The AEGEEan Team meeting in Agora
In my previous Agorae, visitors used to tell me how great it was to be a visitor in a statutory event, without any obligations. Late wake-up, breakfast, maybe some sightseeing, maybe a plenary, lunch, catching up with old friends, dinner, and party till the morning. It never sounded appealing to me, and I replied by saying that I would not miss plenaries and prytania as they are the most interesting parts of Agora, when you can really feel the heartbeat of the organisation.
However, this Agora for me was as busy as the previous ones despite the different status. Maybe it was because of my experience? Maybe it would be different for somebody who was there for the very first time? I do not know, but I do remember the lists of things to do – plenaries, standing in the question line every now and then, counting ballot papers for the elections and voting, assisting in a workshop, catching up with friends, making sure not to miss some meetings (and missing them anyway), and so on… Luckily I did not miss lunch or dinner, really appreciating the benefit of being a visitor!
Sum up?
Benefits for visitors
– Always on time for lunch and dinner
– Partying as late as you want
– No need to queue for registering your local or for entering/exiting the plenary
– No need to attend prytania
– Your own choice which workshops and prytania to attend
– Time for sightseeing / sleeping / catching-up with friends
Disadvantages for visitors
– With Yvonne Antonovic (AEGEE-Utrecht and AEGEE-Beograd) being the Chairperson, no promises that you will be allowed to ask questions in plenaries (lack of time)
– Being your own boss and deciding for yourself what to do. Could be problematic if you do not like making decisions
– Cannot be with your friends who are delegates or envoys all the time as they will most likely have a hundred meetings to attend
Written by Anita Kalmane, AEGEE-Ogre
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