history book

Pictures from Germany

2007-09-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

I found some time finally to search through my tones of pictures and to select the best ones from my internship in Germany. Just check this out !
http://picasaweb.google.com/APetrut

My Cool Life in Romania

2007-09-16T23:56:00.000-07:00

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii
Now for updates about my life in Romania and how it is going.
Due to some IE problems, it is a long time that my Hotmail cannot be used...Usually I only log into my gmail account: zhangpengnjust@gmail.com That's why I rarely update MSN space and reply some of you so late!:(
Life is so interesting, funny and full of adventures! I am doing a traineeship in Romania now! It is located in Eastern Europe, with neighbors of Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, and Moldova. As a brand new member of EU, Romanian economics is thriving but still everything here is not that well organized.
But It is a really green country, very worth to visit and travel around. I am always feeling that I'm so closed to the nature, especially when I am on the traveling to the other cities during weekend. Even though I will only stay less than 8 weeks here, I will make full use of this long distance trip :).I traveled around the country every weekend, from Cluj to Iasi,from Iasi to Suceava,from Tagau mures to Sighisoara,from Brasov to Sinaia...from Sibiu to Timisoara.Hmm, I am planning to travel to Bucharest and Constanta in the rest weeks.:)))
Key words here: Hitchhiking; Green country with full of medieval castles and old churches; Not punctual; Low salary but high expense; Kind of Leisure life; Nice @ers are everywhere in Romania.
Hitchhiking is always the most popular way for us to travel, cheap and excited! Local Romanians even consider our foreigners crazy...coz it is not usual for them at all. But it is really cool! We only need to split the gas or even get ride for free! We met a Romanian driver with an extremely old Dacia(a car brand in Romania),less than 60km per hour...what a slow! We met a rich German businessman but crazy driver with a okay Passat.That guy drove 120-150km/h on the Romanian bumping road!!!...Along the way, he told us that he ever crashed a Gypsies' horse cart and hit a huge bear accidentally by car at night! We were so worried about any accident coming to us...We met an amazing and cool lady with Hungarian and Romanian nationalities who went to work in Germany alone when she was 16,and still work there. She only knows basic English but fluent German. She spoke German to my friend and he replied English to her though...Interesting communication... Hehe,Even though we know that, as foreigners here, we are taking some risks, but we had fun! And we are still alive after so many hitchhikings!!! That's enough!:)

Romania is a green country with full of medieval castles and old churches.Bumping country roads aside with grasses,plains,green hills,cows,horses,sheep
,dunkies... We traveled between cities in Romania with this funny road!:) There are even cow traffic jam on some rural roads.
SIBIU:culture capital of Europe,2007.It is one of the most beautiful cities in Romania. A typical German style city!:) Nice square, buildings, walking street, attractive concert, fancy Medusa, historical and romantic lie bridge, cool ice cream...:) That great AIESEC event in SIBIU let us had a fantastic time there! Treasure hunting and global village were so impressed!!!
IASI:a city of forest in Moldova region of Romania!haha...There are so many nice parks,including the biggest one in Romania, in the city. The first University, first National Theatre, the huge old palace...
SUCEAVA:The medieval castle and Five famous monasteries around. The medieval castle is more like a ruin...just so so...but the world heritage-Cinci Manastiri Bucovimei(five most famous monasteries in Romania) is so amazing !!!!!!You'd better click into my picasaweb to see those pics, I don't think my limited English could describe the great sceneries.:) They are so famous that there are always many visitors, but the tickets are kind undeliverable cheap! One Lei(around 0.3Euro) for each student! They are located separately in different places around Suceava. Even though we have a car,(Vlad(a nice friend from Cluj)drive us there),It's a pity that we still didn't have time to visit all the 5 monasteries, only visited Humor and Voronet.
Because of nice Vlad, my travel to Iasi and Suceava is the only one without hitchhiking up till now...:) But still we went back Cluj so late as usual as other hitchhiking trip...We finally arrived Cluj around 4 AM Monday...It took us at least 15 hours on the road back and forth. Actually, I cannot imagine if I traveled there by hitchhiking...I had my neck and back hurt when I got back my apartment, what a exhausted trip!:( But it is really worthy!:)
BRASOV: Well-known for its Black Church and Castle Bran.The Piata Sfatului is so nice!!! Unfortunately, we arrived in Brasov late. When we got to the Sfatului square, the black church was closed...We tried to reach the peak of mount Tampa,but unlucky again, the man responsible for running the cable car left work also...
SINAIA:A small but amazing town !!!I love it! Especially the Peles, the best and luxuries Castle I ever seen,and Bucegi,the most amazing mountain in Romania. There are covering grasses without a single tree! You cannot find steps on the way to the top of mountain and so nature! hehe, luckily I chose to reach the peak by cable car. Otherwise, it would be a real problem to my energy and shoes...
CLUJ:A Romanian city with lots of Hungarians. It has beautiful Orthodox churches, Catholic churches, botanic gardens, a number of nice statues... and one of the best university in Romania. Actually it is also a student center of Romania. Since I am based here, go across the main street of the city everyday, I wasn't that excited when I visited each monuments here. It's one of the best developed cities in Romania though.
Not on time is so usual here...You should get known it before your coming, and absolutely get used to it within two weeks...10mins=30mins it happens... 2mins=1hour sometimes...it also happened... :( Our GM asked me to have a meeting with him on Monday, he postponed it everyday without feeling any sorry about it...finally we had the meeting after one week...I understand he is a really busy man to run this big company, but one week's late is a sort of long period time...My manager's late is even worse...She told me that she would have my virus infected computer re-setuped with the help of our partner IT company, and have my Romanian Keyboard changed to English one at the first day of my work, it hasn't happened yet...Frankly, I reminded her several times. Aha, in fact, those things are not a big deal. They are very warm, hospitable and always very nice to me. If I push much more, I am sure they could have all those done, maybe not that punctual, but at least done!:)That's Romanian! That's also my kind of culture shock here :)))
Low salary but high expenseHigh expense:Compared the prices here with in China, things are much more expensive.For instances:0.5L coke,0.7-0.8Euros here.0.25-0.3Euros in China. Bus ticket, 0.4Euros here,0.1-0.2Euros in China.Rent for one room(sharing app) is around 130Euros without utility expenses.But if you drink bear or coffee in pubs or cafes, the cost is similar to China or even a little bit cheaper sometimes. And traveling to the places of interest here is much cheaper than China. Hmm, strange~:))) Low salary:As far as I know, for new graduates, only a small part of them could get paid more than 250 or 300Euros per month here (The payment for new gradates with bachelor degree in China ranges from 200Euros to 1000Euros, most top university new gradates usually get paid around 300- 700Euros). And experienced employees in big trading companies can only get paid 350-400Euros per month in Cluj. Only sales could get lot of bonus which are much more than their fixed salary if they perform well. But that's just for sales, and I think it is the same for sales all over the world. Anyway, there are a big gap between the rich and the poor...

Kind of Leisure life: Generally, they work from 8:30 or 9 AM to 5PM or 5:30PM.Everybody leaves office just on time! J No extra working time is required! I can not see any prosperous CBD in the big cities here. The tallest building may be less than 30 floors in most big cities. Compared developed huge cities around Changjia (Yangzi) Delta and Zhujiang Delta in China, big cities here are more like small towns. But it is really peaceful and nice. Pubs and cafes are everywhere. They are extremely popular places after work. Many families have a car (Although some of them drive old Dacia, I don't think that's a car…), a number of families usually have a short vacation to the countryside during weekend. Lots of my colleagues prefer to have vacation abroad, to Greece, to Spain, to Paris, to London, to Tunisia, to Istanbul, Izmir...It's nice :) In fact, it is not very expensive for them, since they are not that far away from Romania, some of them are quite closed to Romania,but really quite far far away from China...we can use the flight ticket to buy 2 old Dacia:)))

Nice @ers are everywhere in Romania. :)))
In Sibiu, we had an amazing adventure. All the trainees in Romania were gathered in Sibiu.The tour of Sibiu night, the well organized creative treasure hunting and non-prepared funny global village… @ Sibiu offered us a fantastic weekend!:).
In Iasi, Marius and other @er friends spent a whole day to show us around the city and explained us the histories of famous places of interest which they know well. We went to Cinci Manastiri Bucovimei and Suceava together the next day!
In Brasov and Sinaia,I cannot imagine without Radu,Mara and her sister's kind guiding what our weekend there would be. They are so helpful and hospitable; we were together nearly all the time!
In Cluj, @ers' Romanian dinner and BBQ in the "wild forest" were incredibly great!
We are invited to participate LC meeting every week. We have traineebodys here,who are very willing to communicate with us and try their best to solve us all the daily problems. With Ioana, my traineebody, and other nice @ers' help, Up till now, my life is pretty cool here.
In Timisoara,there will be another huge @ event in a few days. How great would it be? We will see!:) Looking forward to participating in it.
Oh...my god. what a long email! hmm,I should mention something about my work nowJ :
Doing products' research, contacting Chinese suppliers, negotiating with export managers.it is not a very challenge work at all. But since I am Chinese, I could be well "used" here...Well, I could learn international trading skills and get some importing experience for sure. Expectantly, there would be some possibility to have further cooperation with some buyers here. Who knows, I will see...
Routine procedures: Post wanting, ask for general quotations, collect and compare all the nice quotations and negotiate with them for the prices...Price is always one of the key point:) hehe. Up till this step, half work has been done. To follow up, I should ask the suppliers to send samples to us for quality inspecting. It takes some time to achieve...coz my company doesn't want to pay anything for the freight charge and sample fee...The suppliers usually only agree to send the samples for free when they feel that there are big chances to finalize this deal and build a reliable partnership in the near future. Each side wants to earn more, lose less and take less risk...hehe what a basic but daily game theory! Fortunately, I work it out with my assemble English, fluent Chinese plus a bit business sense...After having discussed with our sales team who knows more about Romanian domestic market than importing team, they select few samples afterwards, then I have to give the responses to all the suppliers asking for better price (usually we ask both FOB and CIF) again... and move to the next steps ----Terms of Payment, the duration of production delivery, as soon as I get prompt reply from them. huuu, final step is to sign the first contract with our supplier after having gone through the tough procedures above...looking forward to setting up the long term cooperation as well.
I have attached many pics I took in cool cities in Romania,in Serbia and in China!!!Click the link below and enjoy it!:)))
http://picasaweb.google.com/zhangpengnjust
Bye and let me know how it is going with you guys.

me

2007-09-12T01:13:00.000-07:00

Specially for the new members, in case you had no idea who I am.

