Merry Christmas & happy new year!

I would like to wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year! Let´s have a peaceful Christmas time, full of joy and happiness with your family and firends. And I believe the new year will be even better and enjoyable than the years before!
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All the best to all of you!

News from November & December

As I mentioned at the beginning of November, I have been very busy in past two months, that I even didn´t have time to write couple of words on my blog. But the thing is also, that I don´t want to write only some crap, just e.g. today I had a pizza for dinner or watched this or that movie... it makes no sense.

So, what happened during those two months? Well, a lot! :-) And don´t worry, I am still alive although I was quiet for so long ;-)))

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NOVEMBER

My November started with MC planning (re-planning), where we finally made everything clear and so far we are still coming back to it while we set our working shedule every week. I think we did very good job and esp. I am happy that we are using it.

In next weeks I have been quite busy with school, especially finishing all the projects, trying to press my time for all the teams, where no single person was the same. And combine it with AIESEC and my individual tasks ... It´s quite hard, I have to say.

For subject International business we had meeting with company called Marel. I have to say big thanx to Davíð Elvar who was ex MCP of AIESEC in Iceland for really nice tour through the company and arranging meeting with big boss ;-) My group consist of Einar (Iceland), Vladimir (Russia), Hannelien (The Netherlands) and me.

Next was essay for The new EU, where me, Olga (Bielorussia) and Alex (Germany) were presenting topic of Immigration in EU through the last and this century.

We had to do also couple of projects for Project management class, I am really thankfull to my team (picture in previous post), Svafa (Iceland), Michelle (USA) and Keith (Canada).

With another group we had been presenting Philippiness, it´s culture and behaviour for class of International negotiation. Thank you Mirasol (Philippines), Hinrik (Iceland) and Harald (Germany).

Apart from school I have been also quite active in AIESEC, although my time was very limited. I was approaching companies and had a company meeting with Línuhönnun, they were quite interested either in person from Russia or Poland, we are now still in negotiatation about the final decision so keep fingers crossed for us!

17.-19.11. we had our FIRST leadership development seminar called ! This conference was amazing and our delegates looked very pleased! Theme of the conference was travelling, resp. Start packing your bags! and with this theme we will continue in our next conference in February. IceLDS means a lot for us, because it was final kick off from the start line and things started to move.

Here are couple of pics:

Kick off the conference - Þódís, me, Alma (chair) and Ali doing "Shark tu tu ..."

our lovely delegates ;-))

me, Gina (Romania) and Peter (Denmark) playing a game "Who are you?"

Bear race (or as we call it in Czech rep. TopAlky)

When we got back to Reykjavík, there was first snow! And really a lot! We almost didn´t get into our apartment ... but at the end we managed! For couple of days the city was almost in colaps because they don´t have a lot of machines to put the snow away from the streets, so only the main roads were ok. I´m still suprized how Thordis managed every morning to go out of parking space to drive to work...seriously, Iceland is very well developed country, but they miss still some basic things as for example this one. I though that last year, when snowstorm suddenly came to Reykjavik, they learned from it and increased no. of machines, but as I saw now, most probably not.

luckily this is not car of Þórdís, but poor this guy...

Next week our new trainee, Lyuba from Russia, has arrived to Iceland. She will be working for company CCP and she will stay in Iceland for one year! Welcome Lyuba!!!!from left: Pálína, Kristín (Iceland), me, Lyuba (Russia), Gina (Romania) and Nikola (Serbia) in Café Oliver

DECEMBER
Friday, 1.12. was very important day for me.

First, all the school classes were now officially over and exam period started from next Monday. Which means that even more stresfull month is ahead of me. But as you had a chance to see in previous post, I managed to survive it :).

And secondly, by themse of "Remember, remember, first of Demeber!" our MC teambuilding got started! Thank you Þórdís for such a nice suprise! We went to the ZOO together, where I felt in love with seals (tuleni) and Ali with one really big smily pig ;-) and I think Þórís liked some baby-cow. Then we went to Hafnafjörður, had a hot chocolate at Þórdíses home and than went fishing to the harbour, but unfortunately two of 3 fishpoles were broken, so we ended up soon and went back to Reykjavík where we went for dinner to one restaurant. Through all the evening we were doing quizes and sharing thoughts, ideas and learning about each other. It was really nice day. Thank you Þórdís and Ali for making it special!

"my" lovely seal from the ZOOour boss Þórdís :-)

Ali, trying to do some fishing

me, Þórdís and Ali having a great dinner

Most of the December was in sign of exams, but I managed to have some fun and do also something else apart from sitting in the library or at home and reading books.

