AIESEC Experience

A lot of people still wonder what AIESEC is all about and they are curious as to why I am so involved in AIESEC. The first country I ever set foot on by myself was for an AIESEC conference. Ever since Asia Pacific Leadership Development Seminar in Hong Kong in the year 2000, I have never stopped travelling. My friends are curious - why AIESEC?... Why not just take a vacation to the country?

See... there's a lot of difference. Maybe the pictures below will help illustrate.


1st reason: You get to go in a Japanese hot bath with other naked males! =D Haha... The AIESEC Experience is about meeting people. You get to meet crazy and fun AIESECers (as we call ourselves) This experience is not something you'll gain through a vacation.


2nd reason: The Koreans will "tarik your tea" for you! For us, this is our favourite drink during a mamak session. For them, it's just pure FUN and a WASTE of TIME!!! Haha... =D


3rd reason: You get to improve your cooking skills... I do not of any vacation that lets you do this. The Polish are very curious as how we Asians manage the spicy curry! I get to cook for my host family curry chicken and honey lemon chicken. They actually thought that the curry was some sort of soup. So they put it in bowls for everyone to drink it like soup. Silly me though, I made it extra spicy... so, most of it has to go down the sink =D Haha...


4th reason: You do things you'd never do at home... like Baking a Cake!! And I have to wash up after baking as well... See the ladies in the background? They are teachers from the school that I have classes in.


5th reason: You meet other AIESECers along the way... whom you have never met before and some of them gladly takes you around... And you get to try the local delicacies at a very good price! I come to know of Elise who's studying in Paris through Clemens, whom I stayed with in Vienna. She got me to stay in her student dormitory for a very very low 11Euros per night! =D See, this is why!


6th reason: You get to celebrate your birthday in Peking University! =D Nicole Yang (right) is one of 27 trainees in the PEACE Project (organized by AIESEC SGH) in Poland. I met her in Beijing and she was kind enough to take me around Peking University... and both she and my angel surprised me with the birthday cake... =D


7th reason: Seeing it for yourself is the best experience anyone could have. No Discovery Channels or Travel and Adventure channels can ever replace the experience of being there... This is a view in Prague, Czech Republic.


8th reason: You can join the street demonstrations!! Seen it only on TVs? Experience it first hand... and oh, if you're on a tour, I doubt you'll even see one... =D This was in Paris, France.


I have never quite come across anything like AIESEC before. It has an extensive network of individuals who truly believe in our core work - Exchange. We hope that through common understanding, we would all one day, live in a peaceful world.

So, if you are curious about AIESEC and you would like to know more, you can browse to http://www.aiesec.org or our local website at http://www.my.aiesec.org/