My AIESEC journey: Asia to Africa to South America to North & Central America via Europe

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This story was featured in the 75th Anniversary Storybook of AIESEC International, on page 142. 

AIESEC is a youth run organization through which I traveled the world and lived across different continents for several years doing foreign exchange programs and internships. Originally a French acronym, it stands for Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales, which in English is, International Association of Students in Economics and Commercial Sciences. However, the full name is no longer officially used as members can now be graduates and undergraduates from any university background. For more information, visit aiesec.org.

Asia to Africa to South America to North & Central America via Europe

I like to introduce myself as a compulsive AIESECer. Originally from Asia at AIESEC Singapore I gave my interview at AIESEC Malaysia, I did my first two internships in Africa at AIESEC Nigeria spanning 1.5 years, I did my next two internships in South America at AIESEC Venezuela spanning 2 years, I did my final two internships in Central America at AIESEC Costa Rica spanning 3 years—having been selected as a global talent by AIESEC Germany, Europe—after which I published my first book and became a permanent resident of Costa Rica. I actively participated in AIESEC events, regional, national, international conferences in all the countries I lived, throughout my exchange years and afterwards, not just as a member or delegate, but also as a performer, speaker, author, teacher, presenter and motivator, encouraging students from local committees to go on exchange programs, and later became a member of AIESEC Life LA in the USA, North America spanning over a decade across five continents.

My AIESEC Exchange history

Asia: A member of AIESEC at NUS, Singapore, those days we had to give interviews and pass an Insight XP online exam in order to be eligible for exchange. Being in my final year at university, the interviews were already closed for the semester, but luckily they were holding one in a neighboring country, Malaysia, where I travelled to appear for the interview and was selected. 

• Africa (April 2007 to September 2008): I lived In Nigeria, and worked as a Marketing Executive at the Nigeria Model United Nations Society – NigMUNS in Abuja, and then at Goge Africa in Lagos, which is an African TV show, when I had a chance to co-organize a career counseling & guidance session for high school students from schools all across Lagos on behalf of Goge Africa Foundation – GAF.
• South America (April 2009 to March 2011): I lived in Venezuela, and worked as an English Teacher at Wall Street Institute – WSI and Centro Venezolano Americano del Zulia – CEVAZ in Maracaibo.
• Central America (March 2011 to September 2013): I did my final internships in Costa Rica, where I was selected for a global exchange via Europe, Germany at Deutsche Post – DHL teaching Business Communication & Corporate English to supervisors and managers in Heredia, as well as formal & informal English at Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano – CCCN in San Jose. During my DHL tenure, I had the opportunity to volunteer at a local home, Hogar Siembra in Alajuela, teaching English & communication skills to sexually abused and orphaned teenage girls.

After publishing my first book, magicNine –a true account of the inner adventures of a young girl to consciousness in Costa Rica, I became a motivational speaker often lecturing at local universities, institutions, schools, hotels, AIESEC events, and other distinguished platforms on evolutionary topics as a guest speaker and performer, where I combined book events with dance shows. I still live in Costa Rica, and right now I am publishing my second book titled, Life Is Abracadabra –21 magical stories from my travels to make you look at life with new eyes, and a third book titled, Nrit –the dream of finding the self inspired by true events and intended to be made into a feature film post publication. During this time, I also published an Inspirational Calendar and an Inspirational Journal –the world of dreams is right here in three variations internationally. You can find all my publications for online purchase at my Store or on Amazon.

Recently, I was invited to speak at the prestigious Women Economic Forum – WEF at par with country presidents and world leaders where I was awarded the Exceptional Women of Excellence and Iconic Women Creating a Better World for All titles, and deliver six TEDx talks internationally which can be found on TEDx and TED sites or my website at TED Talks. My TEDx talk titled “How to travel the world at the drop of a hat” mentions AIESEC at 9:09 minutes, and yet another book with this title is in the making.

The AIESEC impact

Not only has AIESEC changed my life shaping the person I am today as an author, speaker, performer, globetrotter from a confused IT student at university in Singapore trying to make sense of reality, but it has also helped me discover my true passion and purpose in life. During my journeys across the globe, I had the opportunity to perceive life through myriad mirrors of reality, trying to understand human suffering, dysfunctional belief systems of diverse societies, the root cause of all diseases, what happens after death, light and shadow aspects of our consciousness, and so on. From Asia to Europe to Africa to South America to North & Central America, I have lived with local families, eating their food, adopting their lifestyles, contributing to their economy, inhabiting their culture, navigating extreme realities and belief systems, observing varied traditions and religions whence beliefs are formed, scanning the energy of each country I resided in for several years to answer life’s most pertinent questions. Coming from a conservative family background in India, I had to overcome all limitations to fly in the direction of my dreams!

