Three Years of IPSA - Article from De Wijzer, April 2011

When I was asked to write a bit about my experience in Leuven for De Wijzer, I knew exactly what I would be discussing: The International Philosophy Student’s Association (IPSA). I want to share some of the experiences I have had while working on making IPSA all that it has become. First, though, l want to put out the disclaimer that anything I might have done to establish and build this organization would have meant nothing if it weren’t for the great people around me. So a big shout-out is in order:

If it weren’t for their encouragement, I would never have started (thanks, Stijn and the ’08-‘09 NFK praesidium!).

If it weren’t for their hard work, I would never have been able to lead it where it went. (thanks, especially, to the IPSA ANGELS of ’09-’10, Dziugas, Liesbeth, Ryan, Thérèse, and every other person ever involved in organizing IPSA!)

If it weren’t for their support and inspiration, I would never have had the will power to step up during rough moments. (Thanks to NFK praesidia of all three years, the faculty at HIW, and the people at LOKO International!)

If it weren’t for their smiling faces showing up at our events, I would have had no reason to do it in the first place. (Thanks to you all!)

We have had some fantastic times together. And while at times our organization does not live up to its true potential due to lack of initiative among many of the students, there are still these magical moments that make it all worth it. Last year was filled with them. For me, perhaps the most magical of these moments was the theatre/rock benefit event at which we raised 200 Euros for an AIDS orphanage in Mombasa. I will always look back at that night and be filled with inspiration and joy, and I challenge you to organize a similar event! This year has not been without its own magical moments. Our colloquia have been thought-provoking and inspirational to everyone present. The IPSA/NFK coordinated Open Mic held in March of this year was a success, both in quality and quantity. It was wonderful to see old and new friends freely expressing themselves up on stage, and of course it was a pleasure to do so myself too!

There are so many experiences that have built up over these years with IPSA that it would be hard to do it any justice in a brief article. But I suppose that what would really do IPSA justice is to keep it alive, keep it growing, and let it flourish under the care of new students. It has been exceedingly difficult to pass leadership on, however. With new students coming in each year, with absolutely no idea about what IPSA is or even what Leuven is all about in general, it’s quite difficult to recruit a new group for leadership each year. I think what most directly contributed to last year’s success was the recruitment efforts taken at the very beginning of the year: along with Dziugas and Efe’s great help at student orientation, the help of the legendary party planner Matthew Barton gave way to an infamous start of year moustache party. What was it that got the most attention? FREE BEER!

Alas, my time in Leuven is coming close to an end, and with thesis work dominating my attention it is no longer possible for me to continue taking the lead. I can only hope that other students will see the value in organizing themselves around the IPSA name. If you want an amazing experience that will teach you more life lessons than you know, and if you want to get funding while you are at it, then just make it happen! All you need to do is get people’s attention at the beginning of the year, showing the potential of a good student group. Read here: throw a good party, and they will come! Then you’ve got to organize and delegate. People have parties, nights out, soccer matches, reading groups, and so on all the time… why not organize these officially with IPSA? Why not accept funding? The institute website advertises their International Philosophy Student’s Association, so why not embrace it? It is waiting to become whatever you want to make of it. Challenge yourself. You might be surprised at what you discover… I know I have!


JB

(Original article posted on page 10:Three Years of IPSA)

The Prague Blog: Part 1, The Experience

How can I begin this blog, except by exclaiming, PRAGUE ROCKS!!!

Now that that's out of the way, let me tell you about my week long Prague experience. First of all, let me note that I chose to stay a week, instead of just a few days like many of the travellers I met there. There are many things you can see and taste in 3 days. If you were to search out some list of the top 10 spots in Prague, you could probably get pictures of all of them in 3 days. But...

If you really want to experience Prague, then you need to give it time to reveal itself to you. My experience became real for me on day 4 of the trip, which was one day after the dreaded Prague pub crawl, an essential part of any young tourist's visit. If that was the farthest one can get from the essence of Prague, my experience the next day was probably about the closest. I started the day off on facebook, where I began talking to a girl I met at the pub crawl. We decided we would meet for Czech food at lunch time. We found a beautiful restaurant in an old brewery building.

Drinking Pilsner Urquell, we order beef goulash with plain dumplings and bacon dumplings. Amazing food, completely cured any side affects of the previous absinthe-soaked evening. For the rest of the day, the heartiness of this meal spread to all of my impressions of Prague.

Afterwards we visited the Spanish Synagogue. The interior was beautifuly decorated with geometric designs and 'arabesques', but unfortunately we were asked not to take photos. You will have to visit for yourself. :)

After parting ways with my new friend, I went to an old church from the Twelfth Century. It is actually several chambers and a courtyard, which is near the Narodni Gallery. NOBODY was there, except for an employee at a gift shop at the end of a separating hall. I had the entire place to myself.

So I walked slowly through the halls and chambers, trying to feel the residual memories of almost a thousand years of human activity that has taken place within these walls. I set my jacket and camera aside, and sat down for meditation in the grandest chamber. Any small rustle of clothing would produce a loud and long echo, so I stayed silent. All alone, just me and this Bohemian princess from the 1200's. What a world.

After the peaceful repreive to my otherwise quick-paced and social experience of Prague, I went slowly walking until I reached the old city centre. I arrived just in time to hear the great astrological clock announce a new hour. It was already the fourth time I had seen the show. Beautiful, but I wonder how many of those crowded-in tourists noticed anything past the cameras they held over their eyes.

Here is a 500 year old clock that is in perfect working condition, and can tell you the position of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the day of the month. As a nearby guide pointed out... let me see your IPod function 500 years from now!

I ended the evening by spontaneously buying a ticket to see members of the Prague Symphony Orchestra perform a selection. The performance was a wonderful way to cap off a great day, and to really do the city justice. Here is a great cultural centre of the European world. It came as no surprise, therefore, that I found a comic-book bar to be my favorite evening hangout! The bar is called Batalion, and is covered in the comic artworks of Kaja Saudek. If you get a chance check it out. www.batalion.cz

What can I say after such a day but jsem šťastný (I am happy)! :)