Sunny days in Athens

2007-09-12T01:09:00.000-07:00

Finally, after one month in Athens I mange to share some thoughts with you @rs! I always thought exchange would be a grate experience, but the reality my expectations!

Firstly, I will tell you about…the sea. It is amassing to live in the center of the city and also be able to go each day for a swim! It takes less then one hour to get to the beach…so in the very hot days (imagine 44-45, for a “maramuresanca”) it is the perfect cooler.

Not to get romantic, I will start telling you about the ppl. First cultural shocks: girls with huge hair, in really short shorts, and really small tops in the center of the city; crazy old ppl, who start talking with you on the street, in supermarkets, on the beach (one of them stole my hat while I was swimming). In the first 2 weeks something strange happened to me each day, I was constantly wandering: what is the matter with this ppl? Now: I am crazy for buying Greek cloths, I have fun with the olders (I would love to have such a grandma), and I enjoy admiring hansom Greeks :P I have discovered soon that Greeks have mainly 2 things in mind: how to have more fun and…I’ll let you guess the other on :P There for it is impossible to get bored around here!

The word with which I would describe the city is: divers! Depending on the mood and money one can do anything here! There is the ancient part of the city with acropolis (from where at night the view of the city is beautiful!), a lot of little sweet streets, some nice parks, the crowded and dirty center, luxury neighborhoods, just perfect for walks at night. Also a lot of bars, taverns, cafes and mpouzoukia, my favorite divertissement! At first impression Greek music reminded me of our ”manele” and when ppl start crying on some “cantece de dor si jale” it was a bit funny, but generally I enjoy shaking my hips :P

I will finish this lines, whit another favorite subject: uzo! It is so good! I promise to bring some for you too!

A lot of kisses and hugs!

Greetings from Bamberg, Germany

2007-09-03T08:22:00.000-07:00

Hey, AIESEC... How are you guys and girls ?

I spent already a month here in Bamberg, Germany in my internship and time flies very fast. I try to catch but I miss it all the time... I've got so much to do every week: I work 8 hours per day, but I stay longer because I don't have any internet connection at home and sometimes I forget to go home... only my boss comes and tells me it's a little bit late and he has to close all the doors... :) But I love it ! New team, new young people here at the company, new faces...

Every week-end I travel by train in other cities... So far there were 2 reception week-ends for all the trainees from Germany and it was very cool !

Stüttgart, Nürnberg, Berlin were the first cities that I visited already and Frankfurt is the next to come !

I enjoy every week-end and I barely get bored here . When this happens, I go in the kitchen and try to cook something. So far I cooked : papanasi fierti, tochitura olteneasca and I still have to work for making the best mamaliga. The first one was a total failure, but please don't tell this to anybody ! :P

I send you some pictures, but I have tones of them ! And videos ! It langs too much to put all of them here !

Waiting for other postings from you !

P.S. : 1. The picture is from the first Global Village that I attended in Berlin, last week. I can sincerely tell you that everybody liked my special home made spirit : TUICA and also some dry wine from Cotnari ( even the girls ! )

2. I send to Dora greetings from Iuliana Stancheva ( I met her here in Bamberg, now she left the town for Stüttgart). She told me that she met you in Poland this year at some conference. I don't remember the name of the conference, but anyway... Hope that you will remember :)

3. How many trainees are now in our LC ? I'm really curious about that.

All nations' bus

2007-09-02T04:24:00.000-07:00

Dear reader,

"Read not to contradict and confute, nor to believe and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but to weigh and consider."

I am listening to a song from Pasarea Colibri, Ceasornicarul...and the lyrics speak the truth as they say that summer is going away so fast, leaving behind a lot of memories. May I say that every person in that picture above left at least a memory here, as they went away with the summer, one by one.

In the picture is the bus of all nations, as we called it :) In the left side is Waijh, from Tunisia, the funny guy with the most interesting AIESEC T-shit : Free French Kissing- nobody believed him...they all paid :))) . Then Dominika, from AIESEC Wro, an elegant and smart person, very proud to know her. Next to her is Luis, from República Federativa do Brasil,with who I am practicing my Portuguese that I learned from the brasilian soap-operas:) Tudu bein??Then there is a peron I don't know 100%, but I am getting to ...Mili:P..And Erika, my lovely room - mate , who learned me how to use the choop-sticks and asked me so many things about my religion.(only then did I realise that is not enough to go to church, one should also think more about the symbols and sermons he has listened to)

Opposite to Erika is Tony, a very good person, always giving a hand when needed, my discipole in the art of cooking..he has the seasonings and I have the tools :)) Then, well..I don't know this blond guy, but I guess he is ...Polish?!? :)) finally, there is Natalie from China, just like Tony and Erika are ..she was very nice and always smiling, as if nothing bad would ever go wrong , so what if the pan is on fire??.. as she went away, she was kind enough to live her rice with me, as she considered it would be very happy - the rice- if I cook it, as they call me Queen of the Kitchen...:))

The person that is taking the picture is Samuel, from Nigeria...who comes into my room with the voice of an old lady saying "przepraszam" or Sheprasham...:) and I always say "cine puii mei e ?" or "my chicken, who is it?" :))

I quess that this lesson of the All nations bus is one I like the most. For some time I was trying to understand the people from my country, but the world is so big, and people so different and diverse . I think now I know a lillte bit of every country that has sent a representative here, and that they all know a little bit of me, not just Mili, but Mili From Romania. :)

"When you ask for miracles, you get folks". Christopher Galtenberg

2007-08-29T14:01:00.000-07:00

The traditional beer - in case u miss it, which I doubt:)) -Zywiec...only good with strawberry syrup, for ladies, and a straw...and Long Live The Dizzy Daisy:))

Mili - Polanda :))

2007-08-29T13:19:00.000-07:00

Dear reader,

I am happy to feed ur hungry mind and maybe curiosity with my life-experience gained in Wroclaw, Poland. Monday it has been a month since I came here, since I have entered the Progress - Consulting office, all shy and feeling so inadequate in my black suit, in that rainy and non- friendly Monday.

Unknown faces, white sofa, polish speaking folks...oh, Gosh...where am I?? First days I felt quite in the most strangest place ever...as there were no realtives to wait for me, no friends, no familiar faces...strange felling. But it somehow, some day..dissapeared, as I found myself to be parte of the city, part of the Progress Consulting team, part of the parties delegation:)) or just parte of the world.

I understood that black is not only the colour of the chocolate - the tastefull Wedel with cherry - but also a wonderful person, Samuel, who plays, when we cook, his quitar. Rice is not that tasty if Erika or Tony don't cook it and we melt the green plastic plate or burn the pot:)) The Rynek market square is so beautiful after work just to sit and to watch the street spectacol - players with all kind of instruments, the white dove who cames with hope, the dwarfs, symbol of the city, the funny drunk old man with a white beard, dancing and asking me in 4 languages how am I , people from all parts of the world..or just the couple of Romanian people from Iasi that I meet in the day I had my first payment, in the very first day I was celebrating a special day for me and my boyfriend...and they delievered a post card for my boy back home...special days, special moments...:)

TO BE Continued....:)

A new start!

2007-07-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome!!!

Let's write more pages in this History Book of AIESEC Cluj Napoca!

If interested, send me a e-mail at teochetan@gmail.com to receive an invitation to be able to write on this blog!

Let's make things happen!!!

Great experiences for the future

2007-03-01T12:10:00.000-08:00

Incredible LCC...2 days of powerfull feelings...with the incredible results: a new EB elect: Dora, Ilinca, Vladutz, Dey, Alexandra, Adela, Ale. For me personally, 26th of February was more powerful than the New Years Eve. I feel that really, this is the start of a new year...and so it shall be. For my dear LC, this is also a change...but also normal and expected step in our LC's stage. The election of a new EB. What this year will be for us, is not yet for us to know. This year, is for us all to build...I believe in having the power to build our dream...make our puzzle!!! I believe in a great year for AIESEC Cluj-Napoca! Let's have it together!

