AIESEC @ The University of Western Australia

AIESEC WA's Regional Board for 2012 - SELECTED!

2011-09-09T08:51:00.001+08:00

Another year has gone by, and as we are drawing nearer and nearer to the end of 2011, it was time for AIESEC WA to elect their new Regional Board for 2012 - a group of outstanding individuals whom will lead the State in the new year towards achieving greater exchange results and enhancing each member's individual AIESEC experience. The Regional Board itself, consists of a State Manager and two Local Committee Presidents of each respective Local Committee (UWA and Curtin)

On the 16th of August, UWA's own current VP Marketing and Communications - Alexandra Zhu was elected 2012's State Manager, after an exiting election process, where she was pitted against current Outgoing Exchange member, Nick Hughes. Both candidates did a wonderful job, during their respective speeches and Q&A sessions. We would like to congratulate Alex on getting the top job, and wish her the very best in leading Western Australia to an exciting, fruitful and memorable 2012!

A week later, on the 25th of August, Local Committee President Elections were held at Curtin University. Where in two separate rooms, both Local Committee's supported their candidates through another exhilarating night of speeches and Q&A sessions. From UWA, the candidates were; Laura Law (VP Finance and Governance), Dennis Jatmatama (Finance) and Kassy Taylor (Talent Management) and from Curtin, the candidates were: Sheran Dempster (VP Outgoing Exchange) and Vivien Lee (VP Marketing and Communications) By the end of the night, following authentic AIESEC tradition, two buckets of cold water were thrown over two unsuspecting individuals from each committee, crowning them as Local Committee Presidents for 2012. The state would like to congratulate Laura Law of UWA and Sheran Dempster of Curtin for stepping up and committing themselves to what will surely be a roller-coaster ride of a year ahead.

All in all, with the Regional Board Elections over, we all wish the three lucky Regional Board Elects the best of luck. But it's not all over yet, folks! With Executive Board Elections around the corner, by the end of October, AIESEC WA will have their new West Australian Leadership Team Elect...so stay tuned!

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Prue Watson - Indonesia

2011-08-29T20:40:00.001+08:00

Experiences in Padang

Thinking about what I would write to best describe my internship to Padang, Indonesia, has left me for days, pondering the intricacies of my reasons for being here, and the root of my experience. The truth is, regardless of what I write and how I write it, there is only one way to truly describe my experience, and that is to invite you to experience it for yourself.

I chose to undertake my internship in Padang, predominantly due to the immense support, AIESEC Padang provided me with prior to my arrival. I was preparing to come to a country I had only read about, to work for seven weeks in a location I knew only as being 91% Muslim. I was terrified. Approaching my internship, I expected the excitement to overcome the nerves, but that apprehensive feeling never really went away.

I was told I would have to cover my arms to my elbows, and my legs to my knees. I had to respect my family’s rules, and understand that a curfew would be in place, and my freedom would be challenged. What was I doing? Why was I going to this unknown location to challenge myself in such a way? The answer was exactly that - an experience is only an experience when you fully accept the good with the bad and truly step outside your comfort zone.

My first challenging experience? Culture shock.

People explain that lack of ‘creature comforts’ such as Western toilets, Western food and Western cleanliness can often be enough for people to pine for home. For me, however, I embraced the differences and ate the food with an appetite I could be proud of. I did not realise that culture shock could in fact, affect me in a very different way.

More than two and a half weeks into my stay, I began to feel trapped. I was house bound. The host family that I was living with, also owned the school where I was working. Everyday, I went to my internship with my host mother, and left that evening with my host mother. Every weekend, I went with my family to various tourist destinations and fun spots, not once meeting another intern to share my experiences or chat about our trials and tribulations. It became a problem. My family was far too overprotective. Being Muslim, children live with their family far into their twenties and are generally supported by their parents into their thirties. The penalty is that you abide by your parents rules, even when it means you do not leave the house unless they do. In Australia, independence is taken for granted. We leave home at 20 and are generally fully independent from our families by 18. Freedom is a luxury I have never once considered as differing amongst cultures.

My first challenge was to overcome the restrictions on my independence. After speaking with AIESEC UNAND, the University Campus in Padang, I was able to organise a meeting with my host father, and thankfully, an agreement was reached. I had already missed out on so much however, so the next few weeks became a race to regain lost time.

The result? My experience changed entirely. Not only was I able to explore my surroundings as a tourist, wandering the markets, chatting to Warung owners and having my picture taken with a few hundred people a week, but I was also a local. People knew my name, recognised where I came from, and it was not long until I was calling the big, busy, city of Padang my home.

This is where experience can surprise you. Regardless of where you are in the world, you will face challenges that can change you as a person so completely, that you will never be able to see things as you once did. I thought of myself as being independent before I came to Indonesia, and regarded independence as a luxury that comes with age. However, looking at the students of Padang University, independence is something they fight for every day of their lives. I can guarantee my time in Padang, Indonesia, will be looked upon as an unforgettable experience, and I have met people that will remain in my life forever. I can honestly say that if every individual in the world was able to undertake a similar experience, the worldwide impact would be immense. AIESEC can make this dream a reality. Join AIESEC’s Global Mobility Programme!

Prue Watson

July 2011

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Thea Walton - Morocco

2011-06-20T10:30:00.003+08:00

What AIESEC can't prepare you for

As a student preparing to travel to another country with AIESEC’s Global Mobility Programme, you are given immeasurable support from AIESEC in your preparation before you leave. They take you through culture shock, reverse culture shock, the emergency procedures you should ensure you have in place in case things go wrong and the visa applications you need to submit. It is easy to feel secure and confident stepping out of your comfort zone when you have the backing of AIESEC’s support as you enter a new country, and embark on a strange experience.

My decision to travel to Morocco was largely influenced by my desire to experience a culture far removed from that of Australia. Most particularly I was interested in learning more about, and gaining a deeper understanding of Islamic cultures so that I would be able to stand against the undercurrent of anti-Islam sentiment found in our society today. My decision was met with many criticisms, and many people who worried for my safety and wellbeing. People were making the same judgments about Morocco and its Islamic culture that I wanted to prove wrong, and it only encouraged me to want to go even more.

As such I had a strong sense of what I wanted to learn during my time away; I had a, possibly naïve, sense of purpose driving the way I interacted with my new environment. Yet although I was ready and determined to learn as much as I could from Morocco, I wasn’t ready for every moment I encountered during my internship where Morocco taught me something about myself, and forced me to look at the Western Culture that I grew up in, in a different light.

