AIESEC Australia

I've always been that one spontaneous friend in the group; that one friend who consistently and conscientiously brings up ideas that we could do. I always change my mind and half the time I change them over. AIESEC in Hungary was something I never even thought of. At the beginning of 2013, I had no plans to travel alone. Little did I know, a random 'what-if' had sprung up and I applied. In my head, it was all just something I would apply for to see what would happen or if I could even get in. I did. And so, this little 'Jess-Plan' as my best friends name it became a 'Jess-ends-up-in-Hungary-for-Summer-Vacation'.

I never really thought I'd be into teaching. My program with the Bolyai Janos School in Szombathely, a city near the border of Hungary and Austria, was as far off my entire life direction had ever been. By the end of 2013, I had finished my second year of a Bachelor of Engineering and Arts degree. I had no experience in teaching (especially English as a second language), save for a few tutoring students.

I chose Hungary because it was a country I had never known anything about. I did not know the language (which happens to be by far one of the most interesting and intricate languages in my experience), or the customs. So I decided to take a leap. Even the city I was staying in (a whopping 3 hour train trip from Budapest), I did not know until I decided to Google it in a hotel room in Hong Kong two nights before my arrival.

I was assigned to two host families to stay. With their help, I settled in. Hungarian customs are interesting. The Hungarian word for Hello AND Goodbye is 'Szia!' (see-ya). They also said 'Hello' as a farewell. You can imagine the confusion for about the first week or so.

I was assigned to aid teachers in the Language Department. A majority of my days were in the office reading and taking walks around the school where I could meet the students, many of which were too timid to approach a native English speaker. Although I was bored quite often, my positive experiences had overtaken the negative. My host family took me skiing in the Austrian Alps, they took me to see the neighbouring castles and they made delicious food every night!

The children I talked to were really enthusiastic. Regardless of the language barrier, we all cried together at the end of my stay. I have never thought that I would be so attached to strangers and students in this environment.

I had a wonderful white-summer. This experience had opened my eyes to the world around me.

I went to Philippines with AIESEC Australia for 6 weeks. Compared to other volunteering programs this is entirely student run and comparatively low price. The price sometimes is not inclusive of accommodation but that is what you expect from a student-run organisation. To ensure safety it is up to your own will to make sure you have all the travel insurance, and other safety procedures required, which is understandable. The adminstration fee was $700 only to find a project and get into the system. However, for my airfares it was $1000. My accommodation was $220. I spent around $30 on all my travelling and food was around $250 (because I also wanted to try more expensive meals.) I also spent more on other expenses that were not compulsory. So overall, it was relatively cheap.
For a student-run organisation it brings in such a business viewpoint that has successfully shown its success for 50 years in Australia. And over 50 worldwide.

When in doubt, ask questions. Do not assume that things will get solved, you have to be proactive and speak up! If you feel that your questions are not being attended to then escalate the issue. Do not worry about beating the bush - nothing will get done if you do.

Going on an exchange program with AIESEC was an incredibly life-changing experience. It was completely different from what I expected - it was much more than just a 'volunteer program' just to make its participants feel good about giving back. Rather than 'voluntourism', AIESEC's Global Citizen Program is all about developing its participants into responsible young leaders. It challenges young people in a foreign environment, expanding their global awareness through deep cultural emersion and working closely with communities. The projects themselves deal with a social issues prevalent in the country, allowing exchange participants from across the world to understand and begin their journey towards becoming a global citizen and taking responsibility for world issues beyond their local sphere. And further, each project is worked on by a group of interns from across the world, meaning each exchange participant is also able to develop cross-cultural teamwork and communication skills, while understanding cultures beyond just the country the exchange takes place. In AIESEC, the NGOs, schools etc. partner with AIESEC so that interns across the world can provide value to them. In this way, this emphasises the impact the AIESEC can make on the individual as well as the country, by actually being a valuable asset to the NGOs/schools etc. with their knowledge from abroad.

As a result, the experience you get is one that teaches you about responsible leadership, and really challenges you to find yourself and your goals in life. I really encourage all young people to have this experience, as the things we learn today will change how we move the world tomorrow.