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Friday, June 27, 2008

Next steps, next dreams...

I am back in Estonia since couple of days ago. My one-year-long journey to Kazakhstan has ended for now.
It is great to be back home, to see my family, my friends, my hometown.
What next?
Realizing next dreams!
In two days I am having a welcome party with my AIESEC Estonia friends in Tallinn. I am really looking forward to see them all.
In five days I am going to travel around Estonia and Latvia with one person dear to me for almost two weeks. That will be like one long beautiful dream.
In three weeks I am going to deliver training for young people who came to Estonia as volunteers - will try to impact their world-view and their understanding of Estonia. I love to do it every time I can.
In four weeks I am going back to Split, the most beautiful city I have ever been to! I was waiting for 2,5 years for this moment - to see all my old friends, to recall all nice memories, to do the things I have not managed to do there last time. Just couple of hours ago I got to know that I was selected as a chair of International Summer Program in Split, which AIESEC Split is organising. They invited me there. Another dream is coming true :)
I will take a short break after that and then - back to Oslo! The next long journey is going to start. I got accepted to Master studies in BI Norwegian School of Management, which is one of the best business-schools in Northern Europe. I am going to study Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a very exciting subject.
It was my goal since 1,5 years ago - to go to study in Master programme in business-related subject in some very good school. I am realizing my goals again :)
The world is beautiful. And I am capitalizing on its beauty as much as I can ;)

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Finished my term in Kazakhstan

Since couple of days ago I am not the President of AIESEC in Kazakhstan any more. Since couple of days ago I do not have particular role in AIESEC any more. There are still quite some things to finalize, but nevertheless – a huge period of my life is coming to the end. I am becoming AIESEC alumni. 5 years, which were given to this organisation, were just amazing years of my life.

The ones who have not been members of AIESEC, can't fully understand me. But hundreds of my good friends all around the world can surely connect themselves very well with what I am writing about. I will be AIESECer till the end of my life, continuing to strive for better world inside and around me, while not being idealistic dreamer, but being executor, leader and initiator of positive change.

A change agent.

Yeah. It's me. Nice to meet you all. :)

I am extremely happy that I was given chance to finish my AIESEC career while having been the first President of independent AIESEC in Kazakhstan, a new expansion country in global AIESEC network. It was very hard time for me in the beginning, but the more I stayed in Kazakhsan, the more I loved the job I was doing and the country I was living in.

I may write more about Kazakhstan in the future, but what I truly value about this country is people. Despite all big problems Kazakhstan is facing (corruption, ecology, weak governance, highly unequal distribution of incomes), there is so much beauty in local people.

Part of this beauty was my work with new Initiative Groups. Since a few years ago I got an idea that organisation like AIESEC should be represented everywhere to give equal opportunity for all young people of my age. I can proudly say that I contributed quite a lot to this vision of mine during my last year in AIESEC. I established (with the help of certain people) four Initiative Groups in four cities where there has never been AIESEC before. Kostanay, Astana, Pavlodar and Oskemen - all these cities got Initiative Groups of AIESEC.

Work with bright young people who are eager to learn, eager to work, eager to do something useful for themselves and for their community in cities outside of Almaty, where there are so little opportunities for young people - that was probably the best part of my being President of AIESEC in Kazakhstan. Very open, nice, hospitable people not only showed their cities and nature around to me, they have also shown part of their soul. There can hardly be anything else as amazing as that.

As for my other job - managing National PR Association of Kazakhstan, this task is coming to the end too. Yesterday I had the final meeting with the Board of Association. They expressed their satisfaction with my work and I expressed my gratefulness for them trusting a guy from Estonia to be given very responsible task to accomplish.

I am grateful for another amazing year of my life. I am grateful for opportunity to live in highly dynamic interesting society. I am grateful for having experienced the hardest times of my life which have taught me to appreciate small things. I am grateful to all kind people of Kazakhstan who have made this year an exceptional time for me. I am grateful for having gotten some very dear people for me.

Kazakhstan has become another important country for me. Estonia, Croatia and Kazakhstan are three country I am strongly associating myself with.

I will be in Estonia on 23rd of June.

I am going to come back here in Kazakhstan. That's for sure.

Initiative Group Kostanay


Initiative Group Astana


Initiative Group Pavlodar


Initiative Group Oskemen