One event. 13 days. Six cities. 23 participants and almost 25 organisers. “Our Big Fat Greek Winter University” was the New Year Event organised by the greek speaking antennae of AEGEE-Athina, AEGEE-Peiraias, AEGEE-Patra, AEGEE-Ioannina, AEGEE-Thessaloniki and AEGEE-Kastoria, between the 28th of December 2016 and the 9th of January 2017.

This NYE was one of its kind! An ambitious plan and a profoundly challenging event with one and only aim: to emphasise the diverse beauty that Greece has to offer to its visitors during the winter. Usually, when people think about the country, the first thing that pops automatically in mind, is the S triplet: sun, sand and sea! The journey followed a different path this time. Participants got to travel and see both the urban everyday life of the big cities and harbours, as well as the picturesque, suburban areas with the vivid student life.

As for me, this was a self-discovering and an amazing experience. When I joined AEGEE a year ago, trying to find my footsteps aside from school and my comfort zone, I would never imagine that I would be mainly responsible for such a thing. This is why, when my antenna proposed to me to be in charge of AEGEE-Ioannina part in this event, I felt it like a challenge.

No matter the difficulties that the organisers had to face considering it was a collaboration between six antennae, we managed to make the dream of many people, even before us, come true. We definitely surpassed the Greek stereotypes that want many people when working together, arguing with each other with no result. The biggest proof is what one of our participants, Leyla Gasanova from AEGEE-Moskva, said:“In general I want to say big thanks for this event! We could see a reeeally good job and a lot of preparation”.

The NYE started in the Greek capital Athens, of course. During the time in Athens, the participants had the opportunity to see our cultural inheritance. They visited the National Archaeological Museum, the state-of-the-art Akropolis Museum and Akropolis Rock. This was a life dream for many AEGEEans, who added a check to their to-do lists. They also paid a visit to the Ancient Agora and Pnika, the place where the ancient Athenians were gathering to discuss and vote. As Athens is a modern city, which combines perfectly the old with the new style, we could not miss an opportunity to walk in the alleys of the centre with full of bazaars, as well as shops with a modern and alternative essence. Lastly, the organisers of AEGEE-Athina took a good care of the social nightlife and partied along with the participants in various clubs. Everybody agreed on the fact that Athens had the best and craziest parties of the event.

The participants left with a great first impression to move to Patras, the second biggest harbour in Greece. The most enjoyable moment was during the city tour and the city rally when they visited, among others, the orthodox church of Saint Andrew and closed the day in the lighthouse near the marina, where we saw the sunset by the sea! It was a serene moment during this trip, perfect to meditate, as one of our participants did. The NYE party in Patras was a typically Greek celebrating meal, late in the evening. After we welcomed 2017, we ate the New Year’s Pie, a custom in the country. The pie was cut into pieces and served to guests. In it, there is a coin and whoever has it in his piece, is the lucky one for the year that has just arrived. It is connected to the orthodox Santa Claus, who is called Saint Vassilios, and he was the first to offer such a pie to the poor. Foteini, president of AEGEE-Patra, was the winner. After the meal, it was time for the party in the local bars!

Following destination… Ioannina! It is the small town in the north-west of Greece, as known mostly for lake Pamvotis and the mountainous sceneries. The time here is like stuck in the past, in the era when the Ottomans ruled. This impression was increased by the byzantine castle, the remaining mosques and the legends still alive in every corner. Travelling through places of the Medieval Age astounded the participants. We also visited the island in the lake, the one with its permanent inhabitants. We had a dance workshop there with local dances from Epirus and the Ionian Islands.

Of course, we did not miss the chance to dance the syrtaki as well. It would not be a Big Fat Greek Winter University without it, anyway! The highlight of the day: other visitors were passing by and staring at us. However, who really cared at that moment? Another workshop given by Netcom Spyros Papadatos was both interesting and fun. It was about “An interactive way to introduce AEGEE so that both the new and the old members could contribute and enjoy”. Ioannina ended its part with the European Night, which was organised in accordance with the guidelines of the “Drink-wise Project”. As the main organiser on behalf of my antenna, I had the “Eurotrip” through all the tables of different nations and opened the night with Spyros. And yes! I am able to say we survived!

