Newsletter 15 40631 ID2 - Joint Vienna Institute

JOINT VIENNA INSTITUTE
After the JVI: Personal Experience
After reading the article ”The spirit of the JVI“ by Willem Salater,
AEP-4 student from Romania, in the previous JVI newsletter, I
feel that although I do not know him personally I actually have
a lot in common with him. To me, this is just further proof that
the JVI or, more precisely, the AEP Course, unites its former participants
in a wonderful spirit of openness and understanding.
I really enjoy being a part of it.
The JVI has changed my attitude to life significantly and I am
absolutely convinced that I would not have become the person
that I am now without the time at the JVI. Although it may
sound strange to some people, I don‘t think work and career
should be sole priorities of life. Right now I also count making
new friends and spreading the alumnae spirit of the JVI in my
home country among my priorities. And two visits to the JVI
as a guest of AEP-7 and AEP-8 participants have deepened my
understanding of the importance of the JVI in my life.
became more efficient in using my time, I could spend weekends
for travel. Planning my travels made me more organized,
and this is good for other aspects of daily life. During the three
months of the course, I visited many European cities (some of
them even twice) among them Budapest, Graz, Venice, Baden,
Rome, Innsbruck, Salzburg, Munich, and Paris. My friends called
me ”The greatest traveler at the JVI“. Later on I managed to
visit many new places, including Bodensee, Naples, and Sicily,
but in general that was just a repeat of what I experienced
during the AEP-5.
I fully agree with Willem, that exploring nature and history-and
travelling allows one to combine it perfectly--is no less important
to a full life than understanding macroeconomics. It may
seem contradictory to the objective of course participation--to
enhance the skills of policy makers for transition economies--but
the other activities made me feel more free and independent. I
learned to value beauty and thanks to visits to many magnificent
places I have become a romantic at heart.
When I visited Vienna as a guest, I had that nostalgic feeling
of returning to the ”golden age“ of the AEP Course. Although
life at the JVI goes on, you still feel part of the JVI spirit. You
no longer have to go to classes and other young men and
women live in our classmates‘ former apartments, walk along
the corridors, check their E-mails in the computer room, and
drink beer near to the blue lift, but the JVI feels the same. And
staff members are no longer just teachers, administrators, or
officials but have become amiable friends.
When I meet with former classmates, we discuss our achievements
but always refer to our time at the JVI with special
warmth. We all feel that the JVI spirit has managed to create
such close and friendly relations between us that would be difficult
to find in many other educational institutions. Since I left
the JVI, I introduced many friends and colleagues to the JVI and
several have become AEP students. This is my personal contribution
to the future development of the JVI. Finally, I would like
to thank all the JVI staff, teachers and officials for their efforts
to make our stay in Vienna pleasant and unforgettable.
The AEP Course played a key role in my becoming a professional
at the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus where my
current work involves mostly international co-operation and
public relations. I have also become an expert in interpersonal
relations because since I was at the JVI, I enjoy meeting people
more than ever before, among them participants of other AEP
Courses with whom I have become good friends.
The JVI has contributed significantly to my approach to problem
solving. I remember how difficult it was for me to make
my first presentation. I decided to volunteer in the group that
had chosen a presentation on the External Sector, a topic with
which I was least familiar. But the group helped me and after
a week of hard work, I had quite a good understanding of
balance of payment issues. The important thing I learned from
this experience was that there are no unsolvable problems in
life. One just has to find an individual and original approach
and cooperate with others on a finding a solution. Applying
this principle often helps me in my everyday work.
At the JVI I also learned better time management. I wanted
not only to study but also to allocate time to sightseeing and
to be with friends. I did my best to accommodate everything
I wanted, so sleeping much less became a habit for me. As I
Kirill Badulin, National Bank of the Republic Belarus
Participant of the 5th Applied Economic Policy Course
Until May I, 2003:
Erdbergstrasse 186-190, A-1030 Vienna, Austria
After May I, 2003:
Mariahilfer Strasse 97, A-1060 Vienna, Austria
Tel: 43-1/798-9495, Fax: 43-1/798-0525
E-Mail: jvi@jvi.org, Internet: http://www.jvi.org
12 WINTER 2002 NEWSLETTER No. 15