promotions

yesterday we went to one of the colleges in chandigarh to promote @ and help recruit new members--needless to say, it's done quite differently than how we do it at cornell...the focus is not at all on traveling and seeing the world and meeting new cultures as much as it is about working with companies like PWC and Microsoft and building your skill set...i still had a blast, though, especially because of the promotions OC. and yes, i like an excuse to walk up to random strangers and start conversation with them...later in the day, my friend asked me to write something about my @ experience, for an article he's submitting (it's copied below). of course, it highlights the positive aspects of it, and those of you who know me well know that @ last year was not a smooth ride--but an emotional rollercoaster on a weekly basis. nevertheless, this organization has become such a gigantic part of my life...and especially the people i meet through it will definitely continue to be.

Manveer (LCP rockstar), Ridhima, TJ, Harry, Priya, Ragini and me

My favorite quote in high school was, "Think globally; act locally."

Since joining AIESEC, that quote, that mentality for the matter, has been ripped up into little pieces and thrown into the trashcan. Locally? In today's world, with the technology, the internet, and the resources of the 21^st century…there is no reason any of us should stop at national borders. The world is indeed becoming smaller by the minute.

Being a member of AIESEC for two years, experiencing the leadership challenges that I faced, making lifelong friends from every corner of the world, going abroad and spending over two months in India working for women's rights—these opportunities, as trying, frustrating, and unbelievable as they were, have profoundly impacted me. AIESEC has taught me what I love and what I hate, what I believe in and what I question, who I respect and who I don't, and who I am and, more importantly, who I want to become.

This organization is unparalleled in its size and scope. It is by no means perfect, but it provides young people, college students no less, the chance to push themselves to their limits, in a team or as an individual. We work and learn and fail and try and succeed and grow, in hopes of impacting our own character as much as the dynamic between the 190 some countries around us.