AEGEE is growing in the United Kingdom and most recently three girls each came up with the idea of starting a contact in Newcastle upon Tyne. Through the Network Commission they got together and started working on the paper works to become an antenna. The AEGEEan interviewed Laura Ferras, Laura Bennett and Helen Dryden about the life in Newcastle upon Tyne and their experience with AEGEE so far, as well as their plans for the future.

The AEGEEan: What is your background? Where are you from, how old are you and what do you study?

Laura Ferras: I am a PhD student in Biology, 24 years old. I come from France, Nancy.

Helen Dryden: I’m Helen Dryden and I study Chemical Engineering at Newcastle University. I am originally from Reading which is near London, so it was very different and exciting to move to Newcastle as it is so far away. I am almost 21 so it won’t be long until I have completed my degree but I really want to stay in the area. The North East has a really strong sense of community and everyone is very friendly.

Laura Bennett: I’m Laura (Bennett, since we have two on our team!), I’m 22, in my second year studying BSc Zoology at Newcastle University and I’m originally from Newcastle too.

Photo courtesy of markus spiske, Flikr.

Where did you get to know AEGEE?

Helen Dryden: I have always loved travelling and was planning my next trip abroad when my sister mentioned that she had been on a summer university with AEGEE. I thought it was a great price and brilliant way to make friends. I went, thinking it was a group holiday away, but I learnt all about the organisation and their values and was inspired to help create a contact.

Laura Ferras: I discovered AEGEE in Lyon. I joined AEGEE because I wanted to attend a Summer University (SU) in Cagliari.

Why did you want to start your own antenna?

Laura Ferras: I have loved being a member of AEGEE and meeting young people from all over Europe and I would like to share the AEGEE spirit here where I am living.

Helen Dryden: I made so many good friends during the Summer University and met people from countries I didn’t know much about like my friend Maria from Belarus, I would like to visit her sometime in the future. I know many people who would be interested in being involved if they knew about AEGEE.

Laura Bennett: I got to know about AEGEE when it was recommended to me by a friend. I worked together with the current president of AEGEE-London, Connor Russell, to run an exchange trip while we were both at college before university. A few years later when Connor discovered AEGEE himself in London he told me how it involved a lot of the opportunities we’d been so interested in exploring while at college. Since I was at university at Newcastle now, and there was no local contact or antenna, I thought it was a good opportunity to really get involved and introduce the organisation to other students in the area. A few emails back and forth with the Network Commissioner Maria Arends and I found out I wasn’t the only person who thought Newcastle needed a contact!

Picture courtesy of dun_deagh, Flikr.

How has the start-up been? Did you spread the word about AEGEE in Newcastle already? 

Helen Dryden: After contacting the Network Commission, I found that there were two other students who were keen to create the contact with me. I don’t think I would have been able to do it alone so I was so pleased. It has taken three months to sort out all the paper work as our university has strict rules on insurance but we have persevered and it has been worth it.

Laura Ferras: So far I just started. I met Helen and Laura in December. They are the ones that did all the paper work to make this possible. I am currently doing a secondment in Durham but I will be back to Newcastle mid February.

Laura Bennett: We’re still in early days with getting the word out and we’re using university events like the Refreshers’ Fair, which showcases university societies to interested students, to spread the word about what we’re doing and why AEGEE is a great thing for students in the city.

How is your relation to the university?

Laura Bennett: We’re set up as a society with Newcastle University, which means we can take advantage of the facilities they have and promote ourselves to the students with the university. We’re hoping not too far in the future we can encourage another society forming at the city’s other university, Northumbria University, and get the word out to as many people as possible.

Picture courtesy of hakzelf, Flikr.

Did you already attend any AEGEE events?

Laura Ferras: Yes I did. And I wish we will have one soon here in Newcastle. As far as I remember I attended one AGORA, one EBM (I know we say EPM now but when I did mine it was an EBM), three SUs, a Regional Training Course and a Local Training Course in Toulouse, which was my first event in AEGEE.

Helen Dryden: I attended TSU-Open Your Mind which was based in Slovakia and the Ukraine. I would really like to go back to the Ukraine so I am keen to save up and go to the Autumn Agora in Kiev.

How is the student life in Newcastle?

Laura Ferras: I moved to the UK in September but so far I am doing a secondment in Durham so I spent only few times in Newcastle. The only thing I can tell is that there are a lot of societies and the night life is very intense.

Helen Dryden: There are three universities in this city so there are students everywhere! It is extremely common to join a society and so through that, living in student halls and meeting people on your course it creates a really close community.

Is volunteering popular in your city? 

Laura Bennett: Student life in Newcastle is very lively and there’s a reputation for us being a party city, and it’s likely we’ll be having at least one pub crawl meet and greet for members and interested people in the near future. We do also have a big cultural atmosphere and volunteering is a very popular activity among students for the experience it gives.

Helen Dryden: The RAG society (Raising and Giving) is particularly popular among students. It involves raising money for the local community through a magazine and events throughout the year, however there is also one week dedicated to RAG where more students are encouraged to join and collect money on the main shopping streets in teams.