One of the first times this happened was during a car ride with my boss, and another intern who worked at his language school, my friend Joao, from Brazil. Joao had recently arrived in Morocco, and was adjusting to living with myself and the other interns. Somehow the subject of food came up, and Joao mentioned how strange he thought it was that all of the other interns in the house would cook their own meals every night. Joao said “We are living together, and for this short time sharing our lives. So why don’t we cook for each other?” I replied “It’s more convenient this way. We’re not always at home at the same time, and it’s hard to keep track of who would owe who money.”

“What does it matter about money?” my boss said, “We are a family and we share meals together. Why do you think Moroccans take a break in the middle of the day? It is to eat with each other, to share our lives and our food. It is not nice to eat alone.” I grew defensive, retorting “Yes I agree that that’s a good thing, but I don’t appreciate you implying that westerners are selfish because we don’t share our food!” Although I was angry, I started thinking that maybe there was an element of truth in their arguments.

One of the times that this happened, and the most powerful memory I have of Morocco, was when I was talking to one of my students, Mohammed. It was New Year’s Eve, and I was taking my English Communication class that I have on a Friday night. Although the class normally had four or five students, tonight there was only one – the rest thought the class wouldn’t be on. So, for two hours, we talked. Mohammed dressed, like most of the youth in Morocco, in western clothes. He also would often work western pop-culture references and some slang into the conversations we had, picked up from watching American TV. Yet he also had a sister who, by choice, was engaged without ever being on a single date with her fiancé. And when he watched American TV he saw it very differently to how I saw it. While we were talking about family he exclaimed “I feel sorry for western people. You all live alone. Look at How I Met Your Mother. They have no family. Ted, he lives alone in his apartment and you never see his family. Barney has no father and look at him! Look at his sad life. In Morocco we live with our family. Our family is our life.”

It was so strange to hear him pity westerners and our lifestyle, when I grew up learning to pity what I perceived as the stifling, strict rules of Muslim culture. I started doubting what I understood to be the strength of western culture: total independence, which I always thought equated to freedom. Though, maybe Mohammad was right. Maybe…

Thea Walton

December 2010 - January 2011

Get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

2011-04-24T09:50:00.000+08:00

What are you going to do these July holidays? Have you had enough of the Perth weather and night life (or lack thereof...)?

Get ready for the experience of a lifetime! Applications are now open to volunteer or work abroad in Taiwan, Russia, India, Cambodia, Kenya, Indonesia and more!

Why limit yourself to Australian shores when you have the opportunity to embark on an international experience? Join the other thousands of students who have taken the step to become a part of AIESEC's Global Mobility Programme!

For more information on how you can apply and what it involves, please see details below on our upcoming information session as to where you can go with AIESEC UWA.

Location: Law Lecture Room 2, UWA

Date: 3rd May, 12 - 1pm

Contact: Disston, disston.ng@aiesec.net

www.aiesecwa.org/uwa

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Jo-Ann Chan - China

2011-03-20T16:11:00.000+08:00

My AIESEC Experience so far
I’m entering the fourth week of my AIESEC Exchange experience teaching English to students at Qingshi Middle School in the Hubei Province in central China. All us EPs live in a teacher’s flat on campus and we teach 18 English classes a week and sometimes more on the weekends. Life in Qingshi is nothing like I’ve ever experienced - giant pigs roam the streets freely, the main (and only) street is lined with rubbish and raw meat and vegetables are all sold by the roadside on rickety little tables. Running water is rare in our flat and there is no heating system - which means most of us spend our entire days in our winter coats!

Pigs munching rubbish on the main street

Where our dinner comes from...

Living in a small town means living is cheap though! A giant bowl of vegetable noodles only cost 3 yuan ($0.46), biscuits cost around 5 yuan ($0.76) on average and a loaf of bread costs 6 yuan ($0.92). Though bread isn’t sold in Qingshi - we have to go to the main city which is an hour’s bus ride away! A bus ride is only 7 yuan ($1.07) though a taxi ride for the same distance is an “expensive” 60 yuan ($9.20). You can’t even get to UWA from Perth city for that price!

Funnily enough ice-cream also isn’t sold in Qingshi “because it’s still winter”. All our main meals are provided by the school cafeteria though and we’re spoilt with a large selection of vegetables, rice and soup every meal! It is a running joke /worry though that the food we’re eating is fake as this province has been alleged in the past to produce fake eggs, tofu and even rice! We also found out that they wash our vegetables in the algae-filled school pond... Where they also wash their clothes!

The school lake and dormitories in the background

School life is intense in Qingshi. Students start classes at 6am and study until 8pm every night. Most students sleep in dorms on campus and only go home for the weekends. Each class has about 70 students, though since they are all so small it doesn’t feel that intimidatingly big! So far we have done presentations on each of our countries and our traditional food (meat pies and koalas are popular with the students... Vegemite, not so much) and this week we’ve decided to teach them the song “Lemon Tree”! Scary to think that by the end of this week over a thousand more Chinese kids will know the chorus to that song...

With a Grade Three English Class

So far on the weekends we’ve visited Wuhan, the capital of the Hubei Province, and the tomb of Li Shizhen, a famous Chinese herbalist. We’re hoping to get a chance to visit the famous Three Gorges Dam before we have to return to Beijing. It feels like we have far too many things to do and not enough time left here!

At the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan

Jo-Ann Chan

2011

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Soo Yong Mei - India

2011-03-04T14:46:00.001+08:00

My Indian Experience
My buddy waited for me for 4 hours as my flight was delayed at New Delhi International Airport. I was happy to see them, I felt safe. Next second, I doubt it. They came with their motobikes to pick me up. I had 2 heavy and bulky luggage bags with me and I have no idea how am I going to carry it. Plus, no helmets. It was 5pm when I reach Vadadora, I start my Indian journey by balancing myself with 2 heavy bags as the motorbike whiz through the ever so busy, dusty, noisy streets of India, with my long black hair streaming behind me, just like the scenes you can always see in a Bollywood movie.
I met EPs from different countries. Germany, Egypt, Nigeria, Brazil, Poland, Sri Lanka, Mauritius, Algeria, Russia, China etc. We were like one big happy family. English was not our first language, but we can understand each other just a wink of the eye. To them, I am always the Little Sis.

