Nomad JuanCa's Report

Today something strange happened to me, just after i sent my first spam as alumni coordinator inviting everybody for the congress (that i still have to create out of nothing) i got an email... better say an invitation that says like this....

Dear Red haired:

Congratulations for your position in AIESEC, it is so cool to know that people like you are still there giving a hand to the aiesecers, very good choice, by other hand i had written to you an email long time ago but i think you didn't get it, i want you to please help me out with your home or work address where i can send you the invitation for my marriage ceremony that will happen on January 20th and i hope you do all you can to be here, i would really like to count with your assistance.

Also help me out with the mobile of Cynthia and Gonzalo, they are also invited.

Greetings

María José Bahamonde
GERENTE ADMINISTRATIVO - FINANCIERA EXPOFLORES

"

I was astonished, i knew Ma Jose (pepa) and Jose are going to get married but never thought/expected they would invite me. Why? Basically she was my MCP when i was MCVP here in Ecuador and ... well in my opinion she was never supportive, she menaced us (Cynthia and me) to go to live in Quito otherwise we would be kicked out of the MC even knowing there was no money to pay our salaries there... the result? i spent a year strugling, starving, having only few french fries for dinner or only bread and coke, sometimes not having lunch, and for sure never having breakfast. I even had to walk around the streets looking on the floor to see if i could find any coin... 0.10usd or anything so i could at least drink some coke. I lost lot of weight, a lot... still... we moved there and did our best. We were left alone, none cared if Cynthia and me had eaten anyhing, Yaga (Polland) and Virgis (Lithuania) the other MC members were living with Pepa and they had everything at her house.

That was a part, the other part was that she was always giving to everybody the image of a compassive MCP while using Cynthia and me for the bad news to the LCs, she won the elections in an arranged way between LC Cuenca and LC Quito, and to finish with it... when i ran for MCP after my term, she was in clear opposition to me, and organized a selection committee that said almost nothing good about me. I wasn't present in that, but my friends later on told me...

There was even someone from Quito who asked the selection committee: Ok but at least say something good about JuanCa, and one of them said: We are not saying anything good or bad about him it is just our perception, you take it as you wish. When i lost the elections (not knowing everything they had said about me) Pepa came running to me crying... and saying ohh JuanCa i am so sorry... this is horrible. I though she was sincere, and her tears made me cry as well, after the election... slowly my friends came... and they started to tell me the thruth... all the things she said, all the things that other members of that selection committee said.. they gave the impression i was a crazy guy dangerous for AIESEC,... after a year of hunger...stopping my university, moving to another city without a salary... they just didn't value anything.

I remember two comments that night after i lost elections...

Virginijus Doveika my team member came and said... ohh man... i tried to screw you up... pitty i could not (cause i answered his question written in japanese in front ALL of the members to proove if i really spoke the language).

Cecilia Sacoto(Pepa's best friend) came to me during the party where everybody was crying so i did.. and she said... Oh your are crying? didn't you say the lost didn't hurt you?? it hurts isn't it??.

I know it was 5 years ago, but it was something that hit me deeply, next week after that congress i stopped going out with none in Quito, LC members and MC, i just hanged out with Cynthia who was the only one i could trust. Well ... i guess it is reason enough not to expect to be invited to Pepa's marriage. Perhaps i was that bad as a person, something i don't believe, but at the end God knows how things should be. Russia was my paradise where i became the person i wanted to be.

When i returned, i met Pepa couple of times, we always scream and ran of emotion when seeing each other and share a long and strong hug... i was not hypocratic, i was sincere in a way and diplomatic in other. Sincere cause i was happy of seeing Pepa not for her, but for the remembrances of that year where eventhough all that happened Ecuador reached the 5th level in development inside the region in terms of exchanges, my role in the MC. So i was happy to see her, as much as i would be happy to see the office where i worked. I was diplomatic as well, cause i learnt in Russia one can never fight with anyone, time flies and speak louder.

This invitation surprised me, and i answered. Yes, Pepa i will be there. Why? perhaps it is time to forget and forgive, this is all still a pain in me but if she invited me, it perhaps means something. Not sure if excuses, or self pride for getting married before all of us (lol) or perhaps despite all the things that happened, that year in Quito left a mark on us, a mark that kept us together until now, does not matter how different we are, during a year we worked for the same goal, and we got it. The improvement of AIESEC in Ecuador.

I decided it is time to forgive, i have to be sincere saying i don't think i will be able to take this out from me fast, but i will try, by accepting this invitation i am giving my first step forward to overcome everything that happened, and i promise to try to arrive there with a clean heart. Getting married with someone you love is a special moment in life, and for the future couple and for the respect i have towards love i want to contribute to the good wishes and good vibrations they will get that night. Whatever happened before... it was before.... and was left out there, in the cold nights of Quito, the JuanCa many of you knew died there... and a new JuanCa was born and rised in Moscow. This JuanCa wants to learn to forgive all those people that hurt him during his life. I want to learn the power of forgiveness.