Reunion

AIESEC, I have just chaired a conference in Lithuania and now I am floating on air. What AIESEC does to me is amazing, and for every little bit of it I get, the more I want.
Being at this conference, "DARE 2010" was my first time back inside AIESEC in over a year since chairing "Drive 2009" in Iceland. And it is a mystery to me why there is a full year in between these two incredible experiences. I feel so happy, so capable, so uplifted, so energized and so driven towards experiencing and improving the world.
Despite I left office 2 years ago, I still met some familiar faces, and it is truely, truely amazing how fast friendships can be revived, I attribute that to the common platform of the AIESEC culture which I am more aware of than ever beats in my heart and run through my veins.
I was asked to give a description of my self at this conference, and when I then looked back I realized that the quality of my life has increased year-on-year since I first encountered AIESEC in the Autumn of 2004. Working with Jonas Bengtson was a huge motivational driver, and an inspiration to become a team leader myself, in the beginning of 2005 I then did become a team leader, working with Kasper Ganer and Mads Lindegaard Larsen - amazing guys. Following this I still can never thank my LCP Stefan for believing in me and sending me to Izmir, Turkey for EuroLDS in March 2005, this was the first place where I really realized how much capacity AIESEC had, and how ready I was to change, things felt right. Even after running unsuccessfully for LCP at CBS, and possibly re-thinking my motivation behind my AIESEC involvement, I continued. This again allowed the goddess of luck to look down on me and help me, since by the end of the summer the new LCP, Dennis called me and offered me the position of LC VP SR. A perfect role for the new emerging me, a chance to work with people and to recruit the right ones. I loved my position, and AIESEC was a highlight for me through a very boring school year of 05/06. By the summer of 2006 I was ready to leave for Erasmus exchange in Reykjavik University, Iceland, I however squeezed in being on the OC for ScaLDS in Denmark, an amazing conference that should turn out to change my life. In the conference I was looking around and gathering impressions to find where in AIESEC I could continue learning and developing, and it was in this search that I spontaniously said to Louise, the MCP, "Enjoy your term, I will succeed you". With those word I left Denmark, and AIESEC in Denmark to go on exhcange, but the thought of running for MCP circled in my head all the time, and with just one month of arriving in Iceland I started using all the moves, all my network, and all my knowledge to move my self into a position where I would successfully run for MCP, and after 5 months of chats, talks, lobbyism and learning through my coach, Carsten, I ran and was elected. With this kicked off a wild and turbulent year starting with IPM in Egypt, another amazing and unforgettable conference.
TBC

Living in a bubble

"To travel is to live" so said H.C. Andersen, and hence being away from my home in Denmark I must travelling. No doubt that I am, and I feel alive, so the old writer was right.... or was he? I have always enjoyed to be travelling, mostly because of the change that it brings, of the diversity it offers and the way it changes my view of the world.

However, when travelling becomes the norm, and when change becomes constant then it feels like being in a vacuum where change is expected and without power to overwhelm. This I call to live in a bubble. But as all bubbles, financial, real estate or bubbles of soap they are transparent or hard to see. I have now however spotted how I live in one, I enjoy living in Reykjavik, I have much of what I have always hoped for, close friends, I do community service and I feel i make a difference. I am closer to being complete. But as with so many things, "you get some you give some", and I have until yesterday not realized what I was giving, but Anders helped me see that.

As he put his arm around me and said "I am so happy to be here, bro" I realized what it is that I have given up to achieve all of the above, I have given up intimacy. As I realized this my mood deteriated for the sole reason that I have always seen this as very central to my life, but I had lost sight of it. This is scary, because it shows the path to how core values are forgotten or pushed aside, a development I had sworn never to take part in.

But the bubble of living in Reykjavik has a will of its own.

Dem som overflødiggjorde det frie valg

Det lader til at vores folkevalgt betragter sig selv som vores forældre. Borgerne i Danmark ligger nu hver uge øre til endnu flere forskel om hvordan vi skal opføre os, hvilke valg vi skal træffe og hvordan vi skal bruge vores hverdag.

I løbet af den sidste er følgende tikket over nyhedsskærmene:

"Kamphunderacer skal forbydes", det er dybt beklageligt at vores regering føler sig så paternalistisk og i en uhørt grad søger at begrænse borgernes frie valg.

"Unge skal lave noget", ja ingen tvivl om at alle borgere i samfundet har et ansvar for at føre det Danmark videre som vi kender. Men at gå ned i unges kalendre og søge om de laver noget fornuftigt er et forslag helt til hundene (selvfølgelig ikke kamphunde, det må vi jo ikke)

"S vil forbyde unge at købe brezzere", nu hopper oppositionen således også på vognen med formynderiske forslag. At skulle lovgive på de enkelte varegruppe, overfor bestemte alderssegmenter må antageligt være en masdodont opgave (men måske de kan hyre de unge til i bedste stasi-stil at holde øje med hinanden, og der lave noget fornuftigt så som at håndhæve loven)

Sager som er fremme i medierne giver det stemmer at reagere på, eller gør det? Mit håb er at regeringen, og alle andre danske politikkere vågner op og stopper denne micro-management af borgernes hverdag. Resultatet af ikke at gøre det bliver jo i yderste konsekvens at vi stopper med at stemme, fordi vores folkevalgte jo træffer vores valg for os.