Next in the row was Thessaloniki, “The Nymph of the North”, as locals proudly call the city. Thessaloniki is the second largest city in Greece and an eternal competitor with Athens. The participants had an amazing time in the city tour. One of the highlights was the byzantine castle, which was built in the 4th century. It offers a breathtaking and panoramic view from the highest point of the city to the beach and to the White Tower. During the two nights that they spent there, they got a taste of the legendary nightlife in Greek style tavernas with local foods, drinks and music. The pub crawl was a social activity which they also enjoyed much. In Thessaloniki, the organisers from other locals gathered together, created a lovely feeling to be all together for the final days of the NYE.

The event was meant to finish in Kastoria. The phenomenal snowstorm, though, that stroke Greece this winter, had another opinion on this. Under extremely low temperatures, AEGEEans took part in Ragoutsaria, a carnival that has its origins to the bacchanalian ceremonies that were exercised in the area. In Kastoria, the organisers also introduced them a real Greek night. The best part was definitely the moment that the participants tried to sing the mainstream Greek music. Unfortunately, the weather was a constant enemy and Murphy’s law “If something can go wrong, it will”, worked exceptionally well. With the whole country entering in a freezer, problems in the accommodation came up and the event had to finish ingloriously. This made us all disappointed, as we were all looking forward to the three-days party with the wine and the unstoppable dancing with the rhythm of Balkan music all around the alleys. Yet, every bad situation comes out a good result…or at least a funny incident.

We made it to the news! Two brave AEGEEans, during their visits to the frozen lake, walked on a very thin sheet of ice. Next day they became viral as the Kastorians who walked on the lake! Of course, we knew otherwise!!! To sum up, this NYE has been a pleasure and an adventure for everybody. As all NYEs, it was the perfect start to a year with full of travelling, meeting new friends and getting to know another country. More specifically, it was a chance to visit many Greek cities from the north to the south, learn about the culture and the particular cultural characteristics. Even though it might have been a little tiring swapping between six destinations, we were very happy to be able to show a different and more representative aspect of Greece. This would have been impossible without the friendly atmosphere we managed to create among the group of organisers. It was a surprise to me to get closer with our fellow antennae in such a way. We also owe this all to the most challenging and patient group of experienced AEGEE members that helped us to make it happen. And as once said… why not? Let’s turn this into a tradition!!!

Written by Vasiliki Andrioti, AEGEE-Ioannina

In addition to the previous articles about the New Year’s Events, we would like to present you with some additional opportunities which are going to be organised by really experienced Antennae like AEGEE-Belgrade and the Greek Antennae. In this article, the journalist Matteo Lai will explain you why you can choose one of these events to spend the last hours of 2016, with the contributions of Vasiliki Andrioti and Aleksandra Icić.

Our Big Fat Greek Winter University

This NYE event is organised by Greek speaking Antennae (Athens, Peiraias, Patra, Ioannina, Thessaloniki and Kastoria). The general themes of this NYE are Greek history and culture, therefore they are also the focus of the social programme. Starting the journey from Athens, the participants will get to witness how the capital can perfectly combine its historical past with the present. Participants will visit the Akropolis and Parthenon, and stroll around the Plaka with its alleys and little shops. Moving to a nearby neighbourhood , members of AEGEE will see Peiraias, the biggest harbour of the country, with its own nautical and merchant tradition.

On New Year’s Eve, the participants will find themselves in Patra, the third biggest city of Greece, where the organisers are planning to have a party to welcome 2017. In Ioannina, the fourth destination, participants will visit the first of the two lake towns in their journey. A day trip will be set up to an island inside the lake, where everyone will get to know the local life. Thessaloniki, the so-called capital of the North, will reveal its stunning beauty from the top of its castles, which are the highest point in the entire city. And do not forget the must-do walk to the White Tower.

Last but not least, in Kastoria participants will attend “Ragoutsaria”, a local custom to welcome the new year. “Prepare yourselves for a different kind of carnival with much dance and alcohol!” adds Vasiliki Andrioti, from AEGEE-Ioannina. In addition, the social programme will involve traditional dances from different regions all around Greece, language and culture workshops, parties and many more.

A Winter University on this scale has never happened in the past. Participants will have the chance to travel through Greece, and the organisers from Athens, Peiraias, Patra, Ioannina, Thessaloniki and Kastoria await them to show them the original Greek spirit, six of the main cities of Greece and examples of Greek history and culture. It will be like a journey from the past to the present, meeting people from various regions and experiencing all the Greek customs, local life and hospitality.

So, if you have ever wanted to visit Athens and Akropolis, dance Syrtaki, eat Souvlaki and drink ouzo, get ready for a really “kefi” [fun, ed.] event! Vasiliki invites all members to apply on the intranet page here, and by filling in the Google form here. The deadline is the 20th of November. Thirty participants will be accepted.

