Friday, July 25, 2008

Weekly happenings

I could not really figure out a better name to this post...a lot of things happened which would be nice to write about, although I consider this week to be a slow and calm one (maybe I can write about more things, because I had time to digest...:P)


It's been a week of ups and downs, mostly work related roller coasting, but still ending on a good final notice. It has been a busy week, though now not full with business meetings (which made it a bit more relaxed and revealed the feeling of running around crazy). This up and down also made me think of the right choice I have made and how much I do know myself. The good thing is that it reinforced me on many ways, but also reinforced those things which I want to change. This week with all it's good and bad made me realize that I'm on the right track, has made the right choice.


But life is not just about work. And I think nowadays I have a more healthy balance in this perspective than I have in the last 2-3 years. Which is good, because the thing is that I'm not less productive, but still have a life, have something more than just work (though mostly hanging out with AIESECers...but sometimes meeting up with other random people). I have a small list of this week's proof about life, which is worth sharing.


MC team hangout...actually the first one, actually first getting scared of it (I promised to cook Gulyás :P) and actually succeeding in cooking it and having one of the most relaxing afternoons since I'm here. (pictures uploaded!) What is interesting in the whole story is that you can never know how you represent your origins. Before leaving Hungary I would never think of being an ambassador of my country by cooking, but this is what actually happened (ok, I needed to assure myself on a few steps the day before with mum...thanks...but still it was my own "masterpiece"). And it was good to see that my team enjoyed it (or they were good enough in acting it :P). Then the watching movie and falling asleep sometimes with a great bunch of icecream in front of us...just simply not really doing much, being together, enjoying the time. And a few of us then went bowling, but that was already different, but still fun. So this is one of the happening I wanted to share.


The other occasion was a Reception Party organized by LC Amman. This was also an interesting event. Not because of reception, or stuff, but I could have really great conversation with people, getting to know to be considered as good dancer in AIESEC Jordan (it's good they notice something I have no clue about :P Trying to dance something you hae never done seems to make you a good dancer....good learning point for the day :)). I had an amazing discussion with one of the freshly selected team leaders about religion. It is something of a great feeling to see the spark in their eyes when they can discuss about the Quran (I'm not saying to defend....discuss, and that is the great thing). The spark of true belief...and again to kill one more stereotype: we all believe in something with the same passion, believe in a Christian God, believe in our own capabilities. This belief is nothing more, less, better or worse than anything a usual person belives in, whether it is a religion, a higher power or simply a few important values. And these are the discussion, which are actually bringing the culture closer, helping you to understand how people feel about their life, which many people judge without really knowing it. It is again a fragment of a bunch of thougths, but definitely somethin worth thinking about ;)


And the last thing happening this week was probably one of the most spontanous hangouts in my life...one SMS and in 10 minutes I was out to the city. I was in the mood of going out, better to say I was in the mood celebration (just a few hours ago we managed to raise a fully equiped office for LC Irbid....before that facing ground breaking challenges with the audit, so I was really in the mood of let's have fun). This is a kind of achivement for what in Hungary we would say, let's go and have a tremendous party...it is not that applicable here, so it was just a very random hangout. And the fact of not just simply accepting the randomness of it, but actually enjoying is again a sign of changes which I don't really feel, only notice sometimes...it's fun to play this game with myself...it's time to go to eat. happy reading for this long post!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Trip to Dead Sea

Ok, so a snapshot of last week....Dead Sea and sunset :)

We decided that on the weekend ( I don't really remember whether it was Friday or Saturday :P) we go to the Dead Sea to watch the sunset. Well, it as again an amazing way to relax and just totally leave the world behind :)

Already the trip itself has been wonderful, with a truly amazing landscape. And it is said to be just the beginning so I will have to go to Wadi Rum to check out the real desert, how it feels like, how it looks like. But even from the car it all looked very nice. And it was also great to be with the team together...I think this was the first trip when we went really together, so it was a nice feeling to be with them...but this week we are planning a very separate hangout (where I will cook, hopefully not burn, Gulyás for them :P)

And then we also arrived...almost a bit late, but inshallah effect will always stay as I noticed :) Though we were still on time to have an amazing view for the sunset. And again, the feeling of getting rid of expectations and just having fun, rather relaxing made this evening extra special. When really the only thing you need to take care of is to have fun, enjoy your time and yourself, in an undesribable environment, smoking sisha, (trying) to dance some Arabic folk dance, sipping tea....and the sole chance that if you wanted to be silent and just wach out of your head, then you could do that.


