Summer

Long time again that I didn't write anything on my blog! I promised myself to do it more often, but still...

Since my trip to Tromso, what did I do?!

First, in June, I came back to France for 10 days!! It was perfect holidays. I think at this time I needed a break, having some holidays, spending time home with family and friend...
I spent the first week end in Paris! First evening, we went to a restaurant with Jean, François and Vinicius (a friend from Brazil that I didn't meet since I left Brazil). So the plan was having some good food for a cheap price :) and then buying a cheap bottle of wine and drinking in the street! We had a ice walk in the city (Notre Dame, Chatelet, Hotel de Ville)!
I realized that I miss France and also the life in Paris (even if I know that the life is a bit crazy there)
The day after, I went to an AIESEC Global Village! It was a good event to meet most of the AIESECers again, mainly the MC members. On Saturday night we had a nice party at Cité Universitaire (great place to party, meet students and young people in Paris).

Unfortunately I spent only from Friday evening to Sunday in Paris. So it was really short and it was not possible to see all of my friends there, but I really had a great time!!

After my week end in Paris, I took a train to Embrun, where my family lives, and after 11 hours spending in the train (yes, I am living in a small place in the middle of the Alps), I arrived home!
There, I spent one week!
Meeting different friends every day, talking to my father, spending a lot of time with my younger sister... all these moments were great! 3 friends of mine from Paris came also for the week end!
The weather was perfect: sunny and 35 degrees outside... I could go to the lake every day and lye on the sun!

On the 23rd, my father drove me back to the airport in Marseille where I took my flight to Norway. It was actually a really strange feeling... leaving my family and country again... and some hours later I was back to Oslo, where it was raining! snif snif :(

But then the sun was back to Olso too, and I am right now enjoying the summer here, even if it is not warm as it is probably in France right now. But days are still really long.

So since I came back to Norway, almost 3 weeks ago, it has been a bit crazy... A lot to do at the office!
I thought that because most of people are in holidays in July, it will be more relaxed at the office, but not at all! My manager is right now in holidays, for almost 5 weeks, and she gave me most of her responsibilities. It is really challenging but interesting!

So I have been working hard these last days, but I don't forget to enjoy life as well:
- cinema,
- volley ball (yes!! we have a team and are playing beach volley every Tuesday evening!!),
- jogging (last time, it was 2 days ago at 6.30am with my flat mate! cool jogging: sun was already shinning, nobody in the park/street and then I was full of energy for the rest of the day at the office),
- biking (now that I am living in the city center, I can use the city bike every day instead to take the subway!)
I just love living in Oslo!! The quality if life is excellent here!! The only problem is that there is no too much sun during winter, but still, I really enjoy my time here! :)

Summer in Oslo

Back from Tromso, the weather started being perfect in Olso!! The summer is finally coming!
... around 30 degrees everyday... the sun is shinning!!
Yoouah!!

Last week end we went to a cabin, 1 hour from Oslo, in Larkollen. The week end was perfect! I didn't feel being in Norway!
First I didn't know that it could be so warm in Norway, and second I have never thought it was possible to swim in the sea in Norway (I thought it was so cold for that), but no! I was wrong!!
I have been swimming in the Oslo Fjord!! Ok, the water was colder than the Mediterranean sea, but it was still ok :)

Two weeks after Tromso where I was freezing with my winter jacket, gloves and scarf, I was still in Norway but this time in bikini lying on the sun!!

We had a lot of fun: canoe trip, beach volley, barbeque... everything to feel being in holidays!

This week, unfortunately the weather is changing and it is getting colder... but anyway, in 2 days I will be in holidays and will be flying back to France for 10 days!!
I am really looking forwards to this holidays... meeting my friends, relaxing and of course spending some time with my family!!

Trip to Tromso

Midnight: the sun is still shinning!!

Three weeks ago, with some other interns and a friend of mine from Netherlands we traveled to Tromso, the north of Norway. It was the first time for me to go up to the Arctic Circle. It was a nice experience to stay there for 4 and half days and to not see any dark night.
Now in Tromso it is the midnight sun, that means having sun 24hours/day.
Unfortunately it was cloudy most of the time we spent in Tromso... but at least we had the opportunity to see once the midnight sun! The sun was really really big and really orange!! Great moment!! and it was midnight!! :)

It was fun having walks at 3 am and feeling like 3 pm, or having BBQ at midnight or at 8am!! Actually we were a bit confused with the time... really strange having sun during the night...

