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HELLO!
#1 ISSUE
Hello and welcome to the first edition of the AIESEC UCL-SOAS newsletter! Your determination and potential allowed you to brilliantly make it through the assessment centre and interview. Getting ready for your experience abroad is absolutely fundamental, but this doesn’t mean that the fun is over! It is with pleasure and excitement that we would like to introduce you to the wider AIESEC community through upcoming events and activities. These will include workshops, talks but also social and parties! We will aim to report news of recent and future events, details of forthcoming projects, and requests for assistance from the community and general information about the Group. We highly welcome contributions from members and others to make this newsletter lively, informative and successful.
Dear Exchange Participants,
EP interview with Chin, an Ex-
EP who went to Brazil! Find out
more about his experience
whilst you start to plan yours! J
Table of Contents
Find out more about our
upcoming events and some
fun facts!!
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2 AIESEC UCL-SOAS 2014
EP Interview - Brazil (Chin)
Chin (a team member of our local committee) hails from Malaysia and currently reads Economics at UCL. Last summer, Chin was involved in a project targeting youths in the favelas of Rio with the aim of spreading awareness on issues such as diversity and human rights.
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What stereotypical vision do you
have about Brazil? Open-minded
people or primitive people? A lazy,
slothful, sluggish, slacked people or
hard working, enthusiastic and
dedicated people? When we talk
about international perception of
Brazil we easily associate the
country with the Amazon, beaches,
samba and favelas. When we talk
about Brazilians the first thing that
comes to mind is Ronaldinho &
Pelé.
Let’s see what it felt like living the
“Land of Carnival!”
Growing up on the other side of
the world, I have always pictured
Brazil as an exotic country. The
people, I imagined, are festive,
friendly and adventurous. Besides
that, I avoid stereotyping Brazilians
as being a frequent traveller has
taught me that people around the
world are not that different. In fact,
I learnt more about the Brazilian
stereotypes from the natives
themselves than I could elsewhere!
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Summer in the Northern
Hemisphere means winter in the
south. So, unfortunately, I missed
out on the carnivals but I would say
the atmosphere in Brazil is
constantly as joyous, if not more
joyous, than any other country I
have visited. For instance, standing
in the middle of a crowd of
thousands during the
Confederation Cup was an
unforgettable experience. It was
humid, extravagant and exciting
as we watched the match
surrounded by riot police. Each
time Brazil scored a goal, hundreds
of plastic cups were flung in the air,
making it rain beer.
Why did you choose Brazil?
Brazil was an easy choice as I felt
like it could be my only chance to
explore the continent where many
of my compatriots are not able to.
AIESEC UCL- SOAS 2014
3 AIESEC UCL-SOAS 2014
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What were your expectations before departure?
I got on the plane without much information and only knew that I was
expected to work with youth groups. I chose not to worry too much on
the details and it turned out to be a great decision. Spontaneity played a
big part of my entire trip. Instead of a continuous and dull formal setting,
my team and I were helping out the underprivileged communities in so
many different ways while learning from them at the same time. Painting
the railings with the kids overlooking the hills of Rio, playing interactive
games and even babysitting were some of the tasks my team and I
happily volunteered to do - on top of the workshops we conducted.
Did you experience any significant culture shock in the first few weeks?
I never felt like an outsider and was quickly welcomed right after I
landed.
Sometimes, the local volunteer in the non-governmental organisation
would call me Jackie Chan while chuckling due to my Asian features.
Does that count?
Did you face any problems in Brazil? How did you solve it?
I was a major trouble for the local committee. When I landed, I learned
that the airline had lost my luggage. From that day onwards, it was a
downward spiral and I quickly became the main dilemma for the locals.
EP Interview- Brazil (Chin)
[Continued]
AIESEC UCL-SOAS 2014
(continued)
4 AIESEC UCL-SOAS 2014
“The most meaningful and amazing trip that have
experienced”
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I was lost at least thrice, missed a
boat back to Rio and my passport
was stolen on a night out. Those
were the few problems that my
host was endlessly trying to help
me solve. It was scary at the time
but a month later, it’s my go-to
joke.
How did your UK local committee
help you throughout your
experience?
The team in-charge was well-
organised and responsible. I
followed the procedures as told
and the entire process went pass
so quickly.