Frozen in Belgrade: Oh deer, another year!

The topic of this NYE in Serbia is Tradition and Culture. Through workshops provided by AEGEE-Beograd, the participants will get the chance to explore Serbian traditions related to Serbian food and its preparation, and to the Serbian famous drink “Rakija” [a fruit brandy, ed.] and how it is made. During the city tours, the participants will see the most famous parts of Belgrade such as the Kalemegdan fortress, Saint Sava’s Temple, Skadarlija (the bohemian quarter), Knez Mihailova street and much more. Other activities include the Nikola Tesla museum, ice skating and trying to make it out of an Escape room on time.

Since Belgrade is famous for its night life, the organisers planned a pub crawl, an unforgettable European Night and, of course, something special for New Year’s Eve! “We are not going to tell you everything, you will just have to come and see for yourself”, adds Aleksandra Icić, the main organiser of the event.

“Balkan spirit is something you should experience – from our hospitality, warm and nice people who know how to enjoy life to our rich culture, monuments at every step and a buzzing nightlife” tells Aleksandra.

Twenty-five participants will be accepted for the event. The deadline is set for the 22th of November. Apply on the Intranet here and fill in the Google form here (both are required).

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

AEGEE-Kastoria organised on the 25th of November 2014, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a lecture with the support of the Counseling Center for Women and Victims of Violence of Kastoria.  The main organiser, Panagiotis Emmanouilidis, President of AEGEE-Kastoria, reveals information about this and other humanitarian events organised by its local and about the future “full of surprises” of AEGEE-Kastoria.

Kalimera, Panagiotis! Congratulations on the event.  It’s fulfilling to see that young people are socially involved in important humanitarian events such as the elimination of violence against women.  What is your personal feeling on this matter?

Kalimera! Thank you for the good words. From my perspective, it is very important to be part of this event. The proposal came directly from the Counseling Center for Women and Victims of Violence of Kastoria. Honestly I couldn’t reject it. After a long brainstorming, the idea came from the Center, and we had speeches about casual sexism, stereotypes in movies and commercials, labor law (protection of women’s rights in the workplace) and a historical review.

Are there many cases of violence against women in Kastoria, or say in Greece?

If you make a research about this topic you will find a lot, but it will not be the absolute truth. I am telling you this because there are a lot of cases that will never emerge.

What was your target audience? Did you manage to reach it?

Our target audience were the citizens of Kastoria in general, but students in particular… We looked for a quality audience, rather than quantity. To answer your question: yes, we reached our goal.

Do you believe the lecture had an important impact on the participants?

Totally. Participants were very motivated. When the presentations finished, we had a workshop about our feelings and we made a video based on the importance of the day! The event went very well and I’m very motivated and happy about this.

Have you thought of implementing your event at the European level?

I will say only that I have already discussed it this with Counseling Center for Women and Victims of Violence of Kastoria. When we will share it, you will know it.

Have you done other humanitarian events in your local?

Yes, one of them was the “AEGEE-KastoriaA lights a candle for the people standing up for democracy in Turkey”, the second was the “Free hugs for world peace”. With the Counseling Center for Women and Victims of Violence of Kastoria we had already collaborated with the event “Bicycle ride, against violence against women”. The future will be full of surprises.

What is the history of AEGEE-Kastoria?

AEGEE-Kastoria is only 3 years old. Nikolas Varveris is the founder of AEGEE-Kastoria. He was a member of AEGEE-Thessaloniki and, when he came for studies to Kastoria, the miracle happened!

We have organised a big variety of events such as three European level evens (one of them was unofficial), social meetings, thematic parties, humanitarian events and two exchanges (one with AEGEE-Thessaloniki and AEGEE-Tenerife and one with AEGEE-Zaragoza and AEGEE-Ioanina). And, as I said before, more is coming.

What are AEGEE-Kastoria’s future plans at the local and European level?

I don’t like to speak about our future plans, but we are thinking about organising a lot of things this year. Our main goal is to become more famous in our local community, so more people will get involved in AEGEE. We are a very new antenna, but we are trying a lot.

How is the AEGEE spirit in Kastoria?

The AEGEE spirit in Kastoria is very strong. As I said before, we are a new antenna, but we have shown to the whole Network how much we are into AEGEE and how truly motivated we are. My feelings about AEGEE are very strong!

