Exactly one month ago, I was enjoying the last days of my first amazing Summer University here in Brescia. Even if I’m just writing about this, it still feels strange… I joined AEGEE-Brescia only shortly before; in May after a pre-Agora event. It felt great to host foreign people from various countries in my hometown; I liked overcoming the initial shyness and having fun during the parties that we had.

Even with these premises, I wasn’t prepared for what was coming! We started planning the SU in every detail (activities, compulsory sessions, booklets and more), and, after a couple of months we were ready to again host twenty-five BEAUTIFUL people for two weeks, that would be rich of events and fun. Here’s my personal review of the best moments in our “Be Green Go Extreme, Just Survive Vol II” Summer University. Enjoy!

In fourteen days, we definitely had many activities, but some of them really impressed me. As the theme was linked to extreme open air activities, we pushed the adventurous spirit of our participants and, luckily, they didn’t disappoint us! In the beautiful location of Lake Iseo, we went kayaking and paddle boarding for a whole day… it was amazing! You might be thinking about a boring group just floating around but, hey, we’re talking about AEGEE people, right? Everyone had fun with some small competitions, games and demonstrations. The best, anyway, was paddle boarding. If you have ever tried that sort of board, you know how unstable it is. Somehow this gave us a nice idea: GLADIATORS FIGHT!!! Someone came out as a winner and others were left without regrets! We may have looked like mad people, but who cares?!

Another activity I really enjoyed, was climbing. We brought the participants to Riva, at the northern tip of Lake Garda, for two days, in order to enjoy some hiking, climbing and, of course, sunbathing. The beautiful mountains surrounding the lake hide amazing vertical rock walls where you can climb safely, which attracted climbers from everywhere… and we couldn’t help but join them! Even though someone had already tried it indoor before, it was a tough challenge! However, everyone enjoyed the activity and reached the top. We also had some super funny moments when a participant got stuck in the only bush growing on that wall (still wondering how…) and another one did a kind of somersault while climbing down. The most surprising thing? Seeing people from the Netherlands, who had never been to the mountains before, climbing up like professional climbers. Go Extreme!

But how can we not mention the most famous event: the European Night! We all know how important it is to show that we respect other countries by tasting what they’ve brought, sometimes it’s food, sometimes it’s something to drink. From now on, we all know how it goes…. By the way, it was an amazing night, our participants cooked many incredible dishes and told us amazing stories about them. The most remarkable thing was not the European Night per se, but what was going to come the following day!

We decided to use the beautiful mountain location where we were, to go for a six-hour-hike (20 km). After realising that maybe (maybe!) it wasn’t a good idea to propose it after the European Night in August in Italy, we offered an easier option for those who didn’t feel like it: a shorter trail in the shady woods. As we felt like their “worried parents”, we tried to do our best to discourage them from choosing the first option and, well, the next day, all the participants amazed us once more: they all got up at 8 a.m. and chose the longest path! But this is not all, they were all very excited and this time it was the Estonian moment: Estonian girls ran (we say: ran!) to the top of the mountain, arriving there well before many organisers and helpers. If you’re wondering: in Estonia, there are no mountains…

It happened again the following day when we went for a via ferrata. What is a via ferrata? Being secured with a rope to an iron cable that goes along otherwise inaccessible mountain trails, walking on rungs of metal secured over a stream or holding on to iron chains through canyons… This is what a via ferrata is, and you know what? All our participants chose the difficult way… No doubt they would make it!

We could go on like this for long, telling you how cool our participants were and how much fun it was to spend time all together hiking, playing some games or, simply, chilling out somewhere. We couldn’t wish for a better group; we couldn’t wish for a better Summer University!

Manuel Volpi, AEGEE-Brescia (Special thanks to Giulia Guerini, AEGEE-Brescia)

Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you “how to discover Ukraine the great way”, also known as “Summertime Madness: Test Your UAdrenaline” by AEGEE-Kyiv. Imagine a rollercoaster with space for thirty people, a vertiginous two-week ride through the best spots of this young country, driven by locals dedicated to enhance this experience in every possible way without a single minute of boredom. If you can picture that, then you may start to understand how exciting this Summer University was…

Arrival in Lviv

Before securing belts and turning the roller coaster on, the participants got introduced to each other and to Ukraine in one of its most beautiful cities: Lviv.

Already during ice-breaking games and teambuilding activities, friendships began to forge. For instance, participants expressed their expectations from the SU in the form of very artistic posters, which included diverse topics such as typical gastronomy, sport experiences, cultural visits, parties and love in all its forms and postures. The organisers gave a crash course in Ukrainian language, after which participants had to show their skills by improvising a theatre scene, as well as singing the traditional Ukrainian song “Pidmanula Pidvela” on the stage. It did not only reveal the talents, but also totally broke the ice between everyone.

