S.

Short update on what's been up with me last weeks:

After spending 3 weeks at home, I was in Poland for almost a week; then spent a couple of days at home and left to Minsk, to spend a week with a friend of mine (she is waiting for a baby! :) and needed some support. From there I went to St.Petersburg for the week-end, to see another friend of mine and to refresh my memory of this nice city. Came home and in 2 days left to Lodz, for Mike's wedding.

And got today another invitation, another friend of mine, from my childhood, is getting married, in another part of the country, in 3 weeks. It seems roads are my destiny for those days :)

So I'm more or less stable at home for some time, probably for a couple of months more. Looking for an internship, but not yet. The problem is - I don't know what I want long-term. May be I just need to do at least something somewhere :)

Want to become a donor, while I'm here, already some use of me for someone. Will report on how it was, I promise! (remark on the side - it seems I'm not better with updating my blog than with answering email hehe)

Today is the day when my town - Svisloch - has a 750th anniversary.
Some facts about it:
We have 10.000 inhabitants and we are the district capital (районный центр)
Svisloch has 3 schools (and several more in villages around), music school, sports school
There are several major state shops, many small private kiosks/small shops, small daily market, 3 dodgy bars, one restaurant of soviet era and no cafes at all.
Hospital, good for a town of our size
Library, district cultural center, a bank, administrative buildings, railway station (however the connection for passengers is only to one city nearby, bigger center), one nice square, a park (well renovated recently), and good roads.
Several places of block houses, however 2/3 of Svisloch are private houses (as ours and more simple)


And today - the big day for Svisloch, when buildings were newly colored (cosmetic renovation, as we say, Potemkinskije derevni), flags put out, major speeches, stands from district farms, and some goods from around (I got a nice leather-stone bracelet for myself).

Concerts - quite good ones - were all the time one the stage. The story of the city form the beginning as a play, songs, comic groups, songs, modern, classic, children dances. It was very nice I should say, even if usually I'm quite ironic about our celebrations.
We had even the Paratroopers show, the managed to land on a small square, doing all cool figures in the sky. The crowd was definitely impressed, few people saw a parachute close at all in life. And of course my father, former military paratrooper, had to be around to observe and express his opinion :) Not once he told that he will kill me if I try to jump with a parachute, but now I'm even more determined :)

And a bit later today in the evening we are going to have a disco with radio DJs that come to our town, that will be lead by a known republic TV figure (by some miracle, or probably for a good money, she is coming to us)

Some snapshots:

My parents; me and my father




Me and Katya, we grew up together - two of us symbolize the beauty of Slavic girls hehe



Paratroopers landing



Traditional clothing and singing



And, look here: stands of district collective farms (soviet type kolhozy), 2 pm - people just eat and drink (alcohol!) on the display on the street! No room to break the stereoptype, what to do…



Every place has its own specialties, and this is the life of a small Belarussian town. My life for some time :)

Debate about Belarus economic and political development - the other time :)

And I promise-promise, more updates are coming soon about all my trips!

29 August - 3 September: the dates of so eagerly expected meeting with my friends: MC team of RuBeK 2003-3004. Masha came from Amsterdam, Dasha from Ekaterinburg, me from Belarus, and Marek hosted us at his place in Warsaw.

We haven't met since our farewell in Moscow 2 years ago, and we used the occasion of IC in Poland and my coming there for AI handover anyways to get all together.
There were internships, continued careers in AIESEC, working experiences, entrepreneurship in between, and was so good to reconnect again with people who were once the closest, from our family flat in Mitino in Moscow! And who became dear friends - these 3 guys… Well, a guy and 2 girls :)


It's so interesting - even when we don't talk for half a year - when we talk, it's like we saw each other yesterday. They say if you live through some strong experiences with people, you become connected for ever. Well, our year in MC was an interesting year, we shared almost everything, even a bed (or floor when we didn't have a bed) :)))

We are still those same people, with those same relationships and jokes, conversations on once forgotten topics, but enhanced with richer experiences we had over last couple of years. At least I hope we have grown up a little, however not that I saw much difference hehe :)

Oh, they were good days in Poland :)
Courtesy to Marek - he took us with comfort and by car to Cracow for a couple of days (and we even managed to see Jasny Gora, one of main Polish Catholic places).