YES, you can trust me, this picture has been taken around 2 am... it was so cold that he decided to make a fire in the middle f the night!! I love Norway!!

It was quite difficult to come back to Oslo and go to work the day after... try to adapt ourselves again to the day and night :D

But even now in Oslo, day are longer and longer... and I realize that the nights are not dark anymore... sunset around 10.30pm and sunrise around 4am I think!

Wonderful view from the plane back to Oslo!!

Pictures

Beginning of March: FIS World Cup at Holmenkollen!
I was there on Sunday! It was cold and I was freezing but it was a nice experience to be there and to see for the first time in my life ski jumpers!! Quite impressing!!


Pictures taken from the boat in the Oslo Fjord! You can see behind Olso and the harbor! :)
Him, he is my friend Clément, a French guy
coming also from the Alps. He came last September to Norway by bike (from France), and left last Monday (to France) by bike as well. Good luck to you Clément!!


Pictures taking from one of the Island in the Oslo Fjord!
Norway is really a nice country!!
I love it!!







Pictures from our last cabin trip. Wonderful view, warm weather, sun... Great life! :D

the SUN!!

YES the SUN is finally back in Norway!!
Ok, that's true that in Oslo, even during winter, there is sun... but from 10am to 2pm... so that is not a lot!
But now day are getting longer and longer!
I think the sunrise is around 4.30am. Actually last week end, I was coming back home after a party around 3.3oam and the birds were already singing and it was not completely dark.
On the evening, now the sunset is around 9.30pm - 10pm, but it is still light till 11pm.

The city looks completely different now. Everyone is lying in the parks, having BBQ, walking in the streets!
I really feel the impact that the sun can have on people! Personally I am trying to enjoy in the best way all the sunny days. After spending a winter in a Nordic country, I really understood how much we should enjoy the sun and stay outside when it is sunny :-)
So most of time now, after the office, I stop at the harbor and just take a sun bath with some friends and other interns!!
These last weeks I was never home... always coming back late... so I am starting getting tired... I can not imagine next week in Tromso where it will be sunny the whole day and night! when are we going to sleep?!

March... April... May...

hey hey!!

Long time I didn't write here!
So let's start!

MARCH

Easter Holidays!
In Norway, we got 3 days off for Easter, so I went to Paris for 5 days to spend some time with my friends. It was really great... except it was still cold. After a long winter in Norway I couldn't wait to have a bit of sun.
I had a lot of fun!!
Nice talks with my friends, even at 3am...
Nice dinners and good food!! I am missing so much the French food! so I have been eaten a lot for 5 days!! - true that I m starting to get really tired of the norwegian food -
Nice walks around the city...
Shopping with some friends...
Sightseeing to the Chateau de Vaux le Vicomte...
These 5 days went really fast! but I really enjoyed it!
And because it was cheaper to fly to Bruxelles, than to Paris, I have spend an afternoon with other friends in Belgium (eating waffel, french fries, and trying the Belgium beer)
Then I took my flight back to Oslo...

AIESEC conference:
The week end after Easter, there was an AIESEC conference here in Oslo.
First I told myself that I will not be going... I have already been participating to a lot of conferences... but it ended up that I have been asked by the National Comittee to facilitate the track for people going for an Exchange (Outgoing Preparation Seminar) and of course, I couldn't say no :) I love too much AIESEC!!
So I have spent spend my whole week end at the university, facilitating sessions, talking to members and having some nice parties... and like all the AIESEC conference, we didn't get a lot of sleep... and the next Monday... back to work!!