Lviv is a charming city, lively but not too crowded, full of picturesque details and distinctive architecture. There are many unique restaurants and pubs, but I would highlight the “Coffee Manufacture”, where you can get your coffee literally set on fire by a blowtorch, creating a crusty layer of caramel on the top; the “House of Legends”, a restaurant which has countless decorations throughout its six floors and a vintage car on the roof; and the “Masoch Cafe”, where you can order not only drinks but also physical punishments (whiplash marks on some participants can confirm that!).

After an amazing nerd party in “Metro” –one of the best clubs in Lviv– the most active participants joined the morning jogging session through the city center, followed by more games, swimming pool and an intense session of paintball. On the way back, all of the participants and organisers (around forty-five people) got in (or should I say “overcrowded”?) one “marshrutka” –the typical Ukrainian minibus–, singing and playing some latin songs through the loudspeaker and improvising one of the most singular bus-parties ever.

Early in the morning, after the first aid workshop with the Red Cross, everybody was ready for the next location: The Carpathian Mountains.

The Carpathian Mountains

At this stage the roller coaster began to accelerate in the form of a train to Yaremche, a long journey that passed quickly between drinks, games and live music provided by the beautiful voice and guitar of Nina Polishchuk, future member of AEGEE-Kyïv. An amazing house in the middle of the greenest nature was awaiting the group, and everybody had a relaxed night gazing at the stars, going to sleep early before the next day’s activity: hiking!

The weather was perfect, and after reaching the top of the mountain, some participants played frisbee, the organisers prepared borsch on fire, others made a wood-cutting competition… Then, and after getting a bit lost on the way down, the group returned to the cottage for another intense activity which is well-known for every AEGEEan: the mighty European Night! Most of the typical ingredients of this celebration were found, eaten and drunk: Jägermeister, Greek salad, Vanna Tallin, Hungarian Pálinka, Spanish sangría and jamón, stroopwafels, a thousand types of vodka… and some special food from China brought by Antonis Triantafyllakis, AEGEE-Heraklio, a.k.a. “Mr. Voice”.

No hurries for the next day, after a long drinking night there was nothing better than chilling by the river, learning to handcraft Motanky –the traditional Ukrainian dolls–, going to sauna and enjoying a massage workshop from the hand(s) of Mr. Voice, a.k.a. Mr. Massage.

Rain decided to show up in the most inconvenient moment, the day of climbing and camping. Organisers reacted fast, and instead of climbing a natural rock they arranged an artificial inflatable wall. Then, still wet, the group took the bus to the camp and mounted their tents. It was so cold and humid, but who cares when you have a sauna in the middle of the mountains? That night it was planned to sit around the cozy fire and play the guitar, but even though rain made fire impossible, it could not stop the music: it turned out that there were a few guitarists and singers in the group, as a good example Jirka Pytela, AEGEE-Praha, and Sara Weerheijm, AEGEE-Nijmegen, played some nice songs. Besides, this writer played upon special request his motivation letter song “Hello Kyïv” and some more (special thanks to Mr. Massage, a.k.a. Mr. Capo). The next morning the weather was not any better, and despite the heavy rain, most of the participants and organizers did not want to miss rafting into the amazing landscapes of the Carpathians.

Half of the SU had already passed when the group said goodbye to the mountains and took the night-train to Kiev. Some partied during the journey and some slept to recover energies for the next episode in the big city, where the roller coaster reached its highest peak.

The Big Kiev & The Big Jump

The day in the Ukrainian capital started with the city tour, in which participants could view numerous golden domes –which are characteristic of the city–, take pictures with pigeons, see the Motherland Monument and learn about the recent Ukrainian history in Maidan Square.

Later in the evening, the participants were divided into groups and distributed in the houses of some organisers to prepare homemade varenyky, one of the most typical Ukrainian dishes. The resulting meals were really tasty, and afterwards the party continued in the “Coyote Ugly”. What really stands out in this club is the long bar on which only women are allowed to go up and dance, so some AEGEEan girls joined to show their sensual dancing skills. Speaking about dancing, the next day two professional dancers gave a salsa workshop, after which everyone could put what they learned in practice in a Latin bar named “Buena Vista”, where a band was playing Cuban songs.
Another interesting workshop took place in the streets of Kiev, this time a modern sport: Parkour. Even if it was something new for most of the people, everybody got addicted to climbing walls, jumping and rolling again and again. However, most of the participants and organisers were already thinking about the following day, the day of the most extreme activity: the solo parachute jump, undoubtedly the highlight of this SU!