Love and loneliness in Taiwan

2007-02-07T18:25:00.000-08:00

(A translation of an article stated in a Dutch newspaper (Trouw,
http://www.trouw.nl/deverdieping/letter-geest/article375747.ece/Liefde_en_eenzaamheid_in_Taiwan), translated to English by Mick Katerberg for the purpose of Taiwanese people who are interested on how westerners view Taiwan as a country and the culture of the people who live there. Mick is not a qualified translator and is not be held responsible for the content of the translated part, the newspaper that originally printed the article does not allow any reproduction in printed form on the internet or printed newspaper, it is however permitted to print this article and translate it for individual use and direct related people, for reprint on the internet or in any newspaper the writer (David Signer) has to give his consent, the address of the writer is known to the editor of the newspaper)

The original article is written by a Swiss anthropologist David Signer)

Twenty years ago Taiwan changed from a dictatorial country towards a democracy. This process speeded up to a fast modernization of the country. Nowadays we see the strong Confucian working-moral besides gay-clubs and piercing studios. Colorful Taoist temples along side big glass skyscrapers and supermarkets that are open 24 hours a day. The Swiss anthropologist describes a mixed up society where everybody works as hard as possible and where love and sex seem to be of no importance.
(By David Signer)

How is Taiwan? There is no country in the world where the people make so many working hours as in Taiwan – 2282 hours a year. Over 30% of the people work more then 62 hours a week. Taiwan is the second densest populated country in the world. Only in Bangladesh live more people per square kilometer. Although Taiwan is smaller then Switzerland it belongs to the 20 most successful industrial countries; Taiwan is market leader in notebooks and there is no country that has more mobile phones (1,14 per citizen of Taiwan). Furthermore there are only three countries that have less sex then the Taiwanese, and according to the French magazine “Elle”, Taiwanese women are the unhappiest women in the world. Taiwan has also the most near sighted people. So how does this all relate to each other?

Twenty years ago Taiwan changed from a dictatorial country to a democracy and speeded up the modernization in a fast pace. And now we see the strong Confucian working-moral besides gay-clubs and piercing studios. Colorful Taoist temples along side big glass skyscrapers and supermarkets that are open 24 hours a day. Since Tsjang Kai-sjek, the rival of Mao, fled to Taiwan in 1948, Taiwan was seen as a rebellious province. Taipei as capital, with all direct surrounded sub cities, has a population of around 8 million people and is in a sense a post modern version of Peking.

In many households the man and woman both have a job, they not only make long working hours, but also even in different cities. They only see each other in the weekends. The children are often raised by the grandparents who display a worldview that has almost nothing to do with current reality. For Taiwanese there is almost nothing more important then good education for their kids, therefore they are overloaded with courses and extra classes after regular school often till late in the evenings.

In Taipei I visit a surgeon at his home. His 6-year-old daughter is taught English at school, but she has extra classes English in the evenings besides painting, dance and piano lessons. With proudness she plays classic piano parts without music paper. In August the whole family goes to the USA to improve her English even more at a summer camp. I ask the father if he is not afraid that the pressure on the kids might be too high. From Japan more and more stories are heard of children who commit suicide because of the shame of failing an exam. “Yes, sometimes all the effort is for nothing,” says the surgeon. “Sometimes the musical wonder kids play virtuously when they are 14, but when they become 25 the difference fades between the kids who started only at the age of 10”. The father also mentions the competition between the parents that cannot be avoided. And on top of that there is the 1 child policy – in Mainland China obligatory, in Taiwan based upon choice and quite common. So of course there is more money and energy spent on the child to stimulate it even more.

The emphasis upon educating and performance of the kids is characteristic for all Confucian countries like China, Japan, Korea and Singapore. But in Taiwan the people want the world to show that they are the better China. From 1895 till 1945 Taiwan was occupied by Japan, after that period it belonged to China. After the Second World War when Mao’s army defeated the nationalistic army of Tsjang Kai-sjek, they fled with 1,5 million citizens (mostly of them high developed and upper class), 500.000 soldiers, and the national treasure to Taiwan. Mao as well as Tsjang Kai-sjek saw themselves as the one and only representation of China. The official name of Taiwan is still “Republic of China”. The USA armed Taiwan as a buffer against communistic China and Tsjang Kai-sjek never gave up his goal to conquer China again up to his death in 1975. Taiwan nowadays has a population of 24 million people, China 1,3 billion. The island country is economically a world power but politically isolated. Taiwan does not even have the status of “observer” in the UN and is only recognized as a country by 27 other countries like Palau, Kiribati and Swaziland. This is because China refuses any political relations with countries that recognize Taiwan as an independent country, and who does, especially today, want China as an opponent?

Continuously Taiwan experiences the presence of China like a big brother you want to push off but always keeps the lead no matter the distance. Taiwan always stipulates that it respects human rights, nobody will die from starvation, there is freedom of thought and press, Taiwan is progressive, democratic, liberal, cosmopolitan, post-industrial and post modern; the better China. But is seems like the citizens of Taiwan situate themselves in a jumbo jet: if the pace slows down below a certain speed, then it will crash.

Sheena Chang is editor at the China Times. Her daughter of four is having extra courses in English. Sheena is keen on getting her daughter to a national University. These are better then the private universities and even cheaper. This leads to the fact that especially children born from highly educated and rich parents, who can afford the extra courses, can enter the ‘better’ Universities. The fee is low there and children of the lower class have to pay extra for the ‘lesser” Universities.

Sheena Chang comes with another Taiwan-record: nowhere in the world kids sleep less then in Taiwan. She calls people like her ‘pm-people’, coming from post meridian. ‘I am going to work at 2 pm (14:00) and return at 10 pm (22:00)’. Most people working in the IT business work at night, because their customers in Europe and the USA are then in their daytime. The children of these ‘pm-people’ stay up till midnight with them: they eat together, watch TV and play computer games. But the kids in contrary to their parents have to get up at 7 am to get to school.

She tells the story so business-like that I carefully ask if that does not hurt the health of the kids. ‘Maybe so’, she says, ‘but it makes them also stronger. This way it makes them stronger to cope with pressure later. The biggest concern is the grandmothers who spoil the kids. They only stuff them with food, but don’t teach them anything.’

One evening I meet a psychiatrist in a hot spring spa ( besides visiting karaoke bars one of the favorite free time fun activities for Taiwanese). At 10 pm he says he has to go home to help his daughter with her homework. ‘At this hour?’ I ask surprised. ‘Sure, tomorrow she will have chemistry exam, and I will take over the theory with her once more.’

A Swiss woman who lived in Taiwan for a long time says: ‘the only thing that counts for these people is food and making money. Love and sex are not important. If somebody says ‘I love you’, then it means nothing, but if he gives you a big piece of his meat then you know you are important for him.’

The Taiwanese eroticism is not easy to understand. The people are prude; besides the city center of Taipei you hardly see any couples hold their hand or exchange other tender behavior. But at the other hand if you look at the sales girls of betel nuts, they sit in their bikini in a glass box, which you can recognize easy by the green neon-star along side the road. You stop your car, she comes out, bends over in front of the window so you can have a good look at her décolleté, she walks wiggling her bum to the get the order and gives you the nuts with a tempting smile. The euphoric feeling and the sweating that comes after chewing the betel nuts, makes the happiness complete. These nuts cost two times as much when bought from these girls then normal, but especially the taxi and truck drivers don´t care to pay the difference. These sales girls are mostly found in the countryside; the mayor of liberal Taipei tries to ban them from the city center.

Also traditional healers sell their wonder medicines accompanied by sparsely clothed girls. But the most funny is the performance of these ‘sexy girls’ at weddings and even funerals. You can see a long row of cars and trucks; on one of them is the coffin with the deceased, on another there are the hired mourners, and on a third you see the dancing ‘sexy girls’. It seems that the audience, including children, experiences no conflict between the table-dance atmosphere and the mourning about the deceased. ‘The surviving dependents pay a lot of money for such performances in order to have a lot of people attend and honor the deceased’, so people tell me.

By the official prude it is hard for love couples, and even spouses, to find a private space. One of the favorite places to get some intimacy was the MTV, cabins where you can watch movies. But at a certain moment the police intervened, the cabins could not be closed anymore and a guard could at any moment intrude the cabin. So the love couples changed to the parks and the KTV’s: buildings with lot of rooms where you can sing karaoke as a couple or as a group. But also here a waiter could enter any time. At least each room has a surprising big closable toilet. Nowadays the motels are doing good business, they are quite cheap, 20 euros for three hours. But there is one disadvantage, they are mostly situated outside the center, so you need a car.

It’s easier to find a nice restaurant. In Taipei there are thousands of food facilities. Even on the top of the chimney of the garbage burning installation you can find a rotating restaurant, called ‘star tower’. Apparently there is a close relation between food and sex according to the Taiwanese. Continuously you hear what good the different dishes will do for, in general, men. Especially local dishes like: cow eyes, bee larvae, swallow nests (the spittle of birds), grasshoppers, dried elk penis, shark fin, sea cucumber, mushrooms, dried human afterbirth, unborn chicken from the egg (raw), ginseng, bear bone, duck tongue, sea horse, but above all snake. On the Huaxi night market a market salesman hangs a still living snake on a rope and cuts it open in full length, he catches the blood in a glass and offers the audience to have a taste. After that he also removes the gall bladder and squeezes it out in a glass. The gel slimy substance is said to work extensively on the libido, as the salesman demonstrates by moving up and down chopsticks between his legs.