How is life in general in Newcastle? What is special about the city?

Laura Bennett: I think what’s special about Newcastle for me is that, like other cities, it has its own specific and rich identity. Famously we’re the origin of the Newcastle Brown Ale, and every year we host the Great North Run, which is always a great opportunity for fund raising and community spirit. But Newcastle’s a brilliant city for having a long existing significance in many different aspects of culture. We have a proud history in theatre, sciences, music and sport. We even have our own dialect, Geordie! Which as a native I’m happy to demonstrate for anyone visiting.

Laura Ferras: Compared to other cities in the UK life is not really expensive, there are a lot of cultural events, people are very friendly but I can tell that their accent is hard to understand sometimes. As I said the night life is quite good and Newcastle is famous for that but what I really like in Newcastle is the diversity, you can meet people from all over the world here.

Helen Dryden: There is also a lot of beautiful scenery to visit in the North East. Newcastle is very close to the coast and there are many parts of Hadrian’s wall which runs through the city.

What plans do you have for AEGEE in your city? 

Laura Bennett: As a new contact we’re very much looking forward to a regular and varied social calendar for our members. We have plans for local events with students in the area such as trips to the cinema and theatre, as well as debates and nights where we explore cultures across Europe. Newcastle as a city also has some great festivals throughout the year we’d like to participate in.

Helen Dryden: Yes, and then gradually work our way towards Network Meetings and eventually a Summer University.

Picture courtesy of Tim J Keegan, Flikr

Will you be able to attend any Agora, EPM or NWM this Spring?

Laura Ferras: I will try to attend the next Agora, but I have to say that my PhD is taking all my time.

Helen Dryden: I unfortunately can’t attend this Spring due to university work but I plan on attending the Autumn Agora in Kiev. I almost went this summer but my plans changed which I really regret.

Laura Bennett: In the end, we’re definitely planning to represent ourselves at an event in the near future, we just need to get together over our university timetables and work out when that will be.

How is the topic of eurosceptism? Does it affect your plans for the antenna?

Helen Dryden: I believe this is the perfect time for Newcastle to be a contact as our generation will become more open to being part of the EU by having more communication with other nations. In the near future there will most likely be a vote for whether to stay in the EU so the society will remind people of the positive aspects of being part of the EU.

Laura Ferras: If the referendum about Britain’s membership of the European Union takes place, it will probably be part of our plans to do different conferences about the EU at the University.

Laura Bennett: Exactly! Eurosceptism is a huge topic in the UK at the moment and doubly so in our region here in the North East, where the financial difficulties of the public have been linked by some political parties to our national involvement in the European Union. I’m personally very interested in these politics and we’d love to explore them if it’s something interesting to our members.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

AEGEE-Hamburg has lots of experience hosting Network Meetings (NWMs). They did it in 2009, 2012 and they are in the process of organising yet another spring NWM for 2015. A NWM where 25 participants together with AEGEE’s President Paul Smits as well as Network Commissioner Maria Arends will go back to the future, digging into the history of AEGEE over the last 30 years. Before interviewing AEGEE-Hamburg, The AEGEEan interviewed Network Commissioner Maria Arends to hear about the organisation behind the event and what plans she has for the upcoming NWM.

The AEGEEan: Why did you choose Hamburg as destination for the next NWM?

Maria: AEGEE-Hamburg expressed their interest in organising a Network Meeting right when I started my term already. When I was there during my NetCom trip, it became very clear they were taking the Spring NWM seriously into consideration. I liked the idea right away, as Hamburg is more or less in the centre of the antennae I work for. Actually, it is a bit the same idea as last year: NWM Tartu in the north, NWM København in the south, now Sankt-Peterburg in the north, Hamburg in the south!

Will you follow up on what you did in NWM Sankt Petersburg?

Yes, definitely! In Sankt-Peterburg we exchanged best practices with each other through SWOT analyses, and in Hamburg I want to follow up on this by comparing it to a different method. Furthermore, where last time we had a session about AEGEE’s history, this time we will address the 30th Anniversary and the participants will even have the chance to come up with ideas they can implement in their antennae. Furthermore, as NWM Sankt-Peterburg was after the Agora, it was interesting to discuss the results and see everyone’s point of view. We did a preparation for EPM Burgos as well, and now we will discuss the results during the NWM and prepare for AgorAsturias! And there’s more, but let me not spoil all the fun beforehand.

How are you working with AEGEE-Hamburg to prepare for the event?

Through hundreds of emails and Facebook messages! AEGEE-Hamburg is a really nice antenna, and they have a lot of ideas as well. They came up with the topic of Back to the Future, and after they explained it to me (I still have to watch the movies) I fell in love with it immediately! It is so applicable to every part of the programme: socially AND content-wise!

Have you already been there? Can you recommend people to visit the city?

Even though the distance between my home town and Hamburg is smaller than from my home town to, let’s say, Rotterdam, I’ve been several times to Rotterdam, but last December during my NetCom trip I was in Hamburg for the first time. It was so lovely, really, the city has everything: an old city centre, super modern parts, at that time there were Christmas markets and Glühwein… So how it will be in spring, I have no clue, but yes, I can definitely recommend it, if only for the nice atmosphere there! I’ll have to see next time, but it might become one of my top three favorite cities in northern Europe (at least on the main land).

