Ushuaia - the end of the world...

A few days in Amsterdam would help to prepare and pack. A long meeting in Aarhus and I almost missed my train. Actually the time in Netherlands was fantastic but not for the preparation. Lots of things missing in the last minute. This blog post half-written. An excited and underprepared 'change agent' going to Antarctica. That's not good!

Luckily the flight was excellent and I arrived in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, for 2 days of preparation before embarking to Antarctica. The whole group of 60 students plus BP Leaders, professors, experts and facilitators is here, united. Tomorrow at 9am we gather. At 7am we practice Aikido (thanks Thomas!).

It feels surreal still. I just had dinner with Peter Senge this evening. Nice easygoing guy. He knows very well AIESEC, he was totally up for Pioneers of Change members to join the expedition, and surprisingly (for me), he knew lots about the Kaospilots!

I promised myself to disconnect from the Internet after this blog post. We won't have any communication or mobile signal while onboard, except for a basic satellite connection, where we can send a few packets of information: blog posts and photos for the official website. I'm one of the expedition bloggers so you can follow the website for more details: www.expedition-antarctic-2009.com. The position of the ship can be tracked and you can leave (me) a message, and it will be delivered!

Below is the (planned) itinerary, if the weather conditions allow...


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Antarctica Expedition

I wrote here about a month ago saying that I'm going to Antarctica. A lot has happened during the past weeks and I'm flying next Tuesday (24th of March) to Ushuaia. The journey is about to start!!

BP Alternative Energy and 2041.com, as hosts of the expedition, have arranged several weeks of preparation before the group of 63 students and 20+ BP staff (and experts, facilitators, photographer, etc) meet in Tierra Del Fuego. Each week had a different theme and a virtual platform was launched for the sessions and meetings. I must confess that I got surprised and amazed by the possibilities of such platforms, where audio and avatars play in a scenario where hand and head gestures enable communication in a much more involving way than Skype calls.

In this snapshot you can see myself (my back actually) during the first session, when Vivienne Cox (CEO BP Alternative Energy) introduced the Antarctic Village and the project Antarctica Expedition.

The themes were broad and very interesting: Climate Change & Energy; Theories of Change; Climate & Policy; Public Behaviour; The Skeptical Economist. For each session key scientists, economists or experts came for a short presentation and Q&A. Before each session, we receive a package of reading materials, and other related materials.

In parallel to it, my preparations included finding clothing and getting to know the other participants. Two weeks ago I received a brand-new Patagonia jacket and I will get proper boots to wear during the expedition. I'm still trying to get sponsorship from shops in Aarhus for the rest of the clothes - 1st and 2nd layers (yes, we need 3 layers of clothes for such a cold weather!).

Among the participants, very nice surprises... Almost the whole hosting team of the Pioneers of Change' Global Journey in 2007 is joining: Lesley (South Africa), Dania (Ecuador) and myself. From the hosting team of the AIESEC's 60 years Anniversary Celebrations last August, I'll meet again Thomas (Brazil), Sabine (Germany), Max (Mexico) and Lucy (Australia). Besides these participants, I have also met Aron (Sweden) over Chinese New-Years in Shanghai last year and I know Majken's twin sister Louise from Copenhagen... apart of these known faces, a lot of new, very interesting and intelligent group of people, from whom I expect to learn a HELL LOT OF STUFF :)

The official expedition website will be launched during the next days, and I already volunteered to be one of the bloggers during the trip :) Before I leave I'll write more about Antarctica and my own expectations...

Democracy in Russia

It's 4.39am and I'm somewhere in the outscurts of Moscow, in a kind of "comunist-style" sports-center, facilitating a 6-days conference for 80 young leaders from all around Russia. The organization is well-known to me, AIESEC.

The main part of the conference is dedicated to the elections of the national executive board of AIESEC in Russia, in a very competitive environment where 4 people run for President and 15 people run for the 7 Vice-President positions. Besides that, there is a "history" of local and national politics, and a Constitution (where the rules of the process are described) that is very weak, full of flaws. Also, as last components, we are in a very young democracy, Russia, and AIESEC is made of young people, average around 20 years old. It's definitely a school for all of them, to choose and to be chosen by democratic means to run an organization at local, national, and international level.

