AIESECer Stories: Exchange & Leadership Experience in Kazakhstan
Hi! My name is Zane. I’m originally from Latvia, but at the moment I am working as Vice President External Relations of AIESEC Kazakhstan. Before taking this position I had an education internship in a school in Kazakhstan. I just couldn’t miss the chance of going for an internship – a thing that I’ve been promotion to other people during my AIESEC experience. The purpose of this internship was to get professional experience in another country and challenge my worldview by living in a different culture. As a specialist in my area, I understood that the things at university were not so impractical as I thought during the studies. I understood that the management skills in teacher’s work are more worth than a diploma in teaching. I learned management in many aspects: managing kids, managing time, managing resources, efforts, knowledge, skills and emotions. I was lucky to work in a school where changes are the key word. That developed my skills of fast adaptation and work in totally changing situations. I realized how many things can depend on a single teacher of a subject. As speaking of the country, I was surprised to find many similarities from the Soviet Union times in behavior of people and cuisine. The differences I saw fascinated me, and I desired to know more about Kazakh traditions and country itself. For me benefits of going on exchange are obvious: challenging worldview, necessity to adapt fast to native obstacles, developing skills of persistence and goal orientation. In addition to that I gained many new impressions, new acquaintances and friends. I expanded my way of thinking and learned how to work in a truly international team. Ongoing experience is what I was looking for when I applied for the position of Vice President External Relations in AIESEC Kazakhstan - work in a multinational team, development of professional skills and expanding the network of contacts. Before going to Kazakhstan I had already developed a career in AIESEC Riga - I helped to organize a conference for 250 people, I lead 2 teams, was dealing with more than 15 local partners and partners of projects, attended and created more than 17 national and international conferences. Now I’m using this experience to bring success to AIESEC Kazakhstan! Another year in Kazakhstan gives me a chance to improve my management skills in ER field, taking into account that my profession is totally different. I can work in a team with 4 young individuals, full with energy, different points of view and willing to develop themselves. I have access to such organization network and scope of operation that would not be possible in Latvia. The biggest benefit of being in AIESEC one more year is an exploration and development of my own personality. |