Who from the CD will join you at the NWM? 

Paul Smits, the President of AEGEE! Last week we’ve already talked about the programme, brainstormed on the content for some sessions, came up with some cool ideas… So I feel confident it is going to be amazing! Fun fact: one of the organisers is also called Paul, so that might cause some funny confusion from time to time.

Why is this NWM interesting for the Network? What will be special about it?

Nordic Network Meetings (if I may call them that way) are always a bit unique. I am the Network Commissioner for the Baltics (including AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg), Scandinavia, northern Germany, and the United Kingdom, so it is very broad and has many different locals. The programme is gonna be cool, the local organisers will be amazing, but the participants… will be simply the best! Another thing that’s unique, is that AEGEE-Hamburg has organised a Spring NWM in 2012, and a Spring NWM in 2009. So, it is also a tri-annual tradition!

The AEGEEan of course also interviewed the President of AEGEE-Hamburg, Saskia Heller, about the upcoming event and the first thing she mentioned was also the NWM experience of AEGEE-Hamburg.

The AEGEEan: Why did you apply to host the NWM?
Saskia: Actually a simple thing called rhythm. We hosted one in 2009, 2012 and 2015 it was just about time again. Additionally, we are not organising a Summer University this summer (please don’t be sad!), so a NWM offered us a new platform to still host an European event.

What is special about the city of Hamburg?
We don’t really want to brag, but we are the second biggest city in Germany (1,7 million inhabitants) and the “gate to the world” due to our harbor. We would describe ourselves as Nordic as we have our big river Elbe, which is the reason that Hamburg has been a free and rich city since centuries. Hamburg is not this little cute town you see on brochures about Germany, but it has its own Hanseatic (red brick stone buildings), industrial (mainly harbor area) and modern (newly build districts like Hafencity/Harbor city) charm.

What will be the focus of NWM Hamburg?
Our NWM offers several workshops for our all participating local antannae to exchange their experiences as well practices. Additionally we will talk about AEGEE’s 30th anniversary, Democracy in Practice project and other AEGEE related events/current issues. Our thematic informal focus is the 80ies as AEGEE was founded then and we just like to play our old records in public.

Who do you have in the organization team?
Our current board and some additional volunteers, we have two of 2012’s NWM organisers helping this time again.

Why should people come to Hamburg?
You should come if you want to enjoy a cool breeze, you like small & big ships, you want to explore unique corners, you like big cities or you simply love to eat fish.

Is it easy to access your city?
You can easily access Hamburg via our own Airport (as well as Bremen or Berlin). There are national bus lines to connect us with all of Germany. For our railway enthusiasts there are different international trains once a day.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

When AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg wanted to organise a Network Meeting (NWM) several people doubted it could become a success due to being far away and because of expectations of visa issues. However, Mayri Tiido from the Comite Directeur, Monika Duda from ACT and Maria Arends from the Network Commission helped the antenna with the preparations and sessions and the NWM was organised in such a great way by the antenna that it lead AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg to become Local of the Month. The AEGEEan interviewed NetCom Maria Arends to hear about why the antenna was nominated and the organisation of the event.

The AEGEEan: Why did you choose AEGEE Sankt Peterburg as NWM host?

Maria Arends: First of all, AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg submitted a very good and detailed application. Really everything was included, strong motivation (they wanted the NWM to take place in Russia to prove that it is not impossible to apply for visa and that there is nothing ‘scary’ about Russia), a good budget, explanation about the visa support they were going to provide… So first of all, there was no reason to not choose them based on formal aspects. Then, me being an idealist as well, such great and intrinsic motivation really touched me. Even though some people told me that it might not work out very well, I decided to pair up with AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg and prove everyone wrong!

How did the event go?

Very well! There were many fresh and motivated AEGEEans who, I think, learnt a lot about our wonderful organisation. The sessions went smoothly, we walked a lot with -10 degrees (but we had fun doing it) we had a very nice three-hour-long city tour through the main sites of the inner city of Saint Petersburg, though it is such a big city that you can never see all sites, and we had an amazing pubcrawl with shots of vodka and other kinds of spirits, which was interesting. Apart from that,the organisers have provided us with good food and an amazing accommodation in a hostel, which we had all to ourselves, it was so good to actually sleep in beds!

You work with AEGEE-Sankt Peterburg on a day to day basis, what is good about the antenna? How do they work? 

Firstly, they have meetings on a frequent basis, which definitely helps them. Also, they organise a lot of events, and a lot of members of their antenna go to other events in the Network. For the upcoming Network Meeting in Hamburg, I have seen a few applications. This definitely helps them to stay motivated. Furthermore, they have a newly elected board, which is great! Of course they are also organising the Transsiberian Dream together with AEGEE-Moskva this year, and they do not get stuck in thinking about their problems, but rather take up a challenge (during the NWM they have proven that for example with fundraising). All in all, I think that AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg is a really great and active antenna, which organised a really great event! (and I think all of the participants would agree with me.

