Wednesday, August 30, 2006
InBev launched successfully :)
We just finished the official InBev partnership launch in the IC 2006 plenary. It was very exciting for me to be on stage in AIESEC’s most global event.
Tonight there will be happy hour with free beer to celebrate the newly signed partnership for 2006-2007. I am sure our whole InBev team will enjoy the evening.
Tonight there will be happy hour with free beer to celebrate the newly signed partnership for 2006-2007. I am sure our whole InBev team will enjoy the evening.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
PwC Award and InBev workshop
Let's start with great news about AIESEC in Belgium. AIESEC in Belgium and AIESEC in Egypt just won the award of the Most Connected national PwC partnership of 2006. Both countries were winning as they both have very strong relations with the firm.
As I only left AIESEC in Belgium a few weeks ago, I feel very happy to be able to see with my own eyes how the efforts of Elie's team and my team are recognised.
Right now, the InBev workshop just ended and it was a big success with over 50 people actively participating. We started with a short introduction by Jos Duijsters, Vice-President People Continuity, about InBev and its talent management systems. We learned that InBev has 2 pipelines to attract new talent. One is the InBev Trainee program and one is the AIESEC program. The AIESEC program was characterised as a small speedboat taking you to big responsibilities through an international experience. I have to say that so far I am enjoying the ride.
In the second part of the session, Chris Paden, Director for Talent, was presenting 3 interactive case studies in which delegates could work individually and in teams, and assess how they are performing on skills like lateral thinking and dealing with complexity.
After the session we needed at least half an hour more to answer the many questions. If you are at IC and you would like to talk about the InBev relationship in your country, approach me or Vladan, our coordinator, to book a meeting or just party with us in the evenings.
As I only left AIESEC in Belgium a few weeks ago, I feel very happy to be able to see with my own eyes how the efforts of Elie's team and my team are recognised.
Right now, the InBev workshop just ended and it was a big success with over 50 people actively participating. We started with a short introduction by Jos Duijsters, Vice-President People Continuity, about InBev and its talent management systems. We learned that InBev has 2 pipelines to attract new talent. One is the InBev Trainee program and one is the AIESEC program. The AIESEC program was characterised as a small speedboat taking you to big responsibilities through an international experience. I have to say that so far I am enjoying the ride.
In the second part of the session, Chris Paden, Director for Talent, was presenting 3 interactive case studies in which delegates could work individually and in teams, and assess how they are performing on skills like lateral thinking and dealing with complexity.
After the session we needed at least half an hour more to answer the many questions. If you are at IC and you would like to talk about the InBev relationship in your country, approach me or Vladan, our coordinator, to book a meeting or just party with us in the evenings.
In the middle of IC 2006
International Congress 2006 is running at full speed. For the InBev delegation, the next 2 days are the most important, as there will be the partner workshop about Talent Management and the partnership launch in plenary.
For me personally, it is really great to be here and connect the InBev delegation with the countries they need to meet. All of the top people of the company I met so far are very nice to interact with. It really feels the same as being in the conference with an AIESEC delegation.
Very unexpectedly I also met Laura Caraiman here. Back in 2003, when I was just starting my first term on the Local Executive Board in Antwerp, I got Laura to Belgium to work with our committee for a month. She was living in my family during this time and we were organizing the national conference together. Now she was on a city trip to Vienna and she decided that it would be nice to go one day to Warsaw and see the AIESEC congress.
For me personally, it is really great to be here and connect the InBev delegation with the countries they need to meet. All of the top people of the company I met so far are very nice to interact with. It really feels the same as being in the conference with an AIESEC delegation.
Very unexpectedly I also met Laura Caraiman here. Back in 2003, when I was just starting my first term on the Local Executive Board in Antwerp, I got Laura to Belgium to work with our committee for a month. She was living in my family during this time and we were organizing the national conference together. Now she was on a city trip to Vienna and she decided that it would be nice to go one day to Warsaw and see the AIESEC congress.
