rockit.

Multi-orgasm

I remember last semester when I took my first English course in university, extremely excited and hoping to brush up on my creative writing skills. Unfortunately I didn't get that chance, and was instead lead to reading boring short stories on Canadian immigrants.

At the time, being disappointed in the course didn't help my interest in the stories, either. It was definitely impossible to choose reading about toilet squatters and the harsh realities of Canadian weather rather than figuring out Accounting cases and reading Financial reports. But now that I have been, in a way - dare I say - a temporary "immigrant", it's starting to dawn on me that I should have retained more of the experiences described in the shorts rather than mentally throw them away after the final exam.

Scanning through the notes I had typed throughout the course, I am starting to realize, with a bit of fear, the immense relevance of our discussions which I mostly spent balancing Income Statements. Conforming to norms, squatting, basic survival instincts, necessary adaptation- not wanting to adapt to certain norms (!!), everyday mundane things... what is success/failure??? Vulnerability - being in a limbo state - acceptance?! Such a huge "OMG" that I feel like jumping... !! I can now relate to all of these things, and more... too much to say, just way too much to say...

And the other day before practically re-engineering the LC's Cultural Shock Session I looked at my CEED Pre-departure Course booklet and dude... found myself reading it and preparing the session 'til the next morning after coming home at 3am from 2 parties... everything in that book is so true, everything!! Extremely uncanny how I saw my entire experience roll out through that book... goosebumps while presenting the next week... and making the last 2 months of my life a part of the session, oh man...

And now, thanks to CIDA, Cultural Shock Session in Buenos Aires isn't just a Culture Shock session, but how to be an Interculturally Effective Person - a session I believe mandatory not just for trainees but every AIESECer out there, really...

Endonces, thank you, CIDA... and Professor Lee-Loy...


Oh dear, and what a coincidence that iTunes has just shuffled to "New Soul" by Yael Naïm...

I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take
But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake

See I'm a young soul in this very strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout what is true and fake
But why all this hate? try to communicate
Finding trust and love is not always easy to make

I'm a new soul
I came to this strange world
Hoping I could learn a bit bout how to give and take
But since I came here, felt the joy and the fear
Finding myself making every possible mistake

posted by Irene @ 6:46:00 PM