The AEGEEan interviewed  Dina Sharonova the initiator of NWM and ex-President of the local, Anastasia Kachesova the current President and Anna Smirnova the  responsible for visa section on NWM.AEGEE-Sankt Petersburg to hear more about the antenna and the event. 

The AEGEEan: How did the organisation of the event go?

AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg: Organising an event always requires a lot of great team work. Just a week before the NWM, we had some difficulties with a place where sessions were held, but we successfully passed all challenges.

Why did you apply to host the NWM?

One of the main reasons was the willingness to prove that it’s possible to organise an official AEGEE event in Russia, despite all difficulties as visa procedures or absence of university support. It was also important to us to show our participants and local members that a Network Meeting can be as fascinating as informal events or parties. We suppose both tasks were completed successfully.

What do you think of the participants that took part in the event? Were they active?

The program of the NWM was very intensive. We had doubts that it would be difficult for participants, many of whom were newbies in their locals. Fortunately, the participants were brilliant! They were active, easy-going, interested in topics and discussions. They filled the NWM with an awesome energy.

What are the best memories you have from the event?

There was a section about Russia&Europe on the threshold of EPM Burgos’ agenda. Due to the current political situation and mixed attitude in mass media we anticipated a lot of problems about this topic. But participants of this discussion were respectful and open-minded. We were pleased to find out that the common point of view was that the division between Europe and Russia is artificial and brings nothing positive for both parties.

How many members do you have in your antenna? How many of your members are active? 

There are 70 members in AEGEE Sankt-Peterburg and 20-25 of them are active.

What do you organise in your antenna?

Every year we organize Summer University, at least one winter event and an exchange with other antenna. This year AEGEE Sankt-Peterburg and AEGEE Moskva present SU “Transsiberian Dream vol. 7 Far East Movement”, which goes backs to the roots, because it was originally made by our two cities. Transsiberian Dream is always legendary, but this year it is going to be something special!

What is special about AEGEE Sankt Peterburg?

AEGEE Sankt-Peterburg is the most northern-located one, that’s why the NWM was called winter NORDIC magic. Also we’re active despite a few number of members and quite distant location. We live in the most beautiful city in Russia and we are open to all new ideas.

How did you collaborate with NetCom Maria Arends to prepare for the NWM?

It was a perfect collaboration! Maria assisted us in filling Quality Assurance Committee (EQAQ’s) form, creating the thematic section of the program, kindly answered all our questions and was one of the trainers during NWM. She was the person on the European level who believed in the success of a NWM in Saint-Petersburg. AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg would like to express Maria our appreciate for her help! We’re a nice team.

We have been told you gave a nice workshop on visas, what was it about? 

We understand that there are probably few locals which can raise awareness about visas and spread information. Usually, AEGEEans only have common idea about visas. The key to success was that all participants had their own experience with visa applications for the NWM. They figured out how different this procedure can be with the same rules of law and the same conditions and how important is to keep attention on this topic.

What do you think about the Visa Freedom Working Group having been closed?

It’s a reflection of a tendency of lack of interest for this topic. Usually Europeans think that the visa topic doesn’t concern them, as they mostly didn’t face it. However, this question does exist and we tried to show the importance of this problem to our participants during workshop.  Also as we discovered during the NWM, laws and procedures are completely different in all countries even though it is not supposed to be, so it would be nice to have a Working Group in AEGEE, which will inform and support members, as well as stand for our rights.

What experience do you have with visas?

Usually AEGEE Sankt-Peterburg provides free visas and special support for all participants. We are glad to open up countries and places, which AEGEEans probably would never visit without AEGEE and youth cooperation. On the other hand, all members of AEGEE-Sankt-Peterburg gather official papers and visit embassies or consulates at least once a year and fill the application forms for their own travels.

Have you done anything in your antenna after the NWM?

First we had the local board elections. Now we are in the active process of organising Transsiberian Dream vol. 7 in cooperation with AEGEE-Moskva to make this SU unforgettable.

What are your upcoming plans for the antenna?

We’re going to participate in the Restaurant Day in February, have an exchange with AEGEE-Minsk and fire on our Summer University. Soon we will visit AEGEE-Moskva in the capital of our country to make the organisation even better.

Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-Zaragoza

It is said that usually you don’t know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory. Now that the summer is over I can confirm this quote.

“Play Hard, Meet the Green(s)”, the summer university organized by AEGEE-Niš and AEGEE-Novi Sad focused on eco-friendly lifestyle, has made my summer one of the most unforgettable ones. In the following lines I’ll try to put my memories to words – at least the ones I still remember in spite of the rakia.

This story begins on a Friday night. After a journey of more than fifteen hours, some other Spanish and me finally got to Novi Sad – a Serbian city famous, among other reasons, for being the place where Exit festival takes place. Although the festival has ended, there was still live music in the city. The rest of the participants have been singing in a karaoke bar for hours. Luckily their voices were not completely destroyed, because they would need them the next morning during the city rally. The fortress, the catacombs and the Liberty Square were just some of the places visited in Novi Sad. That was, -let’s say- the first contact with Serbian ground. For some, literally because the catacomb visit was full of accidental falls.