Lars, Lene, Helle, Villy, Pia, Margrete & Ø

Styr landet, så styrer vi vores

Imod burkaforbud

svar til Berlingske's leder

http://www.berlingske.dk/article/20090817/ledere/708170065/

Jeg giver Jelved fuldstændig ret, et eventuelt burkaforbud er det mest tåbelige forslag danske politikkere er kommet på i lang tid (desværre en regering jeg selv stemte på). I Danmark pryder vi også af frisind og rummelighed, men så snart noget bliver lidt for fremmed så vender danskerne på en tallerken. Ærgeligt, for ved at velkomme forskelle kan vi som samfund og mennesker blive rigere og lærer mere om andre og om den verden vi deler. Et burkaFORBUD repræsentere den samme undertrykkelse som nogle kvinder der bære burka allerede føler, og således skaber forbudet flere problemer end det løser (og ikke at forbudet løser nogle problemer overhovedet). Jeg håber at denne symbol politik ikke gennemføres idet det er et udtryk for snævertsynethed og intolerance, det synes jeg ikke vi skal stå model til og jeg tilskynder derfor alle til at udtrykke deres utilfredshed og bekymring her således vi kan råber vores politkkere op i tide.

Emotions and pressure

This time is characterized by many deadlines which I am in the process of overcoming, but there is a lot on my mind and I find it extremely hard to concentrate. In stead I find myself wishing me away from this hectic environment. At same time it gives me a sense of achievement to push on and really score high despite many consecutive deadlines. Being better, being more calm and in good shape is three things that counts for me in these challenging times.

I also feel a much greater need to be in contact with Anne and my family to have something steady to hold on to in an everyday where my focus is required to shift by the hour.

The "creation" of grades only motivates me vagely, therefore I see my self looking up opportunities where I can add tangible value. This is good as well as a curse since it gives me more to see in a time where I might would want more time for my self. What I have seen my self cut back on when under pressure is the maintenance of more distant relationships, focusing on core things: my self, school work, and family+Anne. I am clear about the importance and strength of these three factors. Just as much as I miss them a fell home sick, then at the same time I am greatly motivated by the outlook to go home to them. The latter supports me and gives me a much needed push to achieve the goals which I am here for. 

Clarity in a state of information overload

Everything has been so hectic in the months since I moved to Iceland, the culture shock has come and gone, the practicalities has been taken care of and a state of stability is coming to me as I am again becoming used to the life as a student.

One significant event happened thursday evening when I was in the pool with Marc. As he also has a girlfriend in Germany this was a topic which we were exploring, and it was him who said the words which has given me an understanding for living together apart and shared with me some insights how to tolerate the hardship of being without loved ones in the everyday. The exact words I don't remember, but the clarity that I feel now also gives a reassurance and confidence which make it easier for me to enjoy the moments here.

The learning curve here is so steep, one thing is being back in university. A completely different thing is being abroad again, and even though I am in the same university, in the same city, seeing some of the same people, the experience unlike my 2006 experience in nearly every way. I feel more mature and responsible now, I feel a great loss not being with Rasmus seeing him walk, hearing him talk, I miss Anne and the love we share, and I miss my family in a way I did not experience any time before. Therefore what I learned thursday is only more important, because it gives me a chance to harvest more learning, build a stronger character and develop myself in new ways.

So,

Thank you Anne, for being always so loving, caring and honest with me, I feel loved. I love you too

Thank you mom, for being there on Skype, for listening and participating

Thank you dad, for all the sweet updates, for putting Rasmus in front of the webcam. I miss you

Thank you Anders, for listning to me, our brotherhood is unbreakable

Thank you Jeppe, you are an awesome challenge and you and I will go far and deep in our discussions

Thank you Marc, for giving me much needed clarity and giving me a new chance to love Reykjavik

Rejuvenation

Noone can live in a vacuum, without deep and sincere personal relationships one will have a hard time to thrive, since the meaning and recognition from people of the "inner circle" are a primary source to life and motivation. 

I have felt this very hard, though I am enjoying many aspects of my daliy life here in Reykjavik, I cannot help to feel a little closer to exhaustion every day. This comes from the fact that I have no where to recharge but in Denmark, where currently all the people who hold the capacity lives.

This I have realized from having just been home, this was energizing, rejuvenating and reaffirming, it boosted my confidence and more importantly many of my negatively charged assumptions were deflated.

In the time before I came home I was increasingly setting assuming, and in hindsigt overestimating, the trade-off's, of being in Reykjavik. The solitude also has made me more determined to hold on to Anne and continue to honestly share with her my concerns, I did this now and it contributed very much to my decision-making effort which had become the primary goal of this trip home.

I learned what I aimed for and now, being rejuvenated, I am ready for another couple of months in Reykjavik.