Although my AIESEC experience didn't work out as plan, but I just felt that i should make the most out of it while I am still in India. With 3 other EPs, we found another NGO through a wonderful local friend. There we stayed for 2 weeks. The NGO was organising a 2 week campaign in correspondence to Human Rights Day. We followed them to slum areas, rural villages and human rights demonstrations through the city. I have to admit I can't help much as everything was carried out in Gujarati (local language), but it is a fact that me and my fellow friends attracted the crowd to the campaigns, especially kids.

I was assigned a task in the NGO: make a collage about human equity. I spend 3 days walking around the city and taking pictures of working men and women. I want people in India to see that whatever a man can do, women can do it too. It was more challenging than I thought. First, there was the language barrier, I had to get permission of the main character to take their photo. Second, the best photos had to be taken at the right millisecond.

After 2 weeks, it was time to say farewell to most of my dear friends. I left Vadodara with 2 other "siblings" and back pack travelled with them through India.

We tried all sorts of delicious cheap street foods and indian sweets, bargained non stop with rickshaw drivers and souvenior shop owners, shivered together as the winter winds blew through the cracks of the train windows, had food poisoning on Christmas Day, waited for the train as it got delayed again and again. There were times when the only comfort came from the existance of my dear companions. There were times we grumble to each other at how everything make us feel uncomfortable. There were times we were fascinated by unexpected outcomes. There were times we marveled at the ancient architecture of forts, palaces, temples and the Taj Mahal. There were times we just sat there and feel the natural beauty of Indian lanscapes.

From this AIESEC experience, the thing I found most valuable and will always stay in my heart is the true friendship crossing the boundaries of different cultural backgrounds, religions and countries.

Soo Yong Mei

2010 - 2011

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Jennifer Chan - Taiwan

2011-01-10T18:08:00.001+08:00

The word “only”
Hi. My name is Jen Chan and I’m on an AIESEC internship.

I thought about what I wanted to write in this blog entry, and I realized all my statements are full of “only”s. I also know how tedious it may be to read a huge block of text, even though you MAY interested in the content... so I’ve decided to compile some of my experience into a list.

But, firstly starting off with what I do in Taiwan.

I work at Lourdes, a HIV-focused NGO that supports HIV-affected individuals. I also give presentations promoting HIV awareness to local high schools on behalf of Standard Chartered Bank, and I finally, also help out at a half-way house called Harmony Home that houses children affected with HIV-AIDs.

ONLY in Taiwan...

Is it true that stinky tofu is a delicacy – where the smell is met with anticipation, rather than with mixed apprehension
Would I be so incredibly surrounded by Convenience stores. Often with one convenience store located next to another, and then opposite another.
Would I have the stomach to eat a heavy breakfast, lunch and dinner, and then followed by the famous Taiwan night market food.

ONLY in Exchange...

Would I be able to be living in a country where my closest family, is more than 8hrs away by plane.
Would I be able to truly explore the culture and the people of a country, which I have done so and found it to be amazing.
Would I be able to have a experience involving so many different aspects of development ranging from my own personal development, to community development. And even better, I have an awesome time.

ONLY on an AIESEC Internship...

Would I be able regularly to give presentations, on behalf of Standard Chartered Bank in a language that I’m barely competent in, to groups of 1000 students
Would I be completely supported by an entire committee, where I have met the most awesome people who take time out of their daily lives to take me around, simply because they want to.
Would I be able to attend a conference where I’m able to meet at least 18 nationalities in 2 days
Would I be able to work at an NGO, represent an international bank at various presentations and to ALSO help out at a half-way house.
Would I be able to work hard and party hard while making a positive impact for now, and for the future.

Life is awesome, though sometimes less awesome for others. So it’s always nice to brighten someone’s day and an AIESEC internship is one of the ways to do this.

Jennifer Chan

January 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Ivan Tcherkashnev - India

2010-12-28T19:45:00.000+08:00

Ivan Tcherkashnev

December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Kaye Hon - China

2010-12-27T22:33:00.000+08:00

I’m not the best writer so I’ll just compile my first month of this AIESEC exchange with photos! This is the school I am currently teaching at and it’s known as Dalian 20th high school. Most of the government high schools in Dalian are named with numbers.

Since I am considered as a foreigner, together with a German teacher we belong to the foreign language department. This is our office and we have 19 teachers in this department.

Joe and I are in charge of “international class” which runs once a week for each class. Grade 3 (Year 12) students are very busy with upcoming exams so the school doesn’t allow us to have class with them. During the international class, we take turns to talk to the students about our culture and they are really excited getting to know more about the world.

This is where I sleep - in a school dorm. Though there are 6 beds in this room, I am actually staying alone. It is really cold at night as the school heating system broke down. Most of the students are boarding and they stay at school for the whole day. Their class starts at 7.10 am and finishes at 10.00pm from Monday to Thursday. On Friday night (after 6.40pm) they are allowed to go home.

At 9.30 am everyday (except when it snows), students will gather on the field and run like a squad of soldiers for 1200m. After that they will march out and go back to their class. (For a video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zgECAv5dfw). The school thinks it is necessary for the students to exercise especially during winter so that they will be healthy enough to cope with their studies.

These students are from ShinJiang and though they attend the same high school, they are kept separate from the Chinese students. They are a minority of the People’s Republic and every year, the Ministry of Education will elect elite students from ShinJiang province to go to developed city/province for a better education. Generally they are physically healthier than Chinese students and they appear more united.

So that’s all for my first exchange update. I’ll talk about my tour with my project partner Johannes Fischer, how I spent Christmas in China and the school New Year party in the next update.

Until then, Happy New Year and thanks to AIESEC for giving me the chance to explore the world!

Kaye Hon

December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

2010-12-16T15:36:00.000+08:00

Ugandan Cuisine

So after having been in this crazy country for over a week I have had quite a bit of diverse foods you would neither find in Europe or Australia. And all of it was amazing!

Lunch and Dinner
Matoke
Matoke a meal consisting out of steamed banana's. It looks a bit like a thick yellow curry paste. But, surprise, it tastes like warm banana. By itself is has a bit of a weak taste, but combined with peanut sauce and veggies it is pretty good!

Posho
This is one of my least favourite foods. It's very very simple as its just corn flour mixed cooked in water to get a thick paste. It's very plain in taste and only tastes good when with a sauce. I don't think it's even that healthy. It just really fills you up. African diet style.

