24 participants. Eight nationalities. Two weeks of summer. AEGEE spirit. Art and theatre as theme. One country, Germany, and two cities: Düsseldorf and Bamberg. Mix those ingredients and add some beer and some trains and voilà! You will have the perfect scenario for an incredible Travel Summer University. Aren’t you curious?

From the 20th of July untill the 3^rd of August, 25 participants embarked on an epic bike journey through the beautiful, and sometimes surprising Dutch countryside.  This journey brought these brave participants to the most beautiful spots around The Netherlands and let them experience the Dutch way of living. This Summer University (SU) was organized by two locals, AEGEE-Tilburg and AEGEE-Maastricht and the theme was the environment. The ingredients for these two amazing weeks: 25 bikes, a mixture of  participants from all over Europe, a lot of fun and challenging activities – mix it up until you have a beautiful SU with a lot of surprises. Was the plan too ambitious? Was it maybe too challenging? Read the story and you will find out!!

The journey started on the 20th of July in Tilburg, where the accommodation provided was a church. During this week, the biggest fair of the Benelux (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg) started in Tilburg and it would last for the rest of the time we would spend in there. During the nights, we spent a lot of time at the fair! After everybody arrived on Sunday we finally started on Monday by picking up the bikes, which would be used for the rest of the two weeks. The bikes were provided by La Poubelle, a thrift shop and also social workplace that repairs used products and resells them. After a tour of the bike repair shop and the store, it was time to pick up the bikes. After everybody found a suitable bike, it was time for the first ride… The first night out was Pink Monday, a gay-oriented night out, so everybody had to dress up in pink!

On the second day we went to the beach. After taking an early train to The Hague, we had a city tour there, we left for Scheveningen to chill out an relax on the beach. After getting back to the church (accomodation), the European Night was in the program. As usual, this meant trying the drinks and delights from every country represented. Vodka, pálinka and gold strike tasted as never before and they washed away the taste of the stroopwafels, chorizo and baklava! After this tough night, the next day dawned.

That was the first real biking test, as on this day we had  a minimum of 30 kilometers to travel. Despite a slow start and minimal progresses, in the end we managed to reach the destination: National Park Loonse en Drunense Duinen (Dunes). This National Park is also called the “Brabantse Sahara”, named after the big sand plains. The ride back went more smoothly, but the next day was even more daunting – 50 kilometers of biking to take us to ‘s Hertogenbosch. After an exhausting bike ride, it was time to relax during the boat tour, which brought us to the old parts of the city. Next it was time for the Crazy 88. In groups, participants needed to follow a list of 88 tasks that would make them eat whipped cream of somebody’s butt, work at a McDonald’s, sleep in a shop and start a water balloon fight with children. Everybody got really into it and put in all the effort and creativeness to win the game. Although the day was already exhausting, we turned it up a notch during the evening with a pub crawl.

As morning dawned, everybody was exhausted so we decided to go to the lake ‘t Zand, to relax and regain our energy for the days to come. On Saturday, almost at the end of the first week, the participants had the day to walk around Tilburg, to the fair, and do some shopping if needed. In the evening there was a workshop about drugs, mainly because it’s a Dutch tradition and because on Sunday Amsterdam was on the program. After a very relaxing evening in the park, the early wake up on Sunday was a piece of cake and everybody had to pack their stuff as we traveled for our second week to Maastricht.  First we arrived in Amsterdam, where we started with a city tour showing all the beautiful spots of the city (de Dam, Rijksmuseum, historic canals, etc). After the city tour, we all had some free time to relax or for shopping. Then it was time for the boat tour, showing all the beautiful spots of the city from the canals. After dinner and when darkness fell, it was time for the Red Light District tour, one of the biggest attractions of Amsterdam. Some hours later, and after spending some more money, it was time to leave Amsterdam and head back to Maastricht.

The first day in Maastricht, after waking up in the remote location of a scouting building just outside the city, it was time to pick up our bikes and start riding in the hilly countryside of the South of the Netherlands. After biking up a little hill just outside of Maastricht to have a look over the city, the journey continued to Belgium where we visited a castle. On Tuesday it was time for the city tour Honorable member of AEGEE-Maastricht, Ed Houben, showed us around the most beautiful spots of Maastricht. In the afternoon AEGEE-Aachen and its Summer University (Get trashed the green way!) joined us for a great BBQ and Cantus!