Actually in the last week I need more and more time to run, to walk at least and just watch out of my head. I think it is the time to really adapt, to really be part of Jordan and really start to become Jordanian. Yet it was I think just the surface and now comes the real integration into life here. It's been indicated by small changes in behavior, working style, what and how I'm using words (like I'm calling Hungary Hungary...not home...it brings sometimes the feeling of being "homeless", Jordan is not yet, Hungary is not any more my home, so where exactly do I belong). The thing is that probably it is easier to dive into a reflection mood after a tough week. But the other what is important that I don't feel depressed because of this (yometimes frustrated, yeah). I'm just a bit more moody than I used to be and feeling each small change I'm going through, but can not really summarize or speak out.

It is a great experience, not necesseraly easy, but great. I can just encourage everyone to take on this thing...and I'm pretty much grateful to have my team arond me, even if they don't know how much they help each day, but they do help a lot :) So the last picture is for them here :)
Oh, and anyway I uploaded the pictures from the Dead Sea trip, you can check them out!

Friday, July 11, 2008

Photos on new location

Hey!

Just to inform everybody, I moved my pictures to picase webalbums, as my internet connection is worse than expected :)
So the photos from now on will be found here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/akos.szakaly

And I have uploaded some new ones, the old album is still at the old place, but will be moved as well ;)

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Chill out

Ok, so I do not usually tend to write a lot about how I'm chilling out (yaay, my workaholic, competitive attitude :)), but I must say that this hang out worth a few lines.

I already noticed that here people know how to stop, they do run crazy during the days, sometimes I feel that I run brainless, but then they are really able to slow down and stop. Well, based on last nights experience stop is full stop here, an amazing full stop. The very weird thing that after this full stop it is much more easy to pick up the crazy daily speed, so I'm kind of understanding and feeling the flow of life...or at least for a while I do.

So we went to hang out in the downtown of Amman. You should not imagine the downtown as in Budapest, meaning it is far not the fanciest place on earth, but it is very authentic and you do feel the culture dumping through the streets. So we went to have dinner first (as usual I finished half a chicken on my own :P) and then went buyong DVD movies. First I was kind of suspicious, as I did not have that much money, that why to go and buy such stuff....but then the first schock: here a DVD is 1 JD (or if you buy more then it is even less...1 JD is about 0,9 Euro). So, woooo, I have know movies to watch :)

But this was not even the best part...besides going crazy funny and trying baby sunglasses and stupid hats we went to a place called Jafra. It is pretty hard to describe it, but first, before entering it is scary....a veery old building, you just can not decide to run, cry or run crying when you see the stairs. But then you enter and a swing of realy arab feeling simply hits you and makes you feel amazed, although you don't know that it is not all! From the inside the furniture and everything is very much reflecting the culture, but in the same time it is a very modern place with wireless internet, waiter submitting orders through PDA and such.
And you just sit down and order argila - sisha (or you trust in your Jordanian team mate - thanks Abeer!) and then comes the real fun. Besides laughing on each other and on yourself (we have been with interns together) that how you can not smoke shisha you just feel releived. Pretty hard to describe the atmosphere, but everything is easy, smooth flowing and relaxed, somehow you really feel that the world stops....never ever before had this feeling, but now I simply love it and I know that I will need it more during this year and hopefully my whole life :) Time stops, you smoke, chat, drink (water) and just breathe...and that's it! I think I did not feel this much relaxed in the last years, simply amazing!
So I belive people here know how to stop...and this is definitely one thing I want to learn from Jordanians, it is a true national talent! You must come and try it, you can not really feel it when you read it...you might just nodd, that 'yeah, very true'...very true but not the same as to feel it!

