What will be next?

Finally, I took an important decision... I have been thinking about it for weeks now, and now it is kind of "official".

So here the summary :) :

I came to Norway September 2007 to do my AIESEC internship in ELECTROLUX. After 6 months working in the company, my manager offered me the opportunity to extend my contract for 6 months more (that means until march 2009). And as you can guess (because I am still in ELectrolux Norway) I said YES!
My internship has been a great experience (but it is not over yet, still have some months left). I have learnt a lot and got much more reponsabilities than what I could expected. My job (I am working as a Finance Controller) is really good. I like finance and these last months I have been working much more closer to the business and the market.
But to go back to the point, beginning of September my manager told me that they would like to offer me a real position here in the company after my internship. I think at this time I was not expecting this kind of offer (because of different reasons I didn't think they will open a new position but will prefer to take a new intern) and actually I started to be really confused.
Then I have started thinking and thinking... A LOT!! maybe too much... and I probably put a lot of pressure on me too. And all that didn't give me any answers.

What I saw first in my reflection was:
- great job,
- great quality of life. I never saw a country before where the quality of life is good as Norway. Ok, everything is so expensive here, but life is great. Working hours are from 8am to 4pm, you can practice sports everywhere, no stress at all in Oslo, you can walk in the city at any time of the day or night without being scared, from the city center of Oslo you take a subway for 10 minutes and you are in the forest or a boat for 5 minutes and you arrive in a desert island in the middle of the Oslo Fjord... Norway is a cool country to enjoy life :)
- great salary
So my conclusion was : everything is great, then I should stay. But I was not feeling confident with my conclusion...
(just to say 2 words about Norway and Interns: most of the AIESEC interns coming for an internship to Norway have been hiring by the company after the internship period. It is something really common here)

My second part of my reflection was more talking with some good friends. From this moment I started thinking in a different way... one special friend really opened my eyes, and from my discussion with him I realized that even if everything around me can be so perfect and great, it is not because of that I will enjoy it!! I mean you can live in the perfect world, in the perfect country, do you think that wil be enough to make you happy? But that really hard to think in a different way when you are in a environment when people think like this (one intern even told me once: "but what the most important at the end of the day? the money of course!")

So some days I was feeling staying, some others days leaving...It has been going like that for weeks. But of course I went deeper to my reflection and tried to think about what I really want in life, in my professional career etc etc.
Here some of my answers of the questions "what do I want?"
- new challenge
- to work in a young environment
- to work in a team
- SUN!!! I need sun!!
- to follow my dreams and not the standards of others
- to inspire people
- to travel
- but the most important, I don't want to postpone living!! I mean I want to live now my dreams! I don't want to wait years before achieving them!

So after this long reflection I realized that what I want it is not necessary what I have today. I enjoy my job but for example I am the only young and international person in the company in Oslo. I would like to work in a different working environment: more international, dynamic and younger! I would like to have more interaction with people in my daily work and be part of a team.
I am maybe looking for the perfect job and I want or expect probably too much, but I know today that I want something different, I want a change!!
Aditionally to that, I think I don't see myself spending some more years in Norway. Norway is a lovely country, but the norwegian culture is a really dificult culture to unterstand (at least for a french girl like me :p ). I have tried to understand people, to understand the behaviours of norwegians, to understand their habits ; but even after more than one year i didn't get the answers to all my questions. I would never imagine that Norwegian culture could be so different from the French one for example. Also, I love sun, and winter time is hard to find some sun in Norway. What about the food?? I am still looking for the food in Norway hahaha just a joke, but serioulsy the food in Norway is a long story ;)

So after all these questions I have asked myself, all the hours thinking about my future, thinking about taking the right decision... I decided to not accept the offer from the company. I has been hard... hard also now to realize that I will be moving out of the country in less than 4 months. I enjoy my time here and I have friends in Oslo. I know that it will not be easy to leave Norway. Norway is today a part of my life!
I know also that a lot of people around me will not understand my decision, they will not understand how I can lose an opportunity as the one I had today...

Of course, today I am really scared! Scared about the future... But I think it is a normal feeling. As human, we are always afraid of things we do not know. So I know what I am losing by leaving Norway but I don't know where I will be in 4 months and in which country I will be working. I am scared to not find a job as good as I have in Norway. But that's part of life. Sometimes we have to take some risks!!
I am today confident with my decision, and I know that whatever happen I will not regret my choice. I believe in myself and I believe in my dreams. I am today following my heart without really knowing where I am going!! But that's excisting, isn't it? :)


So now my next steps is to think about what to do!
I will try to stay working in Electrolux somewhere in Europe probably ;) and maybe trying to be closer to my country and my family.

By the way I recommand to all of you to listen this video in case you don't know it yet:

http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

Business trip to the Electrolux HQ

Today was a special day: it was my first business trip with Electrolux, and I just want to share some words about it.
I had a meeting/training in the Electrolux Headquarter today, in Stockholm.

