last mail from Alex who was on internship in Kragujevac

Back from the 50-day trip around Eastern Europe implies the end of my 5-month long vacation. No matter how beautiful Cesky Krumlov is, no matter how great the opera at Vienna is, no matter hoe nice the Croat are, no matter how much History Poland tells me, no matter…….., I reckon that it is the greatest to set the stop at Serbia.

The 4-day experience at Belgrade for the Global Village was something I have never got in the whole trip. Actually the "function" at the faculty just lasted for three hours on the first day and I just made some tui "yin yueng" for the people. Anyway, they were amazed by their name written in Chinese. That is what I can only present Hong Kong in these five months.

In the whole trip, the trip afterwards was the most important part. I spent the time with 3 ladies at a really nice home. The Mexican girl at last became my Mum. Besides the Bulgarian girl and the Serbian girls became my sisters. Like what the mum of the Serbian girl said, the life of One King Three Queens is never an easy job. Being the only male, I have the specific role to be joked by them. Anyway, we are the luckiest group of people as we get a really great MUM at the house. No matter what time it was, no matter what were doing, she always prepared much great food for us to eat though we always said "no".

What the fxxking point of the whole trip was the party at the last night, having not been to the disco for two months. I was crazy about the bottle of wine which just cost 30 HK dollars. Again, wine is something you can drink a lot and don't feel drunk in the beginning but deadly drunk afterwards. It was exactly it did to me at that night. And my fxxking Mexican friend took a lot of picture of drunk me.

After taking 2 hours sleep at the house, we needed to leave and got back to Kragujevac, my second hometown. Staying at another house this time, but I was still keen to make a war at the kitchen to prepare the meal with my Mexican friend for the old friends. Walking around the small town to buy some stuff may be somehow normal 2 months ago. But after taking a long trip, walking around the place you were familiar but have to say Goodbye a few days later, it is something you enjoy a lot.

Being back to the office today, like the time I was here, all the people are busy. Agromarket is probably an abnormal Serbian working place at where you can see the hardworking style and passion. Though only being an intern for three months, I am still inspired by this company and the people here. Now I become one of the most important man here, to prepare the juice for them and sit in front of the computer to surf on the Internet for my stuff. Anyway, it is great to meet them before I leave. Besides, there is always shocking news after talking to my manager. Uncertainties are still there, so are the challenges. Seems those two elements always exist in my life and become something I will probably enjoy. It is my life.

It is true that all paragraphs above just show the simple life at Serbia. However, simple life with simple people makes up my simple five-month time. Actually, five months is not a long time but it is enough for me. I have already got what I wanted tot get. I have already got the shocks to drive me move towards. I have already understood more about another culture to widen the horizon. I have already traveled a lot to take a break. I have already made many friends to be loved and to love. I have already acted out what I always shot the breeze in the university. Most importantly, I have always felt " love actually is all around us". Long vacation has been over. I love it and I am ready to move over it.

Goodbye, Serbia

Volim Serbia

See You later Serbia

Alex

Pa da krenem..
Na dan mog polaska za Madjarsku, padao je sneg. Bio je to 12. mart. Moji su me ispratili na autobusku stanicu. Svi smo bili zbunjeni osecanjima, i srecni i uzbudjeni zbog prilike koja mi je pruzena i tuzni jer se rastajemo. Na peronu mi je prisla devojka i predstavila se kao clanica aieseca, pridruzila mi se i u autobusu i tako sam stisnula zube, potisnula tugu i mahnula josh jednom na polasku i uputila se za Budimpestu. Kada sam stigla, bila je vec noc. Sacekala me je Csilla, moja trainee buddy koja me je povela u moj novi stan, mojim novim kolegama, ostalim praktikantima, sa kojima zivim i radim do kraja moje prakse. U toj novoj sredini, sa novim ljudima, nakon prvog soka, soka pri ulasku u stan, pri prvom upoznavanju sa cimerima, pri prvom odlasku u grad, pri prvom odlasku na posao kada su pomesana osecanja navirala, osecanja srece, zadovoljstva, uzbudjenja i moram da priznam i straha od toliko novih stvari odjednom, sve je pochelo da se sleze, navikla sam se na novi nacin zivota, brzi od onoga koji sam vodila u Subotici i neuporedivo zanimljiviji.

Kompanijom sam se odusevila na prvi pogled, a zavolela je vec pri prvom kontaktu sa novim kolegama, prvim obilaskom radnih prostorija, prvom kafom u maloj kuhinji pored moje buduce kancelarije, a nikada je necu preboleti, a kamoli zaboraviti ukoliko se ne vratim zbog: radne atmosfere u grupi kojoj sam pripadala, mogucnosti za razvoj (emotivni, fizichki i profesionalni), izazova najnaprednijih tehnologija kojima se tamo radi i koje se tamo radjaju, poslovne kulture, kontakta sa ljudima iz svih krajeva sveta, manifestacija povodom praznika (kao na primer kada su nam za Uskrs u dvoristu kompanije doneli puuuuuuno malih belih zeceva i pustili ih medj cokoladna jaja umotana u crveni papir – mozete li da zamislite?!), divnih kolega sa kojima sam naravno i dalje u kontaktu, menadzera moje grupe koji je verovao u mene i stavljao me pred najrazlicitije izazove koje sam naravno uspela da resim i zbog toga postanem samosvesnija, samopouzdanija, zadovoljnija i naravno pametnija, bez lazne skromnosti.

Moram da istaknem jos jednom, prezadovoljna sam jer sam ispunila cilj koji sam sebi postavila pre odlaska na praksu: naucila sam mnogo, stekla sam prvo pozitivno, ma bolje nije ni moglo biti, iskustvo, naucila sam na dobrom primeru, primeru multinacionalne kompanije kako se rade poslovi na svim nivoima – kako dobra HR praksa funkcionise u zbilji, kako funkcionise odlican menadzment kvalitetom, odlican security menadzment i to na vrlo visokom nivou, kako funkcionise politika razmene znanja u okviru kompanije…

A sto se tice drustvenog zivota, pa, Csilla, moj trainee buddy je divna devojka sa kojom sam takodje u kontaktu, koju jedva chekam ponovo da vidim i sa kojom sam provodila najvise vremena u Madjarskoj.

Pa to je to u vrlo, vrlo kratkim crtama… Spremam se da odem jedan od narednih vikenda za Budimpestu.. Jako mi nedostaje moram da priznam... Zao mi je sto retko cujem da se bilo ko odlucuje da provede makar i par dana u ovoj prelepoj metropoli.. Oprosticu im, ne znaju shta propustaju.. A nekad, kada obidju sve dalje destinacije pa naposletku kroce ulicama ove lepotice, morace da oproste sami sebi.. Takvo iskustvo, tako blizu, a toliko im je trebalo…

Djurdjica Kesegi

TATA Consultancy Services

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