We had a visitor in Iceland - Christine from Canada, who was as a CEEDer in Belgium, came to visit Iceland and we provided her with accomodation in MC flat for one week. She is very nice girl and I hope that I will be able to meet her in Prague in January, as she is right now in Czech Republic and plans to travel around Europe some 3 more months or so.

We went ice-skating to the city centere where they build up ice skating ring. It was so much fun, I haven´t been skating for 2 or 3 years now, ... really cool to stand on ice again!

from left: Peter (Denmark), Christine (Canada), Ali (Indonisia), Pálína and Kristín (Iceland), Lyuba (Russia), me and Peter´s friend (Austria)

I had been invited also twice (Nov, Dec) from company which is issuing Icelandic tourist quide for a dinner to Lækjarbrakka restaurant (which is really expensive here!) and we had really nice buffet, first to get to know each other from different hotels and secondly for christmas dinner. I met one really interesting person, Lucinda (Lucy), icelandic girl who has been travelling and living in Europe for some time and she knows also Prague quite well. Unfortunately she has one big disadvantage - she is very sick and noone can actually help her. But on the other hand, she is really enjoying her life because she never knows when it will be over. I am planning on meeting her before I leave and she also plans to come to visit me in Czech republic in summer, I´m looking forward.

I also went to Nordic christmas party, organized by some Nordic association and promoted to exchange students at University of Iceland. It was quite fun to make christmas decorations and postacts out of paper, some stickers etc. It remided me my time in primary school. And of course, we had very nice jólaglog (hot wine with almonds, apples and spices). Yummy.

And I had a party with my friend Lena from Germany who is living in my old place in Laugarásvegur 24 and a bunch of Germans. It was a lot of fun!

Our SN, Jónas, lef in the middle of December for his traineeship to India, Mumbai, where he will be for next 3 months and some more to spent by travelling.

Also I am still working for Flóki Inn guesthouse, for 2 weekends per month though, but still it´s good to have some small financial support. On 11.12. we - me and Braňo (Slovakia) had a training from our boss about how to handle all the things in the guesthouse. Our boss Alper (Turkey) has been leaving for 3 weeks for his winter holiday and he put all the responsibility for the guesthouse to my and Braňo´s hands ... with the help of our night receptionists of course, Triin (Estonia), Mindougas (Lithuania, who is leaving) and Šárka (Czech rep.). Now we successfully survived without Alper first week and everything went well, withouth any complications. My work is now during December more intensive, basically I work whole week in a row, but as there are holidays anyways, it doesn´t really make any complications. We got also a Christmas gift from work, suprizingly. It´s a nice picture with icelandic sign from runas.

On 15.12. Kristín submitted application for grant from Baugur group for new project in LC UI, called Children of the world. I really hope that we will get some money, because the project looks really good! Good job Kristín and good luck!

And yeah, Christmas are here! And how did I spent my Christmas? I will tell you in next post ;-)

Exams are FINALLY over (... or at least here in Iceland)

Yes!!!! I did it! Marathon of 6 exams and 1 final essay is now over. I just hope that I passed through, results will be known in 4 weeks.

I had the worst exam period ever. I never had so many exams in such a tight schedule! Just look at this:
29.11. - International negotiations - final paper
05.12. - Conversational practise I. (from Icelandic)
06.12. - Icelandic I.
12.12. - Small states in Europe
13.12. - International business
14.12. - Project management
15.12. - The new EU

Don´t even ask me how I was studying for that. Right now I know that I successfully passed 3 of them, for 4 more I am still waiting. They might come some time in January.

When I get back home, I have to do still 3 exams from winter semester (rozdilove zkousky) and most probably also the one from 3rd year. I really hope that I will charge my bateries during Christmas time to be able to handle that successfully ;-)

and some pictures? ...

this are my materials for Icelandic & Conversational Practise

and those are for Small States in Europe (it is really very inteteresting subject, but also quite hard!)

here is my team from Project management, from left me, Svafa - Iceland, Michelle - USA, Keith - Canada. This was truly a team and I will miss these guys a lot!

and here it´s Maija from Finland and me. Together we were doing exam from Conversational Practise in Icelandic. She is really a great girl!

and here the library where I spent quite a lot of time for my first 3 exams. Believe it or not, if you werent there in the morning at 8.20, than you lost your chance to get a seat! And people are studying in their pyjamas, spending all day long in the library, just refreshing from time to time in the cafeteria. As I said first day, during exam period, library is under ATTACK of students. ;-)