Memories of Auschwitz Concentration Camps

I went to Auschwitz, more known as Nazi`s Concentration Camps...

While I was there, I felt that my job, as the thousands of AIESEC members around the world, worths!!

These are pics of my visit to this sad place... place of sadness and memories.. see more to the link...

Auschwitz Concentration Camps
Originally uploaded by Aleja Laiton "Lala".




Auswitchz dorms for the jews...

The execution wall..

The final stop of the train...

and I was there...

Bucaramanga and Paipa.. the Final lap!

After my great days in Manizales post TDM..! I enjoyed my travel to Bucaramanga. It is to 10-12 hours from Manizales to the north east part of Colombia. This city is located closer to Venezuela.

I slept all the trip but also arrived so tired.. Tatiana, the PD Coordinator in this LC, picked me up at bus station and then we went to her house.

My impressions: People Development in Bucaramanga is facing incredible changes right now. The first thing: the former LCVP PD was fired 3 weeks ago, because his low performance at the LC and other financial stuff. :( Bad news. Second one: PD is a small team and they don´t have role models close to heading them.

After all, they are so smart people, mostly are newies. So, I took my time with them to training a lot about PD and our job. It was a lot of questions and also, something that I call "ahhhhhh!!!", it means when something is finally clear and you say: "Oh! my God it is so easy".. It feels so great!. :D Also, I met with the EB and the Finance Team.

I walked out at the streets of Bucaramanga, also it calls "La ciudad Bonita o la Ciudad de los Parques" (The Pretty City or the Gardens City) and it is true. Bucaramanga is a beautiful place, warm weather, amazing gardens (I went to the "Water Garden"), nice people (like everyone in Colombia :P) ...

I´m totally sure that this LC will be in one of the stronger and its PD Team will fly as the Fenix! :D

In my "tierrita"!!!

Boyacá was my destination this weekend!! It is a state in the center of Colombia, in exactly 4 hours from Bogotá. This state is acknowledged as the most farmer of Colombia, this land harvests vegetables, onions, potatoes and so on. A lot of peasants, that in my concept, the most hard-working people of the country. Besides it is the land of my parents and my boss also.. Ivancho was born there, so he was the tourist guide :)

In this wonderful place took place our quaterly MC Team Days..! After almost 3 weeks all the MC members was gathering in Paipa, a small town in the center of Boyacá. We went there in my car and the Ivan´s also. Pipe, Ivancho and me were the responsible drivers! (It was my first experience driving on the road but, they didn´t now! But, don´t worry I did it so well :P)

Summarizing, we spent as a team all the weekend. We did our Team Building, we celebrated the Pipe´s b-day, we talked about our personal journeis, the LC visits, the TDMs.. and by the way, our time as MC.. already it is 4 months!

Finally, I arrived sunday at 11pm, at home, with my mom and my own bed!... really, so, hiper tired!! but It worths!

Definetly I´ll spend my life doing all I like: Travel, knowing new places, reading cultures, enjoying the landscapes, understanding realities!, writing.. I love my job :)

-*-*-*-
The good thing.. with all these things I even had time to read! :) I am carried away by a book that curiously it is of a special teacher mine. He earn a scholarship to study with Mario Vargas Llosa (peruvian writer). This book is called " Human Resources " and is a novel that develops in Bogota. Very good .. so funny! :)

Coming soon.. all the pics.. Take it easy! :)

Coaching | What about Pereira and Manizales?

Hey.. I follow my travel around to Colombia coaching the AIESEC LCs of some cities.


Pereira...
After my great stop in Cali.. Pereira was waiting to me. Those people is extremely kind!.. I stayed almost four days in Pereira at Nati`s house (she is PBOX manager and the "first Lady" of IS in AIESEC International as well.. yeap.. the Kiko´s girlfriend! jejeje) ..

Pereira is located in exactly 3 and a half hours from Cali. It is a small city in the part of Colombia calls "Coffee Zone" or "Eje Cafetero". Beautiful.. everywhere smells to coffee and everybody smile all the time. Juank arrived the wednesday and our meetings there was a success! A lot of questions... a lot!!

People Development Team is the smallest one of the LC, just 4 people but they want to integrate more than that, also they need it. This team had a crisis in the begin of the year because some internal problems, and they started with a new VP 3 months ago. But, now they are working so hard!.. it`is incredible the huge results that the area is delivering.

