International Congress 2009, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Reflections on my first international conference experience as the LCP and representative of AIESEC DC:

The first truly wild experience I had at International Congress 2009 was at Global Village. For so long, I’ve heard that GV is an awesome way to showcase the AIESEC cultures, but it wasn’t until this conference that I saw it in action. There were snacks from all over the world, traditional outfits—the kind you don’t often see youth wearing in this era of mass-production—and hundreds of people buzzing around to explore each other’s cultures. Throughout the day, we watched cultural performances by various AIESEC students who could show the types of traditional dances that are still important to their young people in the modern world. This was also the first time I truly realized how many unique and incredible countries AIESEC envelopes—Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Gabon, and Mozambique to name a few. My government still has not achieved positive diplomatic relations with many of the countries represented, but somehow this group of global students could bridge the gaps left by our politicians and simply enjoy each other through nearly two weeks of joking, working, learning, and growing together.

Throughout the conference, we had many rigorous sessions to help us question ourselves and our performance in AIESEC. Are we truly a leadership organization? What is our promise to the world? How do we carry out that promise? Why are our exchange numbers globally so low, and how do we improve our quality and performance numbers to share the AIESEC Experience with the greatest number of people? These questions struck home with me because outside of IC, it is easy to be complacent with our local realities. If we don’t hit our exchange or leadership goals, there are no repercussions. However, the passion and energy shared by all delegates at IC made it possible to critically question every aspect of our organization and brainstorm ways to achieve better results in the upcoming year. I am confident that these discussions have resonated with everyone at IC and will carry us to further success in the future. As a United States delegate, I was also proud to participate in numerous country partnership meetings where we determined our common exchange goals for the next year. AIESEC United States has a lot of room to grow in terms of exchange, and it was empowering to meet so many other AIESEC countries that are eager to play a role in our growth.

In addition to the sessions and country meetings, we also met many of AIESEC’s global business partners including Alcatel-Lucent, DHL, Electrolux, Pricewaterhouse Coopers, Tata Consultancy, and Cadbury. Talented representatives of these companies showered us with chocolates and enthusiasm as they presented their company visions; as expected, each company desired to become the best and biggest provider of its particular product or service. At the same time, each company made a point to create a positive societal impact and a work environment that is beneficial to its employees. Before IC, AIESEC was the only place in the world where I had witnessed these creations in action, and it was inspiring to meet middle-aged professionals reaffirming the same successes that AIESEC achieves every day. Our exchange participants are fortunate to work for companies such as these, filled with people who share the AIESEC mission and values. At IC we were equally fortunate, learning about entrepreneurship and sustainability from talented businesspeople who really understand the types of changes we AIESECers wish to make in the world.

Something less tangible but crucial to the IC experience were the friendships we formed at IC. AIESEC is unique in that it is the only place in the world where hundreds of young people can come together from so many countries and quickly connect on common grounds. In mere minutes of arriving at the hotel in Kuala Lumpur, I reconnected with old friends and began developing the many deep-rooted new friendships that are typical of any AIESEC Experience. I met dozens of LCPs facing my same struggles and triumphs: people who understand the importance of our mission, the challenges of leading a team, and the passion that blazes within us at every success. Since IC, we have continued to share our stories with each other as motivation and inspiration. These friendships represent the cultural understanding driving our organization, and I am warmed knowing that I am experiencing the same sensations as AIESECers around the world.

Backpacker again

Come this time tomorrow, I’ll officially be living from carry-on luggage for the next seven weeks. I’m a backpacker traveling from country to country, with luggage somewhat reminiscent of the Flashpacking Life (and his wife). Most everything is electronics, along with a few other necessities.

Packing was much easier than usual this time, and I think it must be because I’m getting used to flying and not always carrying everything I own. I was never a heavy packer anyways, and now I just have to save room to bring goods back from overseas. I’ve heard varied responses on my travels this summer. Some people think it’s cool that I’m getting to go out and see the places they’ve dreamed of seeing. Others think all this travel is unnecessary, and that I should just stay home and work or find an internship instead. Still others think it’s cool that I’m finally fulfilling the dream I always had for myself. I knew I wanted to travel since at least 4th grade, and I’m not usually one to disappoint or fall short on the expectations I set out for myself.