Peanut Sauce
No, it's nothing like the Indo Satay sauce Dutch people like so much. But it is made from peanuts. I just looks worse but taste just as good. It's a grey gooey lumpy sauce made from peanuts, tomato, onion and some carrots. It's really tasty and goes well with the foods mentioned above.

These are the two staple foods and a sauce that I mostly get served every day. This mostly comes together with rice or sweet potato (the yellow one, not the red one).

Snacks
Rolex
When the Ugandan AIESEC people starting talking to me about getting a rolex I thought they were trying to sell me a watch. But it is the Ugandan answer to kebab. It's an omelet rolled into a chapati (flat bread). They mix this together with some onion and tomato and you've got an excellent hangover snack! This will cost you around 500 shillings (23 cents) and fills you up nicely. It took me quite a while to figure out what the name rolex actually stands for. Roll-Eggs. Hey. Get it.

Samosa's
Yes, stolen from Asia but made into their own local variants with goat mince and beans. Very, very tasty and just that bit different from Asian samosa's due to the amount of oil they use. One will cost you 100 shillings (5 cents).

Ensenene
The most amazing thing I have eaten here so far! It. is. fried. grasshopper! You can buy them on the side of the street raw or fried and they taste a bit oily but very nice! Just don't study the damn things, this will just ruin your appetite.
It's also amazing how they catch these things. They cut all the lights in the whole village. Everything is pitch dark except for one light which located in a hole in the ground. Massive amounts of grasshoppers flock to these lights and get trapped in the hole.

These are just a few of the real Ugandan things I have been eating here. I still have to try goat meat on a stick which is sold at quite a few street vendors. I also saw people selling goat liver and some other parts of animals that you wouldn't find even in a butchers. But in general, everything is really really cheap. Avocado's will cost you about 15 cents and are twice as big as the ones you buy in Supermarkets back home, fruits and vegies are a lot tastier and they've got a wide arrange of international restaurants all over the place. We even had free food at the local Hare Krishna Temple!

I would say it's almost impossible to die of starvation here, but unfortunately people are struggling here even with the wealth of fertile land and relative cheap foods available.

Derk Zomer

December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Disston Ng - Taiwan

2010-12-16T15:22:00.001+08:00

Welcome to Taiwan!

My AIESEC Exchange experience began over three weeks ago. I left sunny Perth on the 21^st of November, and arrived in Taiwan later that day. I had a quick stopover in Singapore before finally touching down in Taiwan. On arriving in Taiwan, I was greeted by 3 AIESECers and one non-AIESECer. The non-AIESECer turned out to be my buddy for the next two days, which took me by surprise as I couldn’t picture this happening in Australia. He told me he wanted to practice his English and learn about other cultures, so he was more than happy to show me around.

The first thing I noticed when arriving in Taiwan, was the lack of road rules. Although there may be signs all over the place, there seems to be a widespread disregard for any such signs, as the enforcement of these rules seems to be non-existent. Motorbikes and cars share one lane; cars overtake other cars without signalling and frequently cross the lane lines. You also often see drivers and motorcyclists run red lights without a second thought.

My first eating experience was late in the afternoon on the day I arrived. My first meal was a hotpot. It consisted of your choice of meat, along with a variety of vegetables served in a broth, and heated over a flame. On top of this, the meal came with refillable drinks, extra rice and ice cream. All this amounted to a total cost of approximately $3.50 AUD or 100 NTD. This was my first meal of many to come… later that day. Later on throughout the night, I ate again 3 more times. They weren’t just little snacks but all sizeable portions. I’ve come to learn that Taiwanese eat at any time throughout the day. Several times I have been woken up by my host brother at 11pm to have supper, which he has bought from the night markets or some random shop.

There is so much to do in Taiwan, with most shops staying open late into the night, and countless convenient stores open 24/7. Prior to coming to Taiwan, I had read about the convenient store craze, but all these numbers and figures didn’t mean much to me. After my first week in Taiwan, I realised just how crazy it is. You can walk 10 metres from a 7/11 to find another one just around the corner, and within those 10 metres is another convenient store. If that’s not enough, there are side shops selling food along almost every street. It’s no wonder there is such a big eating culture!

For those of you who are caught up in the Utopia craze back in Perth, or bubble tea in general… Taiwan is a must visit for you. They love their tea here, and tea shops are almost as common as the convenient stores. You can get any kind of tea, and especially milk tea. On average, a large bubble tea will cost around $1.25 AUD. And unlike in Perth where all the pearls are usually gone by the time you’re half way through it, usually when you finish your drink here there is still a billion pearls left at the bottom.

To accompany the unbelievably cheap food and beverages is the hospitality of the Taiwanese people. They are the nicest people, with the occasional grumpy old man, but other than that, they want to help you out in every way possible. There is so much more to share! But I must get back to work.

I don’t regret my decision to come to Taiwan and it’s going to be sad when I leave, because I don’t want to. This place is amazing.

Disston Ng

December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Nadialisa Tan - Taiwan

2010-12-09T13:57:00.001+08:00

Starting my Taiwan experience
I’ve never had a diary before so I’m not sure how these blog posts should go… But I guess there’s a first for everything – especially my journey to Kaohsiung, Taiwan! Although I do speak basic Mandarin and recognise certain Chinese characters, experiencing Taiwan is definitely a first.

My internship didn’t start exactly how I wanted as I was packing until the last minute and just as I was boarding my flight, I realised I didn’t have the contact number of the person who was supposed to pick me up! Thankfully everything turned out fine but it definitely isn’t fun trying to find someone at an airport terminal that you’ve never met before.

I travelled (by scooter!) to the association that I would be working for and learnt that my host family was actually the association’s boss and family! It’s pretty homely here, despite being on the 26th floor of an apartment building… and I can now say that I’ve experienced my first ever earthquake. It’s peculiar how the whole family, instead of evacuating, merely wore helmets for the duration of the earthquake.

Despite this minor incident, these previous two weeks have passed pretty quickly. I’ve visited various universities that my boss lectures at, learned how to take the MRT (it’s like subway/tube), started planning how to write up an itinerary for a 2-day trip in Kaohsiung for students, joined the LC at one of the HIV/Aids Awareness Event in the city, tasted ‘stinky/smelly’ tofu, have had my fair share of bubble tea and explored the city of Kaohsiung!

