Daniel Bell, Exchange to Brazil
I am the President for the 2010/11 term at AIESEC City and was chosen to take part in AIESEC UK’s CEED program over the summer of 2010. The CEED (Cultural Envoy for Exchange Development) program is a special type of exchange for active AIESEC members, sponsored by HSBC. The objective of the program is to exchange best-case practices in how we run our activities in different countries.
My exchange took me to the Recife in the state of Pernambuco in Northeast Brazil, which is a very popular tourist destination for Brazilians. Pernambuco is a state with a vast history, being the first are of settlement during the colonization of Brazil and thus has a very vibrant culture: of which I was privy to. The experience therefore was without a doubt a peak experience of my life to date and having to leave after 7 weeks only made me want to stay for longer.
Becoming open to a new culture gives a vast amount of personal development in terms of being put in sometimes-difficult cultural situations and having to deal with them. The way that AIESEC facilitates exchange however, doesn’t just open you to a culture so that you understand it, what AIESEC does is it immerses you in a culture till you understand the reasons why the culture is there, and why the culture is different. 
Personally, the best aspect of my exchange experience was building close relationships with the people I was working and living with: the friends I have made will be friends for life and indeed, I have already been invited back to attend a wedding.
However, also being open to a new business culture: through working in a foreign culture is hugely rewarding in terms of professional development. I got the chance to attend a national conference n Brazil where I led a session to over 500 delegates, something that is a daunting challenge, but really builds my confidence and competency in a professional environment.
If you are reading this thinking about going on exchange, or thinking about joining as a member: quite simply,
“Do both!”
* If you would like to get in touch with me personally about my exchange experience – please do so by e-mailing d.bell@aieseccity.org *