A new chapter about to start...

"So, see you next year."
These were Ivan's words to Araz as he left the office. Tomorrow Araz is leaving to Russia. When she gets back to Rotterdam he'll be in Lithuania. And he won't be back in Rotterdam until January.

This was one of those moments when you realise time is running by very fast. It's 4 months since we all arrived here and started to get to know eachother. In the next few days we'll be dispersing all over the world. On Monday evening i'll be leaving to Germany, and i won't be back here until 1st December. In that time i'll visit Lithuania, Ireland, the UK, Italy, the US and Greece. I'll see Ivan in Lithuania, and Araz in Germany. But for most of the time it will just be me.

Strange feeling. In a way i'm ready to go, to not be around so many people all of the time. Not that these people aren't very dear to me, i just know that i need a bit more space. But at the same time it feels a bit like losing a warm blanket, leaving behind a safety net.

Just me in the big wide world. It's cool. It's scary. It's exhilerating. It's exactly what i've been waiting for :)

No rest for the wicked

That's something i used to hear a lot from my mum while i was growing up. I've always chosen to do lots of things and to use my time to do as many things as possible.

The past few weeks have (with the exception of my beautiful trip to Venezuela) flown by in a blur of meetings, e-mails, phonecalls and team dinners. I know i'm enjoying it. I know i'm learning heaps. And i'm forming some very special friendships.

But i'm also very aware that somehow i'm not finding enough hours to do several things that are important to me. I'm not swimming or going to the gym anymore. I'm not calling or sending emails to my friends or family. I'm not sleeping enough.

Will i be able to change this? Is it the case, as someone told me recently, that these things may not be as important to me as i believe them to be?

Re-connecting with my roots

I just spent 48hrs on a muddy farm in South Wales Valley. Rain, cloud, dogs, chickens, no mobile reception.

But they weren't the things that were worrying me most. This was the 1st time in 3yrs i'd been at an event of AIESEC in the UK. The average age of the delegates was less than 20. How would they perceive this small blond guy who is STILL in this organisation they have just joined? Would I be able to share my experiences in a way that they could connect to? What would be my culture shocks?

As often happens, I built this up to more difficult than it actually was! I was made to feel very welcome. I took every opportunity to talk with people during meals and breaks, to listen to their stories and share mine. It was cold, i didn't sleep too much, but i gained a huge amount of energy and motivation!

Thanks to AIESEC in the UK for making me feel so welcome, and for making my (brief) home-coming so enjoyable :)

The best friend in the world :)

1:50am Dutch time, 0:50am UK time, i send a message:

"Are you stil awake? I could really do with talking to you right now"

2:50am Dutch time, 1:50am UK time, he stumbles out of a club in London, pretty wasted, nursing his even more drunk ex-boyfriend. Does he make the call?

Of course he does. As so many times before he was there when i needed him most. And he knew just what to say.

Mr Tolan, you really are the best, and i feel very lucky to have you in my life

Just to whet your appetite...

i'm still alive, and i still know how to make a blog posting :P

And yes i had a wonderful week in Venezuela! More details and pictures to come soon, promise :)

Hugs