By Manon Chrétien

New is always better

A lot of SCABs this week from the French team were about saying goodbye to the SCA. I don’t really want to see it that way. I would rather write mine about everything new that I will welcome after this wonderful experience. Yes, it was a short one, but I think I loved it especially because it was limited in time. I really like change and I get bored really easily when things stay the same. For instance, I  often find myself rearranging furniture in my room every two weeks, just to feel like I’m living in a different place (which doesn’t really make sense, I know it). As Barney Stinson once said, new is always better.

For me, it will not only be the end of the SCA experience, but the one of my London one as well. Yesterday, I had the final answer for an internship in an advertising agency for luxury brands in Bordeaux, in the south of France. I’m so glad to discover a new city and new people. I look forward to be there. Moreover it’s a city known for the wine  and I have 4 months of good wine to be caught up. Same time next year, I’ll be in South America. Chile, Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Colombia, Peru… Who knows ! There are so many places to discover, so many cultures to embrace. What’s great about advertising is that you can practice it everywhere and you kind of have to be cultured, to have a curiosity, to collect the dots if you want to be great at what you do. 

I noticed that the SCA changed my way of thinking, of speaking, of acting. I don’t say being « good at » anymore, but « great at ». Because good is not enough. You don’t want to be average, you want to stand out. Also, I say yes more often to new projects. I’m less scared of offering my services. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the skills, you’re here to grow. I have learned to challenge every brief, I mean in life. After this Vagina Nomics magazine adventure (which by the way made me discover a fabulous new friend), I’m now focusing on a sort of charity event organized by an acquaintance of mine in Paris : Christmas for the refugees. The idea is to organize a fancy dinner, with great food, concerts and gifts for children who are far away from their home. It requires a lot of rigor, time management, organizational skills that I don’t necessarily have. But I’m learning by practicing.

Christmas seems like a warm family time for a lot of us, but it can be the exact opposite for other people. Among other things, I’m think about old people who are lonely. It’s important to be conscious of how lucky we are, to remember to be happy with what we have now, not what we could have. The Self Journal Marc asked us to buy at the beginning of the year is a great way to do that on a regular basis. By listing every day what you are grateful for, you’re more positive and living in the moment.  

So, au revoir SCA and Merry Christmas everyone. I’m really grateful for those 4 months.