Written by Gabriela Cioată, AEGEE – București

As part of the new action called GO GREEN, organized by the Environmental Working Group (EnWG), several locals all over Europe took part in the AEGEE Bike Week. The AEGEEan spoke to Elise Bessieres (AEGEE-Brussel/Bruxelles), HR responsible of the EnWG and therefore one of the initiators of the Bike Week, to find out more about the story behind this event and the specific actions performed by the antennae.

The main goal was easy: to raise awareness of sustainable methods of urban transportation. And, in the best case, to combine it with sports and fun for the locals, of course. Instead of giving long speeches about the disadvantages of travelling by car, AEGEEans were therefore asked by the EnWG to set a good example and hop on their bikes.

The time frame was set for the end of June, a month in which the focus within GO GREEN was set on green transportation anyway. It fitted perfectly, being “an easy and fun activity during summer, where a lot of people are outside and travel”, Elise tells us. To activate more members, especially taking into consideration that June is quite often in the middle of the exams period, the AEGEE Bike Week actually lasted for two week, giving the locals more time to organize their activities.

In general, the locals were quite free in their choices concerning what exactly they were going to organize. Ideas given by the EnWG ranged from smaller events just for the members of the locals to bigger events that might even involve the public. Encouraging members to use their bikes to go to university, bike trips to nice landscapes, exchanges with other antennae by bicycle or “free rent AEGEE bikes”, meaning that locals offer people the possibility to rent their bikes for free instead of driving, were just some of the inspirations given by the EnWG. As long as the events centered around this sustainable method of traveling, everything was allowed and new ideas were welcome!

In the end, many locals indeed became quite creative. For instance, AEGEE-Kastoria co-organized a bicycle trip around lake Orestiada on 15th of June together with other voluntary groups to raise awareness of violence against women. Many other locals arranged trips with their members and a lot of pictures of cycling AEGEEans popped up on social media within the last weeks. The precise number of participating antennae is not known, but every single event surely earns the Network’s respect.

All in all, the AEGEE Bike Week was quite a success, Elise tells us. “Especially because we organized a picture competition. It was a nice way to also promote the locals who participated as we posted their pictures on Facebook”. These photos are the best proof to show that promoting a sustainable way of transportation does not have to be boring, but can offer lots of fun.

It is not definite yet if the AEGEE Bike Week will become an annual event, but Elise assures us that the current board of the EnWG will definitely suggest the idea to renew the event during every summer to the next board.

Written by Katja Sontag, AEGEE-Aachen

The locals that cooperated: AEGEE-Bakı, AEGEE-Bologna, AEGEE-Gdansk, AEGEE-Gliwice, AEGEE-Kastoria

It is time for The AEGEEan’s Choice Awards again! From the 10th of March until the 31st you can let us know who your favourites are in categories like Best Video, Most Active Working Group, Most Impressive Roll Call and Most Original Mascot. For this last category, The AEGEEan has found five nominees, namely: Orestios Mesemvrios (AEGEE-Kastoria), Gorm Jr. (AEGEE-København), Morcillote (AEGEE-Burgos), Zvezdun Grigor’evich (AEGEE-Moskva) and the AEGEE-Aachen bear. In this article we will tell you all you need to know about these mascots and why they should win according to their home locals.

Orestios Mesemvrios  (AEGEE-Kastoria)

AEGEEan: What was your (and your mascot’s) reaction when you heard you were nominated?

AEGEE-Kastoria: We are very happy and proud for our little beaver, Orestios. We are so excited because of the nomination and the fact that The AEGEEan team nominated him made us grateful for our choice.

Orestios: I’m very proud to represent this gorgeous antenna, and your nomination made me very happy for the fact that AEGEE-Kastoria found me that summer evening in Nesebar. They love me and now, with this nomination, I see that more people love me and I’m sure that my cuteness will encourage you to vote for me.

AEGEEan: When and why was this mascot picked to represent your local?

AEGEE-Kastoria: Our host city is named Kastoria. The most common explanation of the name is “The city of beavers”, so we thought that a beaver would be our perfect mascot. From the moment we were founded, May 2012, we thought that we should have a beaver for our mascot. We searched in a lot of different cities of Greece, but we couldn’t find Orestios there. Then in the summer of 2013 one of our members travelled to Nesebar, Bulgaria, and found him at a souvenir store.

Orestios: Also I have to mention that my name comes from the local tradition. Orestiada is the name of the big, wonderful lake of Kastoria, so they named me Orestios after the lake and Mesemvrios because the city Nesebar, Bulgaria, is the ancient Greek city Mesemvrios.