The women however will not get happier by it. For instance take Chang Mei-Ling. She is in her mid thirties, studied French litterature and works for a French company. She is single. Everything that would be in man´s favor is in her disadvantage, a good education, good job, high income, all in her disadvantage. And besides that she is taller then average. A man in Taiwan wants to be better educated then his wife, have a better income, and to be at least one head taller. She herself would like to have a husband like that. But there are not many that will meet these criteria, besides the fact that she has hardly time for a relation.

Chang Mei-Ling has been married before. She wanted children, he did not. He said that he wanted to earn a million first. They hardly saw each other. When she noticed he had a love affair with a colleague she divorced. ‘Everything you do here is for the purpose of making a career’ she says. ‘Most Taiwanese men are like that. Some try to change for their woman, but after a while they get fed up by her because they have the feeling that the woman has taken away something from them.’ Her parents were always out for business when she was a kid. Mostly the oldest daughter took the responsibility for the younger kids. ‘That is why we are so clever and independent’, says Chang Mei-Ling. ‘Because we grew up alone’.

When she goes out she only attends business dinners and karaoke nights with her customers. She does not care about shopping nor expensive brands of clothes; she spends her money on traveling – last year she went with her mother to a 5 star hotel on an island in the pacific ocean - and her collection of plushy pigs. She says ‘you think that our society is so colorful and free but it looks like that because we don’t have roots. Our parents were immigrants, they were lost when they came here and nowadays they don’t understand anything anymore. We are all orphans, and our children will be like that as well.’ She also says ‘Many people don’t work till 10 pm because they have to, but because of inner emptiness. They dream to have earned to retire at the age of 50, and when they reached it they die of boredom.’

Compared to the hypermodern state of Taiwan, Europe looks ancient. Half of Taipei has a wireless Internet zone; even in the MRT you can check your email. The mayor of Taipei wants to make Taipei the first wireless city in the world. Many people have a GPS system on their mobile; they might feel lost but they can at least localise themselves geographically. In many taxis you will find screens in the headrest of the front chairs, so you can follow the news during your trip. This efficiency you experience everywhere. A Taiwanese lady told me that she was once at a German wedding. She experienced it as awful, it took ages. Even a wedding is supposed to happen fast.

There are restaurants where every table has a screen where you can watch hundreds of programs while eating, and in a lot of hotels there are rooms where the room and bathroom are split by a glass wall. Not to watch your spouse taking a shower but the other way around, so you can even watch television from the bath.

Another technical wonder is the 508-meter high skyscraper “Taipei 101”; it has the fastest elevator in the world; at 60 kilometers an hour you are taken up to the 80th floor in a few seconds. But you hardly notice it; the cabins are under regulated pressure.

The ‘Taipei 101’ is constructed according the Feng-Shui principles; that is the traditional knowledge of architecture that adjusts to the invisible flows and ghosts at a certain place. According to this knowledge it is forbidden to have the entrance exactly facing the exit; otherwise you take the risk that the visitor of the building will enter it and immediately will exit it. According to the Feng-Shui principles it is bad for the inhabitants of a building if a street directly points at your apartment block. To deflect these bad influences an 8-cornered mirror will avoid the bad influence. It will reflect back the negative.

‘Taipei 101’ is build up from 8 segments, and each of the consists of 8 floors; 8 is the lucky Chinese number. Four is the unlucky number that is why there is no 4th floor. The 101 looks like a piece of segmented bamboo. Bamboo – flexible and easy to bend, but still strong – is an old symbol for resistance and fortune. ‘Taipei 101’ is build with a 660 tons steel sphere as a damper within, so that in the case of an earthquake the building will not break but swing only, like a bamboo stick in the wind.

Another surprise you can see in this hyper capitalistic society – more and more I hear ‘Only the one who is to lazy or has to many children is poor’ – is the burning of money. However it is not real money, but ‘money papers’ that are specially made for ritual offerings, produced and sold for that purpose. The owners burn it in metal cans in front of their stores and pray for good business. For environmental reasons nowadays there is also “money” available that does not smoke that much, but it is somewhat more expensive.

In the middle of the IT city of Taipei you can find an overload of Confucian, Taoist and Buddhist temples that serve as oracle places. For example there is the City of God temple; in large numbers, young women with Gucci or Louis Vuitton handbags put flowers and fiancée cookies on the altars on Saturday morning before shopping. Here the god of marriage is residing, and the young women use oracle sticks to ask questions about their upcoming spouse.

One night I visit a temple. In front of it there is a movable shrine on wheels. ‘God can be placed in there and moved around, for example on someone’s birthday’, people tell me. ‘Now God is in China, but tomorrow he will be back and there will be a procession.’ The procession is a big spectacle with lots of firecrackers, red bangle torches, riding light organs, fireworks, drums and screeching loudspeakers. The ‘God’ is a colorful painted wooden figure in a chair with long bars that is carried around the neighborhood rocking up and down on the shoulders of the bearers. And all this in an atmosphere of bright neon light. The stars in the procession are Hsie and Fan who are normally the guards of the temple annex statues. Hsie has a black face, Fan has a down hanging tongue as long as the man who wears the costume, and he looks through a hole in his shirt. Everything from the torso up the performer wears on his head. The appearance can be explained by a legend. Hsie and Fan once wanted to meet on a bridge, Hsie was somewhat early and was watching the water below the bridge and fell over in the water when he lost his balance. When Fan arrived he found his friend dead and Fan strangled himself with his bare hands. That is why his tongue is so far out of his mouth, while Hsie became black in the water. In Taipei people say that the spirits of the two roam the Manka region with heavy chains and eat the tramps and thieves. And yes in the Manka neighborhood there is less crime then in the other regions of the city.

Taipei has different monuments for their country heroes like Tsjang Kai-sjek and Sun Yat-sen. One of these places is a huge memorial hall with a more then living height statue, guards in official uniform and a lot of free space around the immortals mark the distance between them and every day life. It’s amazing how the people of the city interact with these places. If you go there at 5 in the morning, when the city is still silent, you will be surprised by a grotesque carnival. From many loudspeakers you will hear all kinds of music at the same time, marching music, hip-hop, Chinese classics, country, tango and new-age noise. Hundreds of people are gathered. Some performing taichi, others do sword fighting, some dance in the morning mist. A man and a woman of age throw over a pink frisbee. There are people in kimono, in cheerleader look, a rapper with oversized trousers and a shirt with hood. Many people there are of age and ask, “how old do you think I am?”. Mostly they are twice as old as they look. You can also see younger people dancing Salsa. All this happens at the foot of the ‘Taipei 101’. Businessmen in suit and tie hurry through the kungfu fighters and shadow boxers. Nothing of this is organized, a lot of people come regularly, but the groups change constantly. At 7 o’clock the guards appear in parade marching steps. They raise the national flag and the national hymn starts. In a split second everybody stops with what he is doing and takes the formal pose when the national hymn is heard. It takes a few minutes and then everything goes on as nothing happened: Chinese ballet, aerobic, rock-n-roll and chi-gong. And meanwhile in the park Sun Yat-sen, ‘the father of the nation’, one time in bronze another pose in stone, looking straight forward to all the fuzz.

Peng Wu Chih is one of the most famous taichi- and kungfu masters in the country. He was the last apprentice of the famous martial arts master Liu Yun-Qiao (who was the head of security organization under Tsjang Kai-sjek). He took care of Yun-Qiao in his last months of his life, when he was so weak that he only could lecture using his chopsticks.

One of the specialities of Peng Wu Chih is ‘rapid taichi’. He claims that taichi originally was not, as nowadays, done in a turtle slow movement but fast. In between the main course and desert at a restaurant he gives a small demonstration. It only takes a few seconds. Dr. Peng loves speed in general. Before we step into his car he says, “buckle up, because I drive like James Bond”, and he does not exaggerate. He talks about ‘chi’, the life power and says: “meditation is not to withdraw from the world environment, but being present in it. Get to your opponent in half a second where others need two seconds. Never lose your midst, not even when you are busy.’ One time he holds my wrist, not firm, but I feel an immense power. He could kill me in a split second.

One of his apprentices says: ‘during the first lesson he said to me: I will kill you, and he did. During the teachings I died inside; he destroyed my value scale. The most important in martial arts is awareness, and therefore you have to get rid of your past.’

Peng Wu Chih ends the meeting with a short anecdote: “two people die and god asks them what they wish in a next life. The first says, “I want to get lots of money”, the other one says “I want to give lots of money”, the first is reborn as a beggar, the second as an millionaire.”

On the 1st of May I am in search of demonstrating people, but in vain. Taiwan does not know of demonstrations of workers. Taiwan is the dream of every neo liberal: up to a short time ago there was nothing like income insurance (for that matter, officially there were no people out of a job), no sickness insurance, no pension insurance, no social service. Everything is insured from private arrangements or by family. Some workers even give holidays to their company as a gift. Furthermore it seems that there are no building regulations; Taipei is the dream of every architect but also a nightmare, everything is possible (highlight: a building formed like a woman’s handbag).