It took the whole day to fill the forms, get to know the rules, see the planes, learn to control the fall, train the landing and collect the “macaroni” (strings) of the parachute. Then, the moment came, the moment when the roller coaster began to descend from the high sky. The adrenaline peak of the SU –and probably of our lives– was the sound of the horn announcing the opening of the plane door, contemplating the height of 800 meters during ten never-ending seconds… until the jump! The scenario was marvellous: the silhouettes of thirty-six AEGEEan parachutists over the background of an orange sunset.
Some people forgot to “deblock” so the second parachute opened, five of us failed to land properly resulting in sprained ankles… but it was definitely worth it, and in case someone is doubting, everybody survived! By the time we arrived in Kiev it was already too late to prepare the pirate costumes, but it was not too late to join the amazing boat party. Many members from AEGEE-Kyïv joined the group and got on the boat that navigated through river Dnipro, dancing in the open air while viewing the nocturnal Kiev.

Before leaving to Odessa, one of the most interesting trips took place, this time to Chernobyl. This area is famous for a sad reason we all know, but it is important to keep in mind what happened there to prevent further accidents. Still, it is an interesting place to visit, as it seems that time has not passed in thirty years.

Chernobyl

The rain created the appropriate mood for this trip. It was gray and sad just as at the day of the catastrophe. We had the opportunity to walk those desolate streets and see dead houses, forests, radio station and the power station itself. There were radioactivity signs everywhere which always held the feeling of danger and made the heart beat faster and faster. To exit the exclusion zone, each visitor had to pass several checkpoints; the difference of these checkpoints from many others is that they check if you are irradiated, and if you are authorised to go back to the city. It is a secret, but one of the participants became a bit radioactive, and now he is spreading the radiation somewhere in Europe… so take care on your next AEGEE events; he can be somewhere nearby!

Hello Odessa, goodbye Ukraine!

As the last chapter of this story, the roller coaster slowed down in Odessa. It was perfect to spend a couple of relaxing days in the city of humour: going to the beach and swimming in the Black Sea, visiting the Wax Museum, climbing the famous Potemkin’s stairs, riding a bike during an evening tour –which was surprisingly escorted by the local police– and learning to paint “pysanka”, a traditional Ukrainian decorated egg.

A very special night ended this flawless event, the farewell night. The group spirit had already reached its top by then, moreover, it was not a group anymore but a big family. The suit-up party began having dinner in an elegant restaurant. Then, the secret friends, participants that were assigned at the beginning of the SU to ‘be a friend’, e.g. give gifts or be extra attentive, to you, were revealed. Here comes a special mention to Anna Bortoletto, AEGEE-Udine, who after amusing everybody during the whole event by writing anonymous sexy poems to his secret friend Simon Schnake, AEGEE-Hamburg, revealed the surprise in the most hilarious way with the collaboration of Domitille Simon, AEGEE-Manchester. Anna wrote on Domi’s body “Hello from the threesome side, it was Anna all the time”, so when Simon already believed Domitille was his secret friend, she took her shirt off showing the message and causing an explosion of laughter among all of us.
Later, awards were given; everyone got a different one. Participants nominated organisers and vice versa, resulting in very original titles such as “The best washing machine” for Iuliia Chopenko, AEGEE-Kyïv; “The craziest Eurotripper” for the always active Esther Pérez Palao, AEGEE-Alicante; “The best fake organiser” for Batuhan Çarıkçı, AEGEE-Izmir; “The most damaged popstar” for Ander Fernández, AEGEE-Bilbao (my ankle still hurts while I write this article), and the well deserved “Best and most lovable organiser” for the always smiling Hanna Polishchuk, AEGEE-Kyïv.

After having some drinks in a very fancy club, organisers took participants to the beach, where they had prepared one more surprise: fire balloons. It was a very romantic moment when, in couples, and after making a wish, all these balloons were launched painting the sky orange for a few magical minutes. Then the party continued, and some people stayed even until sunrise, going to the beach to stare at the red sky sharing the horizon with the Black Sea. It was the perfect end for the SU, it was the time to get off the roller coaster…

Although the SU was officially finished, some of the participants took one more train to Kiev. One does not go to Ukraine every day, so enjoying a couple of extra days in the capital was a good idea. Another special mention to the main organiser Hanna Polishchuk, who instead of going home to rest after the hard and successful work before and during SU, decided to host 10 participants at her house. She also arranged an extra program to visit the few spots we had missed in Kiev: the ex-residence of the ex-president (a.k.a. The Museum of Corruption), the Museum of Miniature and the open air gym at the Gidropark area, with a professional workout workshop from Pasha Nykytiuk (AEGEE-Kyïv) and his friends.

Isn’t it amazing how many things can be done in two weeks? How many places visited? How many experiences lived? What else could you expect? If life was a videogame, this Summer University would definitely be the level where you unlock all the powers, characters and abilities. Thank you AEGEE-Kyïv!