AEGEEan: In which ways does this mascot represent your local?

AEGEE-Kastoria: Except for the fact that he’s directly connected with our city, he’s always with us in our events, local Agorae, board meetings and social meeting. He’s very lovely too, just like our antenna. He has everything that our antenna has: he is cute, wonderful, active and lovely wherever he goes.

AEGEEan: Why should your mascot win the Most Original Mascot award?

AEGEE-Kastoria: Because he is a beaver in the city of beavers! If he doesn’t win, who else could?

Orestios: I have to win, because I live in Kastoria and I am a beaver. You have to vote for me, because I am cute and AEGEE-Kastoria is great!

You can find Orestios Mesemvrios on Facebook here.

Gorm Jr. (AEGEE-København)

AEGEEan: What was your (and your mascot’s) reaction when you heard you were nominated?

AEGEE-København: Really pleased to see Gorm from our small antenna  nominated for The AEGEEans Choice Awards. We are busy working on the upcoming Network Meeting København, so in the middle of many tasks and a huge pile of things on the to-do-list it was great to receive this news, it put a huge smile on our faces. And, of course, Gorm was very happy too.

AEGEEan: When and why was this mascot picked to represent your local?

AEGEE-København: Gorm Jr. actually has his birthday around the same time of the Network Meeting København. On the 17th of March he will turn four years old, as he was bought back in 2010 during one of the weekly meetings in the student house by the president, back then Eszter Virag and Madli Pindmaa. The goal was to have something typically Danish to represent our antenna and Gorm looks very Danish in his cute uniform. Gorm is also a very traditional Danish name for a king, and he also has some Viking looks. Once he was bought he lived with Eszter for a few months and when she left the city he moved into the apartment of Nino Burini, who was the next president of AEGEE-København, and later on Patricia Anthony (former President of AEGEE-København) had him in her apartment with Vice-President Mathilde Nielsen. He started travelling already as a baby and he was captured for the first time in April, during the “Mamma Mia… Here we go to Scandinavia” event in 2010.

AEGEEan: In which ways does this mascot represent your local?

AEGEE-København: He has the colours of Denmark and he is cute as many other mascots are as well. He wears a traditional king’s guard outfit and is also very royal himself with the name Gorm. In Copenhagen you can see a lot of castles and experience Denmark in many ways, so I suppose that what really shines through in him is the values of Copenhagen and our antenna.

AEGEEan: Why should your mascot win the Most Original Mascot award?

AEGEE-København: Gorm should win this amazing award, since he is the Great Original Right Mascot for this award. His name almost spells out the category and he is indeed original as a lots of thought has been put into him. He has travelled a lot, but still not enough, so it would be great for him to have a fantastic memory from Agora Patra to celebrate in Copenhagen, just in time for another triumph: the Eurovision Song Contest being celebrated in the Danish capital, just a few days after the big statutory event in Greece.

You can find Gorm Jr. on Facebook here.

Morcillote (AEGEE-Burgos)

AEGEEan: What was your (and your mascot’s) reaction when you heard you were nominated?

AEGEE-Burgos: OINK… OINK… Haha, just kidding! He was crazy and started running and jumping around! So, he suited up and he went partying to celebrate together. It was an unforgettable night. Just being nominated was worth it! He is delighted about all this, and he only wants one thing: TO WIN!

AEGEEan: When and why was this mascot picked to represent your local?

AEGEE-Burgos: It’s a really funny story.. Just after creating AEGEE-Burgos we were looking for a mascot who could be the ambassador of our antenna. One day we were walking around the city when we saw a pig trying to escape from some crazy people. REALLY! They were trying to capture Morcillote to eat him. Can you believe it?! So, we helped him to hide and we were able to save him. Morcillote was so grateful that he decided to stay with us forever (except when AEGEE-Zaragoza, Madrid, León, Barcelona and Santander stole him. That was how he started to travel all around Europe and meet other mascots).

AEGEEan: In which ways does this mascot represent your local?

AEGEE-Burgos: The pig is the example of our city’s gourmet culture. I’m sure many of you know jamón, chorizo, lomo, and of course Burgos morcilla. Deliciousssss, so there can’t be any better Burgos ambassador in AEGEE world than the wonderful Morcillote!

AEGEEan: Why should your mascot win the Most Original Mascot award?