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
First update from Poland
It is very cool to see an AIESEC conference from a whole new perspective. As business guest, my life here mainly involves checking if the partnership with the conference and with AIESEC International is running smoothly. Together with Vladan I am planning the setup of the rooms which will be used by InBev and of course the InBev Party Tent. We are also planning the calendar of the meetings we will have with the different country delegations.
Monday, August 21, 2006
Guess where I am going...
Today I received confirmation that I will be in the InBev delegation at AIESEC's International Congress 2006 in Poland. This means that from tomorrow on I will be in Warsaw, but first I'll provide an update on what happened in the last half of the past week.
Thursday
This day started with a trip to the metro stop Ladvi, which is at the end of the red line. Over there I found a movie theatre and a shopping mall. As I am still settling in I couldn't resist shopping for more things for the house. These placemats and cooking pots are my newest additions.
In the afternoon I visited the AIESEC office, where I met Ofi, the VP Finance, who was just on his way out. When I got to the bus stop with him, Lukas arrived as soon as Ofi left. I spent some time on the Internet as the connection in the university is much better than at home. In the evening I met up with Radka, who was an intern in Electrolux in Brussels during my MC terms. It was really cool to catch up and hear how she loved Belgium.
Friday
Another shopping excursion, this time the destination was Electro-World. The newest member of my Czech family is the Concept Aero 1400 with 5 filters. Of course with such a cool new toy it was a pleasure to vacuum clean the apartment.
Friday evening and the weekend
On Friday evening I went to the airport with Lukas to pick up the MC of Guatemala. On their way to IC in Poland, they made a 3 day stopover in Prague, so we had a lot of fun exploring the city this weekend. Also 2 Indian girls joined in the fun.
Saturday night was a special night. As Judit had her birthday we decided to make a party in the apartment. The dinner was a mix of Hungarian, Guatemalan and Czech food, and there was a special private guitar concert by Lukas.
We officially started the guestbook of the apartment, which I am sure will be filled in no time.
You will have to see from the pictures how much fun we had because I have a train to Poland to catch tonight...
Thursday
This day started with a trip to the metro stop Ladvi, which is at the end of the red line. Over there I found a movie theatre and a shopping mall. As I am still settling in I couldn't resist shopping for more things for the house. These placemats and cooking pots are my newest additions.
In the afternoon I visited the AIESEC office, where I met Ofi, the VP Finance, who was just on his way out. When I got to the bus stop with him, Lukas arrived as soon as Ofi left. I spent some time on the Internet as the connection in the university is much better than at home. In the evening I met up with Radka, who was an intern in Electrolux in Brussels during my MC terms. It was really cool to catch up and hear how she loved Belgium.
Friday
Another shopping excursion, this time the destination was Electro-World. The newest member of my Czech family is the Concept Aero 1400 with 5 filters. Of course with such a cool new toy it was a pleasure to vacuum clean the apartment.
Friday evening and the weekend
On Friday evening I went to the airport with Lukas to pick up the MC of Guatemala. On their way to IC in Poland, they made a 3 day stopover in Prague, so we had a lot of fun exploring the city this weekend. Also 2 Indian girls joined in the fun.
Saturday night was a special night. As Judit had her birthday we decided to make a party in the apartment. The dinner was a mix of Hungarian, Guatemalan and Czech food, and there was a special private guitar concert by Lukas.
We officially started the guestbook of the apartment, which I am sure will be filled in no time.
You will have to see from the pictures how much fun we had because I have a train to Poland to catch tonight...
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
IKEA and more...
Another 3 days are over, so here we go with the official report.
Monday
What is the one place where every new AIESEC intern goes? Exactly,... IKEA!
IKEA is "right at the Cerny Most metro stop". That is if you believe the marketing talk. In practice it is still a 10 minute walk from there, and you have to know pretty well where you have to go, or you will never arrive to the shop. In the end I made it and I managed to buy all the basics for my apartment: a blanket for the bed, a pillow, cutlery, plates, cups, etc.
In the evening I went for a drink with Judit, Lukas and Katka. As Judit's training is taking place in Germany, she has to go there from Tuesday to Friday.
