: : 2 months in - So this is what being a trainee is like... : :
Friday, August 13, 2004
What goes up...
June 9 - Ok, so I have been here two months this week...I jumped onto @.net earlier today and filled out all the measurement surveys...I am going to print them out and introduce them to my local committee....Having been here this long, I have quite a bit of feedback, well me and all the other trainees, but we are struggling to communicate it without scaring the poor little buggers in the LC...
And the thing is, we are living in Switzerland...We earn Francs, we have a place to live and good jobs...It makes the things that we want to talk about seem a bit petty, however, they are things that really make a difference.
For me its simple things like getting our apartment fixed...The LC have the best intentions and have had a fella come around and fix a wall in our bathroom. This is really nice of them, but for a month now I have been waiting for a key to the apartment buidling washing machine (I cannot find a laundromat and have been doing the wash at another trainee flat - Yes Kezza, I am washing myself, and my clothes too!)
Another thing is as simple as communication. Today I received a call at my office from an LC member who was very angry with me that I had not replied to an email he sent requesting (demanding) that we attend a global village and represent our countries...I mean, I like beer festivals and global villages as much as the next guy, but it is also nice to feel invited, not expected to come....
Ok, I am moaning a bit...I guess after two months it is so much clearer to me now than it ever was, what makes our trainees happy...We spend all this time talking about integrating learning, making teams, having meetings etc etc..and all they (we) want is to have basic living expectations set and met, and to feel invited! Don't get me wrong - I am all for the @xp, but as me towards providing a learning platform, I think we loose sight of some of the smaller, but just as important details, responsibilities we have as a service provider...
Enough of my AIESEC commentary for today...Now for the update....
So last weekend I wanted to just chill and stay home...Friday we ended up doing dinner in Germany, at a Greek restaurant - So much meat, so cheap and free Ouzo shots! The coolest part of it, is that in a Greek Restaurant in Germany, we were an Aussie, an american, a german, a dutch, a colombian, a french, an irish and 2 norweigians...
After dinner the group decided that a beer at the local (Paddy's the Irish pub) was in order...They soon decided after that that they wanted to go home, leaving my norweigian room mate and I to carry the flag for our team at the bar...A sorry walk home early in the morning....
Saturday, I think I slept until about 2pm then lazed about the house in the afternoon...I would have been happy to spend the evening at home, but my other room mate, a nigerian, he gives his house key to friend of his so that he can bring his gf to our flat on dates...(Incidently, I have arrived home on a few occassions now to find these strangers in my flat without my room mate, "On a date" - I told my room mate that I don't like this, but he doesn't seem to understand that it really weirds me out to find strangers in the house...
So anyways, after that digression, I didn't really feel like staying in the bordello Saturday night, so I let some of the trainees drag me to an IAESTE "party". I use the term party loosely, they do not know how to party the way that @er's do...They were sitting in a bunker, almost silent eating big sausages and playing cards...After drinking our fill of the 5CHF all you can drink beer, we made our way to some French girl's birthday party...Her small apartment was chock a block full of people that she didn't know, but she didn't seem to care...even her Landlord, a big bugger (must weigh in at over 200 kilos), no teeth, and looked liked he had been drinking vino since 11am was there partying with us...He kept trying to talk German to me, and was too pissed to realise that I don't understand German! He thought we had a good conversation though, and thats the important thing...
Sunday I spent all day sleeping and since then have been at work, pub Monday and Tuesday night and maybe today heading to Germany again for a bulk, cheap shopping experience...That pretty much brings us up to date...
On the weekend I will be going to Bern, so there may be some tales to tell....