I had a similar experience one year ago, where I was facilitating the same process for AIESEC in Brazil, my home country. There we had the non-typical situation of 3 candidates running for national president (first time in the 37 years history) and NONE of them got enough votes - in front of 600 conference participants [a second round was needed a month later to finally elect the new president] It's not easy to coordinate, facilitate and maintain a healthy emotional level when it happens. I felt challenged and I survived (thanks to the support from a few special friends).

This year in Russia we had some other particularities, such as an incomplete Constitution, written in Russian, a tough competition among 4 candidates and only 7 local committees (among 15) having the rights to vote, due to their past performance. Were the remaining 8 committees lowered to a "second grade citizenship"?

Despite all, I survived once again, and AIESEC in Russia has a new president elected in a fair and trusted election. For the first time in years, it's a male, and it's from Romania. Congratulations Victor!

My conference is only half-way through, 3 long days and short nights to go, following AIESEC's principle of "working hard, partying harder!"

Dobre noche!!

Chaordic Principles and Learning Networks

I arrived in São Paulo two weeks ago. It's funny and nice to be back here 3 years later (I lived here before in 2003-2005). I got invited by an old friend Zoe, who works for Banco Real, to join a project on Corporate Education. As they defined it, they want to pioneer the future of corporate education in Brazil, in a very innovative and interesting way, through co-creation of multi-stakeholder networks, where educational experiences take place, creating value for all participants, society and for the bank (and other institutions). Banco Real recently received the award of "Most Sustainable Bank in the World", given by the Financial Times. It's amazing to see how much the language and 'walking-the-talk' is developed here. Not perfect, but far ahead of most of the private sector.

There are three key concepts involved in this project called "Vanguard in Education":

• Experience Co-Creation: developed by C.K. Prahalad and Venkat Ramaswamy in their book "The Future of Competition", a new paradigm for ceating products and services engaging stakeholders. The "consumer" becomes a key player in the creative process, The individual experience is central in the conception of "value".
  
• Chaordic Governance: combines chaos and order in a harmonious way, competition and cooperation. It was inspired by Dee Hock's work when developing the concept of VISA International through the 60s-80s and beautifully told in his book "The Birth of Chaordic Age".
  
• Networks: people find meaning and get engaged when colaborating with other people, instead of working alone. People get even more engaged when colaborating with other people from other organizations, based on knowledge networks and interests.

Instead of hiring a specialized consulting firm with a developed model to be implemented, the bank decided to look for young, entrepreneurial innovators to co-create and implement the new platforms. Kaospilots would naturally be a place to find people like me! :P

These first 2 weeks were designed for a better understanding of the project today, its needs and also get a better feeling about the bank and the context. Banco Real is starting a merging process with Banco Santander (from Spain), which will create one of the largest private banks in Brazil, with over 50,000 employees. It does affect many people, their careers, etc...

The team behind this project is also very promissing. International, diverse and passionate. Chaordic and self-organized :) Half of the team have been involved in AIESEC before (like me). For the next two days I'll be taking part in a national seminar "Networks and Development", hosted by LEAD Brazil and SENAC. Researching!

What is up with Tibet?

If you don't know what I'm going to talk about...

"The 2008 unrest in Tibet began with demonstrations on March 10, 2008 (Tibetan Uprising Day), the 49^th anniversary of the failed 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese rule. The protests soon shifted from calls for independence to violence, attacks on non-Tibetan ethnic groups, rioting, burning and looting on March 14. The protests are said to be one of the largest agitation and protests against the Chinese government's rule in 20 years. The unrest happened in the week when major local government leaders were away for the annual National People's Congress in Beijing." (source: Wikipedia)

If you want to read more, I recommend the articles Tibet and History of Tibet


Well, it happened that I was also in Beijing during that week, and I saw a LOT of policemen in the streets around Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and the National Congress (photos soon...). I'm passionate about Tibet's history, geography and culture, and a sequence of events happened to me last week during my Easter Break holidays (I traveled in Beijing and Mount Tai)...

