My IAESTE experience

This will probably be my first and last blog written in English. The first one because I want some people, who are not that comfortable with Slovene, to understand it. But the last one because I'm still not very fluent in English. I know I still make many mistakes and I apologize for this to all the English speaking people reading this.

To come back on topic: I started to think a bit more about the IAESTE after I read an article from one of the girls I met through IAESTE in this time. She was writing about her experience which was in many cases very similar to mine. Everything started so easily. With a coffee with one of my friends once after classes and a simple question: So, what are your planes for the next summer. And she replied that she's just joined this organization which is called IAESTE and that she's going for a trainee ship somewhere abroad. It sounded interesting, so I came over next Tuesday and had a look. Being pretty shy at that time. When the meeting was over, they made me to go out with them for a drink. I still remember it: drinking hot chocolate and talking. People were asking me questions and I had a feeling that they're actually interested in what I answer. I got a good first impression and I continued going there. Making new friends, helping and having fun. When the time came, I took the position of incoming coordinator, getting the nominations from abroad and representing the bridge between the trainees coming to Ljubljana and the companies and supervisors accepting them. It took some time, but after the summer passed and the trainees went home happy, we were happy to. We did a good job. None of us (neither me, nor my friend) went abroad that year. It was a mixture of different reasons, but we both knew that we'll probably have even more opportunities next year.

As the summer finished, I passed my function of the incoming coordinator to the news students. We started to work for Central European Convention (CEC) and have been living only for this for the next 2 months. After it was over, we were almost dead, but we're happy as we knew that we did our best and we also got some very good feedback. I got the IAESTE feeling and nothing could stop me now. November came and it was time for a huge change in our National Committee (NC). That was a month of long talks with people. A month of thinking, organizing time, working for the university ... It finished with the elections where Klara was elected to be a new National Secretary and I took over the position of the Exchange Coordinator. I knew it will be a tough year taking into the account that I was still an Outgoing Coordinator on local level, that I was in my last study semester at the university and that I was the main leader in my scout group at home. On the other hand I knew that this will just make me to organize my time better and that I'll learn a lot of new things. I probably learnt more than I did in the previous 3 years at the university. It came naturally that Klara took over the incoming part and I took over the outgoing part on our national level. This meant the communication between the students, National Secretaries from other countries, Outgoing Coordinator from our second LC and sometimes also some other people at home and abroad. There were times when I said that I can't do it anymore, but I always managed to come through these times with a little help of my friends. :)
However, all hard work brought some good things: we sent more students abroad that we did in the last year, we got far more students coming to Slovenia, we managed to exchange trainee ships with some exotic countries and we managed to start solving our visa politics. And the most important: we both got trainee ships we wanted. Klara a very good one in UK in the field of neuroscience and I one in Australia which seemed quite impossible before the General conference.

My year in NC finished in October with the new elections when new students took over the positions we occupied in the last year. When I look back on the year, I don't regret anything. I learnt so many new things and got more experience for life than I did at the university. I got an amazing trainee ship in this crazy country. I learnt how to communicate with the officials and became more relaxed in English. I learnt how to live on my own and started to eat meat (yes mum, I did). :) Most importantly, I met a bunch of amazing people:
- A guy that said I can call him at 3 in the morning. And so I did. Once. And he answered and helped. Afterwards he was the one that managed to help with all my problems getting the Australian visa (besides my mum of course).
- A guy that was running with me everyday bringing with him a bottle of water for me. Listening to my problems and trying to solve them. Hanging around and eat ice cream. Giving me his jacket when I was freezing in the evenings.
- A couple that allowed me to sleep on their couch while I was "homeless" for 14 days. Soon, their home became my home and at that time I realised that I managed to make good friends here.
- The best supervisor ever that takes care that I always have a project plan and all the protocols on my table. She's always there for me when I need her, but she allows me to think with my own head and organise my time myself as long as I bring the results on monthly meetings.
- All those guys at work that help me when things aren't going as they should.
- A guy that shares a passion for musicals with me. That brings me Kraš napolitanke. That is prepared to spend after hours with me. Comes by and takes me for an ice cream during the experiments. Takes me for weekend trips and takes care that I'm always fed (as he knows that I'm cranky when I'm hungry).
- A girl that became one of my best friends here. I have a feeling that I can tell her everything. And I miss her as I haven't really talked to her for some time.
- A guy I really liked. Everything finished when he left this South Australian oasis and went back home to the real world. But I really enjoyed our time together and I hope we stay friends.
- A crazy girl that spent the majority of Thursday nights with me. We spent hours talking about boys and work and I can say that because of her my time here was much better that would be otherwise.
- Lastly: a bunch of other guys from work. We went camping together, spent lunch times together, tried to explore Adelaide, spent our time at the beach, watching movies, talking, laughing, dancing, having fun ... Without them my time here wouldn’t be as great as it is.

I love what all this experience did from me. I definitely became a new person. More relaxed, more “user friendly”. I learnt a lot. And despite all hard work, I'd repeat it again. In exactly the same way I did it for the first time.