Being an International traveler and Took a Part in The International Agriculture Student Forum
August 30, 2011, by dias.e. read: 1,119
By : Dias Erfan – Institut Pertanian Bogor.
At this moment i would like to share my experience and my journey during the moment of 54th IAAS World Congress 2011 from 18 july until 7 august 2011. IAAS is the biggest organization of student that moved in the field of agriculture and related sciences. Because, i was the member of this huge organization i’ve got a opportunities to join this annual event. First, i want to explain the process to apply and preparation for WOCO delegation that takes about a year. First we have to make an essay about the theme, and also we have to submit our motivation letter why we want to join and curriculum vitae. We submit it to National Committee to be selected among all applicants from all over Indonesia. Then, after we got selected by paper, we went to the second selection which was the interview with the NC by Online Interview (usually using skype or yahoo messenger). The Interview usually is about our knowledge in IAAS, about our motivation and our preparation to join WORLD CONGRESS. If you pass this second stage, means you are accepted as delegation of WoCo from Indonesia. Then, if you are selected as the participants, you have to come to the national congress to have a meeting with the NC.
After we’re selected there’s also so many things that we should prepare for the trip such as visa, service package and also collect some money. Okay now, let’s start from our preparation at the last day before our departure. It’s really shock because we still need to fixing our visa in Greece embassy in the last day. After we get our visa and bring all of our stuff we’re directly going to the airport and arrive at 22.30 WIB. Our flight is at 01.00 a.m Indonesian local time and we’re depart from Indonesia to Doha, Qatar. From Doha,Qatar we change our plane to Athens, Greece and arrive in Greece at 13.30 Greece local time. When we arrive at Athens, Greece we’re realize that this trip will gonna be a very long journey and full of experience and that’s right we’re starting our journey from athens to thessaloniki (the other city in greece). We’re using a fast train called “Inter City” from athens to thessaloniki and it still take 8 hours to reach that place. When we arrive at thessaloniki, we’ve been waiting by IAAS Greece friend and she bring us to a cheap hostel. At the next day, we’re going directly to the macedonia from greece but we can’t make it with our visa. So, they suggest us to arrange a new visa from greece. We never surrender to the condition even macedonia boarder can’t allow us to enter their country with our visa and from our effort finally miracles happen. We spend 4 days at thessaloniki to arrange our macedonia visa’s. But while we arrange our visa, we also meet a very great friend from IAAS Greece friends called “Eve and Silvia”. They help us to arrange our Macedonia Visa’s and allow us to stay at their house without paying anything (what a very kind person ? ).
After we get our macedonia visa’s we’re directly went to Macedonia to join 54th IAAS World Congress 2011 by bus from thessaloniki to skopje, Macedonia. When we arrive at skopje bus station, we’ve been waiting by ivan (project officer of 54th IAAS World Congress 2011) and he accompany us to the dorm inside the university. At the dorm, we meet a lot of IAAS friends from All over the world such as Portugal, Chilie, US, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and any others. As we thought, we as Asian people are totally different with all of those european and american people. We’re different from the culture which is we as Asian people not used to have party at the night but they used it, and for the bathroom itself we’re kinda shock because it’s just a toilet paper without water (you can imagine it by yourself ). For the food itself we’re also not used to eat that. They, have so many traditional food (sorry, it’s hard to remember the name) but, they always using bread or soft potatoes to subtitute the rice as the Carbohidrate resource and also most of their food is very tasteless, so we put a lot of pepper, salt and dry chillie to make the taste better (but, unfortunately it just became more worst). So, if you have a plan to spend a couple of week at europe, i suggest you to bring more Indonesian noodles and food.
In 54th IAAS World Congress 2011 There so many activities that i’ve joined in there such as Workshop and trainning, General Assembly, Lecturer Class, Field Trip, Party and Games. For the workshop and trainning we discuss so many thing to fixing IAAS World and had a trainning from AISEC trainer called “Marish from Romania” that being invited by the EC of IAAS World. i think it’s very motivate us to doing and fixing something at our National Committee because we can learn from the explanation of the activity from other country members. For the General Assembly, it’s very interesting because we’re discussing about amandement of our CBL, Country report, debt from each local committee, Report of EC and the Election of EC 2011-2012. At the lecturer class and field trip we learn a lot about european agriculture that concern at the cereal, tomatoes, grape, orange, apple; and also we learn more about the industry of Tobacco at Macedonia that a little bit different with the cigarattes industry that being quite develop at Indonesia.
I never regret to join World Congress 2011, even though we have to make such a huge effort and sacrifice. This is taught me many things both on the process and also during the moment itself. I experience a really cool cultural shock, i’ve got to see the other part of the wordl, have so many good friends around the globe, and last but not least, i feel happy i can learn and know how big the world is and can feel how to become the part of the international world and contributing something.
Best Regards,
Dias Erfan – Institut Pertanian Bogor
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We have sent this to several buddies and re-tweeted. Thank you.
COOL Experience. I do LOVE IAAS