I think that’s all for now so there’s a lot of exploring to do and I need to finalise this itinerary I have to hand in! Until next time.

Left to right : the infamous ‘stinky/smelly’ tofu, sunset at Sizihwan Bay,

the LCP, VP and some of the SYLC members at the Hiv/Aids event,

one of the many temples around Lotus Pond, Kaohsiung.

Nadialisa Tan

December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

2010-12-09T12:26:00.000+08:00

My projects
So today I have been working out the first two projects I'm going to work on over the next few weeks. The first one is working together with the OC team at the AIESEC January Conference in WA to get some money in for hygienic supplies for some of the poorer families in this community by making a video that they can show during the conference. So today I have been walking around Kikajjo with Henry, Augustine's son, to introduce me to different families. It was great. I have been learning some Lugandan phrases which I have been using to introduce myself and thank them. They were amazed. A white man speaking Lugandan, that was unheard of. They let me into their homes and make pictures and video's of where they live. As you can see from the pictures, these families don't have a lot to live with. The picture on the top right is the sleeping quarters of a family of 6. The picture right below that is one old sick woman taking care of 6 orphans. She has benefited a lot from the work TORUWU has been doing.

The second project revolves around the local wine industry here. TORUWU, together with a group of village women have been producing small quantities of wine here for quite a while. The profit they make from the sale of this wine is used to fund the different activities the NGO supplies to the community. I will be trying to get into contact with wine producers in Australia to find out if it is possible to sell this wine at their estates and if they are able to support TORUWU to expand their production of wine. It only costs them $43 to create 24 bottles of 750ml wine. Here they sell the wine at around $2.00 per bottle. So they make a profit of around 20c per bottle. Hopefully with transportation costs and import duties combined, the sale of their wine will make a much larger profit from which they can expand their wine production and finance more activities.

Derk Zomer

8 December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

2010-12-09T12:15:00.004+08:00

Introducing my internship
Today was the first day of my internship. Matthew made an appointment at 11am in the city for me to be picked up by Augustine, the man in charge of the NGO where I'll be working. The NGO is called TORUWU and is located in Kikajjo (Training of Rural Women in Uganda, you can see more on the website www.toruwu.com). Augustine is a 56 year old man which counts himself as one of the oldest men in Uganda. It seems that the life expectancy here is around 40 years of age, so he considers himself very lucky. I will also be staying with him during my 2 months here together with his family.

When we arrived Augustine introduced me to his son, which studies development studies at the Uganda Christian University. He is really cool and showed me around the village a bit. After that Augustine, his wife and myself sat down together to talk about what I would be doing during my 2 month stay. As I already thought it will be quite diverse with me helping out wherever needed. I will also start a few of my own projects that will hopefully make an impact on a few lives.

Lunch will also be provided every day for me. Which is great because Augustine's family are great cooks! We had matoke (cooked banana paste) with two sauces; a peanut sauce and a spicy meat sauce. Also an eggplant dish. And everything was really tasty! Whatever people say about Ugandan food, this was pretty damn good.

Later in the day I took a walk through the slums to see what everything was about. Everyone here is quite amazed when they see a white man (mzungu) and especially the women are really shy to talk to you. The kids love it, they run after you shouting "bye bye Mzungu" and when you reply by saying "Oli otya?" (how are you?), they love it and shout "Gyendi!" (I'm fine).

I also hung out with some older village people and one challenged me to a game of pool. After a while a whole group of people was looking at the Mzungu and the Ugandan battling it out. But I beat him! By a lucky shot. Tomorrow a rematch plus a beer.

When I arrived Martin had been practicing the Australian National Anthem on his trombone. That was so amazing! Now I'm learning him the lyrics and the Dutch national anthem as well. I'll make a video soon to show everyone.

But I'm gonna read my book now, I'm halfway through Banker to the Poor. A recommendation to everyone, what a great man Muhammad Yunus is.

Derk Zomer

7 December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

2010-12-08T03:04:00.001+08:00

Experiencing Kampala
Yesterday I went into Kampala! Amazing city. I went the together with Odile to have a look around and buy a phone and a camera. We started by trying to catch a taxi into the city. The taxi's here are not at all like our taxi's. They are small minivans in which they put as many people as possible. To the city it costs you 1,000 UGS, which amounts to about 30c. And that for a 20 minute taxi ride. Pretty good.

We first went into the city to get some money. Which is quite difficult because it seems only 1 bank accepts my bank card. Then I noticed that I didn't have any money anymore. Cheap goods and services are nice, but you need at least a little bit of money to enjoy it. I was able to muster together about $15 from my bank account :P Not really enough to buy a phone and a modem, not even in Uganda.

Then we went to a nice place in a shopping mall called cafe Java. Really nice, bit on the pricy side, but I got a nice mango juice and a big Nile Tilapia salad for about $6. And that was one of the more expensive places. Great! After that we had a beer at a Japanese restaurant which was more of a relaxed bar. I liked it, it was quiet and a bit removed from the noise and dust of the main roads. I still really have to get used to that. One beer of .5L cost us 3,000 UGS, so about $1.00.

After that Odile met up with some other AIESECers to go to the Rwanda embassy to get a visa for her trip over there next week. I decided to go to an internet cafe and hassle mum for some money. After that I tried to get some money out of the bank but of course, none of the 7!!! banks there accepted my card there. So after trying a few times I took a bota bota (a small motorbike used for public transportation) to the bank that did accept my card. The bota bota is seen by a lot of people as the most dangerous public transport here in Uganda. And it is... Some of the go so fast in between heavy traffic that something nasty is bound to happen. But I asked to guy on the bota to slow it down a bit and I actually felt quite safe. He did rip me off badly though. He charged me 3,000 UGS for a short ride of about 10 minutes. Should've cost me about a 1,000 but unfortunately here haggling doesn't work. They just say no and drive away. So whatever...

After I finally got my phone and modem it was already about 7pm so I headed to the Japanese restaurant to meet up with Odile, Kirstene and Lona. We had some more beers and some noodles. Oh yeah, and for New Years we're heading to Zanzibar to celebrate it there. Awesome!!!

After that we went home, I needed to get some sleep for the start of my internship.

