23 national conferences/forums later...

It is now nearly a month out until I leave Wellington for Rotterdam and the new challenge in my AIESEC Experience. I do not intend for this to be a farewell message just yet however, as I fully intend to kick major ass in the month to come :-).

However I have just come home from NZMS 2006, my sixth consecutive NZMS and my 23rd national conference/forum (but not consecutive because I missed July Forum 2001 :-P). Now I really started to feel the time in AIESEC when I was introduced by the hosts of the annual awards evening at conference as a very experienced person who joined AIESEC when some of our delegates were in primary school. A feat I always joked about achieving but felt weird when said out loud by someone else :P. Luckily an alumni spoke who had joined AIESEC before some of our members were even born ;-). I also consider myself fortunate to be living AIESEC New Zealand before we have members who joined in the 1990's. One year more and that could have been a reality ;-)... definately my cue to move on :-P.

But all jokes aside, I found NZMS 06 to be an incredible experience, and had great satisfaction when leaving, as I knew that the future of AIESEC New Zealand was in very good hands. It felt weird to leave a conference venue and know that next time around I wont be there, but at the same time I was happy as the time for my contributions to AIESEC New Zealand is over, and it is time for the next generation to take charge. I had quite outlived my best before date for AIESEC NZ, but any longer and I would :-). I was incredibly touched by the words of many of the delegates during and after the conference. There was too many to mention and I am so honoured by all of your kinds words. By the end of their AIESEC careers I hope they get to see things from my perspective and realise that the greatest insipiration doesn't come from the people before you, but instead the people after you, as this is a never ending source of insipiration and the product of the hard work of yourself and the people before you.

Now this is starting to sound too much like a farewell posting which will come in a months time :-P, so for now I will stop myself. I am looking forward to the move to Rotterdam, and working with the incredible team selected, but first I want my last month :-P.

And of course over the next month I get to also watch my last Super 14 competition live for who knows how long. This weekend I will be going to the Caketin to watch the mighty Chiefs kick Hurricane ass on the way to qualification for the semifinals (yes I know many of you may think I live in a dream world). And when do I fly out of NZ... the 28th... one day after the Super 14 finals. I see the semifinals panning out this way... in the next three rounds the top 3 will remain unchanged, except for the Hurricanes taking second spot and the Warratahs taking third. The Brumbies will drop a game, and so will the South Africans teams contending for a fourth spot, but the mighty Cheifs will kick ass and catch up to the Brumbies and take fourth. Then in the upset of the competition the Chiefs will beat the Crusaders in Jade Stadium, while the Hurricanes will win their home semi. Giving me one last chance to watch a Super 14 final the night before I leave, with the Hurricanes playing the Chiefs in Wellington. (And in my world we all know who will win that one...). Don't believe me? Just wait and see :-P