Half way home

All in all the feedback night my team and I recently had didn't go so bad: what came up was actually nothing that new for me.
Although the sense of humour is one of the most sensitive and difficult elements to deal with in different cultural environment, I must agree that my own humour can sometime be too sarcastic and even annoying; also, as myself brought up, I tend on preferring external motivation rather than being a more proactive self-motivating person: but I think I'm working on it with some success :) On my side, positive feedback have been that I'm able to present my own opinion and defend it when needed; my capability to interact with people is envied and I've been even suggested to make a career out of this skill... who knows?! Anyway I guess both this two last characteristics of mine have been judge by Estonians, a culture which often reflects the opposite of them... more on the Estonian culture will come soon.

I'm on my half way home... meaning still in Estonia, but I finally send most of my stuff home by shipment: 3 luggage's for a total of 40 kg... no bad! I'm happy about that since the packing moment has always been a big stress to me: this time I've been able to do it pretty well in advance.

On Wednesday I had my last gathering of our poker nights: the tradition soon became a really important one for me and all the trainees in Tallinn, filling in the cold and dark nights of the Estonian winter... or at least a night per week; Clint, Eoin, Dejan, Raido and Mark have been the most memorable characters of these pokers nights which have sometimes seen the participation of up to 8 people earlier at Dejan's and later at Clint's; I wouldn't definite it gambling, since all of us has always played more for the pleasure of the game than for the small amount of many, but in the long term somebody has been able to get a second salary out of our poker nights!!.. It wasn't me: I have been doing pretty well at the very beginning but soon made my body language way too clear!! Eoin and Clint, who are staying in Estonia longer are already hunting some new player... Have fun guys: I'll miss poker nights!

The very first hours of the 5 days of MC to MC transition have been spending canoeing on the sea... it was really cool experience: 5 canoes with 2 people per each in... I now know Kaisa's back by heart; the sea and weather condition were excellent and we managed to canoe for more than 10km, getting at the end pretty tired and sun burnt!!
Sun burning has also been one of the biggest surprises: we often had outdoor meetings and everybody got sun burnt... I myself too, which is not a big surprise for my skin, but just I didn't expect the Estonian sun been able of that much!!
The rest of the 5 days have spent really quickly and peacefully... food, relax and work... everything in a good balance! I personally delivered a session about having an international in a team: it was pretty successful and people got the point; what a pity it's just at the end of my term... but hopefully will turn useful to Kreta, the India girl coming soon to work for AIESEC in Estonia.

Back from these sunny days I spent a last day in the office, burning CDs, cleaning up and last but not least leaving my keys... Now I may need to come back a very last time but I don't know how to get in!!

The janni paeve (or something like that) is just one "official" excuse Estonians have to drink: it's the mid-summer day, the day with the longest hours of light (it doesn't really get dark in the night)... the tradition wants that people go to the country side or vacation places, and so I did: we went to Peep's place close to the famous Polva (read Pulva)... famous just because last year I was there as well and it become a one year long joke to talk about the big centre Polva... which of course is not, being only one of the countless small Estonian towns!!
Anyway the time has been spent with everybody but me drinking and talking in Estonia... so I felt a bit out of place plus often half-dead due to my allergies!! Considering this, it was not the most exciting time of my life, but I'll still save a good memory of those days: all in all I had the chance to chat with new people, to experience maybe for a last time a truly Estonian environment, to celebrate Peep?s birthday and... to see Polva!!

And now back home for my last weekend in Estonia: it doesn't sound that exciting. Most of my friends are away for this loooong weekend and I still have some things to accomplish (both touristy and working speaking... anyway tomorrow, Sunday night, I'm sure that if not many at least the right people will show up for my farewell gathering...

And on Monday I'll leave Estonia...

Holiday of my soul

First of all my best congratulation to Peep, my best Estonian friend: Peep has been selected as MC VP ER in the United Arab Emirates for the next year and will soon leave for a long year
Experience in Dubai!
Peep has been a dear friend of mine since my first days in Estonia and my impact and experience with the team and local cultural would have been far more challenging without him: thanks Peep!
Now I wish you a depressing cultural shock :) which will eventually turn into the experience of your life!

It?s strange that in this blog I haven't mentioned yet about my own next international experience: already a month ago I have been selected as Team Leader in the Congress Committee of IC 2005, which means I'm going to spend 2 months of intensive team experience in India. I must say I'm really excited about this new adventure coming up for both all I heard about India and for the honour of working in a multicultural and challenging environment set for an unforgettable conference whatever the final result will be!

Friday I enjoyed a quite and good barbeque night in Kristi Hurry's with trainees and AIESECers... Saturday, after a trip to Kopli with Eoin and his Irish guests (nicer more for the throwing stones games than for what we were expected to see) I went out with Peep and other people: I think really nice is this small bar we entered for a few minutes: Valli bar famous for a small strong drink they serve (and that we had) and for the nice music an old Estonian man can play with his accordion... The owner of the bar seems a bit particular: he doesn't like foreigners too much, especially British... and he didn't allow us to take pictures... weird... but still a nice place to jump in!

On Sunday I had my last mentoring meeting with Helena. Months ago she asked me to become her mentor and I'm really glad I accepted... this experience has been really good for me and hopefully for her too... We both had our learning points and maybe we are now a bit more goal oriented people who hopefully don't forget to enjoy the present!! Helena too is about to live her first international experiences (CEED in German and traineeship)... my dear Monnalisa :) give your smile to the world!.. By the way: Helena and I will try to maintain our mentoring relation on virtual platform.

Other than that, my weekend has been mainly marked by my packing: it's unbelievable how many things I have and how difficult is to get rid of certain stuff... sometime I'm too sentimental toward meaningless things... or maybe they are not that meaningless!! Anyway, hopefully on Tuesday I'll be able to send all my stuff (2 big bags and a smaller one... so far!) back home and being left with only an easy baggage for my trip.