Derk Zomer

7 December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

2010-12-08T02:54:00.004+08:00

Exploring Uganda
After arriving in Uganda, Matthew was already waiting to pick me up. Awesome guy! He and his brother Pizza drove me to the MC house. On the way there I really thought I was going to die. The traffic in Uganda is CRAZY! He was swirling through traffic at 80 km/h like it was nothing with people crossing the street, people driving the same direction in both lanes, almost no traffic lights and this all with a constant background noise of honking horns. Ugandans use their big lights and horns for various situations. You’ve got the multiple big headlight signal, which I believe stands for “get out of the way I want to pass” and the small repeated honk, which I think means “get out of the way I want to pass URGENTLY”.

I also immediately noticed another big difference. There are a LOT of people. Everywhere.
After driving around 15 minutes I noticed that there was a lot of smoke in the air, so I asked Matthew what this was and if something somewhere was burning or something. He told me it was people burning their trash because there is no one that actually picks i t up. So when I looked I indeed saw a lot of different small fires where people threw their trash on. And when I woke up the following morning I saw Matthew doing the exact same thing in the garden :P

One other thing I noticed when we were on our way to the AIESEC house was when we stopped at some traffic lights. A young woman with a baby in her arms came to our car and started begging in Lugandan to us. Matthew and Pizza just continued talking like nothing was happening, but I was getting really uncomfortable. But when she started talking to me directly Matthew closed the windows and the traffic light went to green.

The AIESEC house is located in the middle of the slums. We were driving over a very very rocky road with small wooden huts just next to it until we took a left and drove into a compound where the house was located. All the AIESECers were there. A Dutch girl, two Danish girls, two Chinese, two Rwandans, a Kenyan and a German.

Amazing place. Tomorrow Odile (the Dutch girl) will show me around Kampala a bit and I'll buy a phone and a modem.

Derk Zomer
5 December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

2010-12-08T02:51:00.000+08:00

Relaxing in Taiwan
Today was what you would call a slow day as nothing had been planned for us so I took the time to take in the scenery...

My Dad's friend who lives in Taiwan called me today to give me a mobile and I found out that my Dad had called but as I was not at home, he had talked to the owner of the house and I was then informed that he had been really worried about me regarding whether I had landed safely. I should have realised that my parents would've been worried about me and it was actually really touching knowing that they cared.

We all headed out of the house (check out the flight of stairs!) to get something to eat and explore the town. We decided to walk to the shops as we hadn't explored the area.

Walking down, we passed the police college which you can see below and we also saw the Wang Fang Hospital.

Once we reached the shops, the girls went crazy looking at all the food and started buying whatever they thought was cool.

We headed further down the street and we found some really cheap sushi and I realised that Jen really lies eating food!

The shopping centres in Taiwan are a lot different to Perth as the groceries are more processed and all the produce is wrapped up which was definitely unfamiliar.

Mark Kein

December 2010 (Part 3)

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

2010-12-08T02:35:00.000+08:00

Arriving in Taiwan

Taiwan is a truly confusing place if you don't know Chinese and standing in line at the airport has really emphasised this.

After getting through customs, I met up with my exchange manager, Winne, and other people from the local committee - Amber and Celine. I felt so bad upon realising that they had to travel two hours to get to the airport!

Once we reached our destination, I was extremely thankful for the people who came to pick me up as I had no idea how to get a card for the MRT (which is basically a train service).

After experiencing the Taiwan public transport system (I had to catch the train and bus to the university), the university looked quite forboding. I met more of the local committee members and presented on my home country, Australia. Manning the Australia stall was fun as the other exchange participants from Australia: Eldric, Shirley and Jennifer, had brought Vegemite over and pretended it was Australian chocolate and persuaded the locals to try some. It was surprising that the local committee didn't know much about Australia so hopefully we taught them something - and Eldric probably did as he had a lot of slides about Australia!

Mark Kein

December 2010 (Part 2)

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

2010-12-08T02:14:00.002+08:00

Airports!
After setting out on my journey to international waters (being Taiwan...), my first stop was Singapore International airport.

At the Perth International airport, I was probably most grateful for my Dad being there as he knew what to do and who to ask having flown internationally before.

I only actually have two memories of the Perth International airport with the first being me dropping my grandparents off when they visisted from Malaysia and the second was when our local committee had to go pick up Juliano, our intern from the Philippines in the middle of the night.

It's weird being at the airport - it seems like the penultimate act before my exchange is actually realised. Even being at the Singapore airport, it doesn't seem like I'm out of my comfort zone because even though it's a lot larger than the Perth airport, it's still a culture that I'm familiar with.

I don't feel homesick yet and I'm not sure whether I should as I've just left my home, family and friends behind but I'm sure that will happen later on.

Sitting in the depature lounge is quite admittedly depressing as everyone seems to be avoiding eye contact and it's unusually quiet. This definitely seems to be the norm between complete strangers - that there would be no communication or polite conversation until there's a need.

Upon arriving in Singapore - I was at a complete loss about what I should be doing. I didn't have enough time to explore Singapore as my flight to Taiwan was leaving soon so I was only able to explore the airport - which was an experience in itself.

The flight to Taiwan clearly illustrated to me how at lost I would be in Taiwan as everyone was speaking Mandarin and I could only catch certain phrases and then someone would speak too quickly or use unfamiliar vocabulary and then I'd be lost again.

I am actually really excited for Taipei - I just want to explore the country already! I guess you could say the anticipation is killing me...

Mark Kein
December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Michael Willett - Finland

2010-12-05T14:27:00.000+08:00

Hey AIESEC,

I have just completed my first week of my 6 week ET in Lappeenranta, Finland. The experience so far has been difficult to say the least, but never dull. The biggest difficulty I have faced is the massive culture shock of arriving in a sleepy Finnish town on the border with Russia, oh yeah, and it was -18 yesterday. I've never felt this cold, thank god for the sauna.

The Finnish people are extremely reserved, especially the children in my School. For some reason they are afraid to speak to me in English, when I know for fact that their English is of a very high standard. This makes it quite difficult to teach, because the students never answer my questions. I am making fast progress though, which I find quite rewarding. The students are beginning to take an interest in me, and they have been asking me all sorts of questions. It turns out that being a teenager in Finland is quite similar to growing up in Perth.

Generally the people here are friendly, if they choose to talk to you. I haven't met many people yet, just my reception buddy and the other EP i'm sharing my flat with. It's hard to meet people here, and the LC here is reallllly small. Plus they are currently sitting their exams, so there is not much action in the town at the moment, except some chronic under-age binge drinking.