China will be a nice change after 6 weeks in the City and a few days of relaxation and rejuvenation in the suburbs. I’m ready for a long plane ride followed by some world exploration.

Countdown to China

In two more days I’ll be sitting in my tin can to China, ready to represent my portion of the United States in front of Chinese professors, students, and diplomats. It’s going to be awesome to finally dive into my studies in a whole new way, by actually experiencing the culture first-hand and practicing a bit of Chinese along the way.

It’s weird to me that I’m only going to be there three weeks…it doesn’t seem like enough time, somehow, especially if I’m spending a week in each different city. This trip is going to be a quick taste of China, and I’m sure I’ll be back there someday. The pictures look gorgeous, and I’m pretty sure I’m about to fall in love with another country.

Independence Day Weekend

I spent my three day weekend exploring the City outside of Manhattan. Friday, Ben and I started out the day by heading to Coney Island to meet up with Natalie and Leo (after the gym). We wandered over to Brighton Beach and the Russian part of town. It reminds me so much of being in another country, along with most of the City, because of all the tiny little shops with bilingual owners. It’s much different from where I grew up in New Jersey, where there’s only strip malls full of all the usual culprits: Home Depot, Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target, Best Buy, etc. After working on our sunburns for a while and writing AIESEC into the sand, it started to downpour so we ran back to the boardwalk to look for cover. Luckily the storm didn’t last long, and we went to eat at a little Russian restaurant.

I tried Vareniki for the first time. It was probably only the third time I’ve eaten Russian food, and it was quite delicious. So was the fruit punch. Afterwards Leo took us to the candy shop to get a bunch of his favorite Russian sweets, and we headed off on our merry way back to Manhattan. When we got back, we found ourselves some free Dr. Pepper and a table in Herald Square park, and it was great to relax outside and enjoy some more sunshine (with shade this time).

Saturday was the Independence Day transition party with the AIESEC US MC, and because of country summit there were a lot of other MCPs here as well. Turkey, China, India, and Canada all had representation. It was a crazy day for me, because I met two of the former LCPs of AIESEC DC in the same day. They were from 2004 and 2005, and they asked me if we still had the same traditions of High Society and Cherry Blossom festival, because those were the ones that they really wanted to stick. I assured them that we still have that, and that we want to get our alumni network back and active so they can come to High Society this year.

The picnic was nice; there’s a great view of Manhattan from Dumbo and we had just enough space to play Frisbee with about half of our large group. Another relaxing day in the city. After the picnic I followed Marina into Brooklyn to meet some of her high school friends, then we took the Path to Jersey City to watch the fireworks from the patio on Trent’s apartment building. We brought a blanket outside and fell asleep briefly under the stars.

Pride Parade

Last Sunday was the Pride Parade, where I finally got to see another aspect of city culture that I’ve been missing. We got to the parade at 12pm, and sat on mailboxes for the next five hours. That’s one of the great things about NY; all the cops are so relaxed about stuff like that. It was possibly the best seats I’ve ever had during a parade. There was a constant flow of friends meeting up with us during the five hours, and the parade was so worthwhile. It’s great to see so many different groups of people being proud and comfortable with themselves, and of course it’s just wild being at a parade with so many scantily-clad people. And NY goes crazy for any parade.

One of the things I love about NY is how well dressed everyone always appears. Every day I leave my apartment and head down to Chelsea, and I’m amazed at how few people wear baggy, ugly clothing. Everyone has their own style, and everyone looks like they put just the right amount of effort into their appearance.

I love relaxing in Central Park too. It’s one of the best things I’ve done in a while. There’s great peoplewatching, you can see the city skyline, and you can breathe in some fresh air in the sun. It’s the type of place that makes me think maybe I could spend an entire year in NY. Almost as good as sitting on our fire escape, and watching all the kids at the end of the street shoot basketballs against the scaffolding.

It’s great being grounded, but I’m definitely ready to hit the road again. Two more weeks, and then Asia, here I come! Three cities in China, a brief stop back in the US, then I’m off to Malaysia. I still can’t believe it, and I’m exuberant. I never thought I would actually see this much of Asia in my life, let alone in an entire summer.