YouTube is blocked everywhere in Mainland China since March 14 when the violence started. According to a conversation I had with a Brazilian media correspondent in Beijing on March 16, there is no International Media really covering what is happening in Tibet and the only ones are backpackers taking photos and video and trying to upload material and write on the web. The Government and BBC were taking about 10 deaths but over 300 had already been killed by Sunday. Another conversation with a person from the Danish Embassy gave a me a better picture: by March 18 there were 3 Danish travelers in Tibet, trying to run away from the province while their families seek the Embassy for information (which they also don't have). Since the beginning of the protests, no foreigners are allowed in Tibet and I heard comments that this policy could continue until after the Olympics in August. I met a couple of days ago a Colombian backpacker, who flew to Beijing to find out she couldn't travel to Tibet. Without possibilities to reach Katmandu in Nepal (the flights from Beijing stop in Lhasa and no foreigners are allowed in the plane), she was going to fly from Hong Kong instead, desappointed with her bad luck.

Being part of the AIESEC community in Shanghai, I would definitely expect lots of dialogue going on about this situation. After all, AIESEC is about cultural understanding and challenging our world views. There were over 50 messages on the local list between March 18-20. I wqas surprised to read the different points of view until I got shocked by a message, posted by a Chinese person I knew quite well (and I trust her words): "Now has called for a stop of discussion sensitive issues here. Because it might affect AIESEC's existence and even our personal safety - which is sensible. I just want to point out, when things happen, those who are concerned also live in the fear of disappearing, including myself." It happens that Google hosts the list, where many foreigner interns and local Chinese AIESECers participate, and the list contents are open for anyone to search and find it.

I think this is just the beginning... and the Big Brother is watching me...

Hugs from China!

Beijing and beyond

I have one week off from school, starting today. Chinese people don't celebrate Easter but the Danes take the whole week off. At least it gives me some opportunities for adventures in China!

I found a partner, Torben, and we are leaving in a couple of hours by train to Beijing. 13 hours, "hard-sleeper" as they call it. Tomorrow I will meet with Paulo Egídio, old friend from AIESEC Florianópolis who moved to China 3 years ago, studied Mandarin and started to work for a Brazilian company here. Looking forward to meet him again! I arrived at the train station at 9.30am and at 10.30am we will play football! After that, a Brazilian barbacue (churrasco) with caipirinha! That's VIP treatment!

My plans for this trip is to relax but also get some adventure adrenaline back in my blood, so the idea is to mix of bit of each in a cheap-as-possible scheme: Beijing, The Great Wall, and some locations outside Beijing, in Henan province. I'm still checking on Lonely Planet for a good off-the-beaten-track destination...

I expect Internet to be limited the next week but I will try to write here a few times...

AIESEC, always there

Being in Shanghai is not only a "dejavù" of São Paulo (see previous post) but also a dejavù of Amsterdam. The reason is AIESEC. Although I left the organization as an active member in 2005, 2.5 years ago, nobody can say we "leave AIESEC"... it's always there. Some people don't make use of it, but it's always there.

Before leaving Denmark I contacted some old AIESEC friends like Jingwei Zhou (which was president of AIESEC in China while I was president in Brazil) and she sent me to the local AIESEC list and connected me to other people in town. As we arrived in Shanghai and the Spring Holidays ended, the gang reunited. Over 20 interns, dozens of Chinese AIESECers and dozens of "friends", or people who became part of the network because they knew AIESECers somehow.

The traditional "De Heffer" Monday night drinks are replaced in great style by "Zapatas" free drinks Monday night - and the regulars even become known as Zapatarians ;-). Wednesday is ladies' night at Barbarossa, Thursday fuss ball night at Tequilaz and weekend partying :) Of course I'm not an intern anymore, as I used to be (a rich abn intern by the way ;-)) I have to be very careful with my limited budget...

Zapatas last Monday - Feb.18

Besides the social events, many interesting connections and opportunities also come from the network... it makes me feel quite proud to see such openness and curiosity among interns and alumni anywhere we go.

