Last hours of Budapest Victory Chilling

How would old timey Romans be celebrating their final hours of Budapest Victory Chilling? It would certainly not be pretty and would involve an unchristian amount of bird hearts. For lack of slave fighting, vomitoriums and will to empire I shall while away these remaining hours in a glorious semi daze from last nights fortuitous meeting/drinking with Carey and Louise who happened to be round from London/OZ. So long and thanks for the nuptial palinka. I shall be in transit until I arrive in Egypt on Thursday. Glory be to those who may find me in Cairo airport.

Returning to waking life... and soon to cairo

In the last four weeks since I finished my term on AI, I have had the most relaxing holiday imaginable. This has been the perfect time and place for withdrawing from the world and from all responsibility, for recharging mental and physical capacities before begining my next step which starts with moving to Cairo on Thursday morning.

It has been an unapologetically selfish period in which I followed only whatever subconscious desire to simply enjoy was strongest. When it was the desire for sleep, I slept deeply, long and in various locals. When it was a desire for taste and refreshment, I dined on the debaucherous finery of Hungarian "Man Food". When it was a desire for parties in mountain topped citadels, or afternoon strolls through narrow old streets Budapest has furnished them handsomely. A lot of the time the desire was more base; a core need to play Tracy McGrady in NBA 2005, or to watch 12 hours of "The Daily Show", and I did lots of both in between big servings of not very much.

In the last week I began to feel the desire for higher things, the need to create and to develop. I watched my "will for meaning" rise from within and found myself returning more frequently to learning and reflection. At present I feel the need to shake off this hibernation, and delve fully into the structures and projects that will form this next adventure in Egypt. This coincides nicely with my plane ticket.

Signing back into the land of the living.

Budapest Victory Chilling

(Above) Old timey Budapest

Less than 24 hours later I have reached the inflexion point where the decent into freefall chilling is fastest. Im sitting in the massive bachelor pad of a friend of mine located in the centre of Pest. This friend is Peter, who is a worldly Hungarian gentleman and central european master of chillaxing- which is apt because I intend to do seriously massive chilling in the next days and weeks. Viva Justice Budpest Augusts!

Some Goodbye

Well, Ive just sent the launch letter for "Learning Networks" strategy Ive been trying to grow all year. In theory Friday was my last day on AIESEC International, but this was an innovation I had been chasing for the last 7 years so what is one more intense day of creation. In a few minutes I will leave one of the most beautiful environments in the world. Today is the last day I will call myself an AIESECer. It is a wonderful thing.

In recent days I've some members of the new team ask why there is no secret handover on AIESEC International. Where is the ancient sword or diamond encrusted eagle that is handed from team to team, or guardian to guardian, AI generation to AI generation- in this the very home of youth leadership. They will realise in the coming days and weeks that they stand as the new leaders of the organisation. And they will wonder where it came from, when it happened. Was it a session or a conference? They will try to trace back the exact day when they "became" AIESEC International, when they had the "full responsibility" of the organisation.

Perhaps at the end of their journey here they will realise that it happened many years ago at their journies beginning. Guardianship of our organisation is not placed upon AI or any other shoulders - it is taken by all those who lend their spirit to our vision, who are prepared to act for something higher when the world compels us silient. It can lend itself to any vessel but will be mastered by no one. It cannot be given, it must be born within.

The most marvellous people I have met in my life had such born within them. They could laugh, and cry, and work and struggle and practice all hedonistic excess, but they could not mask the life force that beat within them, and never should they. The honest and full desire to be give, to create, to help, to lead us into a world where things could be different. They are AIESECers.

Today is the last that I shall count myself among them, although forever I shall number as a brother-in-spirit. Different shores that have been calling me for sometime now grow louder. I hear roar of breakers crashing on a unknown shore and finally I must set sail.

Good luck and go well, o' guardians of the spirit.

peace
Arthur