Anyway, the culture shock factor is something that you can never truly prepare for. I researched Finland quite a lot, and talked to Maija in detail about the people and norms etc. All of that preparation, and I still feel like an absolute idiot in this town. It's stressful even trying to go grocery shopping, when you don't know the Finnish name for yogurt and milk etc, and all of these products come packaged in the same shaped cartons. Natural yogurt in a cup of coffee is never recommended. Even with all the awkward language barrier problems, I am enjoying my time in Finland.

To be honest, my favourite time of the day is the hours that I spend at school. The other teachers are really friendly and they treat me like an equal, which is a really nice feeling. The school have also given me a pay rise and agreed to pay for my transport costs, which they didn't need to do. I'm really pleased with them, and I think they are pleased with me too.

So that almost sums up my time here in Lappeenranta so far, there's so much more to tell that I have probably forgotten already. If any prospective EP's are reading this, I highly recommend you go on exchange. Despite the difficulties you face, its an amazing feeling of being a part of a society that you've had absolutely no connection with previously. I've discovered so much about myself that I didn't know and i've suprised myself in this first week alone. I'm proud that I am able to make changes to the way I live in order to fit in, and overall I'm glad I have been chosen to take part in this exchange.

For now that's all I have to say, but it is a Friday afternoon so hopefully plenty of storied from the weekend to come.

Hope you're all well and enjoying the summer. I'm freezing.

Michael Willett

December 2010

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

2010-12-03T12:24:00.006+08:00

Packing and Leaving Australia
This is it guys! Sitting here in front of my laptop at 8.04pm on a Tuesday night writing my blog post just before I leave for Taiwan! It's a strange feeling thinking about heading overseas.

These last few days have been really hectic for me as there has been a lot of catching up to do as well as a lot of AIESEC events to attend such as the Rewards and Recognition night (photos can be found on the official AIESEC UWA website and Facebook page). I've had to get a lot of things done before I could start my volunteer abroad experience such as getting my new passport, arranging for my visa, doctor appointments etc.And to add to everything I'm doing, let's not forget the need to pack! Packing for this trip has made me realise just how much stuff I have accumulated in my life and just how much I will probably never use again.

I don't think you can ever really prepare for a destination no matter how much you pack - then again, I haven't been overseas in awhile... I mean, I can pack everything I own or pack nothing at all but ultimately, I don't think I'll ever be ready for the shock of arriving in an unknown country and experience a whole new culture and language.

I'm not normally a person who worries a lot but when I think about entering a place that I have barely any information about, I can become quite a worrier. For example, my exchange preparation manager Disston can vouch for my ability to repeatedly ask the same question when I worry about a situation.

I've created personal and professional goals for this volunteer abroad experience so hopefully when I return to Australia, I'll be able to say that I have achieved them all.

Until next time!

Mark Kein
November 2010

Introducing our change agents!

2010-11-27T14:05:00.005+08:00

By the end of 2010, AIESEC UWA will have sent more than 20 students overseas for the experience of a lifetime. A major part of the AIESEC experience is exchange and it is these exchange participants that are now making their impact on the world.

These are just some of the change agents that will be travelling all over the globe this Summer.

Mark Kein

Studying: Commerce/Economics

Volunteering in: Taiwan

Derk Zomer

Studying: Commerce

Volunteering in: Uganda

Thea Walton

Studying: Arts/Economics

Volunteering in: Morocco

Disston Ng

Studying: Arts/Commerce

Volunteering in: Taiwan

Jennifer Chan

Studying: Science

Volunteering in: Taiwan

Over the next few weeks, their stories and many others will be shared with you so you can see just how they're making a difference.

To discover how you can be a part of this programme, you can find out at www.aiesecwa.org/uwa

Making a Difference

2010-10-29T10:25:00.000+08:00

Student activism is dead. The age of the socially aware and community minded student has passed us by. Gone are the days of the Vietnam War protest rallies and the fight for free tertiary education. Apathy and lethargy have set in and the Australian student is no longer interested in the needs of our society.

Or so I thought until I became involved with AIESEC.

My initial impression of the UWA chapter of AIESEC International was a little cynical at best. I walked into a room of people espousing the benefits of “an international platform for developing leadership” and the need to “activate agents of positive change”. Wonderful I’m sure, but how exactly does this translate into a benefit for the larger global community? How does this glowing rhetoric lead to a few students in metropolitan Perth really making a difference?

I was a little scared that lip service would be paid to an undoubtedly good cause or two; and perhaps a little money raised once in a while, but that no real change would stem from my involvement in this organisation.

It’s as I have become more involved with AIESEC UWA that I’m beginning to see just how passionate this (relatively) small group of students really are about making a difference and how this global organisation can help them reach those goals. Each and every one of them realises that they are potentially part of something much bigger than rattling a tin on the uni campus or distributing fliers outside the library. They are part of AIESEC and they will be able to have a real, substantial positive impact on the world.

AIESEC goes about this in what is essentially a two stage process. On the home front it teaches students, like you and I, how to be leaders. It shows us how to act with integrity, how to respect and thrive in a diverse culture, how to enjoy participation, to act sustainably and to strive for excellence. The organisation then takes these young leaders and distributes them around the world, on exchange, to visit places where they themselves can ‘get their hands dirty’ and make a real difference.

Some raise awareness about AIDS in Africa. Some facilitate micro-financing in India. Some teach children about cultures that are different to their own. Some work with NGOs or companies on the opposite side of the world.

The thing that has really struck home for me in my three months involvement with AIESEC UWA, however, is the enthusiasm with which my fellow members have gone about this process. The number of exchange participant applications. The in-depth analysis of potential leadership candidates. The excitement they’ve felt prior to and whilst sitting their Member Review Boards (pre-exchange interviews). Their detailed suggestions for committee-wide improvement. Their willingness to volunteer for anything and everything.

It is only really through accessing and, dare I say it, ‘activating’ this sort of driven, passionate student base, giving them the opportunity to go out there and effect change for themselves, that we can rediscover the socially aware student of the past.

It is extraordinarily refreshing to interact with other students who care.

James Mitchell

Talent Management, AIESEC UWA

What is AIESEC's impact?

2010-10-24T22:41:00.000+08:00

AIESEC, an international platform for developing and exploring your leadership potential

Why do so many people not feel AIESEC’s impact?