APRIL :the sun is back!!
In April we could start feeling that the winter was finally over. FINALLY!!(yes I forgot to say that when I came back in Norway after my Easter holidays it was snowing in Oslo)
But in April, days started to be much more longer and we started enjoying much more by staying outside!
With some friends and other interns, we did a cabin trip for a week end!
A cabin is something typical norwegian. It is a king of cottage where norwegians go for the week end. During winter, they go skiing and during summer they go hiking. Most of norwegian family have the own cabin.
So back to our cabin trip: we left a Saturday afternoon in direction of the Nordmarka, a place near Oslo. But we got lost... walked for 5 hours (included 2 hours in 1 meter of snow)... and finally found the cabin around 8pm!! ouf!! We were exhausted but we all keep a nice experience from this trip! The cabin we rented where in the middle of nowhere, without electricity neither water. So we started making a fire, preparing some food, and boiled some snow on order to have some water!
If you want to laugh a bit, just watch the video of your trip!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xYmj7jDH6Ok
You can even see me being really French and complaining, but for the short story, I was telling the Guys (most of them Germans) to take left... but they just didn't want to listen to me and decided to take the other way! results: we got lost!! (even if the German guys were with map and GPS) hehehe!


MAY

Cabin trip (again)
With some friends last week end, we decided to go for another cabin trip near Oslo! This time we didn't get lost and didn't see any snow. We hiked around 25 km in 2 days and got a lot of sun :)
The cabin was at the top of a hill and we had a wonderful on the Oslo fjord! No electricy, no tap water but the cabin was simplely great! It is perfect having dinner outside, in front if a fire and watch the sunset at 9.30pm!

17th of May
Today it is the 17th of May, national day here in Norway!
Unfortunately this year, it is a Saturday :(
For Norwegian people this day is really important and I could see that it is a really strong tradition for them.
There was a parade in the main street of Oslo (starting at 10am) where all the schools of the city are part of the parade and play some music. Just for fun we decided to join and walked in the parade for 10 minutes. Then we went at the top of the street and stop in front of the castle to see the King! It was cool but COLD!!!!!!!!!!! and raining!!!
In the street everyone were dressed with the traditional Norwegian dress and we could see thousand of Norwegian flags everywhere in the street (Tram, houses...)
At 1pm, the parade was already over so then we went to the apartement of a friend in order to make our BBQ (because we couldn't do it outside)


What's next?

Tromso
Next Thursday, we are travelling to Tromso, a city in the north of Norway where now it is sunny 24hours a day!!! We will stay there for 4 days! I can not wait! but the bad news is that it was snowing there 3 days ago (30 cm of snom) and it is still cold (around 0-5 °C)!!

France
Back to France in one month for some holidays.
Taking the plane on Friday 13rd to Paris, I will spend the week end there ; and then will go to the Alps to spend one week with my family!

Reflection time

Almost 6 months that I arrived in Norway. Time is going really fast!!
I have been thinking a lot about what I have learn since I joined AIESEC, which choices I have taken and why, in which kind of way did I change, etc etc...

I joined AIESEC in 2003 and at this time I just wanted to have fun, meet people and do something that can be useful out of my studies. I started discovering AIESEC and I just liked it!! I started being more and more involved and became Vice President Outgoing Exchange in my Local Committee. It was just amazing to see that being only Vice President at a local level I could change life of people by for example preparing them and sending them abroad.

During summer 2004, I decided to go to Mexico and work with a Local Committee of AIESEC Mexico for 2 and half months. It was my first trip in another continent and it was really exciting! I have met great people, discovered a new culture and learn a lot about AIESEC. I came back to France completely different. I could adapt myself better to a new environment, I could understand people better and accept differences easily. I have also realized at this time that the reintegration in his own country is much more difficult than facing a cultural chock. After coming back to France in September 2004, I just wanted to travel again and having other international experiences.

So I started thinking going to Brazil for my second year of my Master degree (2005-2006). I have worked hard for that. It was not an easy year for me: studies the whole day, working on the evening (to pay my studies and save money to go to Brazil) and AIESEC the rest of the time. I remember that during 8 months I didn't sleep a lot! I just didn't have time for that :) It was not easy and I was afraid not getting my first year of my Master... several times during the year I wanted to give up but I aways remember that life sometimes is not easy and we have to work hard to realize our dream. So it is what I did!
My objectives were:
- passed my first year of my master and go to Brazil! I did it even if I had to pass some exams again, and I have been selected to study in Belo Horizonte in Brazil.
- improved the results in my Local Committee of AIESEC. As responsible of the Outgoing Exchange I wanted to increase the quality of the exchange and increase the % of realization (students selected and going for an internship abroad). And I think I managed doing it! In May 2005, my LC got the Award of the best OGX Management! It was the best recognition that I could get at this time. By getting this Award I wanted to show to the others Local Committee in France that it was possible to get better results and to make changes!
- and keeping my job as long as I could. I worked at Mc Donalds on the evening and week end. Such nice memories hehe
So during one year, I didn't party a lot, I worked hard but at this end I got everything I wanted!! So I realized that nothing is impossible! We can all reach our dreams!! I still believe on it and that's why I never give up!

