My life...these days...

Moved house...and even though it's just one tube stop away, I have discovered a whole new world. Close by we have a park, a sports centre and a very cool canal. This canal in one direction leads up to the Canary Wharf buildings lit up beautifully by night, and in the other direction, 3 miles up, it leads to...little Venice (?? in London??- a series of canals by Regents park).

(Up and below my room)

This weekend was the last warm one of the bunch, they say,...22 degrees and a Tshirt, perfect time for Victoria park- also close by. There, people were laying on the grass in the sun with kids, dogs, balls, old people in wheelchairs playing music...hippies, rollerblades, fountains, giant frisbees, man made boats. I love London in the week-end- people just chill out and you feel as if you are not in London:). I am trying to get used to chilled life...it feels good..but after a crazy AIESEC year you just feel like something is missing. And it's almost as if you lose patience for normal life...

Since I work 9 to 5 these days, I have time to enjoy my house, our huge kitchen, cooking...some French lessons, some reading...and lots of theatre. I am getting to know London slowly, slowly and my goal is to read about the city's history as much as I can in October. I want to find out why it became what it is...and what makes it so special. Still...my mind is abroad...at my next trips...Paris, Prague, Cambodia, Kazachstan? And also with my MC who are all abroad (Laura soon in Aussie land, JJ soon in NY, Jule in Viena, Ankit in India, Jan in South America, soon in Cambodia).

(Below my housemates)

And speaking of people abroad...this week will be a tough one. Carlos (below with the Romanian girls and his girlfriend) is leaving back to Columbia tomorrow...which makes me sad...but also excited and happy for his new life...
Laura is also leaving this Thursday..for a year..in skippie land. Which will make me even more sad..
And last but not least Beb is having her last night in London Friday...to go to Copenhagen.
So 3 of my closest friends...gone..in a week.

The biggest reward these days though comes a lot from my work. Common Purpose is fantastic. And every day I get it more and more. CP is a charity, looking to develop leaders at various stages and to show them how to lead beyond their authority. It's all based on the theory that Julia Middleton, the founder, came up with and wrote in a book. And I love her ideas. And it all fits in so well post-AIESEC, to study leadership and training further.

I work on our modular 6 month programme for senior leaders called TheKNOW (below an image from a programme day). Every week we have about 2 training sessions that look at the participants getting to know London better, at them understanding change and leadership challenges while driving change. New question is: are leaders only truely leaders when they drive change?

(Below my team: L to R: Marta, Emily, Niru, Andrea and Tom).
So I am loving my work, as I am doing what I love best: organising thought provoking events. And the best part is that I have moved from students to more senior leaders, which is a whole new experience: new attitudes, new approach, new issues.
Still...I do not see yet where it fits with my bigger picture. And as JJ said, I wonder if we ex-AIESECers are cursed with lack of patience and a need to always kill ourselves to get every little ounce of growth and learning.

That's why I decided to volunteer with kids in East London on the side and spend 2 hours every Sunday helping them develop, as part of understanding whether I am truly passionate about learning and development.