On Wednesday we returned AEGEE-Aachen the favor. After visiting the Maastricht Treaty (the Treaty of the European Union) it was time for the longest and most daunting biking journey of the whole SU. A 35 kilometers route across the hilly Dutch countryside would be the biggest test each of these 25 brave participants would have to undertake. Five hours and some damaged bikes and participants later, we arrived at our destination, the BBQ of AEGEE-Aachen. After the BBQ and some partying later, we staid the night in Aachen, by camping at a farmers’ place. The day after started with a city tour through Aachen. After we left Aachen it was time to visit the Three Points. This point lies on top of the highest hill in the Netherlands (Vaalserberg +322 meters). One by one, exhausted, out of breath and overheated everybody reached the top of the hill.  After some rest it was time to visit the point bringing The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium together. Thinking that this was it for the day, you would have been mistaken. There were still the 30 km travel back from the Three Points to Maastricht!

On Friday, because the two days before were so exhausting, a fun day was planned at Fun Valley, a lake close to Maastricht. In the evening after everybody regained their energy a pub crawl was in the program to see and experience the night life of Maastricht. Then the last full day dawned on us, Saturday, also called Underground Day. This day, would be spend underground as we visited the old mines in Valkenburg. After the old mines, there was some relaxing time to see the city, before heading back to the accommodation for the last night of these amazing two weeks.

Looking back on these two weeks, was it maybe too ambitious biking all these distances? Why not! That’s what we call a challenge!!  You do not call your SU “Burgundian Bicycles” for no reason. In a country where there are more bikes then people, AEGEE-Tilburg and AEGEE-Maastricht wanted to offer a real Dutch experience.  Which also means hating your bike sometimes so hard, you just want to throw it in the river and walk the rest of the way. And yet, as the days passed by, people got more and more used to their bikes and the rides became smoother and smoother, even when we went to hilly Maastricht. Maybe that is an important part what made this group so close. Not just the crazy 88 assignments or the notorious European Nigh, but if you cycle five hours to Aachen together and survive it, it will create a strong connection. It really was a sight to see though, 25 people from Greece, Spain, Ukraine, Russia and so on, cycling through Holland. Visiting the famous Tilburg fair, walking around the Red Light District, take a dip in the North Sea, lurking through the Maastricht mines… Three countries, eight cities and many hours on the road. Burgundian Bycicles had it all!

All that’s left to say is “dank je wel” to everybody (participants and organizers) for these amazing two weeks and see you somewhere in Europe!!!

Written by Ivo Beniest & Robin van Duijn, AEGEE-Tilburg

Pictures courtesy of Milica Basić, AEGEE-Beograd;  Xhonjela Milloshi, AEGEE-Genova;  Agata Gandecka, AEGEE-León

I am 99, 99 % sure that instead of reading the title of this article you were singing it in your head. Just as you cannot get «Somebody that I used to know» out of your head, participants of the most awesome Summer University (SU) by AEGEE-Salerno cannot get the SU memories out of their hearts. And frankly, they do not want to. Because sometimes memories can make our day better, can’t they?

For example, when you are woken up by the alarm clock or the cat in the morning and you are giving yourself a few minutes to collect your thoughts and think about the upcoming day, memories take you to back the end of July, when an unforgettable SU started. It was morning in a nice youth hostel and participants had the best alarm clock ever – the charming voice of Stefano Corvino, president of AEGEE-Salerno at that time. When he walked in the room with a small guitar in his hands you thought it was a dream in which you were woken up by a handsome Italian prince!

But it is time to wake up and face reality! You are doing everyday stuff – shower, «what am I going to wear» time, and while preparing your breakfast you start smiling, because just realised that you miss Italian breakfast with lots of coffee, toast with jam or Nutella and one hot dish in addition – juicy and provocative gossip about everyone from a special «Tichi-ti box». You miss everyone’s «after-party faces» and sparkle in their eyes saying «I know who you kissed last night». You also miss the tradition of watching best pictures from previous night taken by Benjamin Pavia, AEGEE-Valletta, who took billions of them! You miss that trekking to the top of the mountain, that could be exhausting, but with comments of Kabir Troisi, current vice-president of AEGEE-Salerno, it was really fun. Although the rhythm of the whole event was frantic, our organizers were vivacious and caring. I never saw them in a bad mood, they were always with us, smiling, having fun with us, trekking, cheering us up, discussing, answering all our questions and taking care of us. And by the way they were lucky to have such participants! For example, we had a personal doctor in our team, Sogdiana Ishankulova, AEGEE-Moskva, who saved my Ukrainian stomach, Dutch and Hungarian heads and Spanish arm.