Written by Ander Fernández, AEGEE-Bilbao

AEGEE-Cagliari proposed a SU, based on sport and boat trips, to give twenty-five young people from every part of Europe an unforgettable experience. Its entire title was “Bigger, Better, Stronger: Sardinian Challenge”. Thanks to the work of very experienced AEGEE members, the Sardinian Antenna organised an event which made the participants love the island. The journalist Matteo Lai was an organiser of this overwhelming event and told us something about it.

Have you ever thought to unify some of the most beautiful beaches in the world with sports activities? AEGEE-Cagliari proposed a Summer University where participants could enjoy the Sardinian sea with some rare classical and new games, such as Bubble Sumo, Kayak, Military circuit. The participants spent some days at the sea, not only swimming a lot, but also listening to music on a boat, for example. The main organiser and coordinator of the SU was Thomas Muntoni, AEGEE-Cagliari’s Internal Vice-President.

He could count on the contribution given by seventeen organisers, some of them very young members of the Antenna: Alberto Unali, Alessio Usai (Logistics Responsible), Antonio Pintus (External Vicepresident and Games and Activities Responsible), Antonio Cicalese (helper, AEGEE-Salerno member, and Games Responsible), Fabian Raab (Drivers Responsible), Fabio Pilloni (Treasurer), Federico Aru, Francesca Amelia Zorcolo (President), Lorenzo Ligas (PR-Responsible), Marco Augugliaro (Meal Responsible and FR-Responsible), Miriam Muntoni (Games Responsible), Nicola Motzo, Paola Letizia Murru (Secretary and Incoming Responsible), Roberto Perra, Silvia Liciardi (HR-Responsible and Social Programme Responsible), Valentina Atzori (Sessions Responsible), and me, as IT-Responsible, Cagliari City Tour Guide and Driver.

There were often two very experienced members, Sasha Ghorpade and Davide Lecca, essential to cement the group. Already during the second day the participants tried our Military circuit organised by Federico: you can think about some training for soldiers adapted to civilians. The final result was surprising because all guys managed to complete every task ordered by the teacher on the grass of Pitz’ E Serra Park.

The authors of this sports miracle came from every part of Europe: Goran Borovcanski (Macedonia), Dayana Tzvetkova (Bulgaria), Aleksandra Icic (Serbia), Djordje Ristic (Serbia), Kimberly Beijersbergen (the Netherlands), Félix Laencina Escobar (Spain), Albert Podraza (Poland), Olivera Lukic (Serbia), Marian Vavrynchuk (Ukraine), Laura García Rueda (Spain), Santiago Navarro Román (Spain), Furkan Ocak (Turkey), Vasiliki Andrioti (Greece), Valerie Bond (the Netherlands), Elena Barinova (Russia), Fatma Jasmine Hazirlar (Turkey), Valerie Schlickovà (Czech Republic), Ferenc Màthé (Hungary), Edina Marton (Hungary), Mandy De Graaf (the Netherlands), Philip Laeborg (Denmark), Carmen Gálvez Estévez (Spain), Alexandra Kurilova (Russia), Darnel Lloyd (Dominican Republic).

On the same day (Monday 1^st of August), the participants enjoyed an excursion to the Devil’s Saddle with the essential help of Roberto Mastromarino (Mastro, for friends) who accompanied the participants up to the top where there were two tables with lots of cold beers as an aperitif to enjoy the sunset and admire a breathtaking panorama of Cagliari. The day ended with the traditional Pub Crawling at Cagliari’s city centre. Both the organisers and participants had a lot of fun, also thanks to the kind of tasks included in the alcoholic game, like promoting our next Network Meeting with a short video or repeating some embarrassing Italian words [I laugh].

The 2nd of August was my birthday and the day of the City Tour in Cagliari: my international friends followed me through the Roman Amphitheatre, Saint Efisio’s Church, Yenne Square with the statue of Carlo Felice of Savoia, Viceroy Palace, Saint Remy Bastion. They were entertained with some games to make the city tour a bit funny, such as reproducing the word “AEGEE” with their bodies and singing their national anthems where many people passed by. I believed they would be tired after one hour and a half of walking but they were really strong, and Mastro helped me showing them other sides of the historical part of the Sardinian capital.

Then, we had lunch in a restaurant near Saint Remy Bastion, where my birthday was celebrated while eating a cake slice and singing a song “built” with my first and last name. On the evening we moved to Selargius, a town close to Quartu S. Elena (the place of the accommodation), where our friends discovered the Bubble Sumo: you have to push three other people away from a circle, while all the players are inside a huge plastic ball. We organised a Bubble Sumo tournament which was won by Valerie Bond. As we were in a football field, we could not resist the temptation -because we are Italians- to play a football match with two mixed teams of organisers and participants.

