"The future performance of our organizations will come down to the quality of our conversations"

the headline is a quote from Hubert Saint Onge.

because this post refers to the meaningful conversations that I've had on May 31st.
The first big idea from the first conversation with a dear friend was: "none of us has a job, we all have a portofolio of projects - and it is important that in this portofolio there are projects dear to ur heart" - otto scharmer. the conversation started from an idea of a job in talent management and it went different other levels.

Second conversation on the irish culture with another dear friend emphasized "the things that define the irish culture, or that you'd miss about Ireland"
1.sense of humour. sarcasm, hyperactivity :)
2.small talk - on how's the weather - discussion that would chear you up when walking in a shop or walking our of a bar and having random but nice conversation with the bouncers.
3.dressing up for going out on a Saturday night - The fact that irish women dress up to go out here in a regular pub - as we, romanians we'd dress up to go for a wedding. imagine how many of those dresses we should have - one every week :)
4.bulmers - definitely - i'll have either to make it or import it.

Third conversations - with three of my dear friends. Sharing pictures from past AIESEC conferences and memories. friends will be friends. good times.

these were my conversations for today - and i'm very proud of them.

Etre Depayse e

Et je parle de moi maintenant...

A word very confusing to me while I was living in France was the verb: "depayser" which can be applyied to yourself "etre depayser" - something like: "je suis Depaysee, tu est depaysee, etc"
The definitions that I found in the dictionaries are(i'll write them in french - as they are the only that can really describe the maning of the word):
Depayser = A. Transporter quelqu'un hors du pays, du lieu où il est ordinairement implanté. (Quasi-)synon. déraciner; anton. enraciner, rapatrier.
=B. Changer le décor habituel ou les habitudes de quelque chose ou quelqu'un
=C. Au fig. Déconcerter quelqu'un en le transportant dans un cadre inhabituel, en modifiant ses habitudes. (Quasi-)synon. dérouter, désorienter, égarer; anton. acclimater, familiariser. La vie du grand séminaire ne me dépaysa nullement. Elle était bien telle que je l'avais imaginée (BILLY, Introïbo, 1939, p. 38).

Bon...So it means taking one out of one's country, in another country he is not used to, changing one's habits, etc.

For me is more than this - Depayser means that moment in time, when , after living abroad for a while - I like the "new country" - I feel that I belong in the "new" country, I don't want to leave anymore. I am ...."depaysee" from the first country and "payser" in the "new" one. Like baptizing.

It's not about not missing your home anymore or being afraid of going to your "official" home, but actually enjoying, belonging(being "a l'aise"), being of a different nationality, having had changed.

I felt it quite strongly in the last months and I realized it during this last weekend when I spent time with Alma and Dan, friends from London that visited me in Dublin, and I had to be a "guide" in my "new" country.

I realized it while I was....
talking about Ireland
walking in Dublin
climbing in Howth
being at Glendalough at the upper lake
listing to the Brazen Hussies at the Brazen Head
understanding the accent
and just being in Dublin....

Thanks Alma & Dan for a great weekend - one to remember in Ireland.
I am 4% irish (1 year out of...25) but i feel 90%

this is "etre depaysee"...

Did u know that...

Gmail reminded me of the "did you know that..." section in my manuals in high-school. I always liked that section.
The next recycling facts and tips can be found when you check your trash mail in Gmail.

"Recycled glass bottles can be made into roads, tiles, even surfboards
Newspapers can be reused as wrapping paper for gifts.
Empty tissue boxes can provide easy and handy storage for plastic grocery bags.
There is no limit to the number of times an aluminum can can be recycled.
Junk mail and newspaper can be reused as package stuffing.
Empty tissue boxes can provide easy and handy storage for plastic grocery bags.
Recycled plastic bottles can be made into rugs, jackets, fences and more.
Plastic bags can be reused as bin liners or package stuffing.
Rubber shoe soles can be recycled to make basketball courts and soccer fields.
Recycled paper takes about 60% less energy and water to make than new paper.
You can make a lovely hat out of previously-used aluminum foil.
Empty tissue boxes can provide easy and handy storage for plastic grocery bags
Film canisters can be reused to store nails, screws, buttons and pins.
Recycling a 3-foot-high stack of newspapers can save one whole tree."

Good association - Google ideas don't stop to amaze me :)

A beautiful mind

For sure, one of the best movies that I've seen in the last weeks is "A beautiful mind", not that I didn't like the others - but this one made me think - and I know I got something out of it. You know - that feeling at the end of a book or a movie - when you know it contributed with something to your knowledge/development.
The movie tells the story of a brilliant mathematician who won in the end of his career "The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 1994".His name is John Nash.
The main character has an abnormal college life as a graduate at Princeton - because of his passion for mathematics. he is recognized as not being sociable (" I don't like people and they don't like me")but he manages to make some friends and mary one of his students, Alicia. Everthing is wonderful until his ming is affected by Schizophrenia, and he is hospitalized.
I think the beautiful mind consist not only in the discoveries, formulas that he is working on, but also in the power of overcoming a mental disorder by a coscious effort. As he said when writing his biography for the Nobel prize: "Then gradually I began to intellectually reject some of the delusionally influenced lines of thinking which had been characteristic of my orientation. This began, most recognizably, with the rejection of politically-oriented thinking as essentially a hopeless waste of intellectual effort."
And also from his own words: "Statistically, it would seem improbable that any mathematician or scientist, at the age of 66, would be able through continued research efforts, to add much to his or her previous achievements. However I am still making the effort and it is conceivable that with the gap period of about 25 years of partially deluded thinking providing a sort of vacation my situation may be atypical. Thus I have hopes of being able to achieve something of value through my current studies or with any new ideas that come in the future."

I think it is an example of not losing hope and continue to struggle with or own problems as we can consiously find/develop at least one solution for them, and solve them.

Also in the middle of the movie - Aine said something like " and all this work - to be able to teach when he got old" I think it is an essential conclusion, as whatever we know and we spent our life realizing will be worth "transitioning" or passing it on - our legacy. Thank you Aine for that remark :)

And also thanks for all the interesting discussions on the Nobel prize, the Prince of asturias prize, genius, Aiesec and many more :)