Holidays on the road

I left Amsterdam on Sunday by car, with 3 other couchsurfers (I met them on the couchsurfing groups and on local meetings), direction Italy. They were heading to Rome and I was staying in Genova, to spend X-Mas with my aunt Rejanie and see my cousin Bruno. We stopped for the night in Frieburg, southern Germany, where I could meet Gabriela, an old friend from AIESEC (we haven't met for years...). I found another host, Connie, and we all had nice places to sleep. The driving adventure was to have a broken window covered with plastic bags (great job Glenn and Valentina!). We managed to get it fixed on Monday morning, before we crossed the Swiss Alps...

After 3 days completely relaxed, sleeping a lot and eating like someone in Italy deserves (including good old Brazilian food), I'm ready to continue the journey. Tonight I'll arrive in Krakow (cheap flight) and I found a very curious couchsurfing host - I'll stay in the same place as other 16 couchsurfers, from all around the world! I'm looking forward for that - it sounds like those old reception weekend I had in AIESEC, including partying, sightseeing and cooking together). On Monday morning I hitchhike to Warsaw to meet my brother and spend new-years with Ania, another friend from couchsurfing. After new-years, a short stop in Berlin and maybe Hamburg, on my way back to Kaos, back to Aarhus.

My classes restart on 7th of January... My graduation is coming soon... 26th of June 2009!!

Holidays on the road

I left Amsterdam on Sunday by car, with 3 other couchsurfers (I met them on the couchsurfing groups and on local meetings), direction Italy. They were heading to Rome and I was staying in Genova, to spend X-Mas with my aunt Rejanie and see my cousin Bruno. We stopped for the night in Frieburg, southern Germany, where I could meet Gabriela, an old friend from AIESEC (we haven't met for years...). I found another host, Connie, and we all had a nice place to sleep. The driving adventure was to have a broken window covered with plastic bags (great job Glenn and Valentina!). We managed to get it fixed on Monday morning, before we left (and before crossing the Swiss Alps!).

After 3 days completely relaxed, sleeping a lot and eating like someone in Italy deserves (including good old Brazilian food), I'm ready to continue the journey. Tonight I'll arrive in Krakow (cheap flight) and I found a very curious couchsurfing host - I'll stay in the same place as other 16 couchsurfers, from all around the world! I'm looking forward for that - it sounds like those old reception weekend I had in AIESEC, including partying, sightseeing and cooking together). On Monday morning I hitchhike to Warsaw to meet my brother and spend new-years with Ania, another friend from couchsurfing. After new-years, a short stop in Berlin and maybe Hamburg, on my way back to Kaos, back to Aarhus.

My classes restart on 7th of January... My graduation is coming soon... 26th of June 2009!!

Powerpoint

I got this message from a friend. It reminded of so many PPTs that I have seen (and have made myself). In a simple way, this is so true, the naked truth. Keep your eyes closed if you prefer, and enjoy your Christmas shopping! :P

Originally published here.

Click here to read Google's translation...


Vou fazer um slideshow para você.
Está preparado? É comum, você já viu essas imagens antes.
Quem sabe até já se acostumou com elas.
Começa com aquelas crianças famintas da África.
Aquelas com os ossos visíveis por baixo da pele.
Aquelas com moscas nos olhos.
Os slides se sucedem.
Êxodos de populações inteiras.
Gente faminta.
Gente pobre.
Gente sem futuro.
Durante décadas, vimos essas imagens.
No Discovery Channel, na National Geographic, nos concursos de foto.
Algumas viraram até objetos de arte, em livros de fotógrafos renomados.
São imagens de miséria que comovem.
São imagens que criam plataformas de governo.
Criam ONGs.
Criam entidades.
Criam movimentos sociais.
A miséria pelo mundo, seja em Uganda ou no Ceará, na Índia ou em
Bogotá sensibiliza.
Ano após ano, discutiu-se o que fazer.
Anos de pressão para sensibilizar uma infinidade de líderes que se
sucederam nas nações mais poderosas do planeta.
Dizem que 40 bilhões de dólares seriam necessários para resolver o
problema da fome no mundo.
Resolver, capicce?
Extinguir.
Não haveria mais nenhum menininho terrivelmente magro e sem futuro, em
nenhum canto do planeta.
Não sei como calcularam este número.
Mas digamos que esteja subestimado.
Digamos que seja o dobro.
Ou o triplo.
Com 120 bilhões o mundo seria um lugar mais justo.
Não houve passeata, discurso político ou filosófico ou foto que sensibilizasse.
Não houve documentário, ong, lobby ou pressão que resolvesse.
Mas em uma semana, os mesmos líderes, as mesmas potências, tiraram da cartola 2.2 trilhões de dólares (700 bi nos EUA, 1.5 tri na Europa) para salvar da fome quem já estava de barriga cheia.

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!!