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    Saturday, March 18, 2006

    Defending a Thesis in the PlayGround

    Today I woke up as an Engineer.

    I feel the same.

    No hat was in my head, neither a belly or hammer in my hand.

    Only the memories of last day funny moments:

    Evaluation Template Prints
    There were so many things to take care of, that we forgot to print the Evaluation Templates where the teachers are suppossed to write down their comments and final mark. So, I had to ask the Panel for 10 mins to go and print those documents. In the mean time, I ran 4 floors downstairs, 500 meters and back to the closest printing place wearing a formal suit, tie included. In my mind, I could only think..., I wish we had an OC Logistics...

    The Gum Incident
    The presentation started and everyone was very quiet and behaving strictly formal. I was chewing gum.
    A few minutes before I had to talk I realized it.
    So, my only way out was swallowing it. And I did... or not, because it got stuck in my throat.
    I was there in front of all those people, being evaluated with a gum in my throat, luckily in a place where I could breath.
    But I got scared when I thought of the possibility that when I start speaking, I will cough and the gum will fly to the plenary... I freaked out.
    I walked to the panel and wisely took a bottle of water. I took one zip and nothing happened!!!
    I took another one and nothing happend! Shit!
    I turned around and took half the bottle and the gum rafted all the way down to my stomach.
    I guess today it is still there...

    Mum on stage
    My mum is a very smart woman, with strong criteria but very very conservative. Anyways, after the questions from the Panel, she got upset with a question regarding how to increase the retention of a key employee in the system we designed.
    So she asked permission to talk and gave the teachers a speech on how retention is a matter, not only of economical perspective, but also of personal and professional development and how the crytical aspect is not how to retain the employee but how to select it in a way that will allow them to find a person which values and goals are alligned with the opportunities in the job... PAI! PAI! PAI! :)

    Comment of the Evening
    One of my teachers approached my mum after the presentation and told her: "I wish my daughter marries someone like Juan..."
    Jaja, so fool! I can picture my mum asnwering in her thoughts: "Yeah right, you have to see his room first"

    AIESEC Presence
    The MC CAS was there (Maga and Kike) and also some members from LC UCR (Monica and Maria Jo) and Maris, the Estonian Trainee.
    It is definitively one of the best feeling I have ever had since I joined AIESEC. Be standing there in a very important day in my life and see the people you work together with building eachothers dreams...
    Also at many times during questions and speech I wanted to make AIESEC related examples, for example in a question how to manage a yearly rotation in a key position... :)
    I wish we have a little tropical country named AIESECLand...



    If life is hard...,
    just think of the world as
    a big PlayGround!

    4 comments:

    1. man, get rid of that gum.
      and do something with your room or else you will have to marry a rich old lady whose biggest pleasure will be walking the dog.

      good job, mr. engineer, i have a job offer for you in china.
      stefan

      ReplyDelete
    2. Congratulations punk!
      U made me proud :p From now on the engineer is paying for the beer. Don't worry about the room, we'll find a nice chineze chick to clean it...what about Joan? :o)

      Let's eat,

      ReplyDelete
    3. Man, It will take Joan one week to make the sample... We are ready to send DHL to pick it up.

      Regarding eu paying for beers..., hmmm, in december I will :)

      About my room, come on, mine is better than yours!

      Confident about trAde!

      ReplyDelete
    4. Me gustó este post..!
      Tienes pluma de escritor.
      Creo que mi defensa no fue tan traumática y no tenía tantos personajes mezclados, (solo el jurado mi director y yo.. hubiera sido genial tener a mi mamita allá).. pero igual la recuerdo con cariño..
      A propós.. Felicidades Ingeniero..!

      ReplyDelete

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