During the visit of the Chinese president Hu Jintao to the USA Falun Gong people in Taipei organised a demonstration. This spiritual movement is forbidden in China. Lately a doctor witnessed that he had been in a Chinese concentration camp. He says that tenth of thousands of Falun Gung people have to do hard labor. He also records that these people are operated on and taken away organs, while they are alive, and sold for transplantation purposes. Anti-Chinese propaganda or not, such news remind the Taiwanese over and over again that their welfare is highly vulnerable; like a small garden on an overhanging rock. Up to 10 years ago Taiwan still had higher expenses on their military defense system then China, while nowadays China is spending triple the budget of Taiwan. 600 rockets are pointed towards Taiwan, and every year another 75 are added. A politician who mentions the taboo word “formal independence” in Taipei - and in some place in Peking someone might push the red button.

Even lately China paid the small island nation of Nauru in the Pacific Ocean the amount of 150 million dollar to change their diplomatic affairs from Taipei to Peking. Taiwan can hardly cope with this process. Taiwan can only try, behind the political scene, to keep them indispensable in economical way. But that takes a lot of energy and is a lonely task.

On the last day we drive to a “children’s recreational center”. It looks like an Asian Walt Disney park. A luxurious place, however there were no children, not one. ‘Nowadays they prefer to play at home on their computer’, a supervisor tells us; another supervisor says “most kids have courses at night”; and the guard at the entrance says: ’The parents don’t have time to come over here with kids.’ On the way back I see a scenery while driving: an empty playground where a man in suit is making a phone call while the rain starts dripping.

smoking (s)kills

2007-02-06T11:41:00.000-08:00

it was recently proved that most of the waring messages on the cigar packs don't actually frighten the young smokers.

scientists say that those people tend to believe they are invincible (the common "it will never happen to me").

from all the warnings, there is only one capable of actually make them think twice before smoking:
YOU MIGHT GET BLIND.

to be frank, i think it's a lot simpler than this: you just die younger.
when telling this to a smoker, she said: "but i'll die happy".

"and i'll live happy", i replied.

MCC 2007

2007-01-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

HELLO dear fellows,

Last month in the further land of Slanic Moldova the future leadership of AIESEC in Romania was decided...

Let's have a biiig round of aplause for Ciuci MCVP XD Elected and Mali MCVP Fin Elected!!!! :) I'm sure next year you will make Romania the best AIESEC Country!!!!:D

MC TEAM 2007-2008

MO MCP (MCVP OGX )
CIUCI MCVP XM (LCP @ CJ)
MALI MCVP FIN (OCP NPS @ CJ)
AREEA MCVP PJ (LCP @ IS)
RADU MCVP ER (LCVP ER @ BV)
ALEX MCVP PD (LCVP PD @ IS)
MICKEY MCVP COMM (LCVP COMM @ CV)

Tonight our three brave girls who standed in the "ARENA LEILOR" :D for their dreams will be coming home!!! We are wainting for you with our arms opened, with our hearts full of gratitude for the fact that you took our LC nationally again.

Mali, Ciuci and Alina were our ambassadors among all the LCs at MCC, taking in front of the audience the courage and determination of a member of AIESEC Cluj-Napoca. they took there the positive thinking, the "ludic" spirit, the energy and the passion that each one of us has.

They showed everyone who we are and what we are worth once again...taking a part of each of us on the top. YOU MADE US PROUD!!!

Personally I feel really happy for you girls. I know that as long as I will follow my dreams I will not regret my actions. I want to share a moto that I have in live and that is proved to be right with each success I see hapening around me: "There is no passion in playing small, in settling for a life that is much less than you are capable of living"

Pround @ CJ full member :D,
Ilinca

the new Love Generation !

2006-10-30T13:59:00.000-08:00

There has been too much peace and quiet on this blog, not representative for what our LC has been doing lately :)
We had a great Recruitment Campaign and after a great AIESEC Universiry, after many info-desks, class-shouts, 2 Big Pictures, interviews and evaluations, we now have

70 New AIESEC Cluj-Napoca Members !!!!!

It's a great feeling.
We have 70 new people among us, 70 new souls, 70 new personalities. Who knows which of these 70 people will change our lives forever...
70 people will find out what AIESEC is about...will live AIESEC...
Can't wait for the first LCM, the first party, the trainings, LTS and of course NPS !

I bet it's going to be fantastic.

It's time to live, time to love, time to teach and time to learn.

Let's enjoy the new generation, keep our train tight, and offer them a ride to remember.

I WANNA BE IN THE LC, WHEN CLUJ-NAPOCA'S MARGING IN !!!

International Congress....experiences that you have once in a life

2006-08-27T05:36:00.000-07:00

A conference that I always dreamt to be at, IC, now I am here living one of the best experiences ever.....

I will share with you a little bit of the times that I have here, times full of unknown, excitement and challenges....

The lessons that I will story you below are based on the experiences that this conference brought me so far.....

Lesson 1......never judge if you don't have enough information......"the chair story", when I arrived at the site I found out that we have as a chair a 40 years old guy, married and with two children, the first thing that I said to myself was that the chair of this conference won't be as the other ones that I saw before....and indeed it was real but in the other sense than I expected, this guy, American at origin, is a great guy, a consultant in "Positive Psychology, a guy that makes every plenary a Jerry Springer show.....from this experience very connected is the second lesson " Make each day the best day", David, this is the chair's name, was telling us about the bad days, because each of us has a bad day, once in one of that day he was staying in his office, with his head in the down saying to himself that that was the worst morning ever and he does't trust anything....this until he saw that on his shoes were stick lots of small drawing, his two girls wanted to offer him a good day, and indeed after seeing the drawings David started feeling better and better, but why?, because he found that positive triggers that help him pass the bad moments of the day, so make your day the best one by finding that experience that make you feel excited after you did not succeeding sending the CV to the company in time, find that persons that can make you smile after you climbed the hill on the most rainy day, find that insight that helps you stay 11 hours in sessions and in this way your day will be for sure the best day.

The third lesson " daydreaming makes you with one step closer to the big dream"-One of the passions that I have is traveling and as every person that loves traveling the final goal is to see the whole world.....until having the IC experience this dream seemed really really far from reality, but something amazing happened....a realized to see the world in 6 hours, it sound maybe impossible, but since I arrived in Poland I had a daydream, the daydream to know this world, and know I am with one step closer, in 3 hours I saw 94 countries performing on a stage, being proud of their country, that I had the opportunity to visit 94 countries at the Global Village and find more information....the one that know we better know that Bahrain is a country where I really want to travel and the thing that I want to do there is to wake on the street with the "val" on my face...you know I had this opportunity here, I was with that thing on my face and for a second I felt like an Muslim girl....Dubai another place that I really want to see, by I don't know what miracle I live in the same room if a girl from Dubai...there are amazing experience and just because I had a daydream, the dream to become a world citizen

For sure there will be more experiences here, for sure this IC is a milestone, but for now I think unknown, excitement and challenges are the word that express the best my experience here.

One thing that I really want to share with you is the joy and happiness of being from AIESEC Romania, and more that this from AIESEC Cluj-Napoca, a lot of wonderful words about us, but in the same time a lot of confidence that is invested in us....with this comes the great responsibility that we have to invest so that we can continue to create a global image for our dear LC.

In the end I will just want to draw you the image that follows me each time I think at the period that it's about to come....just stay for too seconds and imagine the moment that you were a newie and you expected the train that will take you to NPS, it has hard to stay on the platform, you were eager to take an unknown journey.....in the train you found some persons that were going in the same place, you were happy because you could find more about that was about to happen with you....sometimes you were afraid and wanted to get off at the first station but there were some people that used to tell you that is better to wait for the final destination.......right now the train will leave again on 01 of November when new passengers will arrive, we are the persons that will guide that through a life time experience, we are the person responsible to offer than this experience, to be next to them when we feel that the train may stop at the next station....we have to show them the final destination and make this journey an unforgettable experience for both ways......the thing we can not forget is that until the train leaves we have to be sure that it is prepared for new passengers, and also that there are a enough passengers for the journey...so guys let's prepare the best train for the new passengers

I really miss you and thank you once again for having the feeling of being surrounded by dear friends

Let's rock and turn on the train for our journey!!

Videos from LPM

2006-08-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,

The "Secred Gods Production" has released the LPM videos on Google Video.

Movies:

Make of:

We hope you enjoyed those moments, I can tell you we certainly did :)

As a final tought from me, some of you might know it:

Dream Big
If there were ever a time to dare to make a difference,
To embark on something worth doing,
It is now.

Not for any grand cause necessarily
But for something that tugs at your heart,
Something that’s your aspiration
Something that’s your dream.

You owe it to yourself to make your days here count.
Have fun.
Dig deep.
Stretch.

Dream Big.

Know that things worth doing seldom come easy.
There will be good days.
There will be bad days.
There will be times when you want to turn around,
Pack it up, and call it quits.
Those times tell you
That you are pushing yourself,
That you are not afraid to learn by trying.

Persist.

Because with an idea,
Determination,
And the right tools,
You can do great things.
Let your intellect and your heart guide you.

Trust.

Believe in the incredible power of the human mind.
Of doing something that makes a difference.
Of working hard.
Of laughing and hoping.
Of lazy afternoons.
Of lasting friendships.
Of all the things that will cross your path this year.

The start of something new
Brings the hope of something new
Brings the hope of something great.
Anything is possible.
There is only one you.
And you will pass this way only once.

Do it right!

