In summary,
The AIESEC work was interesting, but it was not the key.
It was the meeting people from all walks of life in a place that is so full of character, and so dissimilar to what you're used to.
It was working with and becoming friends with people who grew up in a different environment and have a different thought process.
It was understanding how these friends thought the way they do and believed in the things they do.
It was feeling the pinnacle of loneliness and finding comfort in it.
It was messing up and feeling lost, but looking past it, and moving on, striding along when you could have just crumbled to the ground.
It was waking up to an adventure everyday rather than a chore.
It was meeting people who make up the world and realise how it's every single one of us who make the world the way it is, frustrating yet beautiful.
It was waking up to the sun rising against the Red Sea, and realising how big the world is.
It was standing in the middle of the traffic and chaos and feeling how small you are, but how much there is you can do.
It was experiencing feelings and thoughts at their extremes, and knowing how to use them to build you.
It was seeing the bigger of everything.
It was meeting friends who are so much more than that, who make you realise the strength you never knew you had in you, or forgot you had in you; who make you a much fuller self on your own just by being who they are. Persons in your life and daily thoughts no matter the distance.
It was seeking inspiration and courage and finding it.
It was something staying at home would not have triggered or given, at such a pace.
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I'm writing this in a very jetlagged state, so I apologise for any bad English.
My Cairene trip and MC CEEDership has ended. Too quick, too soon. But I couldn't have asked for more.
We go through many phases in our lives. Times when we are learning all we can from the people who teach us, when we are constantly observing and absorbing everything that is happening in the world around us, when we are seeking for something bigger and larger, or something more specific, when we are just rushing through our days, trying to get objectives accomplished, when we slow down, breathe, and take in all the beautiful sights and sounds surrounding us.. My life is a constant sliding through and between these different phases and more, all to satisfy my passion for finding my place in this world.
Why an MC CEED?
I had just had an intense year in Melbourne - my LCP term was nothing less than many continuous big bangs, my university and personal life followed not far behind. Though the outcomes were rather delightful, I was burnt out and unfeeling towards everything that made up my life. An MC CEED in a MENA country, (the region I'm intrigued with, next to India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam and CEE) felt like it could be just what I needed. It involved flights, travelling, meeting people, living in a different world. And the AIESEC work couldn't be too hard now, could it? Seemed just about the most interesting way I could spend my summer break. Moreover, a friend read in some fashion magazine that Egyptian styles were in this season, so why not go right to the source and stock up my wardrobe there. :)
Some emails and Gmail/Skype chats followed and I was getting ready to fly to Egypt.
Cairo - home?
For 30 odd days, I spent my time living in Cairo. I bought groceries from the corner store and cooked, threw out rubbish, washed up dishes, took the metro to work and back on my own, took cabs on my own, with the little Arabic I knew, and got lost several times, got death stares from cab drivers who insisted I paid too little, befriended the staff of the deli nearby during my daily coffee runs, got used to calling my Long Black an Americano, got asked numerous times about whether I was married, and then if my imaginary boyfriend was as beautiful as I was, was welcomed to Egypt by random strangers on the streets many times over, set my death wish in stone by crossing the roads, had the most exciting car rides with Hossam & Abdo, singing and dancing to Amr Diab, Halili and Aicha, all whilst weaving through the traffic, smoked shisha at Candela, smoked many other shishas, learnt how to prepare a shisha, attempted smoking smoke rings, gained weight from all the koshari, futir, sharwarma, fuul, super crunchies, shrimp sandwiches, acclimatized to the thick polloution, recovered from two bouts of cold with the help of Congestal, learnt who Elissa and Haifa were, laughed hard over the Melody Tunes videos, and Booby, facilitated the Jordanian Delta Conference and travelled through Jordan with Abdo, and much more. I've been through the incredible highs and the absolute lows, and times when I wondered what I was doing in this crowded crowded place, and who I was there.
But after all that, Cairo not only became a place which I was comfortable in, I grew familiar with the way the city and its people worked. Most of all, it felt like home. Somewhere where I felt like I belonged. It took me 2 1/2 years to call Melbourne home. Moving to and living in a different country became one of my biggest challenges and fears. This time, to my pleasant surprise, it honestly took me 2 1/2 weeks to call Cairo home. Which made leaving so hard.
Living in a different country and the people
We always say that living in a different country is a life-changing experience (which is why exchange is one of the main parts of our corework). This is so true, even when you are moving for the second time. Each time you move, you know yourself better. I've figured that this is the result of a combination of many different factors. Physically and mentally being in such a foreign country - environmentally and culturally, having to learn virtually all over again how things work, how people work, being on your own after leaving a safe support network, not easily getting things we take for granted at home - be it food, people or a rather efficient public transport system, wondering how you fit into the this big unfamiliar picture, and in addition, not knowing the language can all be rather displacing.
But being placed in this deep end is when we break and retreat, or we learn and grow.
