2014 with ESN JKL

The year of 2014 has come to an end and it is time to look back before getting started with the new one. I had the privilage of being the president of ESN Jyväskylä for the past year. And what a year it has been! It was full of joy, friends, smiles but also of tears. 

For ESN Jyväskylä, 2014 was an extremely busy year. We made quite a few changes and improved how we function. We grew and introduced many new events to our calendar. We put a lot of effort to make all of our events fun and social happenings for the international crowd of Jyväskylä. Therefore I was very happy to hear that we had been called the most active section in Finland. That may very well be true but at least I am certain that ESN JKL is the best section in this country. Or let’s just say in  the whole network. And I am not the least bit biased in my opinion. I just have learned to love ESN JKL very much over the years I have been volunteering with all these wonderful ESNers.   

I never would have survived this year without Annika, my lovely vice president (and the new president!). Thank you sweetie, you rock!

Most of the events we organised were very successfull but this year had also its share of failures and mistakes. There were some moments of panic when things got done just in the last minute. For example the songbooks for the sitsit party in spring were printed only 15 minutes before the party was about to start. At the same time  we were trying to figure out how to get some music for our show and fix the seating order that had curiously been mixed. Yet, in the end it was one of my favourite parties of the semester. 

Flag parade at AGM Milano: one of the best moments for me in 2014

For myself this was a year of growth.  Being a president of a local ESN section brings a fair amount of responsibilities and stress. Things do not happen as one might expect when working with international students and local restaurants and sometimes plans have to be changed in a heartbeat. Luckily our board has a habit of supporting and taking care of each other. And that is the reason why this has been the best year of my life: the members of our ESN JKL family. 

Farewell party, loving Jyväskylä

Sometimes, however, we cannot keep our friends as long as we would wish for. As every ESNer knows, the end of a semester is always a time to say goodbye to the friends we have made. This year we felt this more than ever before when we lost a member of our ESN family in November. The loss of such a wonderful person has been very hard to handle and understand. But no matter what, we will remember you. 

Struggling with this loss together with our family made me realise what a great gift friends are. They bring such joy to our lives no matter if it is only for a little while or for decades. Therefore I want to thank everyone who I was lucky enough to meet this year. I wish you happy new year full of love and friendship and I hope to see you soon!

With love,

Marjut