In June 2005, I left France and went to Brazil for one year! It was one of my best year in my life ever! Amazing experience, amazing people, amazing country!! Of course I joined AIESEC in Belo Horizonte (and I have also worked with AIESEC in Salvador for one month). I started as a member in the LC and finish as Exchange Coordinador.
I start thinking about my future and knowing that I will get my Master degree soon, it was now the time for me to take a decision about what I would like to do in the future months, and I decided to apply in the National Committee of AIESEC in France. At this time I was not thinking to earn money but more thinking about getting an experience that will be valuable later.

So back in France in June 2006, I started working in Paris in AIESEC France. This year was... crazy! hehe!! always working (day, night, week end, holidays... hehe) but a lot of fun, some trips in Europe, national and international conferences. I met hundreds, thousands of people during one year! And I have met people that I know we will be friends for a long time...
We worked hard to make changes in France but we got positive results. That's so beautiful to see the impact that we can have and the lives that we can changes.

One year ago, beginning of 2007, I stated thinking again about my future and started thinking what I will do after this experience in Paris.
And the first idea in my mind was of course going for an internship abroad with AIESEC. After working 4 years in AIESEC, meeting interns, sending members abroad, I though it was time for me to live this experience.
What matters for me was first the professional experience that I will get from this exchange. I didn't care a lot about the country where I will be going. So beginning of June 2007, I decided to start searching actively for my internship. And actually it didn't take me too much time.
Looking for an internship in Finance for one year, I saw the one in Electrolux Norway. I realize really soon that it was the job description that I was looking for (working as a finance controller). Of course I couldn't miss this opportunity and I decided to apply. But I knew that the selection process will not be easy because it is generally around 20 applicants for these kind of internship.
I passed the first selection, the second one and got an interview with the finance director of Electrolux Norway. The interview was really ok, but I know that I was not the only person on the list. And 2 days after the interview, the finance director called me back to tell me that I was selected. I couldn't believe it and I think it took me several days to realize it.

Everything went so fast! But I was so happy and excited going to Norway and work in a international company. Actually I didn't know anything about Norway and I have never imagine myself living in a Nordic country :) but I was sure that it will be an amazing experience.
I started working here beginning of September. The first day I was so stressed. Stressed because I was afraid to not manage my tasks and because for sure the company will be expected results from me. But actually everything was fine :)

I am enjoying my job every day in the company. Every weeks I am getting more responsibilities and I am really considered as a finance controller in the company. Today, I am working on several projects and I don't have time to get bored! I am still thinking that I got the best internship ever in AIESEC!!
This week the company asked me to extend my internship for 6 months so I will be staying in Norway till 2009. I am still so excited by this internship!! :)

Now when I think about what I have learn since I have joined AIESEC, it is... I don't have words for that.
I have:
- been traveling in more than 15 countries
- learn several languages (Spanish, Portuguese, English and right now trying to learn Norwegian)
- met thousand of people around the world
- made friends for the rest of my life
- participated in more that 20 AIESEC conferences
- got an AMAZING internship in Electrolux
- lived in different countries
- ...

Today I can not see my life without an international environment around me or working only with French persons for example). I feel that I need having this diversity around me :)
I know that in the last years I have changed a lot, but I learned a lot about myself and what my values are. I was a really shy person and today I manage to talk in front of people that sometimes I even don't know.

Life is beautiful! Maybe I have been really lucky as well in my different experiences, but I can just say that I love my life! I don't know where I will be in one year, but for sure I will always try to enjoy it in the best way and continue looking in a positive way! that's make the life easier! :)