AIESEC, always there.

Three months in a nutshell...

I arrived back to Denmark this Monday, after spending three months back in Brazil. The initial reason for going there was my process assignment for the Kaospilots, where I have been working for the Projeto Agua for three weeks. Besides that, the whole trip became packed with different experiences, lots of traveling, meeting old friends and creating new relationships. So, in a nutshell...

October:

• Left Copenhagen and stopped one night in Madrid, nice city!
• One week for preparation for my assignment, while meeting lots of AIESECers, playing some football and meeting old friends, going for Vitor Ramil concert, and of course spending some time with my family at home.
• Two days in Florianópolis, meeting with my client and preparing together for the period in Paraiba, where the project is located
• One day in Sao Paulo, trapped in the constant rain, meeting the Brazil-China Chamber of Commerce and playing football in the rain with good old friends from AIESEC
• Two weeks in Urucu, a small community of Sao Joao do Cariri, 300km from Joao Pessoa in Paraiba state, for my assignment.

November:

• On the way back from Paraiba, a stop in Florianópolis and a final meeting with my client, evaluating the results and planning next steps. I even got a job offer, so I assume they were satisfied with the results!
• One week back home in Porto Alegre, procrastinating and writing my final report for the kaospilots, followed by an examination over video-skype (quite nice, although the connection was not very good)
• Not much time to rest, I flew to Rio de Janeiro, to join the Global Journey on Sustainable Communities, where I was one of the co-hosts. It was an amazing experience, for 8 days with other 40 people from 16 different countries.
• One day to rest, by coincidence my birthday (Dec 9). I had a great dinner with Helena and other friends at her place, Indian style :), and in the next day we had an alumni barbacue and I (re) met a lot of old folks from AIESEC in Rio.
• No more rest, a night bus to Sao Paulo to join AIESEC and CONAL, the National Congress, where I was the Chairman. The conference was 5 days long for 500 participants, plus 2 days of pre-meeting for 150 participants, and we had 9 people organizing all logistics and 11 facilitators from the National Office. It was hard-core experience, and I really enjoyed being back after 2.5 years away from AIESEC in Brazil.
• Done with the conference, time to be back home, for Christmas. These were the days I spent only with my family, including X-mas eve, and resting from the long month I had, but at the same time getting prepared for going back to Europe - vaccinations for China, new passport, new driver's license...
• Soon after Christmas, beach-time. Together with some good friends from AIESEC we rented a big beautiful house in Ibiraquera, a calm place 70km south of Florianopolis, and we spent new-years there without mobile signal and without cars. Perfect weather, lots of meat and beer, poker games and good relaxed conversations...

January:

• The excuse for the new-years meeting was to prepare for the wedding of our friends Malhado and Cibele, and we went straight from Ibiraquera to Santa Maria, located 3.5 hours from Porto Alegre. The wedding was beautiful and I met friends I haven't seen together for 3-4 years. It was too fast but it was awesome.
• Back quickly to Porto Alegre on the 6th of January, just in time for goodbying my best girlfriends Jo, Jana and Lalau, and again traveling, this time to Paraguay.
• I spent 4 days in Asunción, visiting Clemen, who I had met during the Pioneers of Change event in December. I had a great experience and it changed a lot of ideas about my neighbouring country. People were so friendly and warm, and at the same time so similar to Gauchos... (people from Rio Grande do Sul state in southern Brazil)
• Back to Porto Alegre, after 21 hours on a bus, I just had a few hours to pack. I had my plans changed and I had to stop in Rio, in Teresópolis, to participate and facilitate a planning weekend for the AIESEC International Congress Organizing Team. This event will happen in Brazil this August and I got a "little" involved with it :)
• From Teresópolis to the airport and to Denmark. Not yet home, I still staying one extra day in Copenhagen to apply for my Chinese visa. Yesterday I got the confirmation, they accepted it!

Sorry for the short summary, but too much happening at the same time and without a proper computer in hands, there is not much I can do. I wish I could keep you updated more often!

Two weeks in Aarhus, and then Shanghai for another three months... Nomadlife continues...