Life is a Mosaic

Question

How would you react if a person, who has born in India and has lived there for more than 20 years, asks you to tell how to cook rice? ;)

posted by Vija @ 9:55 PM 4 Comments

Car Free day in Brussels

It's a beautiful day hey, hey, it's a beautiful day!
Yesterday there was a Car Free Day in Belgium. Car Free, meaning exactly Car Free - no cars on the streets. None. Well, I saw a few, but it was really A FEW, because people really care :) That was amazing to see that there actually people in Brussels - centre was full of people unlike every day. There is sun in Brussels, no rain whole day!!! That's good news :)

And...Lithuania is Eurobasket 2005 Quarterfinals, thats more good news :)

posted by Vija @ 9:16 PM 0 Comments

Lithuania vs Croatia 34/34

...Period 3 has just started.
Eurobasket 2005 is getting more intense every day:)
Unfortunately, I cannot watch it on TV here in Brussels, and cannot have 50 basketball fans around me with a beer and shouting out loud with every score, but at least I can support my team virtually :)
If anyone know basketball fans in Brussels, pls tell them to find me ;)

posted by Vija @ 4:51 PM 1 Comments

The dream is over... the journey begins

Namaste/Bonjour,

Here I am, back in Brussels from a three-week-long dream in !ncredible India.

India has made a huge impression on me being so different and so amazing. Never in my life...
... I've seen such a variety of traffic in the streets (people, cars, autos, rikshaws, cows, camels, horses...)
... heard cars vaulting to each other all the time
... I had such a bargaining experience, when you have a price cut by 85 percent at the end :) You just cannot help shoping in this country:)
... I had such persistant sellers, who chase their customers all over the town on their motorbikes and keep offering stuff :)
... I've enjoyed a luxury of a restaurant of Radisson hotel for an affordable price :)
... I've seen so many people assisting you in every step you take (e.g., handing a towel when washing your hands)
... I've eaten so much spicy food. I absolutely love it, but my stomach probably not do much.

After the Congress we had a Golden Triangle Study Tour, visiting Agra, Jaipur and Delhi, seeing the most famous places, grasping the Indian culture on every step :) The diversity is just unbelievable, and this is what fascinated me the most. The people on the study tour were very cool, we had a great time hanging out together!

The whole trip I was extremely tiring and I happy to be back home, athough I would definitely like to come to India once again. I still have to visit Mumbay, Goa and Bangalore, Amritha's hometown!

Now were back busy in our office, preparing for a national conference and enjoying pleasent weather Brussels. The Indian dream is over, my Belgian journey now truly begins ;) I am ready for excellence in coming 11 months!

I am slow with uploading pictures (again, or still), but I will make sure it is announced here when they are available. There will be a album for all study tour participants as well :) For now check Pedro's blog for pix and more impressions.

posted by Vija @ 3:44 PM 0 Comments

India update

Namaste!

I thought living in five-star hotel with internet facilities makes the communication very easy, but... There is absolutely no time! All days are packed with sessions, meetings, and workshops, and when you finally can take a breath and see what you can do, the working hours of internet cafe are already over ;)

Anyway, here come some impressions from my time that I'm spending in India. The congress has already turned to it's second part, when as Brodie (President of AIESEC International) said, time starts running faster and faster. He was right - time flies. It seems that just a short while ago we had premeetings, get-to-knows and introductions, then went on with the expectation setting, went through long term vision building and lots of functional stuff, and now we are already sucked into the cycle of skills trainings. When it is not much left already, and you start discovering even more.

I think I am making the best of the conference so far, as the knowledge that I've got here is priceless for my term and my work for AIESEC. And again, I realize how much I love what I am doing - external relations and marketing is the best ;) Of course, knowldge is only one part - it's alsoall about people. The people I've met here are just amazing! Everyone - more than 300 talented individuals - all so different, but everyone is working on the same goal and speak the same AIESEC language. And during the parties you learn what a Nordic Highway is or how to swear in "pigeon English" (English used in Nigeria). I find it extremely inspiring :)

Apart for the content and feel of the conference, the parties were great so far. We had an India Night, where we had an opportunity to see what Indian culture is about. Most of the people wore Indian clothes, a Global Village of Local Committees in India and Indian dance performances on the stage. I absolutely love this culture.

One of the best parties Western Europe and North America party with strong Scandinavian alcohols, German games, Scotch from UK, tonns of Belgian beer and chocolate distributed and 'Kalashnijkov' being danced for the first time in this conference!

Tonight it is going to be a Central Eastern Europe party, so I will make sure to be a part of my origin properly ;) And It's very nice to see people from Lithuanian delegation around ;)

After writing all this I realized, that ongress is one more Mosaic in my mosaic - so many things, so many people, so many emotions... It is impossible to tell everything. But if you have any questions - feel fre to post them here, I will be glad to answer ;)

posted by Vija @ 5:33 AM 4 Comments