The Drielandenpunt, at the summit of the mount Vaals, is the place where three wonderful countries merge into one spot. It was also the starting point of one of the most exciting TSUs in AEGEE, as the locals of Aachen, Maastricht, Leuven, Brussels and Amsterdam joined forces to bring the participants the most enlightening trip of their lives…
On debate: EU, the Maastricht treaty and enlargement
European integration was the leitmotif of this Summer University, and some lectures, workshops and debates were held in different
antennae in cooperation with the International Politics Working Group (IPWG). Students from countries such as Croatia, Armenia or Ukraine shared their point of view on a possible enlargement of the European Union, whereas participants from Poland, Greece, Spain or Hungary explained their experiences, hopes and disappointments in such difficult moments for the EU and the youth. It was, all in all, a fruitful debate that kicked off in Aachen and continued at the universities of Maastricht and Leuven and the European Parliament in Brussels.
The organisers also prepared some language courses in each one of the cities that were visited. So, the participants had their own little taste of German language in Aachen, some French in Brussels, an hour of Flemish in Leuven and, finally, some Dutch in Amsterdam!
Two weeks, but no time to rest at all…
Nice weather did not accompany them most of the time, but that was not an impediment for enjoying their time in the three visited countries. The rhythm was frantic – getting up early in the morning, heading to the workshops, sightseeing, moving from one city to another and partying hard in the evening. But they made the most of their time and took part without hesitation in all the activities.
Obviously, typical places such as Brussels’ Manneken Pis and Atomium, Leuven’s oude markt or Amsterdam’s Dam Square and the Red Light District were a must. However, apart from the typical city tours, participants and organizers got the chance to challenge their creativity with the photo frenzies, contests in which all of them had to take pictures in each city’s most important spots… in the most ingenious, artistic, crazy way! The participants especially enjoyed the bike tour by AEGEE-Amsterdam, a big success like in previous occasions.
However, the most anticipated and curious adventure in SU was the hitchhiking competition. From Leuven to Amsterdam, participants were driven for more than 230km by… who knew! A certain number of participants had never had any experience in hitchhiking before and they looked a bit frightened, but even if some had to take the public transport at the end, most of them could make it to the arriving point, and to leave behind such a fun experience.
More than learning and sightseeing: there was food… and lots of fun!
BBQ at Aachen’s scouting house, French fries at Maison Antoine in Brussels, chocolate, the European night’s mix of food from all 
European countries, and fried frikadellen in Amsterdam were things that could not be missed at all.
And of course, beer! Beer of all types, no matter if it was during Maastricht’s pub crawl, the finest club in Brussels or the Haacht brewery in Leuven. After hanging out in some pub, it was time to party, even after some really exhausting days. Waking up early the day after was not an excuse at all!
To summarize, this TSU had it all: cultural visits and sightseeing, a political background on current European affairs, enriching activities, fun and a wonderful atmosphere. These two weeks were a great chance for the participants to share experiences and opinions, and to build a strong bond between them. It was not easy at all to say farewell, after spending two weeks with such wonderful people and learning so much from one another. But after all, the best thing to do was to smile because it happened. It was just a see you later!
Written by Anna Gumbau, AEGEE-Tarragona
Pictures by Milos Rybicka, AEGEE-Praha, and Oleksandr Borysenko, AEGEE-Kyiv