Oops, you are a bit late for studying with all these memories getting in the way – at home time seems to run a bit faster than in Italy. Italian guys are never in a hurry; they are enjoying their life and living life like a minute has 180 seconds. In my opinion, they are upbeat and enthusiastic people, who can always help you although not many of them are good in English (therefore the Italian language course was really useful for us). On our ceramic workshop in beautiful Vietri sul Mare, small but expensive town near the sea, we had very nice and handsome teachers who showed us how to make and decorate plates. Public transport was never on time but as a true Ukrainian girl I got used to it. Furthermore we used it only once. Fortunately, for moving from camping to the gym and back to hostel we always had a comfortable bus and at nights our organizers took us to clubs by their own cars which was very nice of them.

From a window of your car or a public transport vehicle you can see city sights and you remember that some time ago you saw gorgeous and ancient Pompei, surroundings of amazing Paestrum, terrific Naples with its historical spots, tiny streets, incredible churches and small fountains which saved us so many times when we were dying under the hot Italian sun. Advertisements for «Bounty» chocolate bar suggest you to taste paradise but you have already been there – four fantastic days camping in the villa Marina di Camerota, best place to get a nice tan. It took only a few minutes to get to the clearest blue sea. And the cherry on top was night swimming under the full moon, after the hottest European night. Beyond all questions, it was better than «Bounty» can offer!

And now it is October and you are at the university, sitting in history class, trying to concentrate, but words like «castle» or «fortress» will immediately take you to the most amazing place you’ve ever partied at – a real ancient castle on top of the hill. It was only the second evening of our SU and everyone was looking down thinking «I cannot believe my eyes! Am I really here and not in a dream right now?» The atmosphere of that evening was totally amazing and romantic as organizers decorated the place with candles beforehand. Real band was playing for a while, we had our first Sangria and we were sure that it was going to be legendary! Our «small» group of more than 35 friendly and open-minded people enjoyed talking and dancing that night. The starting phrase «Hi, I am… from… and you?» was in the air and from the very beginning participants and organisers were always ready to discuss any topic, such as politics, education, relationships, movies and all the jazz. And we became closer everyday.

«Hmm, is it lunch time already?» You are at the cafeteria. Those pleasant memories took you away for a while again. Your best friend sees that pizza is meal of the day and asks you not to say that it is not real pizza, as it is not Italian. And yes, he knows that you have tried almost 40 tastes of the most delicious gelato (ice-cream) in the summer. And he remembers all the details of your cooking experience, when, along with the others, you prepared gnocchi, the traditional Italian dish. Your friend is lucky because you forgot to tell him about the grill party that you had with meat and sausages and the cheapest calimocho.

Truthfully though, you have to do sport a bit because after Italian dishes you might have some extra kilos, as every evening I felt as full as a tick (especially that wonderful night when we were trekking to a small village where local people prepared dinner for us. Sitting on the steps near an old church, eating delicious pasta and enjoying Italian girls’ dancing – what could be better?) And as you are entering a gym you start imagining how many people could live there. Oh, it is okay, after SU this happens to everyone. This experience of sharing a gym with 50 other people and all kinds of sounds will give you a huge scar.

On your way home after an ordinary day you watch the stars in the sky. Sometimes it is difficult to see them because of city lights, and maybe the brightest stars you have ever seen were in the sky on that special last night in Salerno; when all participants and organisers went to the beach, and we were sitting in a circle near bonfire and trying not to think that incredible adventure «Non solo sole 2012» is almost over. But even then there was no time to be sad, as participants had a surprise – a poem written by the talented Anna Stepankova, AEGEE- Brno and a contest for organisers from the creative Aljaz Gluhar, AEGEE-Nova Gorica-Gorizia, and other guys, to show that we were grateful for all what they have done for that 15 days!

You must admit that all these memories can make your ordinary day better! That is why SU by AEGEE-Salerno is one of the best and most popular SUs. Even after two months sitting in Kyiv with Carsten Bettac, AEGEE-Mannheim, who I met in SU, it was really hard to decide what the best day of the whole event was. All of them were totally awesome and for those who were with us this summer will agree that «Non solo sole 2012» is totally the SU where you should go!

Written by  Anna Pykhtina, AEGEE-Kyiv

Thanks to Sogdiana Ishankulova, Viktor Asadulin and everyone for contributing with photos!