The Real NYC Culture

New York City is certainly never dull. It’s a lot different than I expected it to be, based on the perception I had growing up an hour train ride away from the City. Here are some common misperceptions:

New Yorkers are always in a hurry. This is true to some extent; New Yorkers are usually on their way somewhere whether it’s work, school, or play. But who isn’t? While it’s true that rush hour might get a bit hectic, it’s also true that New Yorkers take more time than most people to just lounge about in parks, restaurants, or coffee houses chatting about life. There are lawn chairs scattered about the city so people can relax in places like the middle of Times Square. Even on their long subway commutes, New Yorkers bring leisure novels so they can get in a bit of relaxation on the way to the office. As a result, they’re also much smarter than the average person. Who knew?

New Yorkers are unhappy. I’m sure city life can be depressing from time to time, but rather than dwelling on the fact that the sky is often blocked by skyscrapers, New Yorkers find parks where they can relax and enjoy the sunlight. They’re outside much more than suburban people, who typically have more parks, more grass, and more sunlight. There are so many people outside that it feels natural to just find a piece of ground and sprawl your limbs across it, soaking in the summer breeze. New Yorkers usually wake up early and go to sleep late, resulting in even more enjoyable hours of life every day.

New York food is expensive. Sure, there are Starbucks on every corner and fancy sandwich places littering the town. However, if you’re slick in the City, there are easy ways to get a cheap meal of almost any cuisine. Street carts typically have Halal food for $3-4, and if you’re vegetarian like yours truly you can usually save an extra dollar. Chinese places have food for as cheap at $4.50 for a healthy portion of rice and cooked vegetables, and again, being vegetarian will save you some cash. Chipotle has a great deal going on with Bally’s in which you can get a free burrito every Wednesday (June only). And there are almost always festivals with some free goodies, like the Snapple BBQ.

Needless to say, I am impressed and content with life here. The debate in my head is whether New York has come a long way from the City it was when these stereotypes were true, or whether the stereotypes were never true at all. I know NYC has worked hard to make sure that the quality of living is higher, and that may be reflected in the overall happiness of its residents.

Wanderings in the Rain

New York is on its third solid week of rain, and I wonder why everywhere I go it’s raining on me. Global warming? It’s bizarre to have this much rain in June. It’s rained so much that I finally caved in and bought my first umbrella today so that I could wander around downtown without feeling too crummy. It was perfect. Not a lot of people were outside because of the weather, and I was able to see a lot of the brownstones and neighborhoods that I’ve never seen before.

I’m starting to settle in here, and I feel very comfortable walking around the city because I’m beginning to understand the layout. I don’t necessarily know how to get from one place to another (it’s much more confusing than Tokyo) but I’m always confident that I can figure it out. I still feel that I couldn’t live in New York forever, but now that I’m here another three weeks seems a bit too short. There are so many things I would try here if I had more time and money, like taking up martial arts or maybe trying out at an audition, just to see where life would take me.

For the moment though, I’m still just recovering from a crazy last semester. I want to take some time to think about life and add some more things to my bucket list, and New York is the perfect place to do that. There are so many things happening around you all the time that it can reignite your passion for a lot of things. I went to see Phantom of the Opera tonight, and it got me thinking about all the time I spent in theaters when I was younger and how I would love to be in a play again. I met a dancer the other night, and it made me excited for the modern dance class I’m taking when I get back to school in the fall.

I’ve even gotten to catch up with a lot of old friends here. It seems that everyone is in and out of the city, and I’m glad to be in the center of the action.

Welcome to Latin NYC

It’s too hard to stop myself from writing, so I’m expanding the topic of this blog beyond Asia to become a greater, more generic travel blog. Sad, I know, but it has to happen this way. In one more month, the blog can resume its original intent. In the meantime, I have added my old posts from the Incredible !ndia blog I wrote last summer for more Asian flare.

I’ve been introduced to a new culture by mere circumstance. Living in the Dominican part of New York City, I feel almost exactly the same way I did when I first arrived in India last summer. The culture is thriving here, and instead of all the generic “American” branded stores there are still tiny mom-and-pop shops lining the streets representing the legitimate needs of the people working and buying there. Some stores blast Latino music out of speakers in an effort to draw in customers, others advertise the “Best Pizza in NY,” but no matter what it’s apparent that you’re getting exactly what you expect for the right amount of money here. I bet there’s no need to go downtown, because everything necessary for survival is right in this neighborhood.