Thank you AIESEC Cluj-Napoca :)

Zeno @ SB

Our VISION

2006-08-13T06:00:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time there were 6 brave people who fought against the words and in the end they brought peace in the land of SIGPE DACIM by signing this petition :

LC CLUJ VISION

Each day surrounded by my friends I put passion in my actions, I am honest with myself without fear of being judged.

I develop through the opportunity that AIESEC offers me and I commit myself to use my knowledge, take action and share my experience to enable the organization growth.

I constantly challenge the processes in order to find and implement innovative solutions to ensure that I become a change agent of tomorrow.

I commit myself to reach my goals by owning my actions and I envision others to act towards their development.

I dedicate myself to producing results by working efficiently and being professional in my daily activities.

Juramantul unui membru nou

2006-07-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

Sorry as this post is in Romanian I promise to find a proper translation soon:).

Ultima seara a LPM 2006 a fost marcata de tranzitia de la statutul de membru nou la statutul de membru vechi. Membrii vechi ai LC-ului nostru au creat un moment memorabil pentru acest eveniment unic din viata unui membrisor. In cadrul acestui moment membrii noi au fost rugati sa rosteasca juramantul necesar acordarii statutului de membru vechi. Juramantul spune cam asa:

" Eu, X, membru nou al @Cluj-Napoca jur pe proprie raspundere si in deplinatatea facultatiilor mintale ca nu am preacurvit, trecut strada pe rosu, furat mouse-ul din sediu.
Jur cu mana pe compendium ca in spiritul SIGPE DACIM cand voi fi mare ma voi face " future global leader".

O noua generatie este gata sa astepte tanara generatie @ 2007, noi membri vechi avem incredere ca puteti oferi noilor membrishori cea mai frumoasa experienta @ posibila.

Henrique- could he be the next chair for LTS?

2006-07-06T13:24:00.000-07:00

History, successes, great memories .......these are just few words that we found out from our Alumni about this person......hearing all this amazing stories we thought that it would be so cool to hear it directly from him....Brazil, Amsterdam, Cluj...are just some places where he left his fingerprint....we, the curent members of AIESEC in Cluj-Napoca would be so glad to have the opportunity to have Henrique Vedana as chair at our LTS 2006......thinking at the new members that will be recruited Henrique seems the right person to show them what AIESEC means, what is the impact that AIESEC can have upon your life.......thinking at the old members Henrique is that person that can share his leadership stories with us, and make our road in AIESEC or outside AIESEC more clear......so Henrique, AIESEC Cluj-Napoca is honoured to invite you as chair at one of the most amazing conference, LTS 2006.

Below are some messages that our members have for him:

"I want Henrique to be our chair because of the special feelings that he for sure will transmit to both the old and the new members, he is the spirit of what AIESEC is"

" Henrique should be our chair because I heard a lot of cool things about him and I belive he is a cool guy that can bring an add value for LTS"

"Henrique is the right option for two reasons: he doesn't speak Romanian, so we will see if our new members can really speak English, than he will represent a great source of motivation both for the oldies and for the newies"

So Henrique what do you think, these people really want you here with us for LTS. Will you accept our offer?

Ciuci,
on behalf of AIESEC Cluj-Napoca members

U did miss us, or what?

2006-07-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

Heeelllooooo, here the OC at LPM speaking...
We have a great news for you!!! As some of you know already, WE HAVE A LOCATION for this super truper conference...
What will be, what will be?...
Well, remember the nice fire camp we had at LTS2? And the great nature there?... Yes my dears... it's RACATAU... isn't that great?
Oky doky, stai tuned... more news are about to come... till then don't forget to bring the money we asked this week!!!
Kisses and hugs!

Dora,
OC Logistics

NEW YEAR'S 2007 !!

2006-07-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Don't make plans for New Year's...We're planning for you !
Stay tooned for more information.
;)

Great TEAM BUILDING coming right next!!!!

2006-06-30T01:40:00.000-07:00

Hello there all the sunny faces reading this post...it's so nice to think that in a couple of days all the stress and the exams will be over...and we'll have a whole summer only to ourselves...no school and no studying!!! can't wait for it !
this end (of a very boring period) stands as a beginning for a really challeging and fun period for 5 special AIESEC Clujeni :)) these 5 are the LPM OC !!!! huray for them: Ilinca, Dora, Bea, Vladutz and Blad. but as tradition calls, before we start working hard to make the greatest LPM ever we must build our team, we must make an action plan and establish everyone's tasks.
under the alrealdy universally accepted name Team-Building we will have a very special half a day (or more) on this sunday that we will spend together at the swimming pool. it will be so fun, trust me!!! and you'll find more about it in my next post...monday, the lateest. pictures included!!
kiss on behalf of the LPM OC,
Ilinca, living life to the fullest as a very happy OCP

It's time to have some fun!!

2006-06-29T02:29:00.000-07:00

To our lovely colegues that are living right now an international experience

2006-06-25T12:33:00.000-07:00

There are moments in life when you feel that it is time for a new challenge, it is time to test your limits, it is time to let you surprised by unforgettable experiences......some of us decided to take a new challenge by living in another country, a country that has little things in common with the place they are coming from, a country where the internet, phone or other means of communication suddenly became as important as food, a country where you have some many cultural shock, a country you say you hate it from the very beginning you start living there........

People say that the beauty of the experiences you have depends on the attitude you have when the first difficulties arise....people say that our life is a sum of the experiences we had.....people say that only the persons that are not passive and create their own experience will have the most fulfilling life.....

Even though it is hard, even though we want to give up in any moment, living in another country can broaden so much our horizons, can make us more tolerant, can make us appreciate what we have, can make us want more from our lives.....

The only thing I will like to do if I have the opportunity to live in another country, would be to enjoy each moment, to enjoy the challenges that are next to me each moment, to enjoy and take advantage of the opportunity I was given.....because for sure when I will come back home I will see a difference in my way of thinking , in my way of behaving.....for sure I will grow up and I will be more prepared to confront life in a direct match, and I will win....cause I gained experiences!!!

This post is dedicated especially to the AIESEC Cluj-Napoca members who right now are in the USA testing a new life style......all my admiration for the courage you have!!!

kisses and good luck in your adventure!!!

Ciuci, on behalf of the AIESEC Cluj-Napoca members

Just me...

2006-06-22T14:29:00.000-07:00

The OC logistics at LPM... on behalf of our team, just want to share with you some location possibilities for LPM... we asked and phoned, nothing is sure... but we want opinions... so take a look on the following links:

Vila Vank
Vila Rustica
Cazare Transilvania

That's all for now!... We asked in other places too, but there was already booked... what is sure is that we want a super hyper place to explore our minds to the foolest annd have a great time!

Kiss you all!
Dora

New kids on the Blog:)

2006-06-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

Well, beginning with the beginning, this is the first post on behalf of the OC LPM team on this blog... and because just a few moments ago we ended with the blog created for this conferece because we decided to write everything here, so that it will last as long as Cluj lives, I thought to update you all by copying here what people said on the lpm blog... so now is the time to continue, expecting new and new messages...

So, the first post there was posted by me, aka Dora:

This is a blog created especially for the planning conference we are heading for... a conference full of surpises... a conference where a lot of decision will be taken in order to remain the great LC we are right now, and to grow to reach that point we want to reach... this is a promise from the OC team, and I hope chair, alumni, facis, the board, team leaders and all the people from the LC will have a word for the future! Let's not forget to mention our dear alumni of Cluj Napoca and not only who will join us at the conference, which I kindly invite to write something on this blog...
A lot of invitation will be sent, and if you didn't received one and want to be part of this, just write me a mail to teochetan@yahoo.com and you will have the chance to express yourself freely...
You will see here presentation of the OC team, of the location as soon as we will find it, the theme of the conference... and a lot more, hopefully!
You are also welcomed here with suggestions, expectations, recommandations... whatever you fell like saying!
Well, if I remember anything I forgot to mention, I will write!
Till then, let's whis to this blog a hell of activity, not only BEFORE the conference, but also after!

Kisses&hugs!

On behalf of the OC team,
Dora, OC logistics

Then, Ilinca continued:

There's such a sense of possibility in the air tonigh...it is always like this when one is in the beginning. there are so many options, so many decisions to be made, so many roads to be taken yet only one chace to do it. the LPM 2006 OC promises to do it in the best way WE can. to us the road to LPM is all about the journey...not the destination. it's all about the team, the connections, the jokes, the laughts, the work, the fear, the wonders and in the end...the satisfaction...
If I get back to the beginning of all this I recall the moment I decided to apply for the OCP position. I was not convinced to do it. still I thought I always think to much and I just did it. Man, it's so funny how the things that count mostly in your life are the ones that you were not so sure about in the beginning. I am very happy today that I can write on this blog as the LPM OCP. i am so grateful to all the people that were and still are near me and always gave their helping hand...I am happy to say that I have a great OC team, that they are my great best friends and that we will build something together.
we have so many hopes and dreams..and soul put in this conference, we have such a rich imagination and we WILL make things happen ...just watch us work!!!

PS: We are: Ilinca OCP
Dora OC Logistics
Bea OC Finance
Vladutz OC Fundraising
Bladutz OC Fundraising
and we will be working close to our lovely coach Andreea!!!
The OC sends uncountable kisses to all :P.....enjoying life to the fullest!!!

