Getting older

Or, put in a milder way, I just had my birthday. Some would say that since I’m now half-way to retirement, it’s time to take stock of the experience accumulated and share some of the lessons learned. I’m not that sure though. I rather prefer to look ahead, and enjoy my new beautiful backpack. I will use it for the first time today, and I will fill it with lots of useful things for work and pleasure. Good memories of another wonderful five days, for instance. And books. Will the security check at the airport get angry at me if I carry Doris Lessing’s The Good Terrorist? Will see. Will they freak out if I claim that my final destination is Lutenblag, the capital of Molvania? Better not to try. Starting a journey through every country in the world with carry-on luggage only is something I can do now, since my brand new total anti-wrinkle firming moisturiser comes in a 50ml dose… I did find it funny, don’t worry. And then, good music, be it from Marina Vlady and Vladimir Vissotski, Clara Haskil or Kiril Dzajkovski, always makes journeys more pleasant. As much as Alvar Aaalto’s design makes the world a more beautiful place. Since that day in which some of us proudly pled guilty of trying to make this a better world, we’ve became united in crime! Maybe this is another fragment of my own private oceanography… or just a weird way of saying “thank you” to my wonderful friends. The end user shall decide.

One more gone, one less to go

It depends on how you count, of course. One more COMEM gone – my 15^th – means that there is one less to go until the end of my term, in May 2009. This one went quite well, in my opinion. I use to say that once it starts, it goes very quickly. And this one confirmed once again this theory. The hardest part is the one that very few people see: the preparation. The venue, the notice, the agenda, the documents, all the logistical arrangements, the communications with member organisations and with the delegates, getting everything ready for when people start arriving and the meeting is declared open. And all this is done by a wonderful group of people whom I am privileged to work with. Then, it’s a just a matter of following the agenda and, of course, the usual drill of the roll-calls, the reports, the questions and answers, the speakers’ lists, the debates, the votes, the decisions. This time, the YFJ approved one policy paper (on the equality between women and men), four resolutions (on conscientious objection, on visas, on consultations with young people and on the European youth capital, which, in 2009, will be Rotterdam), upgraded the membership status of two of its members (the Estonian and the Romanian national youth councils), and tried, for the first time ever, an electronic voting system. But the COMEM is not only the official meetings ruled by strict procedures; it is also the opportunity to meet old friends and make new ones, to engage in interesting debates, to learn from other experiences and, especially, to refresh the motivation to keep working for young people and youth organisations in Europe, for the members are the raison d’être of the European Youth Forum. Holding the meeting in Brussels equals to rainy days, but it also means that the Sunday is, for me and my colleagues who live in Brussels, a free day. And I dedicated this free day to sleep quite a lot, to deeply clean my apartment and to enjoy the sofa and the planned laziness. And to get ready for a very special visit!

As time goes by...

Two more weeks have gone by since my last entry... in the meantime, I came back from Bucharest, went to Ponta Delgada for the weekend (and in the way there saw my parents) and then relaxed for an entire week in Skopje, which has became my favourite spot to spend free time... lovely company, nice cafes, tasty food, great friends, Halloween parties, nights out dancing... and even went to the movies and read a great book about kites and little boys and love and hate and wars and happiness... and came back fully energised and looking forward to facing the challenges ahead! And comforted by the fact that one week goes fast... very fast!