What is the most precious memory
you have of Brazil?
Definitely the trips around Brazil. For
example, we took a boat to the
island Ilha Grande for a weekend
getaway, explored every part of
Rio and even hopped on a last
minute bus to Sao Paulo.
What do you think about Brazil
now?
I genuinely enjoyed Brazil and
would recommend it in an
instance. Rio is a blessed city. With
the beach, hills and city minutes
apart from each other, it’s
paradise. The locals call it the
‘Marvelous City’. Brazilians, friends
or strangers, were friendly and at
all times trying to help me out. I felt
so comfortable and contented. It
felt like home.
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Has this experience had an impact
on your life?
The children and the city taught
me how simple things in life could
be so therapeutic. Besides, the
friendships I made while in Brazil are
the few things I truly value. While
my team and I are spread across
the globe today, we still keep in
contact and try as hard as we can
to meet up every now and then.
On top of that, the experience
taught me so much more than I
expected and allowed me to
develop as a person. It bridges the
gap between youths and gave me
the opportunities that I could not
have had today.
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Are you ready for a full
AIESEC experience? Then
you don’t want to miss our
next amazing upcoming
events:
- Join our Facebook Group! This will
be the easiest way to receive
updates and not miss out
important events and deadlines!
We will be there to answer your
questions, deal with any issue or
just have a good chat!
Here is the link:
https://www.facebook.com/group
s/621332291266206/
- Q & A Session: This event
will be held on 13 February and will
provide important information
about our exchange programs! It
will be a great opportunity to
communicate with ex EPs and
learn more from their experiences.
Get ready for some funny
anecdotes and feel free to bring
your friends along!
- 1st EP Social: Look out for
a social event towards the end of
February at UCL! It will be a great
chance to meet others that are
going on exchange and those who
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have already been in a more light
hearted setting. Learn some
drinking games and hear the
stories we are not allowed to tell
you in the info sessions!
- BOAT PARTY!: AIESEC
UCL-SOAS and LSE have joined
forces to bring you the ultimate
boat party. What better way to
enjoy a fun night out than
experiencing it from a boat on the
mighty Thames!
To find out more, click on the link
below:
https://www.facebook.com/event
s/218431841676850/?ref_newsfeed
_story_type=regular
- London
Dreamcatcher’s Day,
09.03.14:
Do you have a dream, an aim for
the future?
Or no clue what to do later in life?
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Well either way, the London
Dreamcatcher’s Day will offer a
great program for all of you! Be
inspired by exciting speakers, cool
workshops or by meeting other
people in a similar situation to
yours!
Our Day will give you the chance
to prepare better for future, gain
skills, but especially get enthusiastic
for it! We promise you to offer you
great hours of different activities -
and that for free plus…the chance
to get mentored by JCI, THE global
network for young professionals
and entrepreneurs!
When? 09.03.14 - More information
also on our Facebook page
(coming soon)!
An event not to be missed...for the
ones already dreaming and the
others looking to dream!
Upcoming Events
Got any interesting facts you would like to publish and share in
the next issue? Email them to [email protected].
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Have you forgot about our other National Partners!? Did you know that… - 20% of liquid natural gas in the world is produced in Indonesia and [Indonesia] is the largest supplier worldwide. - Indonesia is a major producer of cloves and nutmeg and ranked first in the world in terms of production. - Indonesia is the largest exporter of plywood, which makes up 80% of the supply to the world.
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- There are five million Facebook users in Egypt, more than any other Middle Eastern country. As of 2009, Egypt has 20.136 million Internet users, ranking 21st in the world. -In 2013, an Egyptian father named his newborn daughter “Facebook” to commemorate the role Facebook played in the 2011 Egyptian revolution. Her full name is Facebook Jamal Ibrahim. - The Majority of people in Kenya are Protestants
- Colombia’s capital city has a lower murder rate than USA’s capital city.
- When McDonald’s opened in 1986 in Rome, food purists outside restaurants gave away free spaghetti to remind people of their culinary heritage.
AIESEC UCL-SOAS
By Outgoing Exchange EP-Care TEAM Christine Tsai Raffaele Ippolito Tristan Al-Shehab Doris Zhao Lynna Lang Tinchi Ngan