Rehema Abdul - Oslo, Norway

About Me

My AIESEC experience has been an adventure that I will live to tell, after taking up leadership roles, both in my LC as project manager for two different projects around HIV and entrepreneurship, and MC as National Projects Coordinator.

Short Version

My exchange experience has been a huge eye opener to development issues, trade and technology which I am in contact with day to day life experiences. Living diversity is not only a value imbibed in me, but I am actually living it with two other nations as flat mates and the many others I have met here in Norway. I am learning new skills and understanding of development issues, and my world view has definitely been expanded as I plan further to achieve my career goals. Learning to ski, skate and speak a new language in Norway has also been fantastic.

Long Version

My exchange experience in Norway has been a life changing one as I for the first time left home for a country far away in the North of the earth. It’s been four months now and my first month focused on lots of preparations through seminars by AIESEC and FK and from February started my work at Fairtrade Norge. Adjusting to the weather wasn’t the easiest as it was my first time to encounter such low temperatures. The preparations included taking part in activities which are very Norwegian that included skating and skiing, eating different kinds of food and adjusting to day to day routine.

My stay has been made easy and interactive as I am staying with the other FK participants from Kenya, Mozambique and Cambodia. We have shared so many things together and our experiences in social life and work have been different and everyone is in line to achieve their personal and professional goals. Being part of this is just magnificent.

At Fairtrade, I have taken up different tasks in marketing and communication connecting Fairtrade Africa and Fairtrade Norge through different ways by opening a platform for partnerships for many projects starting or underway. My highlight at Fairtrade was when Oslo was given its certification to be Fairtrade capital at a conference which I took part in organizing.

My biggest moments include: I was privileged to see the World Ski Championships 2011, attended SMAK 2011 which happens once every two years, watching Madcon perform live, going to live concerts, travelling around including a weekend in Paris, and definitely, attending the ACHIEVE AIESEC conference. And over the World Fairtrade Day, I hosted the event and had interviews with different parties.

I am looking forward to further developing my skills, learn and challenge myself to working in a different environment.