15 November 2007

Action required!

These days it's getting dark outside at 5 pm already! These days it's snowing the whole day! If you have a look on a calendar these days, you see an 11. These signs are clearly indicating to me, that everythings coming to an end! The year, the term, the time in St. Gallen, the studies take a bit longer but the end is visible, the time in AIESEC as well. But on the other hand, I have the impression these days, that the time is running out! I see a mountain of work to overcome but the clock keeps ticking. Everything makes it clear, decisions have to be taken, action is required! Now!
This might sound, that I get somehow depressive, stuck in the winter blues with cold grey days and even colder dark nights. But nooo, actually I feel content right now. Why? Because I have the feeling that I'm making progress and acomplish something:

DO-IT
Do-it was last weekend and after some difficult days of planning and organising, re-planning and re-re-planning the conference finally took place. It was a special conference in different ways. First of all, It was my first (and probably only) conference as track responsible and faci. But the Alumni Track was running somehow apart from the rest of the conference. Ok, it a part was because of me, but some other decisions were not mine! And although I belonged to the faci team, I didn't feel like being part of it. I met some old friends from @ time which is of course very cool as well, but you get a bit ambitious over the years and if you don't really meet new people...
Concerning our track itself, not everything turned out as we planned or hoped but there have been developments during the track which I didn't expect at all. Alumni started the discussion where they could be involved and what should be changed. And they insisted to make this happen! On the first glance it looks like a lot of work for us (or better: for our successors:) and it sure is! But if you have a closer look, you can say, that they actually gave us, the NST Alumni Relations bargaining power. Bargaining power we need to negotiate with MC and LCs to finally get them doing something concerning Alumni Relations!

Studies
Concerning studies there is still a whole lot to do and if it doesn't happen now, I don't know when to do everything. For my exchange term in Rotterdam I finally made up my mind and decided which courses to take! Decision taken, acted as well! For the courses I'm taking this term there's still several things to do although we just handed in a case study today. There's a presentation about water problems for households in switzerland coming up in 1.5 weeks. And it's quite difficult for our group to have a presentation about that if guest speakers keep telling you that everyone else will have water problems except switzerland! Then, there is the report for our pracitcal project we have to hand in in a month - yes at the same time I'll have two other exams and all the courses are mandatory for our masters. What great planners those universities are...
On the other hand there's still my master thesis. I was worried the last weeks but now, I think it's getting ok. I have to shift my expectations and try to get all the interviews done before leaving to Rotterdam. But the interview with the first company I had last monday and the one with the second company I'm supposed to get next week. I probably leave it with those two and will interview only their clients but won't try to get another one and hope the brands of those two will outshine my work. I don't thank them yet as work is not finished, but I'm still excited to have Hilti and IBM on board!

2 Responses:

Sis said...

Juhuu, Hilti & IBM on board - you´re great and I am missing updates?!
About DO-IT: Come on, alumni are a bit different kind of @ers and dont say it´s the last faci xp, I know that you did it great ;)

Hugs from dark Sofia,
time for a nice chat soon?!
S.

)i( said...

Hey Simon!

Just wanted to let you know: You and Sabina did a marvelous job at DO-IT :-) I know how important that it is to have heard something like that once in a while. And I also know that being part of the NST Alumni Relations isn't the easiest thing in the world. But don't worry, from my perspective, DO-IT was successful for the alumni, because you had some very active old alumni in that track! That's really positive :) Chiara and I will meet up with Claire and Maya soon.

Apologies again if I wasn't the most motivated delegate in the world. I am sure you understand that it was nothing against you or Sabina. Entirely a Carissa-personal-@-thing (you can imagine the details, I think we've talked about them too at DO-IT).

Good luck with all the NST follow-up after DO-IT, and with the studies as well!!! Sounds very exciting, and I am sure you will o great! :-)

Big hugs,

CArissa