Tzutzu mic:

hey hey hey!
Great ideea guys! Congrats for making this blog for the most important/impressive/decisive/interesting conference named LPM (Lucian, Paul, Mihai) :P
So i am waiting for news regarding how are the preparations going, and what will we have to bring to this conference....i know i won't forget my pyjama suit (prietenii stiu dece) :))
Good luck!

Ale, the first VP to post there:

I was surprised to see that LPM now has a blog. " Well, this is something new!", I thought. This blog is going to have a really nice role, due to the fact of what LPM means for some of us that already lived at least one, and especially, for what the LPM this year will mean for all of us. I am sure that LPM 2006 will be a memorable moment in our lifes, that will make this blog to be "incomplete" , but full of interaction. So, let's get ready for a life time expeience: LPM 2006!

And Duba:

there are times in life when you really need to relax ... a time when you don't want to think about school ... a time of joy with friends and foes ... a time when you forget about yourself and all the things around you ... this is going to be a time we all the guys from @ CJ are going to have the best meeting ... and will going to try to find the real thruth behind the walls of society ... and will going to try to be the difference that whould bring a change ... so let's see us each other at the conference that will make our future ... see you at LPM

Duba

REACH FOR KNOWLEDGE ! ! !

Kiss you all, and remember to come back, because here you will find a llot of surprisez!

Kisses&hugs,
Dora, OC logistics LPM 2006

TRIX... still a living memory

2006-06-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

-pages of a history-

TRIX was the castle that formed a new generation and culture in AIESEC Cluj Napoca...
...the time to put all your energy in winning the fight between the dacians and the romans, to grow along with your team, to trust, to play hard... to talk with people about their dreams and about their way in life, to talk about your dreams and hopes... to Share your Development...
...the place to think, to search, to look for answers... we had the chance to play the leaders, to be in the middle of action, to win, to follow, to do great... to see there people who made it, people who Inspire you to Action, leading you to constantly do better...
...the moment when we said goodbye to the people that welcomed us, the newies, in AIESEC last year in october; we cried of sadness and joy, putting our hopes in the new board we love and trust... for me, the moment when, again, I realised that AIESEC means people without borders, means great friends I already won... means Getting Connected...
...the chance to build a strategy, to put yourself in the other's place and understand his point of view... to put your mind in understanding what our culture is about and how to make it even better... the chance to Perform Intelligent....
...the reason amongst other reasons to grow, to question and analyze every step you're taking, to take THE opportunities you need to grow... the time for reflexion about yourself, to question about your role in this place, time and among this king of people... the reason to Explore your Mind in each and every second...
A new page in our history was written, a new generation was consolidated...
I was given the chance to be part of this page, I had the time to live what this means, I finally understood what SIGPE DACIM is all about... and I'm happy and dam proud to be part of it!
See you later, bunch of crazy dear people!
Cluj Napoca, poca, poca... number 1 in Europa!!!

FOAIE VERDE...

2006-06-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

SCRISOARE CATRE NOSTALGICI

Aceasta este o scrisoare nostalgica, adresata celor care fac parte din generatia NOASTRA, GENERATIA X. Nascuti la inceputul anilor 80, vedem acum in anul 2006 cum casa parintilor nostri este de 50 de ori mai scumpa decat atunci cand au cumparat`o ei, si realizam ca noi o sa platim pentru casele noastre in jur de 50 de ani.
NOI ... nu avem amintiri despre primii pasi pe luna, nici despre razboaie sangeroase, dar ne pricepem la istorie si la politica mai mult decat cred batranii, care bombane in spatele nostru ca "noi nu stim nimic".
NOI ... suntem ultima generatie care a jucat `scunsea, Castel,Ratele si Vanatorii, Tara tara vrem ostasi, Prinsea, Sticluta cu otrava, Pac Pac, Hotii si vardistii, ultimii are au strigat "Un doi trei la perete stai", ultimii care au folosit telefoanele cu fise, dar primii care ne-am jucat pe jocurile video (remember Mario?) si primii care am vazut desene animate color.
NOI ... am purtat jeansi elastici, pantaloni evazati, geci de blugi de la turci, iar cine avea firme gen Lee sau Diesel era deja lider de gasca. Baietii si-au scris numarul fotbalistului preferat cu pasta de dinti pe tricouri, iar fetele si-au cusut pe blugi stelute si inimioare.NOI ... nu am dat Capacitate, nu am dat grile la admitere si am fost ultimii Soimi ai Patriei, cu costumele alea groaznic de nepotrivite cromatic.Am invatat poezii in romaneste la gradinita, nu in engleza, si am cantat MULTI ANI TRAIASCA nu HAPPY BIRTHDAY la aniversari. Spuneam misto si fain in loc de cool.
NOI ... am sorbit din ochi Beverly Hills, Melrose Place, Twin Peaks, Dallas.. si cine zice ca nu s`a uitat ori minte ori nu avea inca televizor.Ne uitam la desenele animate de la italieni si ne era ciuda ca nu avem si noi subtitrare sa intelegem de ce naiba s`a certat Mila cu Shiro.Reclamele de pe posturile straine ne innebuneau, si abia asteptam sa vina si la noi inghetata Magnum, sau pustile alea absolut superbe de apa. Intre timp, ne consolam cu Tango cu vanilie si ciocolata si clasicele bidoane umplute cu apa de la robinet, care turnate in cap ne provocau pneumonii. Si uite un motiv bun sa nu mergem la scoala..
NOI ... am ascultat si Metallica, si Ace of Base, si DJ Bobo, si Michael Jackson, si Backstreet Boys, si Take That, si inca nu auzisem de manele, singurele melodii de joc fiind horele la chefuri, la care nimeni nu stia pasii, dar toti dansam.Dar spre deosebire de copiii din ziua de azi, am auzit atat de Abba, si de Queen, cat si de noile nume gen 50 Cent si Britney Spears. Pe ei daca ii intrebi, "muzica a inceput cu Backstreet Boys, care nici nu mai sunt cool acum, orikum!"
NOI ... am citit Licurici, Pif si Hercule (care aveau cadou niste jucarii bestiale) si am baut Cico si sucuri de la tec fara sa ne fie teama ca au prea multe e`uri, iar la scoala beam toata clasa dintr`o sticla de suc fara teama de virusi.
NOI ... am injurat arbitrul care ne`a furat la meciul cu Danemarca, si poate ca tot noi i`am trimis 10000 de mailuri de "dulce".Noi nu ne dadeam bip`uri, ne fluieram sa iesim afara, noi nu aveam dolby surround, taceam toti ca sa auzim actiunea filmului, nu aveam Nintendo sau Playstation ci jocuri tetris si jocuri de televizor, de care ne plictiseam la o luna dupa ce le cumparam si le uitam pe dulap, pline de praf.
NOI ... abia asteptam la chefuri sa jucam Fantanita, sau Flori, fete sau baieti, sau Sticla, sau Adevar sau Provocare, sau orice ne dadea un pretext sa pupam !pe gura! pe cine "iubeam".
NOI ... suntem cei care inca au mai "cerut (sau li s`a cerut)prietenia", care inca roseam la cuvantul "SEX", care dadeam cu banul care sa intre in farmacie sa cumpere prezervative, pe care apoi sa le umplem cu apa si sa le aruncam in cap la colegi, care am completat mii de oracole, sperand ca iubitul sau iubita va citi acolo unde scrie "De cine iti place?" ca ne place de el/ea.
Este uimitor ca inca mai suntem in viata, pentru ca NOI ... am mers cu bicicleta fara casca, genunchiere si cotiere, nu am avut scaune speciale in masini, nu am aruncat la gunoi bomboanele care ne cadeau din greseala pe jos, nu am avut pastile cu capac special sa nu fie desfacut de copii, nu ne`am spalat pe maini dupa ce ne`am jucat cu toti cainii si toate pisicile din cartier, nu am baut doar apa imbuteliata, ne-am tavalit si balacit prin toate baltile si nu am tinut cont de cate lipide si glucide mancam.
NOI ... am auzit cum s`a tras la Revolutie, noi am fost martorii a trei schimbari de bancnote si monede, noi am ras la bancuri cu Bula, noi am fost primii care au auzit`o pe Andreea Esca, noi suntem cei care mai tinem minte emisiunea "Feriti`va de magarus".
Suntem o generatie de invingatori, de visatori, de first-timers!

Get connected, drink URSUS

2006-06-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

No, servus foaie verde!
Name: Gioni, aka Ioana Dolcos
Recruited: oct 2002, Cluj
Recruiter: Adi Chifor and Pishko
Interview score: 25 points out of 40. Very close to not making it.
Reason for joining AIESEC: I heard that they do international exchanges with Poland, and I though I might get some as well:D
The newie that annoyed me the most: a guy named Stefan (he wanted to be in every damn OC!!!):P (love ya:D, man)

I have been reading some of the postings on this blog, and I must say that for me is a great chance to be in touch with the people that recruited me in AIESEC, that I recruited, and people that brought so much in what I am right now.
It gives me the chance to get connected (by the way of local brands:D:D) to all of you.
It has been more than one year in which I have been away from the place that formed me for 4 years, Cluj-Napoca and AIESEC in Cluj...