It's confusing; it's kind of a soul trip, the holiday of my soul: soon I'll leave Estonia where I spent a year of my life... I'll head home, Sicily, which means family and friends for a ten days reintegration and new "see you later" ...meanwhile it's time to get ready for India and continuing searching for a traineeship for my post India... And, last but not least, I'm happy to feel it like a holiday that speaks Russian... and... I like it!

Oookk... it's time to go for my last MC feedbacks night... working and personal feedbacks: next time you may finally read something interesting about me ;)

My Russia: Italian pasta with Irish accent!

When, around 15 years ago, I was a grown up 11 years old boy I used to pay a lot of attentions to all the happenings in the world with a particular interest in the mysterious "Cold War", the Perestroika and all what happened in those days in all East Europe!

Later I got kind of interested in Marx and its Manifesto with the brilliant start of "A spectre is haunting Europe" which, by the way, I have never read too further than that!!

Last but not least the passionate board game Risk, simulating a world war: which colour could I always pick if not the Red army to then put aside my real game goal and focusing to conquere Russia with my little red armies?!

All the above to introduce the wonderful Russian experience I just had: 8 days spent between St.Petrersburg (Spb) and Moscow!

There would be definitely too much to say, therefore I prefer to concentrate my thoughts of a few brilliant elements of this trip and then leave the rest to pictures and other blogs ;)

First of all the company: the Irish accent of Eoin has been a great company fitting at the very best my intention to have a both cultural enriching and relaxing vacation. Although not always easy for somebody else, his sense of humour and the difficulty for other (and myself too) to understand his accent have been a good entertainment all the week and plus long!

In Spb the company of Tanya, some friends of her and her family (dog included, attempting to beat me when I tried to cares him with my feet!!) have been a great experience for many aspects like the overwhelming hospitality of Russian people: we have been fed properly, carried everywhere, taken care even while crossing the road or deciding what to drink. Language barriers have shown up and if on one hand we improved our Russian and body language skill, on the other hand we realized how frustrating it can be not having a common platform for communication... above all when you are English native... with Irish accent!!!

In Moscow an extremely nice Tasha from Russia has left us only for her job interviews: she came to pick us up at the train station and eventually made sure we caught our train back to Tallinn, with a lot in between! We all stayed in Katya's place, another lovely Russian girl which hospitality and sense of humour (despite of some English difficulties) have struck me in many ways.

People would have been enough to make our Russian experience a great one... but you then add the places and you find yourself having had an unforgettable adventure!

In Spb, visited in almost every corners and characterized by its beautiful palaces (the winter palace standing out) churches and parks, we got above all the chance to visit both the Russian museum and the famous amazing Hermitage hosting art from any part of the world. I must admit that I never enjoyed museums so much as in Spb... although the whole (raining) day spent into those 2 art houses, I enjoyed my time looking for (and often finding) something grabbing my attention in a mysterious way, admiring famous artist and already forgotten names, randomly stealing the knowledge of tourist guides and comparing them while resting in front of some important piece and seeing/listening them passing one by one; even my almost tragic disaster of splitting some vanilla coke on a Picasso has fortunately turned in simply something to tell my grandchildren... they should forbid drinks in a place where so many valuable pieces are not even cover by glass... or, as general advice I would suggest you not to drink in front of any uncovered piece in there!

In this way I already mentioned my beloved vanilla coke, a drink which seems being produced for me only as most of the people dislike it... instead the presence of it in Russia demonstrate what a develop country it is: definitely comparable to Switzerland, where that drink has signed many of my memories :)

Back to Russia: If Spb offers definitely more to see, including some nice places just outside the city like Petrograv (or something like that) with its beautiful park and fountains, Moscow seems to have a different "personality"... Spb, built in the last 300 years lack of what in Moscow is a concentration of beauty, like the Red Square and the Kremlin, and therefore represent the real centre of the city, the soul around which everything else has developed and keep on growing.

And still so much to say:
The metro stations being each a different art gallery and the many, thousands, millions of people around: wow we weren't used to so many people anymore!.. The boat trip during the sunset trying to take some picture without flash and with a shaking boat... The random communist gathering (renamed Communist party by us) in the red square with around 20 people joining it... the country people or farmer park... the illegal picture taken lying on the grass just on the shadow of the Kremlin red wall... my attempt to perform some bike tricks in front of Karl Marx statue with consequential hurting of my finger... a serious of fascinating contrasts between new and old icons and realities, like Lenin with McDonald background, the 7 Sisters (high similar buildings)... the memorial to cosmonauts reminding the big race to the space after WWII... ... ...

And that's all?! Oh come on... Davai... How about the nights spent in Katya's place either lying on the bed drinking... hmm, guess what?! Russian Vodka, of course... or eating dinners and breakfasts?! Maybe I'm a better cook when motivated by 2 nice girls, but I must admit the dinner prepared was really good: with the vital support of Eoin we cooked pasta with salmon and... eh, eh... you wish I would go more in details! Anyway pasta was good and got the nick of "Italian pasta with Irish accent!" Accompanied by some nice wine Eoin had chosen, our pasta was cooked in honour of our two hosts and celebrated with several toasts!
Other than that: I cleaned the kitchen after all... but it was a pleasure since the nice memories that kitchen is saving for us!

For you all: if you have read till here and still want to know more, feel free to read Tasha's and Eoin's blogs and also have a look at the pictures: all the links are on the right!

Concerning me: the more I think back to this Russia experience the more I would write... but I guess it's fine like that, keeping something hided somewhere in my mind and heart sure that these and other great moments spent in Russia will come up in random places and times to give me a stupid smile of pleasure!