The aim of Zaragoza Summer University was to get to know a different Spain. Yes, we know: Spain is synonymous

with sun, beach, flamenco, bullfighting, paella and fiesta. But we wanted the 26 participants to meet the Spain in the “hole of the donut”, so to speak. The most important piece of survival kit in this SU was provided the first day: the new t-shirt of AEGEE-Zaragoza. Some days later, in the trip from north to south, participants learned how to pronounce it: Zárágózá. The aim was achieved beyond expectations. Here is the story of the craziest Zaragoza.

Culture lover or a party animal?

In the application for this SU, the above question had to be answered. In fact, participants needed to be ready for both days and nights.

Days were full of activities: ice-breaking games to get to know each other, city tour, visit to the Aljafería Palace (a trace of the Islamic past of the city)…  but nights turned out to be crazy. It did not take a lot of time until the participants improved their skills in the famous “Anticobra” (which was properly shown at Agora Enschede) and “Sexy Tequila”, the particular way to drink tequila, undoubtedly improved by participants.

After so many activities, we were hungry, but luckily it was time for Chef Night! In the cooking contest, participants were divided into groups and prepared some typical dishes. Crème brûlée, paella, pasta, tiramisu… yummy!

As you can imagine, with this busy schedule, participants proved that the traditional division between culture lovers and party animals is all wrong. When you are an AEGEEan, it is impossible to choose between the two. Being an AEGEEan means that you just make the most of every single moment.

What is more, we discovered that the recent creation of the Sports Working Group has brought to light a third type of participant:

The Sports Lover!

Throughout the 12 days spent in Spain, sport was more than present. The regular and customary city tour was completed with a bike tour which was only the warm-up. The most incredible sporting activity was related to the Ebro river, since there is no better way to get to know it than to canoe down the river itself. Only that day, after rowing for more than two hours, we allowed ourselves to spend a calm and joyful afternoon in a Zaragoza beach.

The Pyrenees

After four incredible days in Zaragoza, we set out on a great adventure to the north! The Pyrenees are definitely not what you would imagine Spain to be like in the summer, but there, in the middle of the mountains, participants attended a proper Spanish lesson. Nothing that you would learn in a school of languages, but real useful sentences.

Albarracín

And then, the south! The name “Albarracín” will not say a lot to you, but that is only because you have not been there (yet!). In words of one participant: “Are all Spanish villages like this? Because Albarracín is… magic.” There was time for some hiking, to see the shooting stars surrounded by famous medieval walls, and finally, for the most

anticipated activity in every Summer University: European Night. It was a night full of shots, Tacatá dancers, sexy tequilas, JAMÓN (We Jamón), some rain that made the hot summer fresher, and so, some participants were brave enough to sleep under the stars.

Goodbye!

And the end came. If you are reading this, it is more than likely that you have been a participant in a Summer University. And as such, you know how time flies. Saying goodbye is the worst part in a Summer University and we all wanted to postpone the moment as much as possible. You also know that it cannot be explained what a Summer University is in 677 words. Every SU is very different from one another. But at the end, it is the same. Because you will remember the collection of anecdotes, the cities you visited, the friendships created in a few days, that same smile when you see pictures or listen to that song, and the same: See you somewhere in Europe.

Written by Carlota Castle, AEGEE-Zaragoza

The ancient legend says that once the angels asked God for a gift. He promised them to give a piece of land where men loved each other, respected each other and lived happily: the angles just had to find it. So they came down to Earth and started travelling all over the planet. Everywhere they went they found war and hate, until they sailed across an island standing on a beautifully colored sea with simple and loving inhabitants. And so the angels found their new home, Cagliari.

Hot, hot sun, white sandy beach, clear blue sea…. and 30 survivors, who just crashed on a Caribbean island of the Mediterranean and are playing a Greek game, singing “Oh mariam mariam mariam, si do re mi makaro makaro, leo leo pi pi pi, leo leo pi pi pi, one two… three!” Do not be fooled by the song however, we were not in Greece, but we had amazing participants from there who taught us this game. After we recovered from the crash a bit, we learned, sang and screamed many unique Sardinian songs and learned how to dance the traditional dance Ballo Sardo.