My new roommate is an AIESECer from Puerto Rico. We headed to the Puerto Rican pride parade (mostly coincidence) along Fifth Avenue today, and it was absolutely insane. The pride oozed out of that parade, and I can’t imagine any other parade would ever have so much liveliness. There were whistles, flags, Latin music, the Guardian Angels, and much, much more. I’ve never had a huge interest in going south of mainland America, but I’m getting more and more interested as the days go on.

Germany sounds more and more interesting too. It’s impossible to stay in New York for long without dreaming of other cities and cultures. Everywhere you turn, there’s another person from a new corner of the world. Russians, Armenians, Chinese, Australians, Germans, Puerto Ricans, they’re all here under one big (sometimes blue) sky. It’s insane. It makes me think about being back in India and how it felt to be removed from my own culture for so long. Sometimes I was more proud of America, sometimes less. Either way, I always thought of America as my reference point for new experiences, and it’s interesting to watch others thinking back to their home countries the same way.

After the pride parade, we headed to Central Park to relax in the shade and do some people-watching. There’s nothing better on a weekend. It was beautiful outside, and there were just the right amount of people wandering by us to make it endlessly interesting.

So it’s not Asia, but…

Life is going pretty well.  I’m in New York City, and it’s as much of a cultural experience as anywhere else.  I’m living with another AIESECer in the Hispanic part of town, where the food is cheap and we hear fireworks and good Latin music on weekends.  It’s been a week, but I feel like it’s been much longer. 

Last night we had a guy from AIESEC Germany crash at our place after a night out with our co-workers.  It was late, but we stayed awake chatting for quite a while.  We’re both hoping that our apartment will remain a hub for all sorts of visitors, and it certainly looks like it will be.  It makes life much more interesting. 

After sipping Frappuccinos in Central Park this morning, we went to the gym to get a two month membership.  It made me feel a little bit old, but it was great to work out again.  I’m on hiatus from rock climbing memberships until I get back into better shape. The gym is only a few blocks from the office, so it shouldn’t  be too hard to go there often.

My countdown to Asia is officially six weeks now.  Aside from seeing the signs in Chinatown, I really need to start practicing Chinese again to make sure that I can order vegetarian and feel that I am getting adequate practice while I’m there.

Last Encounter

 

Shinjuku

On my last night in Tokyo, I finally got to see Gina! She’s my predecessor as LCP of AIESEC DC and one of the few people who has been consistantly a part of my life since I started freshman year of college. It wasn’t until I sat down next to her halfway across the world that I realized just how strange my past semester had been without her. 

We met in Shinjuku, the ’seedy’ area of town according to my guide book.  It was the one part of Tokyo I thought I wouldn’t have the chance to see, but I’m so glad we met there because it ended up quickly becoming my favorite neighborhood. Shinjuku is like Times Square…with five times the flashing lights and even more wild characters. Every street we walked through was filled with businessmen on their way home, and locals and tourists looking for the hottest nightclubs, restaurants, or karaoke bars. We met a group of really nice Irish travelers who stopped and chatted with us as we watched the shenanigans go on in every direction. Behind us, a local was passed out drunk on the sidewalk at about 9pm. It was a little early for that by American standards, but in Tokyo drinking starts earlier so people have time to catch the last train home at 12pm.

Karaoke bar

To our left, a few hosts were creeping up and down the street trying to entice young women into their nightclubs. One innocent looking woman stopped to chat with a host, but she definitely knew his trick and said something to the equivalent of “You’re so bad” in Japanese. A few scary looking cross-dressers strolled by on the prowl for some fun times. And meanwhile, I’m people-watching with three GW students on the other side of the world. Life is fascinating. 

We headed to one of the million karaoke bars in Shinjuku, and spent the first fifteen minutes trying to find English songs that we recognized. It was the first time my Chinese really came in handy. Gina could read the Japanese characters, and I knew the kanji for song and English, so we finally figured it out. We spent two hours singing our hearts out. I was cynical of karaoke before Japan, but it’s actually a lot of fun. Kind of like the equivalent of Rock Band. 

Obviously there was no way that one night was enough time to catch up on everything, but we did our best. After seeing my roommate, my old co-worker, AIESEC Kyoto, and my ex-LCP in Japan I felt my vacation was complete. Now I’m back home and on to my next adventure…seven weeks until China!