What a great feeling it was, I had butterflies in my stomach the whole conference :) It was awesome and the conference itself was the first event where I started to feel that I'm part of something big. Something out of reach. That something that's called AIESEC spirit. I remember the chats we had with EB, other members, exchanging cool ideas and thoughts. It was AWESOME!
So, all in all - I have had so many great moments throughout the past year that it's impossible to put it all in this one post and few pics. It's so much more than that! I wish you all so many nice memories and moments from AIESEC and also from life itself. Today is the best day to start living your life fullest and start collecting those AHHAA moments ;)
When, if not now? Who, if not you?
-- Your PD girl Riina
Hey :)
--Siki
Yesterday, we had our last meeting in this year for the whole local. It's funny, just today when I was in the office talking to one of our members, Tarvi, we thought that half of the year has gone past so quickly. Soon it's the election time of new MC after that some months and it's time to apply for the EB of LC Tallinn and our term will be over. That is a bit sad, but I'm sure interesting times are ahead of us all.
Anyways, I didn't really want to talk about that, moreover, I'd like to reflect a bit on yesterday's meeting :) So we started off pretty smooth, all of the most important people in our LC had a chance to say what they have been up to and what's the status of their projects and all. It was really great to hear that people have been busy and what's even better, one of our project manager's is going to a company meeting tomorrow and one of our cool new members is going with him to get the experience.
Then later on we had a really cool session about AIESEC values by Vika - do you know what they are? If not, do you know where to find them? If not, do you know to whom to turn with this kind of questions? :) Well, I hope you already know at least the question to the last question :D We also went over some really basic things, just to refresh our memory about them. And that got me really thinking about my job experience in the summer where supposedly, we were to have refresher trainings each month - and trust me, the systems and processes there were lot easier than in AIESEC. So here's a thought for next years to come.
Another thing that really made me wonder was that most of the time, people were softly chatting on the background while we spoke. But once I started to talk about the thing I had prepared earlier for the meeting... well, the audience went really quiet and for a second there, I thought I'd scared them with something. But that's the thing, I have prepared something and I so much want to attach to it that I forget to do it interactivly, so it would be interesting and to get people speaking up and asking questions. Hmm, some things to think over for the next times, I believe :)
So all in all, the meeting was such a success in my point of view and Siki's session added such value to it. For a moment there, even I managed to imagine what I've done so far and see a glimpse of myself in few months from now. I really liked how many people were present and the atmosphere was just awesome. As I said to one of my dear friends just moments ago - my relationship with AIESEC is pretty great and what motivates me the most are people, the social atmosphere. Knowing that we can have loads of fun even in the LC meeting and we don't have to have a drinking party for that - this is really priceless and something to take with me to the year 2007.
See you all in our Christmas party - let's make it yet another unforgivable event ;)
-- Riina
We're very happy to announce that the new AIESEC Tallinn blog is now officially open to each and every one of our dear members, members of AIESEC in the whole of Estonia and all of you who are interested of what's happening in our local committee.
AIESEC Tallinn EB presents you the
AIESEC Tallinn BLOG!!!
Hello,
Absolutely, sometimes you just have to shine! Like we did in this Christmas ball organised by Student Union of TUT. It was a nice event, not so well thought-through, but we enjoyed it while being there. Didn't get to dance though.
I just wanted to say that it's really nice to be in a student organisation like AIESEC is, because you get to be in so many places, you get invitation all the time. All you have to do is to show up and shine :) I really encourage you all to take some opportunities that suit you - find the things that make you shine like a shooting star and enjoy every single second of it ;) It'll be worth it, I can bet on that!
-- Riina