Indeed, we fully recovered our strength the next day when we hiked to Cagliari hill with magnificent view and finished the day at THE Swimming Pool Party! With full speed ahead, unstoppable AEGEE people moved from big city life to the peaceful green heart of the Mediterranean Pearl. Although, relaxing in the wilderness, while we were divided in the teams of Lions, Tigers, Zebras, Elephants and Horses did not last for long. We fought for our honor by building a typical Sardinian house called “nuraghi” from small stones, by rescuing the animals from evil organizers, searching for gold under white sand that tasted like flour and nevertheless defended our knowledge of Italian language with five Italian words. In the end we were all winners and the celebration with a great feast took place in the night. AEGEE people changed color that night – group of green with yellow and red spots, and some violet ones too. But in the end everybody was just black (the reason might be that there was no electricity in our sleeping place).

Finally, the next day somebody explained us who our saviors were and what this rescuing organisation helping us recover our powers after the shipwreck is. We realized we were extremely lucky to be rescued by such an amazing, incredible, inspiring, helpful, crazy organisation. Without them we would probably die under the burning sun with 40 degrees.

But, we did not understand why our saviors took us back to the boat the next day. Did they have a secret plan to get rid of us in the middle of the sea? But because of the endless amounts of drinks, food and good party music that followed, we realized we were on a crazy BOAT Party trip. We can all agree this was the BEST day of the Summer University.

… and yeah, we did not shipwreck again! That day was a pure success. Incredible organizers spoiled us more by taking us to a different beautiful beach every day and gave us food and games there. More awesome time followed at the water park, where we discovered that our saviors are actually ANIMALS! The Lion was the captain and his best helpers were the Elephant and the Rabbit, followed by a Cow, a Tigress, a Fox and a whole Zoo behind. We did not fear them and instead joined in the next exciting activities in the programme that they prepared for us.

This Summer University was like completely unplugging  from an entire year of worries and stress, and charged us with fresh, green, animal energy till the next summer. Each of the 30 participants with their unique culture was incredible and special. From complete strangers we turned into great friends that want to continue meeting on future events and crash somewhere in Europe AGAIN SOON!

Written by  Marusa Babic, AEGEE-Maribor

The travelling summer university Transsiberian Dream (TSU) started on July 28th, and the participants visited Moscow, Kazan, 

Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk, and the Baikal lake. Old and new AEGEE members came together to enjoy the hottest TSU of this summer.

The participants arrived on Saturday, July 28th, and spent four amazing days and nights in Moscow doing sightseeing, having ice-breaking games, a night city tour and of course pub crawling and European night. The participants had a blast visiting the Red square, Lenin’s Tomb, Arbat street and lots of other sights that Moscow is famous for. And of course Moscow night life was really something one should try at least once in one’s life: partying on the roof of a car in a street, party in a public park, foam party… Moscow has lots of things in store. A Russian lesson was funny as the participants learned how to flirt in Russian and the participants also prepared an AEGEE presentation for the rest of the team. But it was just a beginning of a great journey into mysterious Siberia and further to the East.

The participants visited Moscow, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Irkutsk and spent three nights at the Baikal lake. A group of more than 40 people carrying backpacks was a sight that surprised many people passing by. A journey by train and a whole night spent on a Russian train deserves a special description. This is an experience that most of the participants never had before but they survived even this challenge. Getting off on random train stations and buying supplies from babushkas, and of course parties. Imagine changing three trains, a few buses and spending three nights in a row on a train!

A day in Kazan started with visiting Kazan Kremlin and the Mosque and finished with refreshing swimming in the river. A visit to Yekaterinburg lasted for two days and was concluded by a three-night journey on a train to Irkutsk.

Camping at the Baikal lake, hiking, singing by the camp fire was obviously amazing! The cold nights were warmed up by warm hugs, shots, jokes and gossip. The organizers chose a gossip responsible and every night she would read the gossips out loud by the camp fire and that was hilarious. The participants also took a boat trip, participated in a Russian cuisine workshop and learned to cook borshch.

Lots of activities, workshops on survival in Siberia, train trips and of course parties united the participants and organisers into one team and made it possible to strengthen the friendships that already existed before the TSU and create new ones, exchange AEGEE experiences and of course all the participants got invaluable skills of surviving in wild Russia. Join us next time, explore Siberia with AEGEE-Moskva!

Written by Rita Gorilchanik, AEGEE-Ryazan

Summer University is the main event which allows Europeans to feel the AEGEE spirit and to spend the summer holidays with participants from other AEGEE locals. This year AEGEE-Bakı and AEGEE-Sumqayıt decided to co-organise this project to show the beauty, the culture, the language and the history of Azerbaijan, which is why it was divided in two parts (Baku and Sumgait).

