As my previous exclamation suggested I have been away from Amsterdam once more. Even now I can close my eyes and the rich wet canals and the full green leaves fade and are quickly replace by the expanse that is Istanbul. The city was nothing as I had thought. My frame of reference was inaccurately assumed from my experiences of Cairo- another titan of a city. However, my first three days around the European side gave me an impression that was more Parisian than Cairene.

I had not wanted to over plan my time in Turkey, thinking to take it as it comes, so I first thought about what, where and how I would do things on the way to the airport Friday morning. A few hours later I was sitting in an Attaturk bridge cafe- astride the Golden Horn- watching the sun set over the mosques in the distance.  By day I wandered Sultanameht- tried meditating in the Blue Mosque, delighting in every exquisite angle of the Topkapi palace and experimenting with a diet made soley of a thousand forms of  Kebab.

By night, I followed the cultural vein of Istanbul; wandering the nightlife of Tunel and Taksim discovering music and vibrant scene as it came flowing thick and fast. I met DJs, found some underground, sat with live music literally in the side streets, and looked down at a midnight Istanbul from a roof top terrace while live reggae filled the air. Traveling alone made immersion into the city complete; as I alternated between being open and opening to the friendly locals all around- and pulling back into myself and fully consuming the experience that was so richly filling my mental canvass.  

The delight of these days was matched in the style with which I left. The site of my hotel, and the official purpose of my visit, lay on a different continent- the Anatolian side of Istanbul. I trammed, took a spectacular ferry ride, bussed and eventually rode the last 15 minutes on the back of a very kind shop keeper's scooter.  On eventual arrival I immediately wrote the following entry- which describes my mind state perfectly.

"Sunday, August 19, 2007

When It's Good...

The Last 48 Hours Of Single-Handedly Rocking Istanbul Has Been So Damn Incredible It Deserves To Be Capitalized. I Just Traveled Between Two Continents, Danced To Midnight Reggae On A Roof Terrace Cityscape, And Saw A Throne Taken From A Moghul Emperor Defeated In The 16th Century. It's 32 Degrees And I'm Fairly Sure I Will Be Watching The Sun Set From The Hotel Pool Overlooking                The Sea Of Mamara."

And as I changed continents, I changed environments and roles. From carefree adventurer in a new land, I was thrust into a very familiar space as a trainer, leadership consultant and engaging alumni. Two full years had past since I finished my role on AIESEC International- and three years since my team ran our International Congress in Hanover, Germany. And here in Istanbul, for IC 2007, I found myself once again in the centre of the storm, but something was different.  

AIESEC was still the most beautiful creature I remembered it to be. With the multitude of new expansions, especially in the Middle East and North Africa region, it is more than ever the bastion of human diversity and brotherhood. I saw more clearly the compassionate and inquisitive culture that is so rarely to be found anywhere on this planet. They had advanced their thinking and action a number of steps, reflected in new language and strategies but the big difference I felt wasn't a more evolved AIESEC- it was within.

As my career in AIESEC grew I became closer and closer to the heart of the organisation- and it became closer to mine- as I took more responsibility, tackled more fundamental problems and tried to further clarify a path toward greater relevancy and efficiency in developing leadership that would simply change the world. In the formal and informal leadership roles I played, I was accepting and committing to address a number of critical issues in strategy, learning and management. When I left I had strongly mixed feelings of success and failure and the inability to confront them either within me or in the reality of the organisation that I then had to lay aside and walk away from. Although I had returned to support the organisation since then in training and conferences, I never really returned to its core or confronted this part of me which once shared so much with this organisation.

Here in Istanbul I was suddenly immersed in this space again- but it wasn't the closeness I had known when I was leading it. It was around me, but no longer inside me. I described it as "being inside someone else's memories"; it looked the same as I remembered but the meaning and the shared identity that forged engagement, this closeness, was not there- it had been replaced through new powerful chapters of my story. 

And so for the first time since I left, I could look at AIESEC again openly and directly. I could now distance myself from myself enough to objectively examine the successes and failures I had left, to see the ongoing impact my decisions and strategies made around the world.  It is hard to describe the feeling of finally releasing this burden I had carried and was afraid to realise. To take responsibility for all that was done, the powerful and puny, with a smile and a calm heart. This was a most beautiful closure.  

Of course there was much more than this return. I trained ABN AMRO and CS managers, ran some plenary sessions for AI, sat in awe of the Alumni Hall of Fame, contributed to some of the history sessions and skill tracks, and had stimulated and rewarding discussions with incredible young people from literally all over the globe... But all that seems to come with the territory. This most beautiful strip of land- that falls just below the feet of whereever these young people choose to tread. It was a most enjoyable and impacting experience to return for these few days, an honor and a privilege. I shall carry the myriad lessons with me.

Peace
Arthur

arthursblog@gmail.com