And this learning and growing is so much more enhanced by the people that walk or run beside you during this part of your life. I'm incredibly lucky that I ended up in Cairo. Like one of my favourite Cairenes described to me, Cairo is a place where people pass through. It's a somewhat melancholy thought because of the stream of farewell parties that are held, but with the lows comes the highs. Living in a melting pot of people from all walks of life, from every corner of the world, opens up so many doors - in life and in our own minds. I came to Cairo in search of inspiration. This inspiration wouldn't have been there if not for the fleeting or long deep conversations I've had with people I never would have thought of meeting, or with the fascinating stories I've heard of people who have passed through. Learning, interacting and living in a different country and amongst a different culture with locals and with friends from other walks of life also produces one of the steepest learning curves about life and the world that can be experienced. Especially when you realise how much you have in common, or try to search for the root of differences in thinking. The people that we grow with are always the best reflection of who we are I say.
AIESEC
And if we think back to AIESEC, AIESEC is all about the people I think. Without the individuals or collectives, we don't have the diversity, the identity, the clashes, the assimilations, the amalgamation. We also don't have the dreams or vision or motivation or simply the reasons for doing what we do. We will of course also not have the results or create the impact we set out to make. Without the people, we will not try and fail, we will not come up with revolutionary ideas, and where will the passion for making a positive impact come from? The first time the power of AIESECers (as global youths who have come together) hit me was watching my very own EB team of 07 growing, and leading the LC, lifting it to amazing heights in all senses of the word, each and every one of us becoming more defined, strong individuals in our own ways. This is the second time. Living in Cairo with.. yep, amazing individuals with big personalities whom I would never have imagined spending a part of my life with. Who bring so much to this world in their very own ways, who each play a role, and who's absence will be felt.
And with the more concrete AIESEC responsibilities, of course I had them. In fact, there are still action points that must be completed. Haha. But as with all AIESEC work, it's as interesting as we make it to be. And trust me, when it is in a country like Egypt, it's hard to find anything boring. Not just yet anyway.
I left Cairo last night when it was raining the first time I was there. The smell of the rain in that polluted city was wonderful :). Now I'm back in Singapore/Malaysia, getting ready for my flight to Perth later today. Tomorrow's the start of our pre-National Conference Meetings. I'm excited about being back, and seeing the friends and family I've sorely missed, all whilst looking forward to all those small and big bangs that the future holds, but I'm rather split. Part of me is living it up, part of me is wishing I never left Cairo.
It's so hard to put everything that I've felt or thought or experienced in this intense 36 days in words. I hope what I've said strikes a chord.
I came to Egypt seeking inspiration, seeking a reason for the things I do, and for some vague direction. I came hoping to get to know myself better and be comfortable and proud of who I am.
I left not only with all that I was looking for, but am now so much more a fuller person (in all senses of the word) than I ever was before. This empty vacuum I had in me when I arrived is now filled, and in fact overflowing. Every small thing excites me again. Every small beauty takes my breath away again. Every simple day presents a whole bang of excitement and opportunities again. And every word or sight jogs a string of thoughts in my mind again.
I left not only with all that I was looking for, but am now so much more a fuller person (in all senses of the word) than I ever was before. This empty vacuum I had in me when I arrived is now filled, and in fact overflowing. Every small thing excites me again. Every small beauty takes my breath away again. Every simple day presents a whole bang of excitement and opportunities again. And every word or sight jogs a string of thoughts in my mind again.
I've much fire to fight in my AIESEC role in Australia right now, but I couldn't be more excited about putting out the fire, building again, and relighting a fire of a wholly different kind, One that inspires and drives and not destructs.
And it's an amazing feeling. To instinctively view the world this way.
Thank you to many. The person who hooked me up with Annika. That email opened the doors to a wonderful time and an amazing person in my life. To Magda who put me up in Alex. To Sally, who's the most wonderful and fun host ever. Friend too. ;) To all whom I've hung out with in Alex and Cairo, who've brought me around to the Bibliotecha (that was such fun!), to have cheap seafood, to smoke shisha in Candela, Dunes and many more. To scrabble nights and karaokes, and the New Year party I hear so much about, thank you so much.
To the Egyptian AIESECers, I failed to meet or spend time with, time was not a luxury to me this time round. But in the near future, insha'allah.
AIESEC Jordan, you'll have a separate post on my blog.
And to my teammates of 36 days, you each know what I think of you. (If not, you'll meet with the Egyptian Post soon ;). ) Thank you. Really. Yallah, come visit in Melbourne already.
If you have a chance to go on a CEED, especially to a country like Cairo, grab it. Grab it and do not let go. You have lesser responsibilities than an internship, but the chance to not only learn a lot more about a different country and culture, but a whole lot more about yourself. AIESEC's all about self-development and developing others tza? And the people you stand to meet, need I say more?.. :)
Yallah AIESEC Egypt, there is sooo much in you, that is untapped or still can grow. A country and people of such richness I've never fathomed. Good luck to all the MC candidates.You are going to have such a time of your life with so much to be done and so much that can be done. Not without the LCs of course. I cannot wait to be back and work for/with you again. And maybe see the pyramids too. ;)
Thank you for everything.
Much love from Aussie-land, Heidi