Tuesday
Today I went to the LC office of AIESEC CZU. I can get there from the apartment in exactly one hour, using 2 metro lines and a bus. Lukas had to burn and label 100 CDs for his job, so I thought that going there with my laptop to help him would be nice. Most of the morning was spent in this CD factory. Then we went for a nice lunch in the student restaurant.
In the afternoon I tried to visit the InBev doctor to get my medical check but the office was closed. Instead I went shopping for various cleaning products, and also for course books to learn Czech. At home I spent one hour with Google trying to figure out the meaning of the Czech text on the front panel of the washing machine. In the end I made a half educated guess and started the machine.
While it was washing I finished the first lesson in my new Czech course book. The laundry finished clean and in the same color it had before so I think I guessed right.
Wednesday
In the morning I used leftovers from yesterday's CD labels to really make this my home. (Check the picture below.)
The main excursion for the day was a trip to InBev's official doctor to get a medical certificate for employment in the food sector. Before that, in the morning I dropped by the MC office to give them my pictures of the weekend. There I met Majka and I learned from her that Ondra, the LCP of Praha, and also her boyfriend, was in the hospital. She was planning to visit him in the afternoon. I decided to join and make this a whole day of medical visits.
When I went for my InBev certificate, it turned out that the doctor only spoke Czech, so it came in handy that I already studied a basic tourist course of Czech before coming to Prague. The visit took a bit longer than expected because of this, but it turns out that I am a healthy employee.
Then I went for some quick shopping to find a present for Ondra. I found a nice Czech book that looked quite funny. Of course, before giving it, I showed it to Majka to find out what she thought about it. It turns out that the title means "How to hunt for girls". Ondra seemed quite happy with it when I handed it over in the hospital.
That's it for now. Na shledanou!
Monday
What is the one place where every new AIESEC intern goes? Exactly,... IKEA!
IKEA is "right at the Cerny Most metro stop". That is if you believe the marketing talk. In practice it is still a 10 minute walk from there, and you have to know pretty well where you have to go, or you will never arrive to the shop. In the end I made it and I managed to buy all the basics for my apartment: a blanket for the bed, a pillow, cutlery, plates, cups, etc.
In the evening I went for a drink with Judit, Lukas and Katka. As Judit's training is taking place in Germany, she has to go there from Tuesday to Friday.
Tuesday
Today I went to the LC office of AIESEC CZU. I can get there from the apartment in exactly one hour, using 2 metro lines and a bus. Lukas had to burn and label 100 CDs for his job, so I thought that going there with my laptop to help him would be nice. Most of the morning was spent in this CD factory. Then we went for a nice lunch in the student restaurant.
In the afternoon I tried to visit the InBev doctor to get my medical check but the office was closed. Instead I went shopping for various cleaning products, and also for course books to learn Czech. At home I spent one hour with Google trying to figure out the meaning of the Czech text on the front panel of the washing machine. In the end I made a half educated guess and started the machine.
While it was washing I finished the first lesson in my new Czech course book. The laundry finished clean and in the same color it had before so I think I guessed right.
Wednesday
In the morning I used leftovers from yesterday's CD labels to really make this my home. (Check the picture below.)
The main excursion for the day was a trip to InBev's official doctor to get a medical certificate for employment in the food sector. Before that, in the morning I dropped by the MC office to give them my pictures of the weekend. There I met Majka and I learned from her that Ondra, the LCP of Praha, and also her boyfriend, was in the hospital. She was planning to visit him in the afternoon. I decided to join and make this a whole day of medical visits.
When I went for my InBev certificate, it turned out that the doctor only spoke Czech, so it came in handy that I already studied a basic tourist course of Czech before coming to Prague. The visit took a bit longer than expected because of this, but it turns out that I am a healthy employee.
Then I went for some quick shopping to find a present for Ondra. I found a nice Czech book that looked quite funny. Of course, before giving it, I showed it to Majka to find out what she thought about it. It turns out that the title means "How to hunt for girls". Ondra seemed quite happy with it when I handed it over in the hospital.
That's it for now. Na shledanou!
Monday, August 14, 2006
Czeching in...
My first weekend in Czech Republic is over, and I sure hope this will set the trend for my internship, because it was excellent.