Of course, Novi Sad had even more to offer. We were able take a dive into the Danube river with its artificial beach, we learned some Cyrillic,  we tasted some local wines in Karlovci- a small city 5 km away from Novi Sad, we learned a little about ecology in Serbia and the terrible floods that took place some months ago, we danced traditional Serbian dances and we even survived an orinetation activity in the middle of the mountain the morning after a hard night of drinking.

Because yes, Novi Sad was also all about nightlife. The first night during a pub crawl we discovered the countless kinds of rakia. After that night, we learned more about others participant’s (drinking) traditions and cooking in the European night. And finally, the last night in the sex change party we discovered that some participants (names are removed to keep their privacy) seemed more comfortable disguised in clothes that belong to the other sex.

The morning after, with the mascara still on some participants’ eyelashes, we headed to Belgrade. Fortunately the train was comfortable enough to take a little nap – that situation was taken advantage of by others to make a wonderful sleeping beauties album. The visit to the city was short but sweet and did not consist of only sightseeing. The capital of Serbia is well-known not only for its centuries of culture but also for its nightlife. So to fully get to know the city, we spent the night on an incredible party boat situated at the river bank.

Next morning we changed the boat for a bus, and hit the road to Rtanj, a small village 200 km away from Belgrade which gets its name from the nearby mountain. This mountain has an unusual appearance which resembles a pyramid and is a topic for many local legends. Among others, it is thought to house a ‘pyramidal’ structure left behind by alien visitors. That was precisely one of the reasons of our visit. We were supposed to climb the mountain at midnight and meet our green friends on the top. But unfortunately we did not leave a great first impression and they sent us some rainy clouds. Therefore, the plan had to be rescheduled to the morning after (which proved to be a blessing for our physical integrity).

Apart from the unexpected weather, our time in Rtanj was great and relaxing. We had time for workshops, games, tell scary stories at the camp fire and even become actors and cinema directors for a couple of hours (we hope our independent films win a lot of awards at the next Sundance Film Festival).

And slowly but surely we approach the end of this story. Our last destination was Niš, one of the oldest cities in the Balkans and the third-largest city in Serbia.  Many moments come to my mind when I think about our stay there. The city rally, the day at the swimming pool, the pub crawling, the delicious dinner at the “kafana”, the relaxing day at the spa or the always bustling student dorm. The same student dorm that filled itself with “goodbyes” and “hope to see you soon” and an emotional roller-coaster of happiness and sadness.

Now that a little more time has passed since this adventure ended, I have been gathering all my memories for writing this article. And I am feeling lucky for the decision I made at the end of April choosing this summer university.

I guess that like me, most of the participants didn’t know so much about Serbia or had a wrong impression about the country. However, Serbia proved itself a beautiful, hospitable and open-minded country with a lot to offer. Needless to say that the experience wouldn’t have been the same without the 27 participants and organizers who were part of this adventure.

So I just can say, Hvala (or koala) to all those who made it possible.

Written by Irene Arregui, AEGEE-Zaragoza

To be or not to be? That is really not a question. The question is how to transform 12 awesome days into just two pages. Well I will try. I know. I am probably not the only one who thinks this, but I really believe that we have experienced something special in Alicante this summer. Do you want to know why? Then you should continue with reading!

For me it was the first time I have ever been to Spain, so I was very excited about the whole trip. Last year I was organizing SU in Prague so I I knew that I would have a great time. And it was also the last summer as a student for me, so I was ready to make the most of it. However the two weeks in Alicante totally exceeded my expectations. And not only mine. I am pretty sure that our SU is going to attack the front ranking positions because our organizers did a really great job! And you should also know that I was writing a “SU diary” every day. That’s basically the reason why it was natural for me to sign up for writing this article. I recommend it to everyone. I still have smile on my face as I was reading those pages.

Unfortunately this article is not long enough to tell you about all the experiences and crazy nights we had. So I am going to focus on a few things which were special to me.

I have to admit that I really hate getting up early in the morning – who does not? However I loved to wake up in Alicante. Even though my average sleep time was around 4 hours per night, I must appreciate Melissa as the best morning DJ ever. Her songs always brought a smile one my face no matter how bad my hangover was. We were all sleeping in the local high school gym together which was another thing I liked a lot. There were only us in the whole school area so we could party/chill/do whatever we wanted and nobody was bothering us. That was really great.

Another thing I really appreciated was that even though it was not a traveling SU we were traveling a lot. Although it was probably not easy, organizers ensured enough cars so we were able to visit many beautiful places around Alicante. When I was told that we traveled more than 1200 km in 12 days I was not surprised at all. It is impossible to tell you about all those places but believe me – it was totally worthy. My favourite ones were probably Penon de Ifach ( a mountain on the sea shore where we climbed up to the top of) and Tabarca island. Why? Just google it. And visit those places if you will ever be on Costa Blanca. You will not regret it.