Having joined AIESEC at the beginning of semester 2, I am glad to be able to say that I am a changed person. I am glad to say that I overcame my resistance to join and I am even happier to be able to enjoy AIESEC’s full ride.

Being in AIESEC has definitely opened up my mind. The people are amazing; they dedicate so much time and effort to this organisation and yet still have to manage with the overbearing load of uni.

They all have so much passion, energy, drive and commitment that they glow ORANGE and BLUE.

As soon as I hopped on the AIESEC train, it is their energy that has inspired me. As the saying goes, ‘GO HARD OR GO HOME’. I think that if you really want to make the most of your experience, you definitely have to go hard. You have to surpass your fears, demolish your fears and just look ahead. It is ONLY then that you will have a true and complete AIESEC experience.

And this is exactly what I have done this past semester. My greatest achievement has been working on the QUICKEN event. Even though I was not in charge, I have definitely learnt so much about myself. I am not sure whether it unveiled skills and attributes that I had but I didn’t realise or whether I developed them in the face of adversity. Either way, I am happy as I have so much more confidence in myself.

I was very involved in logistics from payment methods to catering to software pick up stall. The team and I have had to face several challenges from coping with an unexpected venue change, to sorting out software and technical issues. And even though, it looked and felt like there was no way out, I persevered. I was prepared to make changes to overcome these problems and at the end of the day, the event was a success.

I learnt that I had an inner creative edge. Even though, I can’t draw to save my life, I surprisingly was quite creative with my initiatives. I realised that I could draw links from different experiences/ situations and apply it where relevant. I proposed the idea of a stall such that participants could pick up their software before the event to prevent delay on the day. The stall was a success with 73% of all softwares collected.

I learnt that I had the ability to bring a team together through creating strong relationships with my team members. I understood the importance of delegation and most of all I now know how to effectively attack the planning of an event for its smooth running.

I believe that I have definitely grown as a leader. Being part of the finance team, I have had to give people deadlines for event proposals and budgets, I have had to give constructive criticism and have had to track a portfolio’s performance.

AIESEC has made me realise that different people have different leadership types and to not judge a book by its cover. We are all unique and hence all have unique leadership styles. AIESEC caters to our uniqueness. It does not try to mould you into this fixed stereotype of what a leader should be. Instead, it develops different personalities into unique, efficient and different leaders. I have realised that the most important attribute that a leader must possess is passion and persistence. If you have those, the rest will fall into place. For me, I have a clear vision and aggressively try to achieve it. Despite being aggressive in what I want, I am still easy to work with and still approachable. I have been told that when delegating tasks, I ask nicely but I give a look that reads, ‘ You better not mess with me!’ :D

Laura Law

Finance, AIESEC UWA

Learning for Development

2010-10-19T11:31:00.001+08:00

I believe everyone wants to be better, and we all want to develop ourselves so we can reach our full potential. Striving for development in areas such as professional and personal development is something that all AIESEC members have in common.

By definition, learning is all about acquiring something new. This ‘something’ may include new knowledge, behaviours, skills, values, preferences or it may even be new understanding of something old.

In my case, this ‘something’, was actually a lot of things. I joined AIESEC with an objective to learn, and I’ve done exactly that. I’ve learnt both hard and soft skills. These hard skills include core competencies of time management and organisational skills, and soft skills such as interpersonal and communication skills.

I’ve even learnt things about myself as a person. I learnt that I have a passion for helping others to develop themselves and I have discovered the importance of development.

My role in AIESEC is that of the Internal Training and Events Team Leader. I am responsible for the learning and development of the AIESEC UWA committee. From this, I have had practical experience at identifying skill gaps within our organisation, and then developing and implementing trainings to address these gaps. For example, networking skills are essential for professional development and during my AIESEC experience, I have organised a training session addressing networking skills and also organised a Networking Simulation to allow practical application of these learnings.

However, I haven’t just learnt how to identify skill gaps or implement training sessions. I’ve realised the intrinsic and extrinsic importance of learning on both an individual member and organisational level.

Individual learning is learning done by the individual. It helps to optimise the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the individual in accomplishing everyday jobs and tasks. Meanwhile, on an intrinsic level, individual learning satisfies an innate drive of people to better themselves. For example, from my role in AIESEC, I have truly achieved satisfaction just from developing new critical thinking and analytical skills.

The importance of organisational learning is something that I have also become aware of. Organisational learning differs from individual learning as the learning is achieved by the whole organisation. It involves the organisation learning from experience and incorporating this knowledge back into the organisation as feedback in order to improve.

This constant drive for improvement through learning and experience, allows an organisation to achieve both success and growth in this ever-changing society. This represents AIESEC.

As an organisation, AIESEC looks into the future and wants to make a difference. It prides itself for delivering high-quality experiences to all members that each want to make a positive impact on society. These members then bring their experiences back to the organisation and impart their knowledge, skills and experiences to newer members to allow them to learn and further develop themselves.

Having members that want to do this sets AIESEC apart from any other organisation. AIESEC wants to develop its members and its future members to make a cross-generational impact on society.
So, learning for development is something that is essential not just on an individual level in the professional sense and personal sense. It’s also essential on an organisational level.

Nevertheless, on an individual level, I personally want to learn so I can develop myself to my full potential. In doing so, I believe I can make a difference and have an impact on the world. AIESEC is my platform for this.
In conclusion, I thank AIESEC for helping me to learn a huge variety of skills and of the importance of individual learning and organisational learning.

And most importantly, I thank AIESEC for helping me learn something new about myself. I now know that I truly enjoy helping others so they can reach THEIR own potential, and so they themselves can make THEIR own personal impact on the world.

Jennifer Chan

Talent Management, AIESEC UWA

AIESEC @ The University of Western Australia

AIESEC WA's Regional Board for 2012 - SELECTED!

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Prue Watson - Indonesia

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Thea Walton - Morocco

Get ready for the experience of a lifetime!

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Jo-Ann Chan - China

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Soo Yong Mei - India

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Jennifer Chan - Taiwan

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Ivan Tcherkashnev - India

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Kaye Hon - China

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Disston Ng - Taiwan

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Nadialisa Tan - Taiwan

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Derk Zomer - Uganda

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

Arriving in Taiwan

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(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Michael Willett - Finland

(Volunteer Abroad Experience) Mark Kein - Taiwan

Introducing our change agents!

Making a Difference

What is AIESEC's impact?

Learning for Development