The feeling is strange. People here say that people from Ardeal are so much appreciated, but in the same time that we think too slow and too much in processes, that we sometimes miss the final objective:D:D...what do they know?
Therefore, being away working with so many people from AIESEC from all over the world, I dare to say again, that this blog is a space for me in which I truly feel the kind of people I so much love, and feel confortable with.
I am glad I got to know AIESEC Cluj-Napoca again, to re-discover it and to remember the true essence which was the reason I spent almost 3 years there: mirosul foii verzi:):):)
heheeee...I should get back to work
see ya

Pages made of gold...

2006-06-09T18:26:00.000-07:00

It's 4:30 in the morning and i just got home from the AIESEC office, where i had a discussion with a special person for me, about AIESEC...about ideeas, visions, our own problems, reasons why we hate life, reasons why we love life, future plans, and so on...
At one point we dicussed about how we got in AIESEC, and about how that little gesture of ours to just fill in that application form and show up at the interviews without knowing what to expect from this organization has influenced our lives from that moment on...I tried to picture myself where i would have been now if I hadn't made that little gesture...probably wondering around, with no specific purpose and with no persons to call "friends".
But we are in AIESEC, we've been here for some time now...and the results are unbelievable :)
I also remembered my application form and that at the question Why do you want to join AIESEC, my answer finished with "I want to be part of this family" , because that was my impresion after the big picture, that AIESEC is a big family.Boy was I right... :)
I was telling this person that in AIESEC I can find all the people that I usually search for in a randomly formed group at the university or around the block.It is not easy to meet such wonderful persons...Since joining AIESEC i have met amazing people that are an example for me, and that help me be better and better each day...Sometimes i just feel grateful for knowing them and being in the same room :)
TRIX was a special moment...for everyone.
I, for one, have thought about my values for the first time, and I am proud to say that I have found them and that they are going to guide me from now on.
The entire LC has deepened our values, the SIGPE DACIM , and i think that each one of us is now ready to really start believing in them and have them in our hearts and minds in everything we do.
The old EB said : "Guys, we are done for now...take care...we trust in you! We're off..." , the new EB said : "Don't worry, we can handle it...we're the best team...you will be proud...(just leave already)" :)

It's time to start a new page...a new chapter in our history book has begun.

Damn it...it's 5:15 :) ooh i can see daylight outside :)
I can also see daylight for LC Cluj Napoca.

Let's make things happen!

Just a proud member of LC Cluj Napoca, maybe too tired and too sentimental :) shouting out from all his heart :

FOAIE VERDE CLUJ !!!

the return to manhood

2006-06-05T04:29:00.000-07:00

at my last conference in AIESEC, a great pop band was launched.
THE MACHOS released their first video, from the album, "return to manhood".

watch it and dream about the machos. ;o)

A very special moment for LC Cluj-Napoca

2006-05-15T08:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the first conference for the new EBs just finished….for all of us it was an amazing experience, with positive and negative sides, but in the end a really learning experience...

It is more than amazing to set for your LC the objectives for 2010, to actually see how it will look like in 2010, and how an you contribute to this picture this year

Moreover it was amazing to see that the LC you come from is a role model for other LCs....

Thinking at the people that were back home I could not stop asking myself why other LCs think we are one of the best.....there are more possible answers, we work hard, we understand the organization or simply we like what we do....but the most suitable answer I could find was Unity. Action. Enjoy. Relevance

As you know at NC is also the Awards Gala, a special night for all the LCs......a special night was also for LC Cluj -Napoca......all the hard work, all the passion we invested last year was recognized at national level.....the first award received was Overall Strategic Leadership, and it was given to the LC that started implementing all the elements of the Strategic Triangle....there are no many words that can express what we felt in that moment, the moment when we were recognized as an LC that creates a wonderful @experience for its members, an LC that invests in a culture of excellence and an LC that wants to transmit to its stakeholders exactly that AIESEC is :)......

The second award receives was, Most Progressive LC in Alumni Strategy Implementation, indeed last year our focus on alumni increased a lot, and this year we will continue this collaboration between members and alumni, because there are so many things that we could learn from their experiences.

The third award, Best LC in Corporate Responsibility and the forth award, Sustainability Award recognized the effort that we made last year on having an impact among our society in what concerns Corporate Responsibility and Entrepreneurship....

Nevertheless at NC was the moment of take over for the MCs…. I have to say that it was a mixture of feelings, happiness that Miha is there, sadness that Miha left Cluj, happiness and pride that Gioni is the new MCP of AIESEC Romania, disappointed that Dani will leave AIESEC….with all this I could not notice that AIESEC Cluj- Napoca gave AIESEC Romania three special persons, persons that more than anything else appreciate people, persons that put energy and passion in what they do, persons that left a fingerprint in AIESEC Romania history.

This was our story from NC, an experience full of emotions, happiness, passion, ownership and something frustrations…..but in the end a life time experience

A new history file will be soon written......TRIX 2006....let's all make TRIX 2006 be Unity. Action. Enjoy. Relevance. Growth

AIESEC Cluj-Napoca's International Conference in Chicago, 2006

2006-05-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

guys, check this up!

the spirit is never asleep.
thank you carbu,
stefan

2006-04-16T03:34:00.000-07:00

from time to time i used to send an sms to my whole eb team.
this is the one i sent last night, few minutes after our adventure as eb team ended.

hi. half an hour ago, it has ended.

thank you for beeing close to me for an year,

i'll keep you like this for a life.

thank you for the courage, ambition and feeling.

i hope this year will someday prove to be the most insignificant of all the great years in your life. farewell everybody. see you soon.
stefan

lts2, a conference to regret missing

2006-04-02T12:57:00.000-07:00

truncated, from my blog:

last summer, at the planning meeting, tzutzu and i made a role-call on "incomplete" the song of the backstreet boys. we were half naked, wore cool glasses, and screamed all our passion out. :o)

as planned, it was a teribly funny moment... it went straight to the "important" memories of the conference, as everyone started to sing the song after our role-call... in AIESEC the lyrics dramatically go to everything: planning is incomplete without action, the eb is incomplete without the members, delegates are incomplete without the chair etc.

i can't neglect the fact that a little piece of my soul was there, with my friends, at the conference. i personally spent only 5 hours there, but caught an amazing feeling of an "old man" happy to see his children growing up, the feeling of some young people ready to face whatever, with no help needed at all.

i think i start sensing the shiver of leaving AIESEC.
basically, it has three parts:
1. a proud smile, when you see the team you leave behind, the people you put your soul at stake for, the people you saw right at their start, when they had nothing but enthuziasm.
2. a mixture of pride and regrets, when you look back to the years that have passed.
3. a tickeling wind, the future heading to you faster than always before.

guys, i wish i was there with you at lts2. but sometimes, there's no other way than to regret something. you just get to chose what.

from estonia...

2006-03-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

dear Ş i congratulate you for this idea... juan you're so right! about aiesec, about lc cluj-napoca being part of our lifes.

i am in estonia right now, in a 6 month traineeship. it was an amazing experience. i will not go now into details (check my blog if you really want to find out more :oP). unfortunatelly nice thigs have an end sooner or later. why? i cannot say, who can? i will finish my traineeship in one month. i haven't been home during this period and now i experience a new and a very strange feeling. i cannot wait to go home and hug my family, my mom, my gran'ma, my friends... but i have to leave behind some people with whom i spent very nice moments here in estonia. god, it's tough! this experience really changed my life!

i remember how i took 6 years ago a "stupid decision" (considered as such at that time) to participate to big picture. and now i realise after all i have been through how valuable one simple and stupid decision can be.

guys, i don't want to go on with this post, i am afraid i will not be able to stop myself... i challenge the others to post on this blog and after that we'll see!

hugs and kisses from estonia!
rada

PS i know i haven't been in touch with some (maybe many) of you... i am not a very talkative person, i really admire people who can simply talk (is not as simple as it seems) but i have always had you in my heart.

vedana... welcome back! :)

Foaie Verde!

2006-03-20T06:02:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Usually I post about my life in my blog. But then I thought: "Come on! LC Cluj Napoca is part of my life! So this blog is too..."

And here I am, in the airport in San José, Costa Rica. In the next hour I will be flying to Bogotá, Colombia, for an amazing conference AXLDS (America's EXPRO and LDS) to join the Romanian delegation :)

I will never forget my first days in Romania. It was Cluj's LTS 2003...

Foogy, frezzing and far from everything I knew. The JetLag got me bad. I can oly remember a big fire bomb, the boxing ring and my wet shoes.

And I used to think that Transilvania was the place where Scooby Doo didn't want to go... :)

Foaie Verde! Poca Poca!

well, high time for someone else to say something

2006-03-19T07:57:00.000-08:00

salutare, cracanati!

we tried to gather here all our people armed with blogs.
if you know others than the ones in the contributors list, please let me know.
also, if you want to be member of this blog, let me know.

i invite you guys to post here your thoughts about conferences, big decisions, team experiences, parties, friendship, humour, global issues, your issues etc.

if this doesn't work in two weeks from now, i'll be sure i'm the onlyone thinking that's a good idea.
take good care of you and joy be the consequence.
stefan

will this make any sense?

2006-03-19T03:02:00.000-08:00

probably not...

but if it does, we'll have a nice history book, written by all the people that changed the life of the LC starting with 2006. we'll sum up the thoughts of all the people whose lives were changed by AIESEC Cluj-Napoca starting with this year.

good luck!
stefan.