My International JCI Experience
My International JCI Experience
Posted By admin |13 Sep 2019
Riga, the capital of Latvia, is sometimes described as the “Paris of the North”. In 2018, it was also the destination of the JCI European Conference. I was lucky enough to represent JCI London in Riga along with our 2018 President, Ruta Ratavichute, which was my very first international JCI event! With thousands of JCI members from all parts of the world, the week was full of energy, inspiration, and amazing people. The programme at European Conferences is “choose your own adventure” style. There’s something for everyone, whether it’s training, networking, company tours, local experiences - you name it! One of our local excursions was checking out the Riga Art Nouveau Museum, which is an early 20th-century furnished residence, which felt like stepping through a time machine. We got a taste of how the locals dressed 100 years ago: 
One of my 'comfort challenges' was trying the cold beet soup, a Baltic delicacy. It was actually pretty good, once I got past the fact I was eating pink soup! 
The highlight of the week was the Gala Dinner on the last night. Not only did we get to catch up with friends from previous JCI events, JCI UK took home three awards! I was immensely proud of the UK and it felt great to be able to cheer on the winners and nominees. The whole week was an unforgettable experience and I can’t wait to go back to Riga someday.
One of my 'comfort challenges' was trying the cold beet soup, a Baltic delicacy. It was actually pretty good, once I got past the fact I was eating pink soup! The highlight of the week was the Gala Dinner on the last night. Not only did we get to catch up with friends from previous JCI events, JCI UK took home three awards! I was immensely proud of the UK and it felt great to be able to cheer on the winners and nominees. The whole week was an unforgettable experience and I can’t wait to go back to Riga someday.
By Calvin Adeyemi-Adeniran
By Oliver Hyde