From a Computing graduate to a marketing executive to a German interpreter, English teacher, Spanish translator, to now a writer, orator, presenter, actor, mysterious coincidences have led me from one continent to another, contriving me to live my destiny, to leave a legacy! I had the opportunity to positively impact and inspire thousands of lives across the world during my exchanges with AIESEC, and my upcoming book, Life Is Abracadabra, is a collection of magical stories and marvelous encounters from these adventures, recounting true anecdotes of hope and faith, of magic and miracles, with an entire story in the book dedicated to AIESEC. To see the book from an AIESEC perspective, here are some questions to ponder:

1. Have you heard of an AIESEC intern writing multiple books based on their experiences?
2. Could you handle getting mugged in a foreign country with no money and no exit plan?
3. Can you see yourself transforming from a shy student to a global speaker?
4. What if your passion and purpose are waiting for you on the other side of an exchange?

To recap, here are the salient features of my AIESEC journey:

• 10+ years, 5 continents, 6 exchanges
• 1 global internship at Deutsche Post – DHL 
• Brought value to thousands of lives
• Published first book during AIESEC exchange
• Extraordinary insights to impart
• Second, third, fourth books on the roll
• Became an award-winning international speaker
• Impacting current AIESECers with my life-changing work

Below are a few pictures from my AIESEC internships, conferences, local tours, hosts or just hanging out with AIESECers.

Here is a video of my surprise farewell party thrown by Goge Africa in Nigeria demonstrating some foot-tapping salsa dancing I learned there, and below that my bollywood dance performances at AIESEC UNA Global Village, AIESEC TEC Social Heroes, AIESEC UCR in Costa Rica to draw students to our booths, encouraging them to go on exchanges along with more excerpts from the events:

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And below is a playlist with more videos related to my AIESEC experience internationally:

On a recent trip to Los Angeles where I went to do a TEDx event and speak with filmmakers about my books, I had a chance to meet and interact with the local AIESEC team and some alumni members from USC and UCLA. I met Maggie Gisel, President of AIESEC Life LA of which I also became a member, who helped me on the trip and invited me at an AIESEC Alumni gathering near USC, which was fantastic. Below is my performance at TEDxResedaBlvd in LA, which is a metaphoric description of my journeys through the globe, like the River of Life flows across the earth to unite with her true destiny, the Sea of Love!

I salute AIESEC and acknowledge the immense value it has rendered in my life, by enabling the foreign internships through which I could see the world and find my purpose; specifically local chapters in Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria, Venezuela, Germany, Costa Rica, USA and India. Once an AIESECer, always an AIESECer, whether I am an exchange participant, a mere LC member, or an alumna.

FUN FACTS:

1. AIESEC was started in 1948 post World War II in Europe by a group of student rebels who wanted to see a different world. They hoped to change the world, one person at a time, one internship at a time. Today it is the world’s largest non-profit, non-governmental, student run organization established in over 127 countries.
2. AIESEC provides young people with leadership development, cross-cultural global internships, and volunteer exchange experiences across the globe. The organization focuses on empowering youths to make a positive impact on society. Run by students, for students, the AIESEC network includes more than 27,000 members and burgeoning across universities worldwide.
3. AIESEC is in consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), affiliated with the United Nations Department of Public Information (UN DPI) and UN’s Office of the Secretary General’s Envoy on Youth, member of ICMYO and recognized by UNESCO. Its international headquarters is in Rotterdam, Netherlands. 
4. AIESEC internships duration could vary from 8 weeks to 78 weeks and there are four types of exchanges: Management, Developmental, Technical, and Educational. I ended up doing management, developmental and educational work during my foreign internships.
5. Below are some famous AIESECers who created history; click to enlarge each image and learn more about them:

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Addendum: I had the opportunity to lecture at two colleges in Navi Mumbai and an AIESEC National Conference in India recounting the journey in my new book, Life Is Abracadabra, and outlining my exchange experience, in collaboration with AIESEC Navi Mumbai & AIESEC India.

#OnceAnAIESECerAlwaysAnAIESECer #IAmAnAIESECer #TravelWithPurpose

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