No grapes, but LDS was awesome.

I am enjoying some very nice grapes right now. I feel like I haven't eaten any fruit all weekend and these are just the thing. As well as that, I've, in the last few hours experienced walking outside, in fresh air with people and cars and things around. This has all been rather refreshing after spending 4 days in a hotel without leaving until today. But they were a fantastic 4 days. 4 days of intense AIESEC experience. Motivation, emotion, learning, meeting new people and voting in the new national committee for AIESEC UK 2006/07, at the Leadership Development Seminar. It feels so good to be part of something so big that means so much to so many people. The sheer passion of all these people (mostly new members) wanting to do things in AIESEC; make a contribution; make a difference.

After every conference I come away with the feeling that AIESEC is truly great. It actually changes the lives of people, one at a time. It makes an impact on people. On trainees, on members and on companies. And I think everyone at the conference understands that and believes in themselves to make things happen in AIESEC. And we are all capable of it. The feeling of talking to a company, raising a meeting, meeting a trainee at the airport, forming friendships, realizing things about people and the world. These are all amazing feelings that can be achieved through putting hard work into AIESEC. And I want to put in that hard work and achieve those things. It is all possible, it is all easy and it is all going to happen. I am going to raise a traineeship. And change one person's life. And in turn, even in just a small way, the lives of everyone they know and meet. That is what makes AIESEC worth doing. That is why I am doing it and love it.

Now of course I am still feeling the conference buzz, which will slowly fade but I hope my passion for it will continue to be fuelled by thinking back to the things I've learned and emotions I've experienced at this conference.

So, I am going to work damn hard in the incoming exchange team, going to sow the seeds for the Salaam Project in Edinburgh (addressing the tensions between the cultures of UK and the Middle East by exchange between the regions). But I really think I want more than that. My time in AIESEC Edinburgh, as a member, will come to an end when I finish my degree in May/June. It will leave a gap in my life. Yes, everything will be changing at that time. But I don't think I'll want to let go of AIESEC. I think I've got so much more to give to it and so much more to get out of it. So yes, I will do something over the summer - probably go and work on a project in another AIESEC committee somewhere in the world. Then I could just go get a job, start a career (but still give back to AIESEC at least in a small way as an alumni). But I really don't know if that will be enough either. All this needs thought. A few days for things to settle in. So we'll leave it at that for now.

P.S. Quickly a thank you to all involved. The amazing Organizing Committee (esp Laura), the MC, the new MC who are going to be amazing, the companies who came to talk to us, our international facilitators, the candidates who just didn't quite make it this time, all the brilliant delegates. You all made it fantastic. We are all going to do great things.