After everyone danced in a disco at Poetto beach, named “Lido”, they woke up and went to a place called “Marina Residence” for our Cooking Workshop about “ravioli”, introduced by Sasha and his grandmother. The European students were involved in preparing this kind of pasta and, after two hours, their bodies were covered in flour. We got full of ravioli and we went to a beach ten minutes away from the location of the workshop to attend a lesson in canoeing; even though it was forty degrees in the shadow [I smile]. It seemed that the participants did not feel the high temperature.

Do you think our friends were tired and wanted to sleep? Not in the least! They were ready to get crazy at our Pool party in Borderline, near Cagliari. That party was considered to be the best of the entire Summer University by all the participants: not very often you can drink a cocktail, dive in a swimming pool and dance to cool music with a deejay set by Valentino Poddie (Poddi for friends) until four o’ clock in the morning in an amazing location like the Borderline. On the 4^th of August, it was time for a new sport: Brasilian Ju Jitzu, in a gym of Quartu S. Elena. The teacher explained the basics and some movements of this martial art so that the participants could begin to throw each other on the floor for an hour [I laugh]. Moreover, our friends could not stay in Sardinia for twelve days without visiting one of our best cellars, the one in Dolianova, where they tasted some of the sweetest wines in the island and they ate “malloreddus” (or gnocchi), a Sardinian traditional pasta. They also discovered the best Sardinian beer, Ichnusa.

Have you ever danced reggaeton on commercial music on two connected ships while you sip a spritz? It is possible and our participants did it. Our friends danced a lot at”La Paillotte”, a very famous club close to the Devil’s Saddle, in a place called Calamosca. The European hosts not only visited Cagliari, but also Villasimius and Cuglieri. In particular, they sailed with a touristic ship named “Matilda” along “Donkey Head” beach and Cabbages Island. It was one of the most awesome days in the SU, many people dove from the ship and made a lot of selfies with their mobile phones. In Cuglieri’s wood, organisers and participants celebrated the European Night. It was also an occasion for drivers to relax and not get worried about the lucidity of our participants, because the place of the European Night was only ten minutes away from the accommodation (inside a monastery) walking. In short, we did not need to use any taxis.

On the same day, we spent some hours on the Mari Ermi and S’Archittu beaches. On the last day, the organisers received a real surprise that they would not ever expect: after the votes for “The Best of”, as it normally happens at Summer Universities, Philip handed over a plastic table, on which participants had written the name of the organisers with some messages and congratulations for the hard work in preparing the event or of feelings about our beautiful land. It was a clear signal that they had really appreciated our programme and even, despite my impression [I laugh], Valentina’s lessons about AEGEE structure and Civic Education that were held in the gym. I was with a group that understood the aim of the event: the importance of practising some sports with a right diet (the Mediterranean one). Among those guys I met some really special people that I hope to see again very soon somewhere in Europe. At AEGEE-Cagliari SU there were also some love stories, of course, but the details will remain a secret among the protagonists of this magnificent hot event.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.            

So, it’s holiday; you could work a lot to earn some extra money, you could stay at home and be bored all the time, you could book a ticket to a lame, sunny, touristic destination; lying on the beach, eating ice cream and staying in your comfort zone. But for AEGEEans, there is an extra opportunity: Summer University! What else is better than throwing yourself into the deep, going on holiday with a bunch of strangers, eating new food, learning traditional dances, having a lack of sleep? Nothing, am I right?!

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My story starts on the fifteenth of July, when I joined the group in Eskişehir. It seemed a nice group initially, but you can say we had a rough start, because, during this first night, the coup in Istanbul took place. Of course this caused some worries among both participants and organisers, but we were safe and our organisers handled the situation very well!

So the following days consisted of ice-breaking-games, workshops about civic education, lunch breaks, cooking, city activities and dinners. We also met the mayor of Eskisehir. According to Summer University protocol, some partying was included as well. I really loved the pub crawl; it was full of entertainment and nice deals with the pubs. Also, you cannot miss out on a European Night. We played a lot of games and ended with Thirty Seconds (of course my team couldn’t be beaten).

We ended the part of the programme in the city Eskişehir with a night camping in the nature. We crossed dangerous rivers, conquered the highest mountains and fought the wildest animals during our journey to the camp! After setting up the tents, we swam and scared the shit out of some frogs in the river. Then it was game time and we all stripped down for the ‘make the longest clothing line competition’. Furthermore, we created our own Peace-shirts with pencils and paint. Afterwards it was time for a nice campfire-dinner and some singing, dancing and drinking beers. Next morning we played some games spontaneously. ‘Dutch Lions’ was among them, which resulted in everyone covered with bruises and scratches.

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That day we returned to Eskișehir to recover in the Hamam and, in the night, we left Eskişehir and travelled to Pamukkale, where you can find the Travertine (google it!) and Hierapolis. We spent one day there and, in the evening, we reached Datça. Here the story of workshops, traditional dancing, partying and waking up too early continued. We also spent a lot of time at the beaches in the sun. After a game that involved some casual ear licking, French kissing, writing on asses, making a fool of yourself in public and sangria, we exchanged Datça for Fethiye.

