This past week, I had the awesome opportunity to travel to Warsaw, Poland to attend EuroXpro 2014. EuroXpro is an international leadership conference sponsored by AIESEC, with delegates from 54 countries in attendance. In the image above, you can see my bearded face screaming with my right arm extended, wearing a red shirt!
Attending this conference was the first real responsibility that came when I accepted my position on the national team of AIESEC United States. The purpose of this conference was to network with fellow AIESECer's across the network to learn what exactly I'll be doing for the next year of my life. Some of the delegates were just finishing up their 1-year term on their respective national team's, while the majority of those in attendance were on the same boat as me, just beginning it all!
Throughout the week we attended sessions, listened to panel discussions, and took part in the global planning of where we want to see AIESEC in the coming years. We were up early every morning and stayed up until the wee hours of the night every night. Whether we were discussing national strategies or just meeting new friends, it was all in good fun!
On the first day of the conference, each country had to introduce themselves to the plenary in the form of a
roll call. A roll call is just a glorified choreographed dance, where the more ridiculous you look - the better! Here is a picture of the five US delegates (in baseball caps) joined by a couple of others. Roll calls are pretty common at AIESEC conferences and are used as ice breakers, or just to bring up the energy in a room full of sleep-deprived delegates.
After meeting so many awesome people from around the world, I am overwhelmed with the number of people I met that are in the same position as I am. I now have a full supply of peers who are also moving to another city to continue working for the organization we are all so passionate about. Whenever work gets tough and I just need someone to talk to that's going through the same thing, I know who to go to. In the picture to the right is Hans, my teammate for next year, as well as Nanxi & Renard, members of the national team in Germany!
One of the highlights of the week was the Polish themed gala dinner. This is a time where we all come together to celebrate our successes over the past year and give out awards to the entities across our region that went above and beyond to create an even greater impact. We were seated according to the country that we represented, but because we were only five, we were also joined by the single Australian delegate, as well as some of the Germans that didn't fit at their table. The gala is a time to break out your finest attire, hence the multiple bow-ties in this picture. The five of us in this picture made up the entire US delegation. Although I knew this entire group from previous conferences, it was great to spend a week in Poland, getting to know them better and learning more about what each of us as individuals can contribute to AIESEC United States. Stay tuned for my next post about another highlight of the week: the Europe Youth-to-Business Forum that took place mid-way through the week.
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