So what did I see?

Do you see what i see?
IC legacy!!!

Yes... so IC ( International Congress 2005) left a huge bang in my AIESEC career! Standing there in the centre of the planery looking all around me... i saw... people who spoke different languages, dressed differently, talked with various slangs,different ways of thinking, different experiences,different countries and regions...
........ but one thing in common.... their passion to the organisation, their love and commitment to AIESEC and its people. My hair still stands as I remember the first time i stepped into the planery during the opening ceremony! Feeling at that point:[ proud....really proud to have been able to be part of this phenomenal organisation] But personally, it was already an achievement to have been able to attend IC itself...

I really had the great pleasure of being part of this legacy together with my "babies"; Leonard, Jasmine, Jillyn,Ren Chang...( and of course Mama Lin and Papa Ed, my long lost and found and looking better than before sista RenBin and the forever funny and silly Bonnie, who made this part of my memory a really memorable one!)

I would like to highlight some of my unforgetable moments and stories from IC 2005:

1. All set everyone? Weeks of preparing for IC- expectation setting, reading materials, kuih-muih and dodol, getting souveniers,and of course who can forget the matching tradisional dress that me and mama Lin made specially for IC...phew those many trips to petaling street with Wei Han also who was to go to Japan for his NALDS conference as a faciliatator!

2. All our bags are packed...are we ready to go? Bonnie, Huilin and Edwin left earlier to India... So on the 23rd of August, me and baby Leo, Jas,Jill and Chang left KLIA so excited and eager to reach India or rather Agra. We had a great flight to Mumbai occsionally with the loud and sharp cry of a very confused 6 month old baby!!! We eached in Mumbai about 12am had a long 5 hours transit at the airport itself as it was already late there in India. I still remember sitting with these guys, counting our money in the middle of the airport. Planning how to save every penny so that we could have a great post tour! Hehe.. But finally... we reached... check out the following picture taken upon arrival in the Delhi airport!

3. Global Village: The first time i saw the true colours of AIESEC. Bringing together people from over 90 countries. It was really great with our Malaysian booth having Taj mahal as our background. We were all dressed in our cultural costumes, proudly presenting to people dodol, kerepek, gula-gula buah pala, beautiful pictures, broshures and other stuff from my Malaysia... I remember one point as i was walking back towards our booth, I saw the faces of my country mates, shining with so much pride, and just at that point I took a slow 360 degree turn to see the people around me... dressed in the most beautiful dresses i have ever seen... vibrant colours shown in through their dresses and also faces..... and each of them had the exact expression in their faces...so much pride and love for their country!

4. AIESEC Identity and AIESEC 2010: Probably the best part of IC 2005.I still cant believe that i was part of the history making group of people. I still remember the discussions after discussions trying to come up with the perfect identity and vision for the organisation. The amazing part of this whole process was the fact that i got to work with remarkable people from all around the world. It was amazing to see how different people were but how extentive and phenomenal their visions were. There was this part of the session where we were to share with other how we envisioned AIESEC to be in 5 years time. I closed my eyes and tried to see AIESEC Malaysia in 2010.... I saw AIESEC in Malaysia being the number one organisation in the country... everyone talking about AIESEC... everyone wishing to somehow rather work with AIESEC... and AIESEC being this largest learning network itself, connecting people from different walks of life... different people learning from each other...
I can still feel the shivers when Brodie and the rest of the MCPs globally "launched" AIESEC 2010... IT was the greatest moment...so much pride and joy to be one of the 500 to create history and to lead the organisation to a direction that we will live to see in 5 years down the road!

5. Gala Dinner & UBS Award: We are the champions, my friends.... but we'll keep fighting till the end.... to be GLOBAL CHAMPIONS of the Globe!!! Hehe.. A beautiful night, with a beautiful finale! It was the most amazing set up, an out-door dinner set up with nearly a thousand alumni and external together with the hopeful countries just waiting for 2 things: 1. dinner to start and 2. the UBS Award winners to be announced! The Malaysian delegates arrived at the venuw quite early, and booked ourselves a beautiful table having the best view and distance to the stage..."well.... just in case we would need to go up the stage that evening to claim our trophy!"

As they were near to announcing the winners, all i can remember is that Huilin and I had our palms classped tightly... in deep prayer and hope.. trying to console each other not to get too excited... and as the winning criteria for the Asia Pacific UBS Excellence Award was being announced, somehow rather it seemed rather familiar.... Huilin and I held each other tighter and tighter... and the moment they announced... AIESEC in........................MALAYSIA, the both of us just jumped up and screamed.... hugging each other, while the rest of the world just watched us...Shortly, teary eyes Bonnie and RenBin were at our table, and the 4 of us just hugged each other for a very long time.. At that point i didnt bother about the rest of the world..Images of my team mates, Chien, WeiHan, Thomas, Eric, Alicia who were not there to receive the award with us and not forgetting each and everyone who had worked so hard for this dream to come true!!
For Bonnie, Huilin and RenBin, it was a very emotional night, having experienced the same event in IC2004, and going home empty handed that year.... it was completely a new feeling all together for the trio!
The rest of the night was simply unforgettable... my only regret that my country mates werent there to celebrate together with us... I still remember how Huilin, Sweeli,YitWei and even Edwin.. stayed up for 24 hours just to get the application done...After 24 hours of typing, we could hardly talk or sit up straight... but feeling the cold and seeing the shiny trophy in our hands..... made every singe minute so worth it!

In all the excitement to look the best that evening, Huilin and I totally forgot to bring our mobile phones... Well,luckily for Edwin who instantly sms-ed Chien when the winners were announced, we were able to talk and exchange tears and laughters with our loved ones back home!:)






The Malaysian Delegates.... celebrating the vistory!



UBSAsia Pacific Excellence Award Winner -IC2005,Agra AIESEC in Malaysia
Global UBS Execellence Award Winner- IC2006,Poland: AIESEC in MALAYSIA???

Anyway there are many more moments of that i will forever cherish and remember... after all it was indeed my FIRST IC!:)
Luckily i have my photos and videos of the amazing people i met there in quest for knowledge and experience...and also the amazing and unforgetable moments/sessions and the post tour after the conoference itself!:)

Well, thats all for this time, looking forward to my next IC ( fingers crossed!!!).. in POLAND!

Legacy or not... here i come!