Thursday, August 27, 2009

August RUSH!

August rush.
Indeed.
Every day.
Every moment.
Every second.
It is my 18th day in Riga and it is 3.27 in the morning :) (yes, yes, I am countng days. why? no idea. I just like it.)
I am living an exciting period in Aug 2009- Autumn Member Recruitment into AIESEC Latvia. At one point it seems not so much hectic as I would expect. But if you compare it to the lack of some key resources, you start feeling it kind of challenging at some point. For instance, it is a reality that people leave here for summer holidays; but then complete work stops for summer you may wonder, right? Well, hopefully we have some responsible AIESECers who actually activate leadership and we hand-in-hand build action plan, implement it, and I am patiently waiting for the results to appear.
I sometimes get surprised or just curious of how patient I have become. It is also becoming a discovery for me. Discovery that I quickly need to identify, solve it out and use it wisely. For the purpose that the better I know myself, the better results I can bring for the society, for the work itself and for myself. The rest that is left to define is the time framework: How long discovery will take me to see its logical end? Or there is no end? :) I suppose so.
Leadership.
Acting sustainably.
Back to my work, to Recruitment 2009. I mentioned that we are currently lacking of some key resources that sometimes they may demotivate people and slow down the work pace. You know, I think opposite. Having less resources pushes our brains to work, to brainstorm creative ideas, to give a birth to leadership and to build the first bricks of self confidence. These small fast moments I have witnesses yesterday. I was having a meeting with one of our LCPs (Local Committee Presidents) and listening to her understanding of AIESEC, to our organizational identity in her words and I actually was happy. I would compare that meeting to one of my sweetest working experiences: to teaching. When I see how a kid shining from his first results achieved by him, I am happy. I was happy seeing Karina explaining to me her point of view on Recruitment '09 features. I was simply happy. And this happiness gives me more strength, more courage, more meaning I am at the right place with right people. Finally I am building my long term team experience that I was dreaming of since Aug 2008. It took me a year to put my dream into action. good enough, ugh? ;)
Network.
Close friends.
People development.
Another flash of this day is a long awaiting meeting with my Lithuanian friend Lina B.
Briefly: she has been LCP Kaunas 2006-07 (if I am not mistaken), OCP (Organizing Committee President) of EuroCo '07, and we were together in ENERGY '08 FACI team.
An evening we spent in an open air bar/cafe was splendid!!! A live music by a Latvian band (and favourite songs in English and new songs in Latvian for me :) , a chilly weather, a cup of Latte and sweet memories, sharing stories, easy laughter and again this feeling: I am happy. I am at the right place. I have great friends near me. I found what I was looking for. I am happy for what this environment gives me, and I am happy to share my experience and skills with this environment. Simply: give and take :)
... Friends' B'days: So many friends of mine were born in Aug: I am checking my accounts at different social web-sites to send warm greetings to my GREAT! friends and to be updated about their life streams. I have another friend who is celebrating her Bday tomorrow (well, actually it is today since it is already morning of Aug 27 :) - Liza, my MC mate, my roommate, my colleague and friend again. Liza, I wish you to have a big success in your life and in our MC term =) As you are one of the fantastic elements of our small but courageous team :) we will achieve success. I believe in it!
P.S. so you might ask: 4 in the morning and I am blogging? No, I was preparing a functional meeting agenda on Talent Management for my VP TMs (Vice President Talent Management) =)

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Run Assel, RUN!




My dear friends, how many of you think everyday of life? Values? Time? Relations? Experiments?

A day ago I have woken up with a thought springing in my head insistently: I do not want to lose even a single moment of my life unwisely!!! I am afraid I won't be on time to deliver all desirable and non-desirable (yet) steps, activities, actions, friendships, crazy events. Who knows, maybe my non-stop international experience urges me do this but this thought splashes its water drops in every corner of my head.
Therefore, I didn't even think too much when I had the opportunity to join 5,000 people tonight in Riga in the city race. Is it difficult: to run 4,5km with lots of people (5,000!) and have FUN, JOY, HAPPINESS, SMILE, ENERGY, PHOTOS :) , SWEET MEMORIES??? Even though my new Riga friends didn't/couldn't join me, I was excited to re-open Riga again and again while RUNNING!!! I felt like I was in another world. This is something I have felt at Global Villages during AIESEC International Conferences: when you are truly united by spirit, by common values, by similar experiences, by one vision with many people from diverse backgrounds, diferent countries, various age-groups. But I/you/he/she/we feel we are one unit in the world. In our world. So these similar feelings have fulfilled my inner mind, my tired body after a hectic office day; I have enriched myself tremendously and will always remember Riga race!











































Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Never say never to yourself

It’s been 4 months already of my legal preparations in moving to Latvia. 120 days of happiness, of nerves and stress, of tears and fears, of worries and sleepless nights, of praying and believing… 2880 hours of preparing all the documents and waiting for them to arrive from different places like Ministers of Justice, of Health care, of Education and Science, etc. 172 800 minutes of moving from Almaty to Astana, from Astana to Ust Kamenogorsk, and I hope finally moving from Ust to Astana, and then to Moscow and to Riga. 2 spring months and 2 summer month of spending with lots of people that were meant to be in my life in different times- my family, my school mates and my close group mates, my best room mates from University years and my past colleagues, my present school colleagues and my Leader friends, my AIESEC Kaz friends and other international AIESEC friends, my directors in the past and present, my children and just random people. All these people were meant to be my friends as we have found something common in us, and we have learnt some invaluable things in life.
I now pray for God’s help and soon positive solution of my situation of being here in Kaz to moving to AIESEC Latvia, and actually starting officially my MC term.

Still, during these 3 moths I have learnt some things I will carry out through all my life.
· Be confident. When you are confident, everyone sees it. It shines in your eyes, it is visible in your step, and it makes you achieve little things that will bring big change.
· Be informative. Manage your resources to be up-to-dated, and control the situation for your own good.
· Be knowledgeable. Read interesting books, autobiographies, watch news, analytical programs to enrich yourself.
· Be in touch. People you have attached yourself to once care for you, and need to know how your life goes on. Don’t close your doors for them.
· Be emotional. Laugh when you want to laugh, cry when you want to cry, think when you need to think, jump when you feel it!
· Be positive. Create your positive way of life, come back to your good moments in life, look through the pictures, send a message to your friends.
· Be alive! Life is life and it likes active people, not their shadows.
· Believe. “Believe in what you do. Do what you believe in”
· Smile. The best remedy is your smile. You think you have no reason to smile? You are deadly wrong!!!
· Have fun! Life is too short to waste it for the worst.
I am creating my own life path. Yes, it’s not only me. My parents and brother help me a lot in designing my own life. My closest friends and people whom I value a lot are the best lifelong teachers and role models for me. I feel I am changing my attitudes towards many things and people in interesting ways. I feel life. Sometimes I forget its stream; sometimes I think I don’t have it at all. But a few years ago one of the closest people that time said to me, “Life is beautiful!” And since that time I every time repeat his words: Life is beautiful!
Viva la Vida!

P.S. I was writing it when it was still unclear about my presence in Latvia. For some reasons I was not posting it for a bit of time. Fortunately, everything was solved out, and I can only smile back and be reassured once again: When you want something in your life so much desperately- just go and do it! Fight for it but make it happen!

Saturday, August 15, 2009

My MC term has started

Here we go! It's 6 day I am in Riga, and living my new adventurous path of life. My AIESEC life :)
Frankly speaking, I am enjoying everything so far :) Well, who wouldn't?
Every day I am opening something new for me in the city, in my work, and in myself. I am looking at the past 6 months and trying to analyze what had happened to me, where I had been, what I had seen and done, what people I had been close to, and I understand how much I have changed. Can't say for now what concequences might reflect upon me but I am patiently waiting for them and observing myself. Looks like I am playing with my personality myself :)
It feels like there are so many things rushing in my head: I am being confused sometimes, being so calm sometimes ( completely not my style), being thoughtful more than I did earlier, but I am enjoying it. I guess it's one of the most important things for me now: to be satisfied with everything and be happy. This is what I am now- feeling happy a whole week in Riga. Smiling to myself almost every minute and not realizing I am doing it even when I sleep. Funny, right? :)
I like my team very much. We have been keeping our communication online since June 2009, and believe me sometimes I felt really weird. I guess they also did. They are Jake, my team leader, and Liza, our little funny "chocolate-addicted" teammate. Day by day I feel we are a team. Gradually, but it is happening. And it's one of other reasons why I am happy. I feel like I am at a right place. I don't want to say that these are random words and feelings, a brief outlook at my first week in another country and with other internationals. No. I knew where I was going to, I assumed all prons and cons I could see that time in March 2009, and I am satisfied with my decision. Don't tell me my words will change when I face some obstacles, miscommunication or anger? It should be so, it is life. And we are all the parts of it.
I guess 1st post from my MC term is kind of random, confusing, not structured. Well, I can allow it to myself. It' s Saturday morning Aug 15, and I can freely express my thoughts :)
Feel so peaceful. Coldplay is on.