Post #1 - Catching Up

Post #1-Catching Up

Photo Credits: Mirela Teferici 

It's been a little over a week for me here in Sweden and with the Startup Manager Program. My impression on Nova Global is sort of holding strong to the very first impression I felt the second I touched down in Stockholm's Central Station: It's quick, it's huge, it's organized but dynamic, and you have to keep up!

The minute I got here, I was set to meet with an AISEC volunteer who assisted me with my luggage as we raced through stations and through gateways and spaces that I came to recognize only later as just the extensions of the huge central station and right into Google HQ here in Sweden; the biggest HQ in Europe, I recall them saying. It was pretty legit.

I have to say it was a little tricky keeping up for me in the first week, and maybe this is the weakness that I have to work on first. We are all here to grow and improve, and a trait like being on time in the big city and the corporate world well...could really come in handy, to say the least. I have been a reelancer, and I do often have meetings and work in Beirut, but it's easier for me to make it on time back home, where you know there is always going to be a traffic jam everywhere you go, and you might as well just sing along to the radio than indulge in the river of car honking melody.

Google Maps has always been a great friend of mine, but until very recently, we stopped working together and I have had to work out things on my own for a while, at least until we meet again later this month. I guess that's ok. It gives me room to explore and to get lost in this wonderful city of Stockholm on a bike, on foot, and on the subway. You can never really get too lost, so it's a great system.

I've really been enjoying my little explorations of parks and spaces, of musicians on the street and in the hipster metro stations, and of the cosmopolitan community that makes this calm but hard working city of Sweden.

I love networking. I do. Meeting people is awesome. But what's more awesome is meeting people with causes, and people that are doing things in different parts of the world. What a rich and diverse team of individuals with great charisma and character! I love that everyone has an accent that is representative of their culture and background, it makes it all the more entertaining and rich during group discussions and sessions. I kind of wish I had a more Lebanese English accent, so as to add my share of local spices to the taste palette of Nova Global. I guess I can give my two cents worth by constantly saying one of my favorite Arabic words: Yalla, yalla! Let's go!

I occasionally notice myself saying "ya'ni," which is a filler, meaning, "I mean." I don't think I've used that as often back home when speaking in English.

With regard to last week's module: Storytelling- Well, I love storytelling! I am a content creator and copywriter and saying stories and sending messages in a way that connects with the reader is a passion. But it has been a long and rigorous process, which I have completely enjoyed actually, to come up with a story that has the voices of 10 instead of 1. Now that is a challenge.

I have learned that we all actually want to convey a similar message, we just do so stressing on different aspects: some go for logical and informative, others go more for emotions. I like my eggs sunny side-up. So I tend to go with emotions more. I feel like rationale and logic should be mentioned, but not as primarily. But we have to cater to our target audience, a sexy bunch of awesome talented youth and young individuals. They want to hear the real deal or else they'll find other places to hear a good story. A good story with VALUE - now that's what we're offering.

Oh, and about the sunny side-up eggs. it's just almost getting close to breakfast time and I'm thinking about breakfast. Also, I think I should have scrambled eggs: an equal mix of the heart and the mind, the white and the egg yolk... Now you figure out which one's which.

xx,
Aisha