Děkuji!

As cheesy as it sounds, saying goodbye is always the hardest part of the journey.

There are times when I would just pause for a second and look back at everything I've been through over the past few weeks. From delayed flights and getting lost, to nature trips and midnight chats at the pub with some of the coolest people I have ever met, I could say that, indeed, I have lived an adventure.

It wasn’t so long ago when I first learned about AIESEC. I was sixteen and a college freshman with high hopes of “seeing the world” more, and going on an exchange abroad had always seemed to be the perfect way to fulfil those hopes. So coming across something like AIESEC was like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. For me, it was one step towards reaching my ultimate college dream of undertaking an exchange program.

And, I was right.

Fast forward to two years, and I passed the Review Board Interview for the Global Community Development Program – the most crucial part of the selection process of going on an exchange with AIESEC – which, I wouldn’t lie, took me months (maybe even a year) to prepare for.

I’ve always been nervous and insecure about everything; screwing up almost every screening and interview that met my way. But this AIESEC application was different. Somehow, it felt as though my whole life depended on it, which is funny, because I’ve never taken anything else seriously like that before – not even my college entrance exams.

But then again, the interview was just a tiny test along the way. I had yet to face the worst, and I have to say that aside from gathering enough confidence for all the screenings I went through for AIESEC, the toughest part of this whole exchange thing is deciding where to go.

AIESEC continues to expand each year

I have a long mental list of countries that I like to visit. And as AIESEC is present in 113 across the globe, making a decision as to where to go could be a problem for a girl like me with loads of wants but has a fickle mind.

Soon enough, the long list of countries I had in mind narrowed down to three: Brazil, India, and the Czech Republic. But for some reason, visiting Brazil evaporated in my list, and I was down to the latter two.

In my diary are tables of the pros and cons of going to India and the Czech Republic. I considered the living conditions, the budget, exchange rate of the currencies, airfare, visa application, the weather, the possible project I’ll be under, and whatnot.

But being a big fan of Indian culture, India had always seemed to be the ideal place for me to visit, and not to mention, my fan-girl fantasies that I might bump into Aamir Khan or Suraj Sharma somewhere along the way (no matter how impossible that may be) pushed me more to visit the country.

Getting an invite from Delhi University was a sign I took that maybe, just maybe, India really is for me. But when I looked at the project date, it coincided with my last month in school, and I had to heart-breakingly turn it down.

India had a lot of other projects, but none of them seemed to suit me like what DU sent me. Plus, all the heated news about rape cases in the country made the idea of me going there look twice more risky to my family, friends, and co-AIESECers, so I had to painfully let go of that big dream of mine going to “Incredible India”.

Which left me with the Czech Republic…

I first fell in love with the Czech Republic when I saw it in the Mandy Moore flick “Chasing Liberty” with my ma way back in 2004. Ever since then, I swore that I would visit this picturesque country with white walls and orange roofs.

Yep, the Czech Republic is my childhood dream country. And whenever I see it in Samantha Brown’s travel show “Passport to Europe”, I couldn’t help but stare at the TV screen with my heart screaming “When will I ever go there?”

From AIESEC-UST's page for Exchange Participants

Well, I’ve been in the Czech Republic for six weeks now, and unbelievably enough, I’ll be leaving soon.

They’re right. Time does fly too fast.

I hate drama. I hate being sentimental. Everybody who knows me should know that. But this journey I’ve lived – which I’ll be bidding goodbye to in a matter of days – is tugging at my heartstrings like crazy!

It feels just like yesterday when I was interviewed by AIESEC-Brno, when I applied for their TN “SPEAK! Project” – a cultural education exchange program, where an international team of three to four students would be interacting with Czech students to make them more comfortable in conversing with the English language – and now, I’ve already started to pack my bags for my departure this coming Monday.

At first, going on this exchange was nothing but a dream, but it turned out to be so much more than just that. It became a goal, which eventually led me to a path of self-discovery and independence.

I have always doubted my abilities, and suffered from big-time inferiority issues. I’ve never seen myself as “good enough” to reach something I really, really want. Mediocre or average – that’s what I’ve always seen myself to be, and, I’ve done a lot of things to try to prove to myself that I am not a weakling as I think I am – some of them were right decisions, and some of them were not.

And, this AIESEC experience of mine is one of those right decisions I've made.

After what seemed like a thousand delayed and cancelled flights, I finally arrived in Brno, Czech Republic on the 25^th of March, 2013 – a snowy Monday – for the SPEAK! Project internship.

As SPEAK! Project is composed of an international team, I were to work with three other girls: Snizhana from Ukraine, Aor from Thailand, and Justine, who also came from the Philippines.

They’re all so nice, so smart, and so beautiful that making friends with them had never been an issue, for in some way somehow, we just kind of clicked. Living together for more than a month, it felt as though I’ve temporarily been given older sisters. Yes, I’m their “baby”.

It’s actually funny how a girl who just turned 18, like me, would be “teaching” Czech university students, who are all – more or less – over the age of 20.

We first met our students on the 2^nd of April – just right after the Easter holidays – and getting to know our students more, I found out that some people in my classes are even in their master’s level already! I’ve never felt so little, standing in front of all of them. But the age gap proved to be nothing at all, because all of us were there to learn.

