On a date with a candidate (part IV): Adam Kubák

Soon the Agora Salerno stage will be full of candidates who want your vote! For sure you have read all about their programmes in the official booklet, so now you want to find out more about them, their hobbies, whether they can cook and what they will bring to the European Night. In short: classic first date questions from the Internet! The GT will take you on a date with the candidates. In this edition: Adam Kubák from AEGEE-Praha, running for Member of the Network Commission. Get ready, your date is starting now!

Golden Times: Are you afraid of your candidature speech on the Agora stage? And how will you prepare for it?
Adam Kubak: It will be the first time I will be speaking in front of so many people so I will probably be a little bit nervous. But we have still a week until the Agora so there is no reason to be afraid now. I try to focus on what I will be saying and maybe do some breathing exercises.

GT: Where would you be now if you hadn’t joined AEGEE?
Adam: Tricky question. Maybe I would be active in a different student organization, maybe I would be more focused on sport.

GT: How did you join AEGEE exactly? How did you find out about it?
Adam: I just saw an AEGEE-Praha poster at my university and one day I decided to go to the meeting.

GT: How long did it take you from the first moment you heard about it until you signed the membership form and joined AEGEE?
Adam: I became a member of AEGEE when I came to the second meeting which was exactly a week after the first one.

GT: What’s the typical drink and food you bring to European Nights?
Adam: From drinks, it is definitely Becherovka, the most popular Czech herbal liqueur. I would not forget to bring the Czech version of cola called Kofola. Regarding the food, I used to bring Kolonada wafers, Czech salami and if there is a possibility to cook I can make potato pancakes.

GT: At an AEGEE party where will we find you? On the dancefloor? Talking at the bar?
Adam: I would say it depends. Usually, I like to dance with others and enjoy the good vibes. Talking at the bar can work for me too but not when they play Avicii or Axwell & Ingrosso.

GT: What was your first position in the local board?
Adam: I was an IT responsible. Besides planning events and discussing board stuff I was taking care of our websites and G-Suite.

GT: What was your favourite event as organiser – and why is it your favourite?
Adam: It was indeed our Summer University organized by AEGEE-Praha and AEGEE-Plzeň. We developed a thematic SU with a unique narrative: “The Legend of the Czech Grail” and this year it was the vol.2. It was so exciting to plan everything and then meeting our awesome participants and following them on their quest to find the Czech grail.

GT: What was your first Agora and how did you feel there? Happy, excited, overwhelmed, lost?
Adam: My first Agora was in Krakow and I felt very excited, but as I did not know how exactly the Agora works I was confused. Thanks to the HRC Mentorship programme I was able to connect with other newbies and also get some advice from experienced mentors. Moreover, I was accompanied by another more experienced delegate from AEGEE-Praha.

GT: Have you ever hichhiked to an AEGEE event? If yes, what’s your favourite hitchhiking story?
Adam: Not to the AEGEE event. But once I hitchhiked with my friend to Croatia.

GT: There is a classic typology of AEGEE members, dividing them according to the three aspects fun member, career member and idealist – to which percentage are you which of these aspects?
Adam: I would say I am 40% idealist, 40% fun and 20% career, but it’s changing. When I joined it was 80% fun at least.

GT: What do your parents think about the idea that you are so active in AEGEE?
Adam: They encourage me to travel and explore new places. I realize how lucky we are. You know for them it was harder because they did not have the opportunities we have now. Before the year 1989 the communist party was ruling in former Czechoslovakia.

GT: What other hobbies do you have aside from AEGEE?
Adam: Since I was 13 years old I have been playing floorball in a team. People from other countries usually don’t know this sport, it is something like hockey but you play it in the gym with plastic sticks and a very light plastic ball. Besides, I like to read books about psychology and soft-skills and I like to speak German.

GT: What was the last book you really got into?
Adam: Nonviolent communication from Marshall B. Rosenberg. It is an absolute blast, now I am recommending it to everyone. It can help you to improve your relationships not only with others but also with yourself.

GT: What TV series do you keep coming back to and re-watching?
Adam: I don’t re-watch series.

GT: What’s your favourite app on your phone?
Adam: Whatsapp, Spotify, Home Workout…

GT: What nickname do or did you have – and why?
Adam: At high school, they used to call me Bubák or Buby, which means something like a ghost in Czech. It was because of my surname Kubák.

GT: Do you like cooking and if yes – what’s your favourite dish you like to cook?
Adam: I cook only occasionally, but I like to cook for example tikka masala, cream sauce with spinach and chicken and Czech goulash.

GT: What’s never missing in your fridge?
Adam: Beer, Wine, mozzarella and tomatoes.

GT: Did you consider joining a political party or maybe want to do it later?
Adam: Not as of now, but I consider it in the future.

GT: What do you study – and why?
Adam: I studied economics as my bachelor’s degree and then Information Management as my master’s degree. I was always curious about things I did not understand. Firstly, I wanted to learn about economics, how trade-economy, banks and money work. Later for my master, I decided to change to the IT direction. It was another unknown field which I wanted to discover.

GT: What’s your dream job?
Adam: It must make sense to me. I must feel that what I am doing is bringing some value and helping somebody. Very important is to work with nice people and have enough flexibility. And last not least earn enough money to fulfil your needs and dreams.

GT: What’s the favourite city or place on this planet you ever visited?
Adam: I like Cologne a lot because I was there for my Erasmus and then another nine months doing an internship.

GT: And where would you really like to go?
Adam: I would like to explore South-East Asia.

GT: This Agora is about walls – what was the most difficult wall you had to overcome?
Adam: It was my own fear.

GT: What’s your biggest frustration in AEGEE?
Adam: When we as AEGEE-Praha sent around 20 – 25 people to Summer University but the majority of the people we rarely see again after the summer.

GT: Please complete the sentence: “AEGEE is for me…”
Adam: …one big family.

GT: How would you describe yourself in a few keywords?
Adam: Curious, thoughtful, empathetic, talkative, extraverted.