Leaders-for-a-Day Experience: Maciej Bergier
First of all, I really wanted to thank whole JA organization for making this trip possible. These two challenging days were ones of the best in my life, not only when it comes to the gained knowledge but also in creating a big international connection with newly met. After wonderfully coordinated first meeting I’ve felt perfectly prepared for what was to come the next day. The meeting itself was supposed to introduce us to each other, make us more comfortable talking in front of the group, and teach us how to find and present certain information in a nimble way.
After 4 hours of pleasant work, we were able to chill and have some fun eating dinner together. The next day, everybody was well rested and ready to conquer the world of business and politics. From the very beginning the second day in Brussels was very intense. After a short ride in a cab, my group (Nikola, Šárka, Martina, Carlos and Rares) arrived at the Rue Wiertz entrance. After short wait we were asked to come in and taken by our Leaders. My leader was of course the MEP from my country – Danuta Jazłowiecka.
She made a very positive impression as a very well educated and open minded person. We spent wonderful time talking about her job and how she connects it with her personal life. She was so kind to share her experience with me and give some valuable advice. She strengthened my belief in what I’m doing and what I’m aiming for in the future.
Meeting Mrs. Jazłowiecka was not only a great experience, but also a huge lesson for me, as I’m currently at the stage of life where I need to make some important decisions about my future. I’ve also spent a lot of time with her wonderful assistants, who have showed me how work in the European Parliament really looks like, and the place itself. I was able to taste not only the official part like the session of the European Parliament, but also the parts of EP workers typical day, including having a lunch in the local canteen. After 6 intensive hours we made it to the celebration Celebration Cocktail at White&Case offices, where we had chance to talk over our former experiences. After magnificent Greek style dinner it could seem like an end of our journey, but nothing of the kind! With our new friends we decided to make fullest use of our last hours together, and went sightseeing! Few hours later the most persistent of us met in one room and threw little goodbye party. We talked and played games for hours, everything like we knew each other for years!
Leaving Brussels was really hard for me. I must admit that I had a time of my life there. If someone would’ve told me that you can bond with so many people in such a short period of time I probably wouldn’t believe. But here we are! All of us connected through the social media and hoping to meet as soon as possible. Apart from many new friends, Leaders-for-a-Day helped me to decide what I’m going to do in the nearest future, gave many opportunities (like becoming a trainee in European Parliament), gave me a chance to test my English “in the battlefield” and learnt how to cope with new situations that are inseparable part of our life. I really, really wanted to once again thank JA Europe for making this possible to me. I think that every young, ambitious entrepreneur deserves such a wonderful opportunity that can change his whole life in only two days.