These students signed up for the conversation classes with me to practise their English speaking skills, while I chose to undergo this internship to build my confidence.

A lot of my students became my friends, and soon enough, I found myself staying up late at night at pubs with them to chat over a drink or two.

As the Czech Republic is the home of the “Best Beer in the World”, we went out for drinks a lot. Drinking plays a big role in their lives. And here’s a fun fact for you: beer is sold cheaper than water here! But since I couldn’t take in as much alcohol as my students could, I just settle for a glass of beer or wine, and that’s it.

Guess which one is my glass :P

How do I find Czech beer, you ask? Well, it’s bitter, and I don’t understand how people could drink them without cringing to its taste!

If I’m not out in pubs with my students, I travel to neighbouring countries (I was able to visit Austria and Slovakia), or go on nature trips with my co-interns, usually with Justine and her bro-mantic students, Martin, Mirek, and Ivo.

I definitely love cheap thrills, like sitting on the edge of cliffs, watching the sunset, climbing hills, and taking long late afternoon walks in the forest. I find them rather enjoying than getting lost in the busy city centre. And, the sound of the birds, the cool wind, and the calm ripples in the water are simply priceless.

Of course, this adventure doesn’t come with just “fun”. I had my fair share of difficulties upon coming here, as well, and I must say that these challenges are some of the things where I learned the most.

Prior to this exchange, I was a princess.

I always had somebody else to do the work for me, and sometimes, it could be as simple as getting a glass of water. The only chores I had to deal with at home were tidying my bed, sweeping the floor of my room, and washing the dishes – and these I do occasionally, like when I want to avoid trouble, or when my ma starts to scold me.

I didn’t prepare my own food. I didn’t do the laundry. I only accompany mama or mommy (my grand mum) when shopping. But here… I had to do EVERYTHING.

Doing the laundry with Justine in our bathroom :))

I learned how to prepare my own food. I do the laundry by hand (because the washing machine hates me). I shop for groceries. I learned how to budget my money, weighing the worth of everything that I want to buy. I booked my own flights and scheduled my trips. And adding up to these adjustments I have to make in my life is the problem of language barrier.

As I live out of the capital, almost everyone in the shops, at the reception, and in the streets don’t speak English! Communicating with the locals in English is pretty much useless, because they’ll answer you in Czech anyway.

As the weeks went by, we got to pick up a few Czech words during our stay and things became easier, although pronouncing words with the character “Ř” had always been a challenge for me. Thank God the AIESECers and our students are always there; ready to help us should we need anything. They send us links, maps, and some even buy the stuff we need for us.

Czechs may not seem like warm people at first (they hardly ever smile), but they are very nice and helpful once you get to know them.

Public transportation is also efficient. Trams, buses, and trolleys are highly accessible anywhere and they have their respective schedules of arrival and departure. They are so efficient that they always arrive on the dot, which could be a problem for a typical Filipino, like me.

On the tram with Justine :)

Filipinos have gained the reputation of being late, and the term “Filipino Time” is coined for such trait. But here in the Czech Republic, you can’t be late and you can’t be early either. Sometimes, it’s a do-or-die situation, really. And it’s not just public transportation that’s strict on the schedule, but also the people!

It’s amazing how they are always on time. It still is a mystery to me how they do that, really.

Perhaps, when I come back to the Philippines, I would be more time-conscious and punctuality will be my best trait.

Oh, time…

If only I could stop the clock from tick-tocking and bring back all the memories I’ve had here, I totally would.

But I can’t.

And the best thing I could do is make the best of my remaining stay here.

Brno has a very special place in my heart now. The places, the people, and even the beer that I could never finish… Everything! They are all packed in one room that I will forever treasure.

So, thank you AIESEC for giving me the opportunity to have “The Best Summer Ever”, and experience this journey I thought I would never live. May you continue changing lives, the way you changed mine.

Thank you to my family – Mama, Papa, Mommy, EK, Mamanet, Papaze, and Lolo (even though you’re up there already, I know you’re still by my side), who supported me with this endeavour of mine; who stayed up with me during those stressful nights to book tickets and accomplish all of the Visa application requirements; who prayed for me; who miss me so much and can’t wait to see their Tooni, Muni, Kuni, Kini, Mumot, Nin, Andres, Dee, or whatever they wish to call me. I love you all!

Thanks to my friends, who kept me sane by chatting with me via Facebook and Skype, despite the time differences!

A very special thanks goes to Tita Laline and Tito Anne for accommodating me and helping me during those crazy flight mishaps.

A big thank you goes to my AIESEC-UST family, who updated me about our LC, kept in touch with me, and thanks too for posting my blog in our group.

Thanks to AIESEC-Brno for just being the best host LC ever!

Thank you to everyone who signed up for SPEAK! Project Spring 2013 conversation classes. Thank you for being patient, and understanding, and kind. I wish you enjoyed our classes as much as I did. I will truly miss seeing you!

Thank you to my dear co-interns, Aor, Snizhana, and Justine! After all the craziness we’ve been though, I couldn’t believe that we’ll soon part ways. I’ll miss dining out, travelling, and shopping with you! Till we meet again!

♥

And above all, děkuji, Brno!

With much love from the brave little girl you toughened even more.

♥Andz

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

-Dr. Seuss