In my opinion, the days in Fethiye were the best days. We did a boat tour with a BBQ and a lot of swimming and diving. On the second day, it was time for the thing everyone was looking forward to: Paragliding! I was scared when we had to run from a 2000m high mountain, and my legs were shaking because I don’t usually put my life in the hands of strangers (but it was amazing! A new Facebook profile picture is born here).

The next day we visited Saklıkent, which means hidden city in Turkish. We climbed through the canyon, but had to return when it got too dangerous. In the evening, we dressed up as zombies with make-up and fake blood and hit the club (no shame). The next day, we had some free time and ate our last meal together. Later, at the hostel, this was followed by an award ceremony. I received the award for best kisser; thank you […].

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All good things come to an end. We partied together one last time and, during the night, the first people, sadly, already had to leave. Despite a lot of things are going on in Turkey, I really enjoyed my time in this country! All the issues could not have stopped me from going there. I hope the organisers will stay safe in the future. I am grateful I’ve met all these people. The organisers did a really good job, the board is very kind and the other participants completed this experience! It felt strange waking up to an empty room the first morning at home, without any organisers yelling: ‘GOOOOOOOOOOOODMORNING, BREAKFAST TIME’. I think I speak for everyone else if I say that the After Summer University Depression kicked in immediately after the end.

It is strange that you build up friendships within those two weeks. You start as strangers, only connected to each other by our love for travelling and AEGEE. I would have never thought it would be hard to say goodbye to these bunch of […]. But saying goodbye does not exist. Let us make it a ‘till we meet again’.

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Written by Carlijn Cretier, AEGEE-Nijmegen

Googling about Ireland for days, waiting at the airport for hours, experiencing turbulences during the flight for minutes, that’s how the journey of my first SU started. The first sign I saw at Dublin airport was “Tá cuid de na málaí an-chosúil lena chéile”. Yes, I asked myself “Where the hell am I?”.

Excited, a bit scared, and full of questions I travelled to our accommodation. When I arrived, those feelings changed completely to pure happiness. The organisers welcomed us warmly, and the other participants waved and smiled on our arrival. Okay, this is going to be amazing, I thought.

It was not … It was even more than amazing!

Standing in a circle with over twenty strangers during the introduction games, I wondered if I would ever be able to remember all their names. While writing this article I am smiling because, of course, I can easily list them all, even at in my sleep! All those people are my friends, it even feels like they are family.

“Sharing is caring” says the bracelet that I received from my new Slovenian friend. And it’s just like that: sharing rooms, beds, tooth-paste, and (most important) our lives. We created one big Irish family. Spontaneously dancing in a pub with locals, drinking one pint of Guinness after another, and talking about everything. It was so natural for us, like we had known each other for years. With them, the ‘craic’ was ninety!

Imagine, a day starting with Irish games: throwing giant wooden logs, running with buckets of beer; having burgers for lunch, and afterwards going to a park in the city centre where a “swing picnic” is held. Laughing, dancing, and falling in love with swing. Then eating the most delicious falafel you can imagine while lying on the grass, chatting to your “Irish family” and thinking about the fact that you must have deserved this somehow. Just imagine paradise.

Then European night (EN)… Did you ever drink Sangria prepared by a Chinese guy, or suspicious Finish black stuff? Why not try burning Mozart chocolate balls and then squatting, dancing, drinking until… Until I don’t remember.

First it sounded ridiculous to have a hike the day after EN. Our organisers pulled us out of bed and ignored all our swearing. And for a good reason: our moods completely changed as soon as we started the walk from Graystones. The cliffs, the sea, and the endless Irish greenness everywhere. Everywhere! We ended at the beach in Bray having a crazy (and quick) swim and a double ice cream. For a moment I wasn’t sure anymore in which country I was. Ireland has many faces, you need to give it a chance.

Without realising eight days past quickly. Visiting the Irish whiskey museum was on the schedule followed by whiskey tasting. Just one piece of advice: don’t drink a bottle of wine with your Finish friend just before such a tour. Do not!

Pouring rain? Meh! Let’s walk for an hour to a “nearby pub”! A traditional Irish show was waiting for us there. It was worth more than just a wet walk (according to the gossip box, the organisers made girls more wet than Irish weather did). Singing and dancing to Irish songs with live performance made me think “I don’t want to leave.”

That feeling stayed! On day ten, a trip to Galway and Cliffs of Moher was on the program. While sitting on the edge of the cliffs and staring at the Atlantic Ocean (maybe not clever, but breathtaking) I could only conclude “Yeah. That’s what Google said it would be like.” Endless beauty.

