Foreign Words
So in my line of work ... a.k.a. IKEA ... every distinct family of product gets it's own special funky name. Yes, you and I have come to know them very well: the Malm, Lack, Orgel, Jarpen, etc etc, and my personal fav: Komplement ("its like Compliment, with a "K"") all very good and well, actually you'd be amazed at just how well I can remember these words (complete with the A with one circle on top, or two or the O with two dots...yeah....). So that is the extent of my foriegn language ability (plus conversational Chinese)
I digress ... OK, so now the point to this post, it actually isn't about working at IKEA (which I still do by the by...like once a month). It's about watching everybody around me travel to far away places and me stuck in boring old Cow-gary. Off the top of my head this is who I can think of: all the AIESEC SNs (thats a given....including Carlson in Amsterdam), Layial in Macedonia now... then India, Shane in Europe, Alan going to Asia, Andrew in Italy for work, Harsh going to India, Jer coming back from Argentina then going to Hawaii later, Iris going to the UK, Danielle and Mel in Mexico, even the new exec is touring around Ontario and Quebec for NLDC and my entire family is away (sis in Boston, parents in Hawaii) etc. etc. etc.
It's just making me all depressed, by all means I am so proud and excited for everyone travelling, I just wish it was MEEE! The stupid part is that the only thing really stopping me is me. I know, it's silly, but I just keep on coming up with my own excuses for why I can't. I guess the big thing is "opportunity cost" if I do go to a conference or go away what do I give up? ... a job? ..money? ...study time? All good an true, but at what point is one worth more than the other. Being an accountant sets us up along a certain path that really maps out our life for at least 7 years when you first enter university, but being the cautious type that I am just how much can I digress from that? So, do I travel next year? Do I start CASB with my friends? Do I become a CA? a CMA? ... do I stick with accounting (this is a weird option...but true)? Do I go for the hideously expensive travel credit study program? AM I ON THE RIGHT PATH ?!??!? oh crap.
I'm just full of questions, and not a lot of answers either. This "life plan" I made on Excel really isn't coming together as well as I had hoped...
posted by eLdon @ 7:01 PM
4 Comments
4 Comments:
Hello Cousin,
well let me put in my two cents... you may think it be a little biased but I'm sure that you and I have enough history to know that we sorta think alike - SCARY enough but all those times in my basement and playing the lego version of "The Jetsons" has got do have aligned our cognative processes somehow (wow I sound so smart).
Yes you can think of it as opportunity cost of what's gonna happen at home if you leave but you can also think of the opportunity cost if you don't leave. You've been in aiesec probably the longest out of most of us (except for Messalina... she runs back GENERATIONS) and you've been preaching the aiesec and cultural experience for many years now, but perhaps it's time to experience that yourself don't you think? Besides the obvious personal development and opportunity and friendship blah blah blah aiesec provides but at least take advantage of going ABROAD.
Yes, you always hear from people "NOW is the time to travel and experience working and living abroad, or else once you start working... then you'll end up like me wishing you'd done it (well people at least said this to me when I actually told them I was going away, it's not every often you'll hear them say it out of the blue)" and before, when I heard something like that, I would think "yeah yeah yeah.. that's all good but what happens when I come back?? I'll be 'behind' my friends in terms of career, I want to get my school/designations over with, I have no money, I'll do it in a few months, I'll do it after this, after that... etc etc..." and next thing you know you're living to work starving for some excitement and waiting for that next long weekend or waiting to save up your vacation hours for the whole year for that two week / three week holiday.
Now I completely agree with those people wish that they'd done the same; with this there would be a million reasons why you shouldn't go but equally there are a million and more reasons why you should.
Opportunity my friend and you start discovering things about yourself that you probably would have not even thought of. You should travel because you'll appreciate how other people work and live on the other side of the pond, you'll appreciate how well you can adjust in unfamiliar environments and look back and say "holy crap that was a really cool experience!". You'll thank yourself for, as Mess would say, taking those steps that scare you, and yet I'm sure you know those are the one's that reward you or develop you the most! Think of CADA! I'm glad that little crazy biotch forced me to take that on and I'm sure you are glad too (though I'm not a crazy biotch). (Though you won't / will be thankful for taking a bajillion pictures, and having to go through them all (though I am only about two weeks behind in my blog now!))
Quoting one of the qutoes off of lulu's manifesto (haha look I'm as loyal to them as you are to ikea): "DO SOMETHING EVERYDAY THAT SCARES YOU, and DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW" (but I must confess I haven't been doing it everyday cause that's a little excessive, but I'm sure you get the idea... and if you're familiar with the manifesto, ignore the "children are the orgasm of life..." one, that one doesn't really apply in this case; oh look, now I digress.
Also know with the appropriate traineeship you can develop personally and professionally so I don't really see it as 'getting behind' as you'll probably end up learning the same skills (and more) as if you were at a company in Calgary, but you're at least doing it abroad.
I have friends still studying for their desginations over here (albeit a little lame) but with the internet and all but it's always possible to do things like that on the side (though I am sure you wouldn't want to). And if or some reason you can only do it in Calgary, then you should know it will always be there when you get back (that is if you go back hee hee...)
Originally when I arrived, I had in the back of my mind "gawd, how many days until I go home; 5 months and 29 days...", now it's "crap, how many days do I have left! maybe I should consider that extension..." and of course the latter applies to me now.
I have a friend that was the same... planned to go back to Canada afterwards, but last month she moved to london and got a job in sustainable development with ABN...albeit it completely threw her parents off cause it was her parents that FORCED her to go on the traineeship with intentions on her going back to Canada... I'm not saying don't plan on not going back home.. but you shouldn't eliminate the possibilities because you know there is probably good reason why these kids experience working and living abroad... and a few actually end up staying abroad... don't worry I'll probably head back to c-town so don't give my mom a heart attack ... just yet; nevertheless I think it would be just as remarkable, and just as valuable career-wise to say "oh I've worked in paris, london, zurich, tokyo" or at least have it on your cv (but I'm still not sure how 'amsterdam' is going to blow over back at home cause the idea of working in the land of 'drugs and whores'... (ps it's much ore than that people)).
But honestly, from reading into your post, in my mind, you've already decided whether you're going to experience life/travel abroad; whether you've recognized that you have already made that decision is another matter.
Think, why did you post this message in the first place?...
(ps. that last line was so grey's anatomy - and yes you can keep up with the important TV too - albeit you watch way more shows that i do)
(pps. It's a slow day today - lunch time!)
(ppps. talk to anyone on your list of departees, any SN, member who's gone abroad and I'm sure it would be RARE for someone to tell you NOT to experience what they are experiencing).
PPPS. I'll be in Stockholm this wednesday! and last minute learning some swedish... haha finally learning how to say the words with the "o" and two dots above it. Craazy... that "Malm" one, I wonder if its the same as "Malmo" which is the city that is closest to Copenhagen, Denmark...
Awww, Eldon, we should have conference called you live from NLDC so that you were technically "there" with us :) We wish you were there with us toooo!!
OMG Carlson!
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