So here comes a summary of my day:
Waking up around 5 am in order to be on time for my flight Oslo - Stockholm at 7.40 am. After a short time in the sky, I arrived in Stockholm, went out of the airport and took a taxi. I was already impressed to see that I even don't need to give the adress to the taxi driver, he knew perfectly where the Electrolux Office was! I guess that Swedish are proud of Electrolux :D
After 40 minutes in the taxi I arrived in front of the Electrolux building: a huge building!!!
From my first minute inside the building I was already impressed. The hall is huge, colourful, with Electrolux white good and vacum cleaners everywhere!! One person for Stockholm came to pick me up at the entrance and show me quickly some floors and offices, and few minutes later our meeting was already starting.
Finally, I got to meet some people I have been in touch with for months but never meet before.
The meeting lasted from 10am to 4.30pm. With 45 minutes break for lunch. The most funny part was when we got to the cantin to take our lunch, a paper was standing at the entrance saying that because of some problem with the dishwasher today we should use plastic plates and glasses. hahaha is that not funny when you are in the Headquarter of Electrolux and you can find white good at each floor??? But I still believe Electrolux products are the best ones! :D
By the way, the cantin in Stockholm is completly different of the one in Norway: in Stockholm they have real food with warm dish, meat, etc etc! uhuu! that was great!!
Then back to the meeting... really interesting by the way :)
4.30pm, the meeting is over. Time for me to go back to the airport... on my way out, I met again one AIESEC alumni (he was MCP some years ago and Electrolux-AIESEC Global Coordinator last year) (I say again because I met him several times during the days :) ) It was interesting to talk to him and share my impression about Electrolux in Stockholm.
I could see today how dynamic, young and international is the working environment in Electrolux in Stockholm. It is about 800 people working there. I can say I fail in love with the Headquarter of Electrolux!! hahaha I am really proud to work for ELECTROLUX!!!
So after this short talk... taxi again... airport again... and flying from Stockhom to Oslo (stopping by the duty free, of course, do not forget I am living in Oslo, the most expensive country in this world). Few minutes later I was back to Norway... and now already back home!

This day was great and really interesting!! I will actually be back to Stockholm in 10 days, and going to spend 3 days there... visiting friends, sightseeing, having fun etc etc and spending one day again in the Electrolux HQ (instead of working from Norway I will work from Stockholm for one day) :D

Capoeira

Capoeira... I started end of August and I am enjoying it so much!!
So I just want to share a bit here about this Brazilian Sport because I realize that a lot of people never hear about this sport before.

I discovered it before going to Brazil and I have always been so impressed when I see people playing Capoeira! For me it is such a beautiful sport to watch. When I was in Brazil, in the city called Salvador (on the east cost of Brazil) I had the chance to see Brazilians playing Capoeira in the street and that was impressing!
Of course I was dreaming to know how to play but it looks so hard!! I promised myself that if one day I will be back to Brazil I will learn Capoeira. I am unfortunatelly not back to Brazil but I decided to try :D
I can confirm that it is really really hard!! But I just love it!!

And playing Capoeira, it is not only "playing", but it is also singing and playing instruments!! So imagine how happy I am: I can feel a bit being in Brazil when being in Norway :D

So here comes a bit more information about it:
CAPOEIRA is an Afro-Brazilian art form that ritualizes movement from martial arts, games, and dance. It was brought to Brazil from Angola some time after the 16th century in the regions known as Bahia, Pernambuco, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, and São Paulo. Participants form a roda or circle and take turns either playing musical instruments (such as the Berimbau), singing, or ritually sparring in pairs in the center of the circle. The game is marked by fluid acrobatic play, feints, and extensive use of sweeps, kicks, and headbutts.

You can of course read more on the net but I just would like to share a video with you, and maybe now you will understand better what Capoeira is about :D
I like this video because it is a video from my Capoeira Club here in Oslo, made last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGmUBdWisZ0

Norwegian winter...

It is only beginning of November and it has already been snowing here in Oslo. It will be my second winter but it is actually more scary than the first one :D It is getting dark and cold again.
That's really crazy to see how the spring or the summer can be SO DIFERENT from the winter time. During summer there is around 20 hours of sun a day in Oslo, but unfortunatelly it is only 3 or 4 during winter. I realise that it is not easy to live in a country when the weather can change so much!! You just get confused!
But now, we are all getting ready for the winter again and not spending so much time outside.
But this year I have my cross country skies and my ice skating shoes, so I am completly ready to enjoy the snow!!

Talking about the winter and the fact that the sun is not present so much... a lot of people have been telling me about the D vitamin. I don't know a lot about it but it is actually a vitamin that you body create with the sun (and I think this vitamin acts directly on your skin and bones). So the problem is : what should you do when you spend a winter in a country like Norway where you don't see the sun for several month?? The answer is: you go to the pharmacie and buy some D Vitamin :D
I didn't do it last year but because so many people recommanded to me, I told myself that I will do it for this winter. So it's what I did 2 days ago, and I went to buy some D Vitamin.
But actually this kind of thing is a mix between D Vitamin, Omega 3 and Fish oils!! And it is acually horrible with a really bad taste (even if I bought the one with Lemon taste)!!!! Bahhhhhhhhhhhh It's a kind of liquid which smells FISH and I have to take every day for the whole winter!!!! Bouhhhhhh I didn't know it was so hard to survive to a winter up north of Europe! HAHAHAHA

So my advise today :D will be: Guys, enjoy the SUN if you are somewhere where the sun is shinning!! :D
But I am actually really looking forward to go back to France for Christmas and get a bit of sun in my French Alps :)

By the way, with some of the interns here in Norway we are planning a trip to the North of Norway to see the Northern Lights!! So if you are around and would like to join, just let me know! That will be also exciting to spend some days ina place where the sun will never show up during the whole day.