"i'm an aiesecer"

i was in my level four intensive con class today.  we were in the second hour of class, discussing first impressions of people in 2s and 3s.  i was listening to what one group was saying...and then i saw it: a cell phone with a little white dangly decoration that had 'i'm an aiesecer' written on it.  i looked at my student and said, 'are you in aiesec?'  she looked at me, surprised, and said, 'yes, do you know aiesec?'  'YES!  i was in it for three semesters!  how long have you been in it?'  'three years.'

wow.  three years.  twice the amount of time i was in it.  amazing she hasn't been kicked out yet.

she seems pretty innocent, though.  not like her crazy teacher.

regardless of my feelings for national staff and the way that i parted from aiesec, it was really cool to meet an aiesecer, completely out of any aiesec-related context, on the other side of the world.  it wasn't about what either of us had done during our time in aiesec, just that we shared a similar wish for the world.  it reminded me of why i'm in korea, why i chose to push myself to do something new and, at times, really fucking scary.

make the world your comfort zone.

period.