The other weird thing is a sign of getting settled in Jordan. In the last week two locals asked me for directions (and finding printing place) and we had a ride to Irbid on bus and just figuring out that I was the only one who have ever went by bus to Irbid before was a funny feeling. I'm proud of having these moments, although I still feel weird, so I have to work further on getting settled and feeling comfortable here in Jordan, but these are definitely cool signs.

Also at work many things are happening, though I don't want to write a lot about it. I enjoy what I'm doing still, I have loooot to do, but i'm energized (even if I'm sleepy or sleepless :P), but it is cool to be here. I had a deep point last week and I think Oksana pretty well pointed out what I need: relax and give time to yourself to define what is Jordan for you...thanks for the advice, it worked! So, now I'm up and back again, hoping to never get down to that level of frustration what I had last week :) I'm moving on, yella!

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

One month notice

Today I was thinking that actually a full month has passed since I have left Hungary, home. I can not say yet that I found a new home, I'm recently changing location anyway, in terms of flat where I will live (and I'm hoping that the new place will be as cool as the first one was...though it looks cool :))

By the Way, pictures are uploaded to the site, just check them out, there are quite many new especially from the last conference.

A lot of things happened in this one month, and I guess in the last week I had someone to give me a good contrast of what has changed and how I'm getting used to things. Our team became complete on the 22nd of July, so Sasha arrived from Russia. The very funny and strange thing was that as we lived for this one week in the same apartment I was helping her getting around. Things like getting a phone card, where is the shop (how bread looks like, hehe), how to deal with taxi drivers (basic level), how to cross and all those things which I have been previously writing about. And it is just simply a strange feeling that after 3 weeks I was able to show things! If someone would have told me this at the beginning for sure I would have laughed at him/her, I felt that much as a stranger! Though I'm still not confident with everything, especially as we are moving now, so again I will need to rediscover shops and stuff, settle in to the new place and all these things, but it is improving, I'm getting along in the city much better then I did at the beginning. Also to get to Irbid after the second time it became kind of normal...bus station then it is not hard to find the bus itself :) So it is just the funny situation that I'm getting used to things, though I still have a full year ahead. It is a good and strange feeling in the same time.

Also I had my first conference here in Jordan. After having so many in Hungary it was nice to see and lead something really different. I'm not meaning it was easy, here a different style is needed, things are working differently, but they were out and a conference is conference, gives a lot of spirit here too. Also it was my first event to manage where we involved externals, running legislation, and all these stuff. It was a good feeling to be there.

Another thing I have also noticed: if you dive fast, you feel the pressure earlier. As I feel it is true for a culture too. I'm not meaning that I have like something of a deep cultural shock, but I do recognize some of the symptoms (like many times I feel tension, though I have no clue why :P). It was coming faster than I expected, but the weirdest thing is not the timing, but in a way I do look forward to face the whole (I don't know I have gone nuts, or what is it behind), but I would not call my feeling to be fear or to be afraid of it, but in the same time of course I'm not happy with it...I think it is rather a bit of excitement, which can drive you down, or up...if you use the feeling in a smart way :)

All right, I can that is let's say ok as the summary of the month, I would have a lot to write about, but I don't want to bore anyone (and actually here it is already 1 am, and I'm not the best night alive guy).

Being discharged

Originally created on the 30th of June

Ok, so just a quick notice from my side: by today midnight I'm (hopefully) discharged from my duties as MC in Hungary (and being in office officially in Jordan :)).
It is definitely an interesting feeling as I belive the last one year was something to remember. I'm not going to write about life changing and these kind of expereience, you can never know what really changes your life what does not, but that is for sure true that it was a packed year. Packed with things happening, packed with changes I do feel on myself. It is also pretty hard to sum it up into a few lines, so I'm not even attempting,for me it is enough that I feel the changes, even if I can not put them into words, and for sure I can just encourage everybody to take on such opportunity, as anything can happen but you still will have value out of it :)

And also a small remark to thank my Hungarian MC team for the last term. It might sound a cliche to thank them, but now I just feel that it fits here, so thank you guys :)