Friday
I arrived smoothly in Prague airport at 11.15, five minutes ahead of schedule. My bag was the first one on the luggage belt, so very soon I was in the arrivals hall, where Jiri (from AIESEC CZU Prague) and Judit (my new Hungarian colleague) were ready to pick me up.
The rest of the day was planned in order to arrange everything needed for a good start here.
This meant:
Saturday
Getting up at 6.00 was a bit difficult after such a heavy day, but there was a very good reason to make this effort. A trip to a festival was on the agenda for the day. At 7.00 we met in Jiriho Podebrad to drive to Humpolec, which is a small city about 90 km east of Prague.
We got the opportunity to visit the brewery of Bernard, a Czech beer. During the tour I learned that Bernard is the Czech partner company of one of Belgium’s most famous breweries. AIESECers were translating for us because the tour was in Czech. As I didn’t understand the name from the first time I had to go to our guide and ask him to tell me the name: “Jak se jmenuje ten pivovar v Belgii?". The answer was Duvel-Moortgat.
Next were some musical performances. One band was playing Irish songs and a second band was performing polka music. We made an attempt to dance some polka. There was also a tree sawing competition. Then we had a sausage with pickles (okurky) for lunch.
After that we went to meet the Czech Board of Presidents. This is a meeting of all local committee presidents with the member committee, the national team. After their meeting they of course needed some relaxation, so we went to a restaurant and later on back to the festival.
The rest of the evening was filled with concerts. The most notable artists were Vlasta Horvath (Czech winner of Superstar) and Support Lesbiens, a very nice band with a bizarre name. The night ended with fireworks.
Sunday
After a good night of sleep in the dormitory we helped some unfortunate beer tasters to find out what they did the night before. (I won’t mention names here...)
We went back to Prague by car after a nice breakfast from the local supermarket.
In the evening, Jiri hosted a tour of the historic center, so we could get to know all bloody stories from the history of the city. If I learned one thing here, it would be: Don’t mess with Czechs!
Friday
I arrived smoothly in Prague airport at 11.15, five minutes ahead of schedule. My bag was the first one on the luggage belt, so very soon I was in the arrivals hall, where Jiri (from AIESEC CZU Prague) and Judit (my new Hungarian colleague) were ready to pick me up.
The rest of the day was planned in order to arrange everything needed for a good start here.
This meant:
- Meeting the landlord to get the keys to my apartment
- Getting a public transport card
- Opening a bank account
- Buying a Czech SIM card for my mobile
- Visiting the company for the first time
- Eating a first traditional meal: Knedliky
- First shopping in the supermarket
- Exploring the city with Lukas, another member of AIESEC CZU
Saturday
Getting up at 6.00 was a bit difficult after such a heavy day, but there was a very good reason to make this effort. A trip to a festival was on the agenda for the day. At 7.00 we met in Jiriho Podebrad to drive to Humpolec, which is a small city about 90 km east of Prague.
We got the opportunity to visit the brewery of Bernard, a Czech beer. During the tour I learned that Bernard is the Czech partner company of one of Belgium’s most famous breweries. AIESECers were translating for us because the tour was in Czech. As I didn’t understand the name from the first time I had to go to our guide and ask him to tell me the name: “Jak se jmenuje ten pivovar v Belgii?". The answer was Duvel-Moortgat.
Next were some musical performances. One band was playing Irish songs and a second band was performing polka music. We made an attempt to dance some polka. There was also a tree sawing competition. Then we had a sausage with pickles (okurky) for lunch.
After that we went to meet the Czech Board of Presidents. This is a meeting of all local committee presidents with the member committee, the national team. After their meeting they of course needed some relaxation, so we went to a restaurant and later on back to the festival.
The rest of the evening was filled with concerts. The most notable artists were Vlasta Horvath (Czech winner of Superstar) and Support Lesbiens, a very nice band with a bizarre name. The night ended with fireworks.
Sunday
After a good night of sleep in the dormitory we helped some unfortunate beer tasters to find out what they did the night before. (I won’t mention names here...)
We went back to Prague by car after a nice breakfast from the local supermarket.
