Singapore: Cultural Envoy for Exchange & Development (CEED), An AIESEC Experience

We all dream of going abroad at least once in our life time and so did I, but how many of us that how it’ll will feel out there in an Alien Nation without your own people , your friends and yes without your home. A lot of questions go through your mind like How will the food be ? How will be accommodation ? How will the people be out there ? and yes Will I’ll be able to enjoy myself to the fullest and do my work with the same zeal as I have planned?

Well I had all those above questions running in my mind when I got the offer to do a 2 month Summer Internship at the National University of Singapore in the year 2009. I was pretty confident about the work I was supposed to do but since this was the first time I was going to any place far off where I’ll be left all by myself so there were some jitters too. But then God Helps those , who help themselves, and I actually helped myself during October ‘08 by joining AIESEC, the World’s largest Youth Organization. I was working in AIESEC till that time just as a member and had very little idea what it has to offer us. Before going to Singapore I came across this really cool program of AIESEC called CEED (Cultural Envoy for Exchange and Development) through which a member of any AIESEC LC can work in a different LC and can help then with his/her skills. Since I was mostly related with the CIM department I applied for this one only and to my fortune they had a vacancy there. I was excited about seeing the international face of AIESEC.

So I set out on my journey with dreams in my eyes of meeting new people and making new friends. My landing was fantastic and Changi really set the bar for what I was supposed to witness in Singapore. An exquisite country which has every thing to offer from the most Natural Zoos, Night Safari and Bird Parks to the Heavenly and adventurous Sentosa to the electric and Nightly active Clark Quay. The hustle & bustle of Little India, Chinatown to the really calm roads of Commonwealth. From the lucky Fountain of Wealth to the really amazing Escape Theme Park.

First Meeting

But where did AIESEC make an impact. Well Beautiful and Gorgeous things need to be discussed separately and well it was exactly the same for me when I was first contacted by Shean(Sleepy) and Amanda(The Orangutan) at the Raffles City Center. Well what can be a better introduction to a new team than meeting to really pretty Girls at a pizza place. It was a start I’ll never miss. We discussed the details of my work and I had a good time explaining the maps of India of Singapore to them :) .

EB Outing

  

Well after that I was looking forward to meeting the full LC and discuss my exact job profile. And to my surprise it was a completely Girly LC with Elroy(Mr. Laidback ) being the only guy. I met Wenny (The LCP) and yeah Bernice(Nasty). It was a fantastic day for me

as I was joining their EB outing so I really got to know the working of AIESEC in NUS. It was fantastic as I was shown the stats and goals by Nasty I was really awed . They were really optimistic and Realistic goals and that actually made an amazing image of a 15yrs established LC. After the meeting I had the first taste of a Chinese Delicacy called Dan Dan Mian the only vegetarian thing available in the Chinese Restaurant. It was the most amazing Noodles I have ever eaten and its name only is makes me feel hungry. After the meal I had a comfortable ride home in Elroy’s car where I really got the insight into the LC workings.

The Harbor Front Encounter with the Cow and Mai

Well I was invited by Sleepy to Harbor Front as she introduced me to some of her friends and well it was wow. I met the  first Indian origin AIESECer in Singapore, Rita(Brown Cow) and yes a beautiful woman and cute AIESECer from Vietnam, Michelle Mai Pham V ^_^ V. By far she was the cutest lady I met in Singapore. We had a tour of the Vivocity Complex and we ended up taking snaps in different poses. And well it was more fabulous as Rita invited me to her Birthday which was just a few days away.

Meeting at SMU

We all met at SMU to discuss about the progress of AIESEC in NUS and set the goals for the coming academic session. The discussions about Recruitments , Projects and Welcome Tea kept all of us busy throughout the day. We also discussed about tapping in new partners for the LC and creating maximum impact during the College Matriculation Fair. Bernice came up with some brilliant ideas about tapping the IT companies in Singapore. Overall it was a day packed with some real @work but in the end it was all a happy ending.

Cow’s B’day Bash

Well Cow invited me to her B’day in our last meeting and I was really excited about meeting some really new people and also experience an foreign B’day bash. Well it turned out to be a night filled with Ta-Boo & 7up game, Bachata, Salsa , some really interesting talks and yes Absolute Vodaka and Martini. I had my first and only date till now with alcohol as I gulped down 3 shots of Vodka and Martini each. ( FYI I am not a drunkard and neither do I plan to drink in future for leisure but well when its a sport and I lose then I really gulp all punishments happily. BTW I am proud I didn’t get high after all the above drinking.)It was a day I’ll always remember as I really enjoyed the Party and hospitality of the Cow . (Thank You Cow for that :) ). The night ended with all of us leaving for home at 3 in the Morning.

The African Dinner

Well work was going on fine when I was told about the opportunity to meet some International Interns  in Farrer park for an African Dinner. A new intern from UK , Abi arrived in Sinagpore a few days back and it was planned to organize an African dinner for her. Upon reaching the station I met people from the NTU and SMU LC also there were interns from New Zealand and Canada. But alas mother nature had some other plans . It was raining and the African restaurant was pretty far. So we people decided to settle on an Indian restaurant and well it turned out to be good as I ordered dishes like Dosa, Idli sambhar and Choole Bhatoore for my International Friends.

After the dinner we went for some walk around the area and had small talks amongst ourselves. We eventually landed at a Chinese Ice Cream shop and had some really amazing Mango Ice-cream.It was time to leave but not without a snap and another round of amusement and so we did before we took our MRTs.

