Alumni event and Flora

Last night was a lot of fun. First, we went to an alumni cocktail at the university where my LC is. This was great because AIESEC Colombia presented Alcance Social to the alumni. Everyone was very pleased with the direction of AIESEC and the impact it will have on Colombia and the world.

After this we tried to go to a club by Parque 93, which is in the northern part of this city. The Club is calld Kuakaramakara and the bouncers where really arrogant and nasty. They also tried to over charge us for the cover and for drinks. So we decided to take our business elsewhere, to a club called Flora. Flora ended up being a lot of fun, although i did get tired after about 3 hours of straight dancing. The music was very diverse and the people were attractive. Tonight we are going to a club on top of a building in the downtown part of the city...should be good.

Saludos a todos!

pictures: http://new.photos.yahoo.com/arthur_maas/album/576460762317146279#page1

photos and update

Today was an easy day for me. I tried to get a phone, but am still investigating all of the options. Then, I went to Zona Rosa, which is the posh part zone of Bogota. I came back to the apartment that I'm staying at and relaxed until dinner. Tomorrow I'll go back to the center of the city, "El Centro" and visit two museums and walk around the historic part of the city.


For my pictures of the past few weeks see:
http://new.photos.yahoo.com/arthur_maas/albums

Bogota sin indeferencia

I have spent the last two days acclimating to Bogotá and seeing the sites. So far what I have concluded is that Bogotá is the diggity dank as senor Williams would say. Today Ranko and I went up a funicular to a monastery called Monserate on the mountains that line the East of the city. Bogotá is huge!!! I'm sure I will not see even half of the city during my fourth month period here.

After that, today we saw museo de oro which was packed with enough bling to make all the Gs in Ithaca a grill. I was pretty amazing. Then in true Bogotá fashion, we finished out adventure with a coffee at Juan Valdez, the Colombian equivalent of Starbucks. I'm having a great time and my hosts Tiffany, Arnie, Chris, and all of AIESEC Javeriana have been amazing.

Tomorrow I will try to buy a phone and figure out the mass transit system transmilenio. Next step, world domination!

Saludos!

First Night

I arrived today in Bogota. My flight was easy and the entire trip was without incident except for a killer line to get through immigration at the airport. Tiffany and Arnie met me outside the terminal, which was awesome. I love seeing familiar faces after long trips. Then we waited for Angela, another new trainee from Hong Kong who will be working in Manizales. Overall, I could not have asked for a better reception and I can't wait to get out and explore Bogota.

Thanks everyone for all of their warm wishes over the past few weeks. It truely means a lot and I will try to post often with lots of pictures.

Que chevre I think is what they say here.

Shit I'm leaving tomorrow

I'm soooo glad that tomorrow is only a day away. Today has been consumed by procrastination and packing. I'm really excited to get to Bogota, but saying goodbye to everyone has been incredibly difficult as well. It crushed me to say bye to Clarali and Betsy, knowing that I might not see them both again for a few years. Also, I have been pondering the opportunity cost of my trip. It is clear to me that I'm doing the right thing so long as I am proactive about keeping in touch, which has not been one of my strengths. I will try, but I hope others will help me by contacting me from time to time as well.

Anyway, la proxima vez desde Bogota.

The "oh shit" period

It is official, I am entering the "Oh Shit" period before I leave for Colombia. Today marks the T minus 5 days point and I am just starting to really prepare myself with the details of leaving. Things could definitely be worse. I could be back at Cornell going through the grueling motions of school, which is not what I need right now. I feel like I'm in limbo right now between Colombia and the US and I don't really enjoy this part of traveling/relocation.

Last week was spent up at Cornell and although I had a blast, I'm glad to be back and moving on. I really think that the new team is setting up for a huge breakthrough. The true test will be a realized incoming trainee. This will make us very legit.

Watch out for March when Cornellians spread across the world to every conference imaginable. MENALDS, WENALDS, AfroXLDS, APXLDS, AXLDS, EuroXpro. We might be taking over the world.

This week the thoughts that have dominated my mind centered on future career goals. Is an MC in the cards for me or should i move on to something a little less AIESECy? I'm interested in the consulting field although some firms are not for me. Anyway, off to meet an old friend in Union Square for dinner.

New York is my center and is the center of the world! It is my favorite place to be.

Leaving on a jet plane

Things are certainly going well right now. I have spent the last week up at Cornell and only good has transpired. The new team has kicked ass at recruitment and I'm so excited to see and hear what the newbies do in the future. We got the budget in and are hoping for all 9K that we applied for!! I have an advisor for my independent study project in Colombia, which is the original reason why I came up here to Cornell. It looks as though I'll earn about 3-4 credits for my time in Colombia, which will help me when it's time to graduate.

Today we met with the Co-op people and it was a positive meeting. Now I have a million emails to send out, which is ok because we have an amazing person to come in and take my place working on Co-op. P-Niz will assume this role and I am extremely happy about this because I know she will do amazing things with this project.

This brings me to my last point. In about 10 days I will be in Bogotá, starting my traineeship. While I can't wait to get there, I am starting to feel a bit nervous about what the job will actually entail. It's kind of a nervous excitement that only comes from stepping into unknown territory.

Future plan possibilities:
1) return to Cornell post traineeship
2) stay in Colombia
3) bus from Bogotá to Buenos Aires
4) CC at IPM and another traineeship across the pond
5) haven’t thought of 5 yet, but I’m open to ideas.

Not having to go to class and study feels amazing right now, but what feels more amazing is feeling satisfied in my decisions.