In the evening, Jiri hosted a tour of the historic center, so we could get to know all bloody stories from the history of the city. If I learned one thing here, it would be: Don’t mess with Czechs!
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Goodbyes
This has been a period with more goodbyes than ever before. I made a small list:
28th of July - Saying bye to my team and my year as MCP of AIESEC in Belgium
30th of July - Saying bye to the MC house where I lived in Brussels.
31st of July - Saying bye to AIESEC in Antwerp.
2nd of August - Saying bye, very unexpectedly, to my good friend Ondra.
8th of August - Saying bye to the interns, the new MC team and other friends in Brussels.
10th of August - Saying bye to my family and my home. Also still visited my grandparents.
11th of August - Saying bye to Belgium, as I take off with the plane to Czech Republic.
I think these are more than enough goodbyes for now. It's time to start meeting new people and get new experiences.
I am really excited and ready to start an amazing time in Prague.
28th of July - Saying bye to my team and my year as MCP of AIESEC in Belgium
30th of July - Saying bye to the MC house where I lived in Brussels.
31st of July - Saying bye to AIESEC in Antwerp.
2nd of August - Saying bye, very unexpectedly, to my good friend Ondra.
8th of August - Saying bye to the interns, the new MC team and other friends in Brussels.
10th of August - Saying bye to my family and my home. Also still visited my grandparents.
11th of August - Saying bye to Belgium, as I take off with the plane to Czech Republic.
I think these are more than enough goodbyes for now. It's time to start meeting new people and get new experiences.
I am really excited and ready to start an amazing time in Prague.
Monday, August 07, 2006
Packing and Preparing...
Currently I am planning how to fit my life into 20 kgs of luggage, as allowed by Czech Airlines. Going through all my stuff immediately also served as a big cleanup of my closets. By now I am plotting on how to smuggle more luggage onto the plane or other alternative ways to get stuff to Prague in a cheap way.
At the same time I also planned a goodbye drink with the AIESEC community in Brussels for tomorrow evening. Tomorrow at 21.00 we will meet in Mezzo, the place where we have our weekly get together for AIESEC interns. As I am going to my own internship, I found this a good setting to say goodbye to the people in Brussels.
Another discovery I just made, is that when you know you are going to leave, suddenly your own country seems more beautiful.
In the last weekend of July I visited Brussels with my mom and I gave her a tour of the things I like in the city. It took quite a while and I noticed that I still had to skip many things.
On Saturday I was in Antwerp, my home city, with Alina (Romanian AIESEC intern in ABN AMRO) and her boyfriend Marco. Also here I really enjoyed showing my city and especially the parts of it which tourists don't know.
That's it for now. Back to packing my bags...
At the same time I also planned a goodbye drink with the AIESEC community in Brussels for tomorrow evening. Tomorrow at 21.00 we will meet in Mezzo, the place where we have our weekly get together for AIESEC interns. As I am going to my own internship, I found this a good setting to say goodbye to the people in Brussels.
Another discovery I just made, is that when you know you are going to leave, suddenly your own country seems more beautiful.
In the last weekend of July I visited Brussels with my mom and I gave her a tour of the things I like in the city. It took quite a while and I noticed that I still had to skip many things.
On Saturday I was in Antwerp, my home city, with Alina (Romanian AIESEC intern in ABN AMRO) and her boyfriend Marco. Also here I really enjoyed showing my city and especially the parts of it which tourists don't know.
That's it for now. Back to packing my bags...
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Bye, dear Ondra
Life is so unfair. One moment you are going to Prague to live together with a great friend and the next moment he is taken from you, even before you arrive to see him again.
Ondra was definitely someone who could always make me even more happy or cheer me up, just by being there. During his internship in Belgium he built a wonderful group of friends and he became legendary for having the best bbq parties in Leuven.
Unfortunately, a stupid car accident took him out of our lives.
Ondra, it will be empty in the apartment without you...
Ondra was definitely someone who could always make me even more happy or cheer me up, just by being there. During his internship in Belgium he built a wonderful group of friends and he became legendary for having the best bbq parties in Leuven.
Unfortunately, a stupid car accident took him out of our lives.
Ondra, it will be empty in the apartment without you...