On the last day, only 10 of us were brave enough to join the optional hike. “Weather forecast: Irish”, my boots are still wet from that day. And honestly, walking with a pint of water in each boot for hours was rather fun. Plus, you realise that your company is as awesome when the only complaint is that it was too short. After the hike we rewarded ourselves with whiskey cake in a traditional pub in the mountains. Soon after that came the moment you hoped would never come, the goodbye party.

“Smile and the world smiles to you” was written on my t-shirt by one of the organisers. It’s not difficult to follow that advice during the 11 days described above. Neither is it difficult to do the day after, a week after, and even more than three weeks after the SU. For sure I will meet those people again. My favourite anonymous Spanish guy (a.k.a. the Spanish ghetto) will teach me Spanish again. I will hear “Kačičkaaa!” again, the only Slovak word I taught my Greek friend. Our “Irish family” is still in touch and will meet again. Connections are strong and experiences too amazing to lose. Therefore, I am smiling, and the world smiles to me.

Written by Ema Grajcarová, AEGEE-Brno

On the other side of the forest -God knows which forest- lies the historically rich region of Transylvania. It is nestled cosily between the horseshoe-shaped Carpathians on the one side and the Apuseni Mountains on the other. This Summer, participants from all over Europe ventured there to uncover the mysteries of this amazing place.

The city of Cluj-Napoca is a combination of the old and the new. It has a beautiful Roman-Catholic church with Ottoman cannonballs, fired during an attack and still stuck in its walls, behind a grand statue of the Hungarian king, Matthias Corvinus (r. 1458-1490). Opposite the church there are buildings from the Austro-Hungarian era, and behind these there are those from the Communist one. All of this shows the history of the many nations that wanted to call Transylvania their own, and nowadays it hosts the peaceful coexistence of the many peoples who have made this region their home.

The inhabitants of Transylvania are considered to be good-humoured, kind and relaxed, which, as far as the organisers of AEGEE-Cluj-Napoca can tell -although not all of them are native to the region- is absolutely true. They were kind, looked after us, and prepared brilliant city tours, fun games and captivating workshops.

Most of ‘traditional Romania’ could be seen in the Apuseni Mountains, where most of the grass is still cut using scythes and dried in a cupcake-shaped heap, using only a couple of logs. Under these mountains there were both gold and ice. We visited an underground glacier, which was so vast that during the brief descend into the glacier’s cave, the temperature dropped radically from melting hot to wintery cold in a matter of seconds. Romania is, historically, also known for its gold, which was so numerous that a number of mountains now have a vast maze of millennia old mining tunnels running underneath them.

The European Night received some special cultural attention. Many participants from Eastern Europe decorated themselves in the Pan-Slavic colours (blue, red and white), some of the Spanish participants wore their football tunic and some of the Dutch wore orange (of course). The Germans had a pasta-cook-off with the Italians and the Romanians brought an abundance of homemade treats (which were really tasty). Another cool thing is that the Romanians wore traditional clothing, which is also intended for daily use. The idea behind this fashion trend is that tradition and modernity are not mutually exclusive: one can wear traditional clothing and still be hip and progressive.

In German, Transylvania is called Siebenbürgen (Seven Fortresses), after the seven fortified keeps of the Saxons (German speaking immigrants), the most beautiful of which being Sibiu (Hermannstadt in German). It has retained its romantic medieval city centre, including its illustrious bridge of lies -which would crumble if one would tell a lie too big. Underneath that bridge lovers would often meet… thank the heavens the people of Sibiu are fairly honest.

From this moment during the long trip, sleeping in the bus was very lovely, but one city still remained: Braşov, known for its wanna-be-Hollywood-sign. To get there, the bus first passed over the Transfǎgǎrǎşan road, which climbed like a wildly winding river alongside a waterfall that flowed from an icy glacier lake.

In Braşov everyone slept in a gym with a wooden-brick-floor that looked just like those in  old movies. From here, the group visited an adventure park, Bran castle (on which castle Dracula was based), an old Transylvanian fortress that protected against the Ottoman invasions, Peleş castle (the most beautifully decorated castle in the world), and a swimming pool (cause, after all this cultural input, it’s nice to relax a little).

After Braşov the group only halted in Sighisoara, which was quickly referred to as ‘little Sibiu’, because of the city’s beautiful, but tiny, Medieval centre. Lastly, after nearly two weeks, (almost) everyone returned back to Cluj-Napoca, where there was a final, moving closing ceremony.

The group may have lost its energy, but never its spirit. Friendships were made for life, and the organisers and the participants all were extremely sad to let it all go. What made this Summer University so special cannot be merely captured within these words. It is a feeling one can only have by joining it, which I hope many of you  do in the future.

Written by Willem Laurentzen, AEGEE-Nijmegen.