However all those places we visited were not the reason why our SU was so special. The special ones were the people and the atmosphere we created together. The first day you don’t know anybody and in 12 days you are like a family. This is something what is very difficult to describe to somebody who is not in AEGEE. And I am really grateful that I had a chance to experience this. I am pretty sure that the people I met in Alicante this summer and the moments we shared together we will never forget. I would like to say MUCHAS GRACIAS to our “Hey Guuuuuuuuuys SU mum” Mar and her team that they made this happen. You guys rock! I would also like to thank our “AEGEE peopoooool man” Brauli for spreading the good energy. I loved it maaaaaan! Your positive attitude was really addictive! And I would also like to thank all the participants because you really made this summer #thesummerofmylife! Stay awesome! Let the AEGEE spirit stay forever in your hearts.

With love from Prague, Peter “the one who knows how to dance in a skirt”

Written by Petr Langer, AEGEE-Praha

Azerbaijan is one of those countries that people only visit when they have seen pretty much everything in Europe, but are too scared to go beyond Turkey for an insight of the Muslim world. Located in a perfect crossroad amid the Soviet legacy and the Islamic traditions, too open minded to be on one side but too different to be on the other, the land of fire is often seen in Europe as the strange neighbour who never says “hi”. Still, Azerbaijan has its unique spirit, although it is not for everyone…

Twenty seven of us AEGEEans were lucky enough to discover it during the Summer University organized between the Baku and the Gandja locals. For two weeks, Ukrainian blonde girls, huge Dutch guys, very loud Spanish and some crazy Hungarians, among many other nationalities, tried to blend in with the gentle-mannered Azerbaijani people. Of course, it was an impossible mission, since our presence was easily spotted anywhere we went.

Our Summer University chose as motto “Come and see the AzerbAEGEEnian dream!” and aimed to open a window to this very specific part of the world. Somewhere between the modernity brought by the petrodollar and the traditions kept over the centuries, Azerbaijan shows its true colours only when you step out of the dream of big cities. Baku and Gandja have everything the rest of the country has not: they are clean, they are safe, they have nice green areas where to chill and all the necessary infrastructures to ensure a nice time to visitors. The rest of the country is sylvan, is difficult, is disorienting and is definitely slow paced.  But that is precisely where the fun is: in that contrast of us being cuddled in 5 starts hotels only to be thrown in the arms of Imodium to overcome the vomitacja katastrofa two days later.

Now, we feel like survivors and we only remember the good times, which were by far more than the uncomfortable ones. Both Baku and Gandja organizers struggled for us to have a great time in their country, succeeding indeed. They were patient guides, resourceful interprets, friendly lecturers and adventurous buddies. In their hands, we tried the haute cuisine of the Shaki region -no irony here!-, we learned some traditional dances with an overenthusiastic teacher, we visited some nice historical sites, as the UNESCO-recognised Qobustan settlement, and we put our life at risk taking pictures of the military by the border with the Nagorno Karabakh disputed area -yes, irony here-. But many of us will remember the camping by the lake in Quba as the best experience of this SU, since it allowed us to disconnect from the chaotic cities in a beautiful spot without losing the AEGEE party spirit. Again, contrast blending in perfection.

The Southern Caucasus is a rich area itself, but each of the three countries constituting it has its own idiosyncrasy worth to be discovered. However, you may need somebody to guide you through a process that has not proven to be easy, due to that in-between situation that makes them close to us in a great distance. From my experience, there is no better way to delve into these peculiar features than with the expertise of the AEGEE people…

Written by Alessia Calderalo García, AEGEE-Madrid

“When I came to Spain and I saw people partying, I thought to myself: ‘What the f***?!’” The lyrics of the song by Sak Noel, also often called ‘the most annoying song of all time,’ are a very precise description of the first feelings of many of the participants of AEGEE-Zaragoza’s Kingdom of Dragon vol.3: ART – ATTACK. Thanks to our amazing organizers, we were able to see the beauties of Aragon at the same time as experiencing the real Spanish lifestyle with everything that it includes – Spanish timing (for once in my life I wasn’t late!), Spanish food and the never dying urge to party – all day, all night.

“Ok guuuuys, come on, wake up, we’re leaving in five minutes! Come oooon, AEGEE peopeeel!” The voice of one of my beloved ‘smart organizers’ wakes me up at 8 am. We’ve been going to bed after 4 am and waking up at 8 for over a week now and every day, the locals would be the last to go bed and the first to wake up. I am frankly jealous of their energy as at this moment, I wish I could sleep until dusk but the leaders stay faithful to their SU description: “Our perfect participant is that one who goes last to sleep and next morning is the first to wake up.”

As soon as we finally get ready (luckily, five Spanish minutes are about an hour on my Swiss watch which I consider an authority on the topic), we leave our flawless accommodation to explore the neighboring area. I will be honest. When applying, I had no idea the region of Aragon could possibly be as gorgeous as it is. As a regular European citizen and a new AEGEE member, my knowledge of Spain was limited to Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and the words used in the lyrics of the song “Salsa, tequila” – taco, Shakira, nachos, sombrero, mojito and above all, Antonio Banderas. But the less I knew about the region, the more I found it astounding.

