7:00am, airport - checked in and panic b/c they tell me I must find way to print my itinerary for out of Bangkok or else I won't be allowed in... run around airport for an hour until I give up and show up in Thailand and don't need it... wtf.
8 hours later... Arrive in Thailand...
1hr in line for immigration
luggage missing... slight panic attack... was apparently taken off since I took so long in line for immigration...
YAY FOR LC AU picking me up!! Fun chat... then we get lost and are driving in circles for 1.5 hrs... :)
Arrive at conference site... have faci team meeting, and an hour later...
CONFERENCE STARTS!!! I meet all the EBs from all the LCs and the MC!!! (Picture of the crazy people above!!)
How is that for day one in Thailand!!??!!! Hehehe... just another day in the life. Aiyo! :D
OY = pain in the ass in terms of WHERE TO START!! ;p Was wicked-awesome... I'm sorry, need to just go to a bullet format, its that much... :D
HIGHLIGHTS....
DAY 0: picked up at the airport by a welcome crew, went straight to MC flat for a happy dinner! This was just the beginning of the hospitality and good times in Sydney...
DAY 1John and I wake up early for a quick swim AT THE BEACH before getting coffee and him dropping me off at the MC office!!!
DAY 1: Meet the MC! We had a one hour official GET TO KNOW YOU session with MC team with games all planned! AHAHHAH! Yay for ANGRY SWEDISH MAN tournaments! Too fun!
DAY 1: We drop everything at 4:30pm for the daily does of WI DANCING random but GOOD! :)
Day 2: Lunch: FREE MEAT PIE! Yayyyy! My first one ever and the owner said it was on the house! :) (Kate and Anne shocked that Sydney people are nice... ahaha.)
Day 4: Belly dancing with Kristi - yayyyy for feeling at home and able to just go to a course and have fun!
Day 5: BUSH WALK: hiking with John - beautiful sights and super grateful for the company!
Day 6: Bollywood CLASSIC and German Pub! AHAHAH!
And so on and so forth... there was also TONS of sight seeing with Nikita (obscene how much we managed to do in just a few days!!!). Nikita even brought us Kiwi chocolate...just one of the MANY unhealthy but delicious treats we had throughout the time... yayyyy.
And of course, to end off my visit, what did we do? Got fat on pizza and watched an EXTRA cheesy bollywood until I was about to fall asleep, and headed home part way through. CLASSIC. :) Hehehheehhehehe. And of course, to wrap it all up, John's father woke up at at 6:00am just to drive me to the airport.
Just wowwwwwwwwww. Thanks ya'll for making me feel at once like royalty and like one of the family all at the same time. Life, FOR THE WIN.
Yes, Singapore was the coolest stopover EVER!!! I was there for just 2 days, Friday and Saturday, before arriving in Sydney.
First off, I would just like to say, Jean-Nic is one of the most thoughtful friends EVER. Being a former "director"/RVP in Canada, he knew that I must be exhausted and want some comfort at this point, nearly a month on the road... so HAHAHA - we went straight to McDonalds to binge together as soon as I arrived! :D Then we went home to his cool big apartment, where he had already bought nutella/peanut butter/bananas for breakfast the next morning, and bought new sheets and a towel for me to stay in his room while he took the couch! OBSCENELY GENEROUS!!!! AIYOOO! So much appreciated. THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUU!
Was really cool catching up with old friends in Singapore... what an intersection of my past!!
Dave, former LCP I worked with in Canada, who rooms with JN now... wtf...
Amy!!! Former MCP with me, and my roomie from IC Agra! :) YAYYY!
Roi/Dre/Tiro - MC Canada, what!
Anddd I got to see the new AIESEC SINGAPORE AND AIESEC ASIA PACIFIC GN BOARD OFFICE!! HURRAH! Exciting stuffffs! What else... Oh and I had a another slumber party with Sharon. We are exciting people. We do crazy stuff on weekends... let me tell you! AHHAHA. Yay for sitting at home and being couch potatoes! Perfect!!
Picture: Jean Nic, Amy, Sharon and I... all from different parts of my life but now all friends! :) The connections in AIESEC never stop amazing me... -
*** Tried posting this on AI blog but something is FUNKY there so I'll... just post it here for now!!!***
Greetings from Bangkok! Things are rocking out in Asia Pacific. I’ve been learning loads…
The Superficial/Snapshot Overview: I am heading into my 6th week on the road... just arrived in smiling Thailand. :) Have spent time Japan, Malaysia, Australia... with quick stops in Hong Kong and Singapore. Also met with the MCPs from New Zealand, India, Vietnam, and Indonesia tooo!
The Slightly Less Superficial Overview: Yeah. I am a this point where trying to capture the last 6 weeks ina “post” is, without questin, impossible. So, I’ll just reflect on one highlight from my time with my new family…
HEROES 2007, Malaysia
About 3 weeks ago, 60 delegates gathered from 12 countries/territories in Malaysia at a HEROES 2007 – its first year as an OFFICIAL AP GN CONFERENCE!!! .
Personally it was a thrill, this was my first conference in the AP GN! Sharon helped me through adapting to the AP conference culture, which is really different from my Canadian and other international experiences. Dances were MUCH more complicated(I was SO out of my league… sad, really). Evening activities were comfortably and happily dry and … scary (murderous Malaysians!! ;p) Sugar writing was an extremely disciplines and serious endeavor.
Overall I was honoured to facilitate with my entire AP GN Board (Rina's baby was born and soooo beautifully!! ;p) and Sandy, and our chair was unspeakable inspiring – thanks Janne! And by the end of the conference, we were all feeling empowered, proud (especially of the 25 matches and 15 future exchanges via LC partnerships set up, 40 exchanges with 60 delegates!?!??!), and just a little bit more… heroic.
Want to see the HEROES HEROES? Check it out:
(NOTE: Translation of clip, since its blurry: "HEY AIESEC! We're Making HEROES Happen!!" Followed by a stunning, beautiful cheer that may resemble a certain WENA cheer, but actually mirrors a Canadian cheer, of which the former MCP was happy to bestow... hehehehhehehe.)
