How I became a member of Serbian family
„Ja sam polu Ruskinja polu Brazilka polu Vijetnamka i polu Srpkinja. To su četvrtine! Ups, matematika mi nije jača strana“.
Ovako Tonja Skorova, poreklom iz Rusije, kroz šalu objašnjava svoju nacionalnost, nakon što je bila na praksama u ovim državama. Studirala je u Moskvi na Ruskom univerzitetu za društvene nauke. Zašto se pridružila AIESEC-u i kako je postala predsednica lokalne kancelarije u Moskvi kao i odgovore na mnoga druga pitanja pročitajte u nastavku njene priče.
“I became a member of AIESEC in 2013 and my main motivation then was to get a discount for exchange. Also, all of my colleagues from university were somewhere abroad already and I was only in Bulgaria, so I really wanted to go somewhere.
My first AIESEC experience in Brazil was not very content, but then on internship I realized how everybody can make a good impact on others, and become a leader. After coming back from Brazil, I decided to be an adult and apply for a job in a bank. But one of the AIESEC conference changed my mind. During one discussion I had something to say, but some guy stood up and started to speak English perfectly, and it was directly from his heart. I wasn’t enough brave to say anything after that and I realized that probably I need some space to develop myself and the best way to do it is to continue my AIESEC experience.
Before I joined AIESEC I was black or white kind of person, there was just right and wrong thing to do and there was nothing else. In AIESEC I met so many different people with different minds, different cultures and backgrounds, so I understood that world is not just about black or white it is about different colors red, blue, green, pink, yellow all of them. That is my main learning in AIESEC.
The best experience I have ever had, happened really accidentally. My team was at conference about brave actions. We were inspiring members to be brave, and at this conference we needed to have an announcement who is applying for local committee president position, but nobody applied from our
team. Our team leader said: “Come on people you are talking about brave actions, but you are not doing one”.
After that I took a two pieces of paper. At one I wrote “I will apply” and on another “I won’t”, then I mixed them and chose one, it was one with “I will apply”. That is how I decide to become local committee president, completely random, but I never regretted it.
You are probably asking why I chose Serbia and volunteer practice from all options that I had. Well, when I became local committee president, my first international experience was a European conference in Greece. From all participants Balkan delegation were people with whom I felt really deep connection. One time on a party Serbian and Croatians started to shout, because I knew history between them I was thinking that it is not going to end well, but they started to hug each other. Although I didn’t understand
language I saw how AIESEC achieves peace. That was my first impression.
Another reason is Dušan, he is from Serbia, and we become really good friends. I invited him to Moscow to be a chair, to host our local
conference. Duša is in Russian language soul. This conference was full of his duša, of his soul. That is how I fell in love with this country.
When I had a chance to come, I used it. In Serbia I am teaching Russian at Faculty of Organizational Sciences and at one high school. I love my students, and they love me and our classes. Next week they are going on Easter break, and I asked them do they want to have classes next week and if they want to raise hands, and all of them did. Fact that they are enjoying our classes makes me happy. Thing that I will never forget and which will always be in
my heart already happened although I am only three weeks in Serbia.
On Sunday, March 25th , in Russia huge tragedy happened. In one small city, shopping mole burned and about 60 people died, most of them were children. For me it was personal, because this could happen with each one of us. One of my students organized a group of students and they bought some flowers, and made a mix of Serbian and Russian flags. They went to a Russian embassy to express their empathy. That meant to me so much. Connections and support which I received from this people was the most touching I’ve experienced.
Here I live in a family. Hosting is one of the most beautiful experience you can live in AIESEC. That is how you really get connected to the country and the daily life. That is how you become half Serbian and how you get your Serbian last name. Mine is Arsenijević, I’ve got a beautiful family in Serbia, I feel that I am part of it and it will be forever like that.
The thing I will definitely bring to AIESEC in Russia from Serbia is relationship between all members of AIESEC in Serbia. In Russia we make AIESEC too much about work. We miss this period of just hanging out together. I feel that I am a part of AIESEC in Serbia. When I am with them, I feel energy of young people, and they love just to spend time together.
Reason why you should go on AIESEC internship is because on internship you really feel the country. Most of young people love to travel. I am one of them, but for me traveling isn’t just how many stamps you have in your passport. You can see all main squares and monuments, but still don’t feel the country.
On AIESEC internship you become local — the person who is working in the country, living in the country for one month and a half, and it’s off course about impact you left as much as the impact internship have on you. You don’t need to go far away to take a challenge and leave an impact. Here you can explain everything that your culture is for you, to introduce it, bring it to the world, break stereotypes about your country.
You will realize that is not about politics, history, it is about people.
Also you will start to understand that your country is so much more than you think. AIESEC exchanges are beautiful and I definitely recommend everyone at least one.”
