Exchange... of bullets and interns
In aiesec.net there was a discussion whether the current political situation has an impact on interns' willingness to come to Sri Lanka and whether AIESEC in Sri Lanka should be sending "propaganda" pictures to other AIESEC countries. I know that the people here always want to see (only) the positive side of things and I know some of the interns have been afraid to come to the country. Still I wanted to argue a bit. Here's my reply:"I had to bear with the same question over and over again before coming here: "Aren't you afraid to go there?". I started to find out about the background of the conflict and it became quite everyday issue for me. All this I put in my blog (astikainen.myaiesec.net). However, now that I'm here, I don't really even think about the whole thing. I'm here to work and to prepare for my future, so the things going on in my head are quite work-related and there's not much room for worrying about the safety situation.
I know it's sad that even today people get killed throughout this island but those people made a conscious choice to bear arms, no matter which side they are in. It's even more sad if civilians get injured or killed as a side effect. I know that it's possible that something happens also in Colombo and it might be my ass on the line, but I feel it's highly unlikely.
As for sending nice pictures etc all over the communities, I consider it's a really bad idea. First of all, no one likes spamming. Second of all, it's telling only the one side of the story. I had this romantic image of Sri Lanka when I came here, because all the books and travel agent sites in internet provided only one side of the story.
Instead, take pictures of cows in the street eating trash. Take a video of a Tamil guy preparing Kottu and making the sound rhyme. Ask a boy in the orphanage to write a letter telling about his situation. Ask a trainee how annoying it can be when you are treated like a rich super-tourist in every corner of the road. These and many more are the experiences people are looking for in the internship, no matter how different or unpleasant they might sound.
That's the cultural side. When it comes to the professional side, I suggest you go and raise more and better internships. Obvious? No. Sometimes being in AIESEC makes you quite complacent and happy with the current situation (nice people around you, good parties, something reasonable to do). However, leadership and exchange are the backbone of this organization and one needs to work hard in order to get results for himself and for the organization. Lately it's been quite sad to listen the news from many interns' work places: nutty bosses, ridiculous behavior and really bad working climate. Something ain't right and for that we cannot blame LTTE or government.
Yours, Tomi"
posted by Tomi Astikainen @ Thursday, August 03, 2006
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