Experiencing the culture of Baku

First week of the Summer University took place in Baku and began with the arrival day on July 16^th. Green Rock Extreme Sport Complex was reserved for accommodation, and in the Baku part of this SU the participants took part in language courses, Azerbaijan Cultural night, shisha party, trip to Guba and Gobustan, as well as activities in Baku, such as excursion to important and historical places. Baku is the heart of culture and history of Azerbaijan, and this is why the majority of this SU was planned to take place there, but our participants also got the opportunity to go to Gobustan. Moreoever, culture and traditions of Azerbaijan were showed in Cultural night.

Heading towards Sumgait

The second week was organised in Sumgait. The hotel reserved for the participants was in Novkhani at the coast of the Caspian Sea and entertainment was planned for this part because of the strength-consuming previous part. On the other hand, some activities such as language courses, shisha party and sessions were repeated. In Sumgait, participants could get the chance to swim in the biggest lake in the world – the Caspian Sea and to see the third biggest city of Azerbaijan – Sumgait. Futhermore, participants represented their culture and traditions in European Night which has a very important position in the Summer Universities. Especially the last day has left special lasting memories in the hearts of the ones that were involved. Having already been enriched with great memories, the cherry on top was when professionals took their time to teach the folk dance and music of Azerbaijan to the attendees.

Written by Ilkin Zaka Khanishly, AEGEE-Bakı

 AEGEE-Maribor organised a special Travelling Summer University (TSU), Blau University, with the support of AEGEE-Ljubljana from the 4^th July to the 18^th July . 30 amazing participants were a true inspiration and the ones who made a true and diverse creative experience in Maribor and Ljubljana possible.

We had joy …

“We want to make a Summer University which will stand out, inspire people and give them an opportunity to experience all things creative, which they otherwise never might,” was the main motivation behind the TSU concept, set up by the main organiser, Brin Malina. It was most definitely achieved with a bunch of interactive workshops from various creative fields. Wonderful participants were given the opportunity to get to know the fields of music, photography, street art, dance and their peculiarities. The most fun and interactive were surely the photo-shooting contests in Maribor and Ljubljana and the lip dub. For the photo-shooting contest the participants were divided into groups of five and given some serious and some a bit odd and crazy assignments, which they had to do and document. As for the lip dub, it was a unique experience and something new for both participants and organisers, since they made their very own music video for the well-known “Walking on Sunshine” song . You can watch it here.

We had fun …

Additionally, the participants were inspired and entertained with several other activities. As at every summer university, city tours were a must and an important part in learning about the Slovenian culture and a bit of history, as was also the treasure hunt in Ljubljana and traditional wood-rafting experience and wine tasting in Maribor. A big part of the current modern culture in Maribor are also the Lent festival and European capital of culture Maribor 2012, which were happening during Blau University and added a special vibe to the TSU. The participants also got to know the historical city of Celje and Laško, which is known for its brewery. And of course, there were also the thematic parties (from Charleston to superhero) in various clubs, where everyone danced and bonded almost until dawn, and well-known European night with traditional food and drinks.

We had seasons in the sun!

As already stated, it was a unique experience, a real razzle dazzle, which would not happen without wonderful and lovely participants from Spain to Russia, who surely shared and felt the AEGEE spirit. That is why the organisers would like to thank each and every one of them and of course AEGEE for making it possible. See you somewhere and Europe and keep spreading the AEGEEan vibe and stay creative.

Written by Teja Rajšp, AEGEE-Maribor

On T-shirts of this Travelling Summer University (TSU) we put bullets on the back which say: 1 summer, 5 cities, 25 bikes, 150 km of cycling and unlimited fun. Most of these turned out accurate, especially the fun part, but apparently we have cycled more than 200 km and saw dozens of additional villages and small towns in the South Netherlands. It was possibly a welcomed extra since instead of complaints, there was a lot of happiness. The ultimate plan was to cycle through Tilburg, Eindhoven, Roermond and Maastricht. This was the longest cycling route among the three editions of Below the Rivers, Above Sea Level.

An Unusual Dutch Summer in Tilburg

The sleeping place in Tilburg was a student church of the Tilburg University, which created a rather “unique” atmosphere during the first part. Also, the weather was clearly confused since we had five days of sun without a single drop of rain. Call it luck if you will.