The last night there they take us to eat hot dog!.. THE hot dog.. I ate it even with strawberry!! can you believe this?? jejeje was funny.! I`ve always enjoyed my visits to Pereira.. they are so funny and also with great motivation to work for @!


Manizales...
We arrived to Manizales, friday early. That day we had our Conference Team Meeting. At last all the facilitators were together checking the details of the event.

Manizales is a really famous city of Colombia because there take place every year the "Reinado Internacional del Café", at january.

But the most extraordinry thing is the Manizales`shape. This city was built on a mountain, so it has infinity of hills, high streets straightened, It looks like a puzzle!!
I`m totally sure that whom learn to drive his car in Manizales, may drive it in everywhere!!!

The TDM rocks! 165 delegates was attended the conference!. 8 facis, 5 Ocs, and incredible academic agenda. New roll calls! some funny punishments, hard parties! the best thing: the memories that brought to me while I stayed there... In that place was my second national conference! I remember when I was a new member attending CONAL 2003 at the same place, heading my future in @.. And suddenly I was there with my badge saying: MC..!! was a frightened moment.. time passes so fast!

Today I`m sick.. Manizales is a cold city, not like Bogotá, but rains all the time.. This and the weariness of these weeks as well, left me with pain of throat, headache and many cough. I wait to get better soon.

Tonight, my next destination: Bucaramanga!

Coaching | Cali Vé! my first stop!

Since 2004 I didn`t visit Cali.. that time I went to the National Congress of AIESEC. It was a short visit because I came back to Bogotá faster to my work.

Cali is a big city, not much as Bogotá, but one of the most important cities of Colombia. Is located to 10 hours from Bogotá by bus, exactly in the southwest side. Warm weather, a lot of music on its streets (it is famous for the "salsa" music), and smily people.

I went with Iván, who is actually the President of AIESEC in COLOMBIA. We spend the weekend with AIESEC Cali, we had some meetings with the PD team, S&OR Team, all the members, its Executive Board (current and the interested to apply for the next one) and so on.

People Development in Cali has an incredible understanding of the purpose of the area... actually, they`re working in all the Leadership Competences Development, and I was reviewing the Mentorship Program implementation, the goal of the LC is all the members has the Career Plan and at least all the Taking Responsabilities members has a mentor to the end of this year :). They didn`t realize Recruitment this semester, so they`ve been focused in their current members.

Also, we met with the PBOX managers, in Cali they are working in Projects about HIV, Export and Bilingualism. Also, this LC has a huge advantage to others in their Learning Environment delivery, and the understanding of the Issue Based Experiences as well. But the problem is selling the PBOXes and tracking the relationships with their partners.

Besides, I had the chance to meet with my 33.3% of NTT.. hehehe! Claudia, who is one of my National Training Team. We both were checking with detailed the agenda of our next regional meetings, which will take place in Manizales, Santa Marta and Bogotá the next weekend and, obviously, we`re in charge. An preparing the Roll Call as well. :P

But also, we had some non oficial activities :P We walked out some Shopping Centers without roof because Cali is a hot cuty so, they can to build Shopping Centers without roof! I(hehehe for me it is so funny, In Bogota, this is totally impossible.. people get freeze with this!)Saturday night we went to a Disco "Rumbahavana", a truly grill!, full of people, good music, "aguardiente blanco"and other stuff... Afterwards, we got a incredible hamburger!!! I got sick in the next day..

Thanks @Cali... I spent nice days! Cali is a great city.. We`ll see each other in Manizales! :)

My next journey!

In a few days I`ll start my new journey! :P

It is curious to say it.. because all my non -AIESEC friends repeat me all the time.. "I want your job!!!" or "How the hells do you found that job?" "You`ve travelled all this year!!" (Medellin, Brasil, Argentina, Polonia!!!).. yeap, they say that, but don`t remember the thousand times that I talked about AIESEC at U..! whatever !

Now.. I`m preparing all the necessary stuff to travel to Cali, Pereira, Manizales (at the west zone of Colombia and also the Coffeest one!) and Bucaramanga (to the north- east side)... kind of cool path, but exhausted as well!..

What will I do?

-LC Visits to that AIESEC offices.
-PD Coaching to my teams
-Attending our Regional Conference (the west is the best!) ..!
-And travel! enjoying the wonderful colombian landscapes!!




Any way, I`m happy because during other 3 weeks I`ll be further than my microscopic office.. without PC and far away from my cold city, for a while..

"Don`t cry for me Bogotá!"