So. There is a whole backlog of things to talk about, and I’ll start with the one that pops into my head now.
St Gallen Symposium, Switzerland, May 04 – May 10, 2009
I was honestly blown away by this event. The quality of the speakers, the participants, and even the organization of everything, from accommodation, transport and food (oh, the glorious food) was so impeccably arranged that I think based on that alone, I was inspired by Swiss hospitality and their commitment to quality.
But beyond these comfortable trappings, the conversations I had with the people I met during this week were extremely enlightening. These people honestly seemed to have a fervent desire to contribute positively to the world in very tangible ways. I’ll admit that I felt inadequate at first, because my self introduction tended to end at “I’m a finance major.” Period. No side project to eliminate world hunger, no non-profit to teach youths in third world countries entrepreneurial skills, no Silicon Valley startup. (I’m actually not making this up, Wyovhek and Ben are just some of the youths I met who are doing just that.)
The Keynote speakers were generally well-credentialed, although my interest in what they had to say largely depended on their individual charisma. Having said that, I did in fact learn a tremendous amount from the speakers, who included a Nobel Laureate, several politicians (even one of our own…), Presidents and luminaries from academia. I discovered that journalists tend to be the most engaging speakers, I guess because they have had to deal so much with people, and some of the lessons in communication naturally come across in their speech I guess.
My favorite keynotes:
Misha Glenny
Ex-BBC journalist, expert observer and commentator on Balkan states. (The President of Serbia, Boris Tadic, who also happened to be there later commented that Glenny probably knew more about the Balkans than he did. ;p) He delivered this fast-paced opus on global crime, and managed to pique my interest in the subject. It really was a bit like watching an action flick, but injected not with Hollywood bravado but the weary optimism of a man who’s been on the ground chasing the crime lords around.
Joseph A. Stanislaw
I was naturally anticipating this talk, because of the fact that his video “Commanding Heights” was one of the saving graces of my APB class. (I remember whenever the Professor said it was video time, I would be like “YESSSS”.) Stanislaw turned out to be a most riveting public/academic figure who has managed to retain a very sincere earnestness even after all these years. His mantra of changing the world a little step at a time really resonated with me. It all starts with that little lightbulb! (Go make sure your household is using an energy saving bulb.:))
Boris Tadic, President of Serbia
I was just impacted by his honesty. His country is not exactly thriving with prosperity, but he is extremely candid about what needs to be done and how to go about doing it. The much talked about EU candidacy may be given a hallowed glow under a more slick politician, but he gave a very down to earth response to this thorny issue: “Serbia just wants to develop for the sake of our own country, not for the sake of joining the EU.” And I thought, that seems like a very obvious statement, but on hindsight, it took no small amount of courage to say that.
Tharman Shamuragatnam
Singapore’s Minister of Finance was really solid in terms of his stance on pragmatism and simply the clarity in which he delivered his message. Surprisingly, he managed to get appreciative chuckles out of the audience, so kudos for having a sense of humor too. Having heard his spiel all my life, the message was nothing new to me, but I do think he is one of the few Singaporean politicians whom I’m drawn to.
Besides the Symposium itself, I got the chance to meet lots of fantastic people – Jasmin, my very gracious host. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hang out as much as I would have liked to because of our crazy schedules, but I definitely felt very welcome in her house.
St Gallen is a very small town, and there’s not much to do at night. We ended up going clubbing very frequently, and I guess because of the ongoing Symposium, everyone remained highly professional and conservative, meaning no skanky dances and what not. I wished we could have done something else, but I guess it was a good way to let loose for a while.
The Symposium really left a deep impression on me, and I’m committed to trying again next year. :) Heck, an all expense paid trip to Switzerland, throw in awesome learning and meeting cool people from around the world. I’m in! In the meantime, attack the pile of books!