This part was a solid introduction to the TSU with its packed program. First big item was Roze Maandag (Pink Monday) held in the biggest fun fair of Netherlands. Tuesday was a beach and live music day. During the concert, we, AEGEE people, even fired up the sleepy audience of the Boogie Boy and sometimes attracted more attention than the artist!
On Wednesday, there was the Pimp My Bike challenge with lots of spray paint and
creativity. Later, a private concert at the church by the artist Mr. Sick Speck followed. He had
quite catchy songs. Everyone still sings: “In Germany, in Germany…”
The only non-cycling trip in the program was a day-trip to Amsterdam. City tour in Amsterdam was slightly ironic since the guide was the only organiser who is not Dutch. After the touristic route, a group picture was made in front of the “I Amsterdam” sign. Free time, boat trip on the canals, a restaurant stop and Red Light District walk completed all the Amsterdam cliches. It was then time to prepare for the first cycling challenge.

Road to Eindhoven: First Long Distance Challenge

It was quite surprising, no, amazing in the morning. Everybody was prepared for the road on time,
and many of them had sports clothing, even cycling gloves, while organising team (who cycle every day) do not even own such things. Journey was free of complaints and problems. Midway, in Oirschot, a long lunch break followed by a brief town tour made us sleepy, but the motivation of the participants kept the party going. When we reached Eindhoven, the rain (finally) greeted us. It was quite welcomed on the sunburned skins, though.

A Little Competition in Eindhoven

This part was planned as a large tournament, first step as the pub quiz after arrival dinner. A game tournament and special city rally called Crazy 88 with 88 crazy tasks (obviously) followed the next day. All the cycling and super fast tempo had apparently failed to make the participants tired. So, they were awarded with a pub crawl, including few free drinks.

There was still no sign of tiredness, but they were let sleep late anyway. All charged up took part in
a cute tour in an eco-farm and visited the Historic Open-air Museum with actual residents
chopping wood, making swords and baking breads, which balanced our rhythm a little. This day
ended with the European Night, which not many of us have vivid memories of. However, we
did try to recall things the following day in a swimming centre, while either riding the slides or
just sitting in the hot tub. As the grand finale of Eindhoven part, our last night was “Typical Dutch

Night,” as named by the participants. That was probably the night that coined one of the most
popular phrases of the TSU: “Typical Dutch.”

Roermond: Introduction to Limburg Culture

This time, there were 60 km ahead, as opposed to 40 during the previous one. The weather was also “Typical Dutch,” except the missing rain. Although there was a clear decrease in the motivation, the scouting in Roermond, our sleeping place, had quite the view next to the Maas (Meuse), which turned the exhaustion to a peaceful calmness. Program started fast with a traditional Cantus, which involves a lot of singing and even more beer drinking. Next evening another private concert by Loek Tonnaer’s band Dageraad followed, for the occasion of Limburgish Night. Having a hardcore, solid introduction to the Limburg way of living, TSU was ready for the capital of the province: Maastricht.

Crossing the River in Maastricht

After the last and the hardest ride, last destination was reached.This time everybody easily
admitted that they were exhausted. But there is no exhaustion a four hour sleep would not solve, is
there? Next day, we had the most extensive city tour within our TSU, including a visit to provincial
government building (where the Maastricht Treaty was signed). Maastricht did not have a hard time
making an impression. Same can be said concerning the ten KM ride back to the sleeping place
after the pub crawl. Damn, the only province-with-hills of this flat country!
On the last day, we visited the limestone caves of Limburg, but the ones in Valkenburg.
Dark and cold caves were a really good break to the sun and for the exhaustion of two weeks. As
tradition, the day ended with voting, an award ceremony and a goodbye party.

And the Curtain is closed

This was a first for this series in terms of biking distance, and crossing one of the rivers that we
had been previously below (on the map, of course). Program started fast and kept the tempo untill
the end. This was our secret for a “long, aimless waiting” free TSU.
Content-wise, seeing different cultures even in a small country was the strongest
aspect. ”Typical Dutch” was a humorous phrase but they knew there is more in culture than
meets the eye, as they cycled through this two southern provinces. If you see how people,
culture and even landscape change even as you bike, it gets easier to realise the same on a
much larger region.
Considering most of the participants were not very familiar with AEGEE yet, this TSU
showed them that they need to keep exploring and observing the world and people around. And
while doing those, you can have genuine (in our case “unlimited”) fun. So join us next year in
the new chapter of the adventure book!