Our TSU started in Zaragoza, the capital of the region, and a city which was formed by a mix of Christian and Arabic culture. As a result, it nowadays boasts a cathedral with a stunning combination of the original colorful Muslim architecture with the later Christian towers, as well as Aljafería – originally a palace for the city ruler which is now the official headquarters of the Aragonese parliament. Zaragoza also has a great party-friendly city center where you can get very cool shots for just one Euro, but I don’t even know why I’m telling you this; of course you’re way more interested in analyzing the architectonic styles of Zaragoza than spending your time in a bar!

The next stop on our trip was the great city of Jaca – the gate to the Pyrenees, the mountains dividing France and Spain (and Andorra, of course, I would never forget that!). Our trip to the actual Pyrenees was unforgettable, with our SU splitting into two sub-groups – officially the ‘slow’ group and the ‘fast’ group, factually the ‘hangover’ and the ‘not-so-much-hangover’ – and enjoying the green flowery fields all around us, that magically transformed into rocks at the end of the horizon. Walking through the canyon with a crystal-clear river floating next to you, just waiting for you to soak your tired feet in, so as to let the cold water flow give you a refreshing boost, felt like walking through paradise and let us all forget about the alcohol our bodies were fighting.

Lastly, once in Spain, you have to enjoy something connected to the Catholic Church. During our last stop, the beautiful village of Albarracin with its red brick houses, marvelously matching the scarlet hills on which it was built, we were staying at a priest’s house who granted us with his visit one day and decided to play us some songs to cheer up weary souls. This idea was really sweet but at the same time, the situation somehow became so comical that one of the participants (the BEST participant, actually!) almost suffocated suppressing his laugh. And that is the spirit, that is AEGEE! You may travel on your own and enjoy the beauties of any given region but there are memories of your SU which will clearly make it prevail over your other trips.

It is when you team up with your Slavic friends trying to prove to the world that the Slavs can drink the most while desperately attempting to understand each other speaking their native languages (because all Slavic languages are alike) or when you scream “Contigo no, bicho!” with your favorite organizer in a random Spanish club in the middle of the night just for the fun of it, when you feel truly happy to be a part of the European family, and above all, a part of AEGEE.

Traveling is always nice and exciting but with the right people, it becomes a whole new experience. And this summer, the Kingdom of Dragon had the best people it could possibly get.

Written by Jiří Jirka Lhotka, AEGEE-Praha

Author’s remark: to my great shame, out of my three years of AEGEE experience, I had never made it to the Summer University. But “the final chapter has not been written”, the best gift is the long-awaited one, here we go!

The summer of every single AEGEEan ought to special. Some decide to take a plunge into culture of a host country, travel around or wander about the city, learn something new and feed their inner culture-vulture or the other way round – immerse in a whirlpool of activities and parties to escape the world-weary mood. And those who like to have it all, fifty “birds of a feather” from numerous European counties flocked this summer to Torino Summer University Use your TOngue 2.0.

This intriguing name was indeed very promising and, yes, it meant a great journey into Italian culture and language (for what else do you need your tongue). The venue of the event was chosen to tailor the needs of this marvelous cultural plunge and the event took place in the walls of the dance school.

The rainy weather in Turin (Torino) didn’t have any compassion for our festive and lively moods but organizers knew the way to lift it up. So on the first day, the participants were taken the a somber room where they were surprised with a sudden gala concert with an actual piano player and a professional singer with a deep and beautiful voice. And the music touched our ears…

We should pay tribute to the maestro because starting from this point –“live Italy” became the creed for the two coming weeks. Early morning classes of Italian brushed up participants’ knowledge from wobbly phrases like “Non parlo Italiano” to  more refined expressions which later became handy while presenting a drama on stage.

The Roman deity of dance and music haunted the event few times and provided the participants with the dance lessons of traditional Piedmontese dances and more laid-back American boogie-woogie. And once under the cover of night, a group of aces-to-be gathered in a park to unleash their dance talents and practice the earlier acquired skills.

Great and playful city tours full of helpful tips gave a great overview of the city and its history, moreover, during it participants were able to encounter locals  and exchange a couple of words with them and even boil eggs in coffee cups. The sex(y) city rally provided closer ties and tighter contact with Turin’s residents which was quite easy and exciting for both sides…

As a part of the program all group members were taken to one of the oldest Egyptian museums in the world to discover the history of mummies, the former graveyards, bygone gods, divine and eerie creatures. Pursuing this path, we also found ourselves in an utterly entertaining and vibrant environment of the National Cinema museum, where we were able go through the landmarks of cinema and cinematography from time immemorial to the recent years. The atmosphere was really terrific and everyone could chill on cozy sofas or rummage in old posters or ails chock-a-block with stage props of the American and European movies and even garments and gowns from Oscar ceremonies! Then the participants hopped inside a see-through elevator to be taken to the breath-taking heights of Mole Antonelliana. The view from this tower was the perfect opportunity to see the city and feel Turin’s vibes.