Some pictures:






We went to Kazimerz, new emerging center of the city; kopiec Kostushko;
Main square (Rynek) with a famous Mariacky church; Wawel - kings' castle (as Cracow was Poland's capital until 16th century).

I had flash-backs: I was going around and making pictures of the same places I have walked by 5 years ago… (when I was for a bit more than a month on a CEED in Cracow)
The city is the same, but I'm different now… And then, everything differs :)


And then we spent several days in Warsaw. Finally I got the time to see the city not between my travels or conferences, but as a normal tourist. And main thing - I think Warsaw is much nicer than most Polish people describe it :)

I liked its modern views and business districts


And the sights of the old town




and us in the old town :)))



I saw Warsaw as a dynamic city, having its history but young enough to be fresh; more and more European and developed, but somehow more close to me culturally :)

(MORE photos of my Poland trip are on my flickr)

I'm so glad I had this time off; I really enjoyed the trip and meeting my friends again!
And then we said bye again, and agreed that next year we meet in Venice :)



I'm thinking now: I say good bye so easily, may be too easily now… In AIESEC we used that somewhere soon we meet again, at some conference or internship. But when you get out to the big world, there are less occasions to meet - unless you create ones.
I have realized 1) I should value more chances when I meet dear to me people, and appreciate every moment, and even farewell if it; and 2) we should work ourselves on creating those chances to meet!

Friendship is the one thing that always worth investments, and lets get our opportunities where we can!!! :)

That was it.

When I said the last good bye to Brodie, and saw him and Laura waving me as I was leaving, I've realized this is the final end, it was the saddest moment of last months… I started to miss everyone from my team, at once and strongly...

Well, talking about actual handover :) It handover was on 1st of September, in the evening. To start with - the session was very nice.
First, everyone was happy to see Brodie on stage, then we - AI 0506, joined him. We had a report on scorecard, global services, achievements/non-achievements. And then Brodie said a couple of final words, messages to delegates. It was very-brodie speech :) I mean very nice and inspiring, and I thing it got people right. It was about balance about giving and receiving, living in peace with nature, and about hope that AIESEC, apart from developing talent, can bring consciousness that is needed to keep our world alive and make it better. At least this is what I remembered, and of course, you can imagine there were many stories :)

And then we had our story told - we've recorded some words on the last evening in Rotterdam, and of course the ppt with photos, this time without our "Rotterdam" song :)))

And then, when it was over, we stood for ovations of the plenary - and you wouldn't believe, people were not stopping for so long, they just went cheering and clapping, on and on and on. I wish my team could be there, it was great to feel the good energy and appreciation of people we worked with and for this last year in AI.

And then, at the followed legislation, the motion for our discharge was passed by acclamation, and with clapping Brodie run to the door, taking his tie off…
And this was the end, we are officially done, recognized and good-byed…

There I completely turned over my AI page.

It has been a great time, and I think somewhere later I'll think more about it, and will feel about it. Now I miss the people, our life together, nice and sad and crazy moments…
You know what I miss most? The challenge, not as such in work: there are many things to do out there :) But the challenge as a person - to grow and learn, to listen and develop, to think and question yourself and others. Who else would question me as much, and whose else questioning I'd tolerate and appreciate? :)))
We had a high standard, for that as for everything - I hope we'll manage to keep our ties, not to loose but to strengthen the connection we had.

Well, as Solomon said - "Everything will go on. And this will go on as well"
Nevertheless, it was hell of a good year :)

To AI 0506 it is! With lots of love for my team.