Shisha & Karaoke @ Arab Street

One thing I noticed in Singapore was that whenever I thought it was over the country gave me something doubly amazing to enjoy. A similar experience was of Arab Street Shisha and Karaoke when Nasty invited all of us. After going to the Shisha place we headed to a Karaoke Bar which was the place where we had the maximum fun, was highlighted by singing on Karaoke . Another remarkable night passes singing and enjoying.

The Final Farewell

“Everything that has a beginning has an end , Neo.” – Agent Smith, Matrix Revolutions.

The above lines hold true for this amazing experience of my life too. It was the last time I was going to meet Shean and Amanda, as they were the only EBs available. An amazing lunch at a Chinese Restaurant at Raffles Place, followed by a short meeting at Starbucks and the Final Goodbye to Amanda. This is what summed up everything. I accompanied Shean at Starbucks and had some small talk including some Tech Stuff. It was fun and finally the time came as we said goodbyes. I was sad but at the same happy about the eXPerience I had as an AIESECer and the Positive Impact I was able to make on the NUS LC and also the Singapore MC.

Just before leaving I met Mai Pham once again and we shared Sugar cubes which I still treasure.

My journey ended in Singapore but the experience will live on the the friends I made there will always have a special place in my heart.

I would like to thank NUS , AIESEC, all the AIESECers in Singapore and Singapore for giving me the best eXPerience of my life till now. Love you all and Miss you.

Technorati Tags: Singapore,AIESEC,NUS,National University of Singapore.

Friends Together Forever

On this beautiful eve,
As I begin to write,
Of Love , Friendship & the Life Forever,
I simply believe that I am right,
And wish this dream ends never.

I have seen it all & faced it all,
From sweet honeydews to the worst pitfalls,
From gliding the air to treading the fireballs,
In my life I have felt it all.


But something kept pushing through the race,
Of life, love & ambitions with grace
Told me that I am here with a purpose in life,
And gave me friends to share the Five!!!

Its a journey I am still moving on ,
With a song I am singing along,
Towards the dream I am living on,
For friends , with friends & for the memories bygone .

To wrap it here I say it yay,
To all my friends "A Happy Friendship Day" !!!
**For them I prey,
That showers of blessings may soak them today !!! :)
**

---- Shubhanshu Mishra

** Edited Content

We Know What We Did Last Spring ;)

BASED ON A TRUE EXPERIENCE

Even without dying,
I could see you prying,
Your eyes were red,
And your hands were cold.


It was in the last spring,
That you went on a roll.
To scare me off
And you haunted my soul.

With that big grin of yours
I was always scared,
'Cause you you had something,
That I never wanna share.

The nights were cool,
And windy as the haunting,
The horror scenes came
And left me chanting.

It was you who made my nights bizzare,
Everyday I had a new mental scar.
I tried my best to get it out of my mind.
But Regan kept on coming
And took away my smile.

But to thank you all,
I would just say fine.
I have developed an affinity
For the horror swine.

And now I am a guy who can face the dark,
Can scare away the dogs and the mighty cats.
Its a thing that changed my life and all.
And made me a prey to be caught by all.



Writer: Shubhanshu

I love Regan MacNeil-Refer Exorcist


Acknowledgements:

W-309 Horror Group

1. Manaal -Awesome Actor . I can tell you he can really shock you with his horrifying ideas.
   
2. Sawan - 23 thats all you need.His physique is exactly the one needed to pop form any location and stay always close to the protagonist.
   
3. Girish - A true strategist he could plan things that no one can imagine.And his grin is just too awesome for any horror play to succeed.
   
4. Ankit - My partner in my first experience with Regan and an active member of the W-309 Horror Group.
   
5. Varun Bedi ,Samrat ,Ashish - People with the best knowledge about electrical circuits and when to switch them off. Had a really tough time controlling them coz they were too good at their job.
   

The Awesome 4some

"Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born."

Its always nice to see good people around you.But when you get to live with them you realize what makes them the ultimate greats.

I got a chance to experience the might of such people-"The cream of India" as you may call them.The place was the same as for any other first year student but surely the residents made it really special.

So,enough of introduction let me straightaway get to the point.Its a page purely dedicated to the 4 phoodus of the rooms W-309&310.


Let me start withe baby first a.k.a. Oontarip you can easily relate him to our own budhhu bhaalo (as was the case in Winny the Pooh).A very funny person although he thinks that he is not.All his attempts to prove his smartness are a very effective means of our daily entertainment.But don't mistake him for an innocent lad coz you'll be guessing correctly.

Now comes his roomie,too busy to check what others are doing(I think that he always thinks that there's more to life than he has right now),he's our very own Verma.Cool and composed always ready to go anywhere -(I'm talking in the literal sense).He never talks much and you have to always instigate him to at least get some voice out of his mouth.A good person at heart-(only saying coz he helped me when i was ill,I have never peeped into his heart).

Its time to move my attention from my tommies to my own roommate(don't break that word to get a new meaning)-well he's a guy(I don't know how many would object to that,but I dont care) of great caliber especially when it comes to getting friendly with gals.To much of studies have taken a toll on his health and his ignorance for physical stuff is adding to it.I think he tries to do a lot but in the end its OK for me if he's satisfied with it.

Ok,I think I talked a lot but the way these 3 have affected my life I gotta become the 4th phoodu.Nothing much can I talk about myself because I'm a very modest person.But just to show prove that we are the 4 phoodus I tell you that the average CGPA of my room W-309 was
9.48 with me being the leader.Thats all that I can praise myself in public.
There's a lot to our lives that I could have told but as always the space and the time don't permit me.

:-)