AEGEE-Burgos: Do we really have to answer this question? We have a thousand reasons why Morcillote should be the most original mascot. Just take a look at the pictures! Morcillote represents the AEGEE Spirit. Every year we celebrate his birthday like he is a big rockstar and people from all over AEGEE attend. Morcillote, only you know how to organize a great party! Besides, everyone who has pressed his soft little belly and listened to his sweet OINK, OINK won’t have any doubt as to why Morcillote is the most original mascot. Morcillote, we love you!

You can find Morcillote on Facebook here.

Zvezdun Grigor’evich (AEGEE-Moskva)

AEGEEan: What was your (and your mascot’s) reaction when you heard you were nominated?

AEGEE-Moskva: Proud of our boy! He seemed like he was in shock, but he is acting too good.

AEGEEan: When and why was this mascot picked to represent your local?

AEGEE-Moskva: For a long time AEGEE-Moskva had no mascot. In 2013 we were discussing possible PR-actions to promote our antenna on Agora’s, Network Meetings (NWM) and the EBM. The story of his appearance is interesting, because it wasn’t simply from store shelf to AEGEE-antenna. In March 2013 I (Ksenia Lupanova) bought my first AEGEE-Moskva t-shirt. This t-shirt saw both Agoras in 2012, a great Summer University in Greece and went to Baikal Lake with the Transsiberian Dream vol. 4. It survived a lot of flights, European Nights, paintings, AEGEE-Moskva’s crazy 21th birthday party and the NWM in Mosvka. Unfortunately this t-shirt was broken by the sloppy owner, but it definitely had absorbed AEGEE spirit and the energy of great memories and events, so I suggested to make a handmade mascot from this t-shirt, because there can’t be any better material, so I sewed him. It was April 1st 2013 and we sent him directly to Agora Rhein-Neckar, where we had a lot of fights about the name so finally we decided that it would appear naturally after the Agora. And then we got it: Zvezdun Grigor’evich. It’s quite hard to explain the process of the name-appearing, because it came from Russian language and slang. Zvezdun stands for the short name of Starguy in Russian and his second name, Grigor’evich, is the name of my godfather and one of the founding members of AEGEE-Moskva: Grigoriy Frolov.

AEGEEan: In which ways does this mascot represent your local?

AEGEE-Moskva: Well, Zvezdun is very representative of AEGEE-Moskva’s identity and image. As you can see in our promotional materials, he appears almost everywhere! His star shape reminds us of Moscow’s Kremlin stars and the star in the AEGEE-logo. Red has been the colour of AEGEE-Moskva since it’s founding in 1991. In our new t-shirt he is hiding inside the star of the letter A, and in the Transsiberian Dream logo he starred in an unexpected devil role. He was also starred in AEGEE-Mosvka’s flashmob, shooting in our 2014 calendar and was with us in a lot of events already. Unfortunately he was stolen during Agora Zaragoza by superfast AEGEE-León, but he succesfully came back to us during New Years’s Event Noviy God po-russki.

AEGEEan: Why should your mascot win the Most Original Mascot award?

AEGEE-Moskva: Because he already got a lot of fans, is well-known in the Network and represents the spirit of AEGEE-Moskva: a bit wild, creative and full of AEGEE-spirit. He is a real gentleman and, as all Russians, never gives up!

You can find Zvezdun Grigor’evich on Facebook here.

AEGEE-Aachen bear

AEGEEan: What was your (and your mascot’s) reaction when you heard you were nominated?

AEGEE-Aachen: AEGEE-Aachen bear was like: “Oh my god, am I nominated for this awesome award?! I didn’t even know it existed, but I absolutely want to win it!” And so were we.

AEGEEan: When and why was this mascot picked to represent your local?

Legends say that when we organized the Agora Aachen in 2008 we needed a mascot. For some reason it became a brown bear, but as everybody wanted to dress up like the bear, we needed more costumes. And well, the polar bears were just cheaper ;).

AEGEEan: In which ways does this mascot represent your local?

AEGEE-Aachen: We are strong, unique, independent and everybody loves us. Totally like polar bears.

AEGEEan: Why should your mascot win the Most Original Mascot award?

AEGEE-Aachen: In Agora Rhein-Neckar we didn’t take enough care of our lovely bears, so they got stolen. The condition to get it back was to wake up the people at Agora Zaragoza one morning. Usually all the people hate waking up and the people who wake them up, but in this case all the participants woke up because of five polar bears going around, hugging and petting them one by one. When we win, the bear says we will do it again!

You can find AEGEE-Aachen bear on Facebook here.

Written by Svenja van der Tol, AEGEE-Nijmegen