The young travelers hadn’t quenched their thirst for adventures and ascended the Italian Alps during one of the outside-the-city excursions. The road to the pinnacle was steep and bumpy (and the abrupt turns in front of the cliff felt like the last one, God gracious!) but they were bent on taking this height. And it was definitely worth it: picture-perfect views of the mountainous slopes, deep lakes, green lawns and brownish cows. The ten bravest participants got separated from the group and proudly followed one of the organizers, Francesco the king of hiking, to conquer the top of the small but still quite high mountain. The trip was at the same time arduous and enriching as it boosted and bolstered up the participants’ feeling of togetherness and made the group a really tight-knit team overflowing with AEGEE spirit.

Then the group hit the road for the second time. This time the adventurers were taken to Genova to embark on a steamboat. Flowing on the waves of a foamy sea, the vessel anchored in the sea where the participants had plenty of time to relax and take a sunbathe on the San Fruttoso’ s beach and take multiple swims in a beautiful bay encircled by mountains with bushy woods. After some hours the group proceeded to Portofino renowned for its bewildering beauty and colourful buildings.

On one of last days we were divided into multiple groups of four or five people in each to perform on stage (mostly in Italian). The performances’ styles varied from drama, musical, humorous and truly explicit sketches to the Freudian talks and the gathering of anonymous sex and porn addicts.

Apart from extended daytime program, we were able to enjoy the wonderful nightlife and dress-up parties. The group traveled through various times: roaring twenties with its gangsters and posh style, turned into boisterous and resentful hippie times. The venues were different all the time ranging from a local city hall, pub, club to a jazz club, nevertheless the place is less important than the unique and fantastic people surrounding you.

The group had it all, parties until dawn, nice chit-chats, good relationship and eternal summer warmth of the sweet memories…We were the ones in bad and good times and we stood by each others side offering a helping hand (and a bitter-sweet video to the victims of pickpockets, thank you our small Oscar-to-be-given-to group of  actors).

As for me, I was again convinced that what differentiates us from each other and blinds us in understanding other nations can be always bridged by whatever tool you choose: language, kind and positive attitude or fun shared together.

Keep your inner summer glowing!

Written by Alexandra Belanova, AEGEE-Moskva

An amazing group of 23 participants arrived in Prague at the beginning of August to spend the 12 most amazing days of their summer in the Heart of Europe during the Summer University „Check the Czechs vol. 12° REVIVAL“. Heart attack in the heart of Europe from all that adventures they lived through? Let’s see! Here we go for the ride through Czech culture without a moment to breath.

Prague is famous for its historical buildings, beautiful parks and romantic spots. Awesome places to breath in the spirit of „Mother Prague“ all around, but it’s not only that. Prague is full of beauties that push you „try me, try me“ without stopping even if you don’t know about them. And then it is there… BOOOM! A nuclear bunker with communist artifacts from the Cold War. Everybody playing with old uniforms and guess what the girls loved most. Of course – the old guns.

The reputation of Prague’s night life is simply undisputed and just imagine that: 30 crazy guys… dressed like in the Great Gatsby movie. Oh yeah! That was our suit up party that made the club even shinier and impossible to close with so many crazy people spreading their enthusiasm everywhere they stepped. What next… I know! Fred Flintstone, clown, cow, horse, boxer and others coming into the club with charm and grace, making the dance floor crack. The karaoke night revealed a lot. Great talents and girls changing into rock stars and screaming into the microphone – oh yeeeeah, babe! Hearts of participants were slowly, but surely changing the Czech way, the highlight of the program was coming – the canoeing trip!

What to do to be the real Czech?

Rule No. 1: Whenever there is a boat passing, shout AHOOOOOJ!

Rule No. 2: Have enough alcoholic liquids to share with your captains or other boats.

Rule No. 3: Turn upside down with the boat. Why? Just for the fun of it.

The Czech spirit was on. The biggest challenge during the canoeing trip might have been the bad weather the first day, but AEGEE spirit heated our hearts and everybody was paddling like an experienced pirate…. AHOOOOJ!

Czech, Check, Czech. So what? So let’s Czech the Czechs! The Czech night unveiled not only typical Czech food and drinks, but mostly the desire of Czechs to put things on fire. Don’t worry, it was only absinth shining around before being drank. No injuries or hallucination: just VERY happy faces. Czech wave continues – wanna go for a ride in an old-school Škoda car? Ooops, the ones in the museum didn’t work, but the new models were being made in front of our eyes on the assembly line in Mladá Boleslav – just the last piece and we were ready to jump in.

How many gold is there in the Czech Republic? They say a lot. Beer, the liquid treasure, accompanied us literally EVERYWHERE so what is the best way to face it? Learn how to craft a beer. Mission was accomplished in the city of THE beer Plzeň, where the chief brewer of Pilsner Urquell uncovered the best secret – how to craft a perfect beer.

Czech way or another, after all those beers, polka dances, brutal Easter traditions or overturns in a canoe, all participants found at least a small piece of Czech inside them.

Written by Lucie Zágorová and Milena Jurigová (AEGEE-Praha)