This blog deserves and update :P

Thanks Karuna for reminding...I just got back from the shop, today's plan is not to do anything and cook :P

Well, it's also something strange from me that I don't want to do anything, and I'm just alone for the weekend in the house, my predecessor left, Oksana on part-time job (hiking...I would love such a part time job :)), but in the same time I'm now in a mood that it's better if nothing happens, I don't meet people and stuff. I did not became anti-social, far from that, just I need time when my brain is digesting that nearly three weeks behind me. Not like thinking deeply of what has happened, just let leave things as they should be, nothing extraordinary to happen (ok, buying 250 gramms of minced meat was kind of hard still to explain to the butcher, but I managed :P). I think this is the feeling when you want the world slow down...but I don't want it for long...just wait a bit until it accelerates again :P

So, just a brief outlook to the last 10 days (as I checked the blog it's been 10 days I wrote). They have been busy...I think the frequency of my updates do show that I was running arund crazy.

"It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory." ~W. Edwards Deming

I just found this quote, laughed a lot on it, but then I realized that this is what is happening with me in the last few weeks. Yeah, again a very smart saying, change is important, we all know, but where lies the real change, well not in structures, in really simple things.
I think the best example for this is todays shopping and cooking. I went to the shop with the desire of: I want salad, I want green, something light, but still filling. I think those who know my original eating habits (meat with meat, sidedish possibly meat) understands the way it describes changing on the ground level. And also that I want to cook, and not for the sake of saving money (ok, it's also on the list :) ), but just to enjoy the process of running in the kitchen for about an hour and then eat what you made (burnt :P)

Also my predecessor left. Many people would think that, wow, you are now left alone, it must be scary. It was, before it happened. And I think it is my nature that before things happen I'm afraid of them, but when they happen I'm up to them. It's been anyway strange for me in the last few days before Saba left that I'm relying on someone and not making my own decisions. In the last days it made me feel uncomfortable and strange...this is kind of realizing what happened in the last one year, I pretty much got used to be on my own and take the necessary risk (the calculated one, haha :) ). So in the same time it was scary to be left without my Slave Master and to be alone, and also gave me back my belief in independence and free choice.

Other things are also just happening. I needed to learn all arabic numbers (how they look like when you write them down), cause I'm preparing for financial audit and it's funny to sort out bills of you don't know what is on them :) So, it came and happened (I'm still not an expert, but improving).
Also the matter of turbulent environment is well described by one of the situations, just happened:
So we were preparing to present a grant proposal for 10.000 Euros, doesn't really matter what exactly it was about. So, we had Szaki type of preparation for two days, creating the ppt, feedbacking it with supporters from USAID/SABEQ, even simulating the presentation (my MCP, Lana should have done the AIESEC part, me the grant itself).
Well, we were going into the presentation with the belief that everything is set up (this is why we had to send the presentation in advance). Then it turns out, that the projector gave up and is not accepting the signal from the laptop any more (2 minutes ago it did :P). Fighting with the laptop and equipment, and suddenly the head of the grant committee said: ok, if this is not working, let's test how well you know your own grant without ppt and notes. Our supporters for the grant in shock of what is going to happen now....but it went well, we got the feedback of being well prepared...and we got the grant too, just to menion results too :)

So this was one of the good stories of the week, besides trying to understand financial arabic at the auditor (thanks Lana for helping out :)), having 2 interns coming to a new partner, being on the first networking event, leading working groups on deep changes....yaaaay, it's sooo much different then at home. Much more open and faster (well, 2 or 10 LCs also make a difference, but still).
Oh, yeah, and this week I had only phone assistance and did not get lost on my own :P The achievement of the week!!!

Also to mention things besides work...Yesterday we have been to a concert of Zade Dirani. To be fully honest I did not know who this guy is, I only knew that the concert is in the Roman Theater and it's for free with invitation (what we had). So this was the start up. I got a bit interested in this when I read about this guy promoting cooperation and peace in a way of merging musical traditions, having many nationalities in his orchestra.
After the concert I must say it was absolutely amazing! Not just the fact of seeing the old Roman Theater full (about 5000 people) and having the feeling of going back in time to the Roman ages, but really good music and an amazing atmosphere. For how stuffed the theater was, look at the picture ;) And it was also great to meet people not just in AIESEC environment, but something totally not work related, it was simply amazing to see them out of work, people can be so much different, they open up, you start to feel some kind of bond with them.

So, everything is happening around and I think this post is already a long one, though I just scratch the surface of all the things happening, or what I go through. But it's always good to write things down.

And I don't know when my next post will come. Next weekend we will have national conference, then I need to arrange my visa extension and also change flat as we are moving to a new one (oh, yeah, I nearly forgot that we will have an office finally , weeeeeee). I'm trying my best, but I need to find time somewhere I don't know.

And as I said this post is becoming long, so I'm finishing :)