Written by Haluk Can Yasan, AEGEE-Eindhoven.

Thank you to Marina Roche Arroyos, Eero Vegmann, Balázs Kovács, Elena Martino & Marina Roche Arroyos for contributing with photos!

Travelling Summer Universities (TSU) are considered to be very common and entertaining, and almost all AEGEE members intend to try them at least once. After several Summer Universities (SU) made by AEGEE-Voronezh it was clearly understood that participants needed more travelling and more experience. AEGEE-Voronezh is popular with its language course, while the newborn antenna AEGEE-Rostov-na-Donu may offer a great opportunity for entertainment, including relaxing at the Russian seaside in Taganrog. So the decision of these two antennae was to team up and create an event which will amaze everybody by the mixture of emotions and activities.

To describe the results from the point of view of a person who took part in this TSU and to make an objective review, a participant, Barnabas Miklos (AEGEE-Pécs), has been interviewed after the event. Hereafter you may read the interview made by the organisers (O) and Miklos (M).

O: Why did you come to Russia? It is really hard to get here, isn’t it? There are all those visa issues and possibly even expensive tickets.

M: I have been in many Western European countries and they seemed to be really similar so I wanted to get to know the Eastern part of Europe through real experiences and through spending time with the local people, so this SU was a great opportunity. Also my aim was to destroy the stereotypes about Russia and Russians, and to build up a real image.

O: Great! We hope you destroyed the stereotypes!

M: Sure! We even had a workshop about the stereotypes about Russia and Russians which was really interesting and useful. Moreover we had workshops about Russian slang and Russian ethnic dances. Now I can make a show for my friends at home and sound like a real Russian guy when I am in Russia.

O: Good for you! By the way, was travelling between the cities difficult for you? It took 12 hours to get from Voronezh to Rostov-na-Donu.

M: Not at all, I enjoy seeing the views between cities. That was a perfect opportunity to see how one city differs from the others. And I had a really good company since all the participants became very close friends by the time we started our journey to Rostov-na-Donu.

O: What did you like the most during each part of the TSU?

M: My favorite part in Voronezh was definitely Divnogorie, I really enjoyed to be in the nature with the whole team. Camping was a really good chance to unite the participants and the organisers. From the second part, Rostov-na-Donu and Taganrog, I liked Starocherkassk and the beach the most.

O: We hope you enjoyed spending time at the seaside! A lot of workshops and games were organized during this SU, and you spent all of them in the open air, including different beach parties. Did you like it?

M: It is summer, and of course it was a wonderful idea. Also, the nature impressed me very much, especially the Azov sea in Taganrog. It’s like nothing on Earth.

O: Thank you a lot! It is true that Russia is really famous for its nature. Could you tell us what else during this TSU you consider useful or entertaining?

M: Surely I liked the language courses in Voronezh. It was really interesting (and also quite exhausting) to get to know a new technique of learning a new language. I really enjoyed it, probably it would be great to have it during the whole event. If anybody is interested in studying Russian, I recommend going to Voronezh for sure!

O: We are glad to hear that each part of the TSU brought a lot of experiences for you! But we would like to know whether you faced anything else that seemed unusual for you?

M: I was a participant of SUs in nineteen different countries, and believe me, you can find some peculiarities everywhere. Honestly, I think Russians are very strange. I saw a lot of unsociable and irritable people in the streets but at the same time the Russian organisers were very hospitable. But we all know that modern life in big cities is conducted at high speed and it makes people nervous. So, it is a normal situation. I like you and your country and want to go there again.

O: Great! It is a real pleasure for us to hear that! Especially for Rostov-on-Don organisers, because it is their first SU. How do you feel about the event in general?

M: The main word to describe your SU is energy. We were constantly walking, talking, seeing sites, playing or doing something else. Some people may complain about being tired, but in my opinion it is better to sleep only two hours, and at the same time to experience a lot of emotions which I did. I feel like Voronezh part and Rostov-na-Donu part perfectly complemented each other so that the participants could enjoy both studying and relaxing. Good work, guys!

Travelling through Russia, visiting several cities during one event, getting new unforgettable experiences in tasting totally different cultures and specifics of ONE country – that was the main aim of TSU “Upon the Rainbow” created by AEGEE-Voronezh and AEGEE- Rostov-na-Donu.

Result: The aim was achieved!

Written by Ekaterina Oleynik, AEGEE – Voronezh and Svetlana Lisicina, AEGEE – Rostov-na-Donu