“The Dark Side of the Boot” has been a great adventure, it has been a bet, a dream come true, but above all, it has been a lesson for all of us. The topic of our Summer University (SU) was self-development and the refugees’ crisis happening right now all over Europe. We wanted our participants to go back to their countries with something more, with something new. We wanted them to experience the SU in a funny way, but at the same time, we wanted them to learn something more about our country, and not only the good aspects of it, that everybody knows, but also the darker side of it.

Our 30 participants had the chance to meet many refugees, who are currently living in our city of Udine. All these people, as they told us, ran away from the war in Syria, but some other came from Afghanistan and Pakistan. We listened to their incredible stories, to how they had to leave their families, including their children, back in their home countries to seek a better future for all of them. In their country this was simply no longer possible. We had the chance to understand the reasons that pushed them to leave their realities, and start a long and risky journey. We also saw how Italy is trying to integrate them into society, helping them with the language, the culture and customs, thanks to some volunteers that are offering their free time to help them.

Participants also had the possibility to do some volunteering during the SU at Caritas, an Italian association that hosts and helps everyday-people, not only refugees or immigrants, but also the homeless or poor people, giving them a hot meal and shelter. The participants had the chance to give some of their free time for a good cause, seeing how sometimes, if you give a little love, you can get so much more in return. It has been a great experience for everyone. Sometimes you don’t realise the value of what you have, the importance of love and of all the little things that you own, and that are normal to you.

We also created a sort of refugees’ path simulation. We wanted the participants to understand how a refugee’s journey looks like, and so we thought about a story where everyone was involved with a different character. Each of them got the name of a person who really existed, and who really did do the journey to Europe. We were telling the story, and they had to follow it to see what was going to happen to their character, and what was their destiny. It was very helpful for them, because they really experienced it from a first-person-perspective: the fatigue and the hard conditions that refugees have to deal and live with during their journey to Europe.

It was a great SU, a bit different maybe from the other ones, but it will always be with us, what we saw, what we experienced far beyond our expectations, and what we thought. We understood a lot of things during the event, but the lesson that I am going to remember forever, the lesson that I learned from my participants, that is also the key for everything in life, is that no matter what, people need people, and people will always need people. No matter where you come from, no matter which language you speak, no matter the colour of your skin, people need people. I know, for someone this lesson is just a cliché, heard a million times, but sometimes even though we pretend to know it, we don’t really understand the deep meaning of it, or we don’t really listen carefully to it. So keep in mind: people need people.

Written by Stefano dal Farra, AEGEE-Udine

AEGEE-Patra proposed a magnificent TSU showing the best of Peloponnese on the initiative of Flo Fotini Karagrigori, Stavroula Kostakopolou, Secretary of this Greek Antenna, Vasiliki Petrakou, President, and the extraordinary help of an amazing team. Journalist Matteo Lai reports on this international event that was in collaboration with the Democracy in Practice project.

The Summer University of AEGEE-Patra began on the eleventh of July 2016. In Athens, I had already met some participants, Ana and Alvaro, and one organiser, Spyros, who hosted me during the previous weekend, and gave us a small city tour of the Greek capital. With other guys, who were joining the event, we reached Patra very late by bus; about nine p.m. The Greek organisers, however, could not let us miss out on some ice breaking games, so that we at least got to know the name of the other participants.

They came from every corner of Europe: Dario Renna (Italy), Natalya Turun (Ukraine),  Ihor Raynovskyy (Ukraine), David Ferre (Spain), Olga Revilla (Spain), Ana González García (Spain), Robert Bullesfeld (Germany), Joyce Schulte (the Netherlands), Álvaro Alonso Larré (Spain), Anna Zaiats (Ukraine), Strahinja Kocijasevic (Serbia), Enrica Griggio (Italy), Diego Laino Rebollido (Spain), Alessandro Boffa Fasset (Italy), Irene Ballester (Spain), Matteo Delfino (Italy), Adela Hurtikova (Czech Republic), Anna Temerko (Ukraine), Matteo Sberna (Italy), Merli Martin (Estonia), Sophia Talvoysh (Russia), Maria Calin (Austria), Alicia Jiménez Nosti (Spain), Julia Sohu (Spain), Mikel Larra Arca (Spain), Ella Katkova (Russia), Fernando Berniola Cassorán (Spain), Lili Dozsa (Hungary), Arbenita Hasani (Austria), Kagan Kemal Tuna (Turkey) and a girl simply known to us as Burcu (Turkey).

The organisers were: Noemi Lowy (Democracy in Practice Trainer, AEGEE-Debrecen), Vasiliki Petrakou (Main Organiser and President), Petros Spyratos, Spyros Ntouroukis, Fotini Flo Karagrigori (Main Organiser and Secretary), Stavroula Kostakopoulou (Main Organizer and Incoming Responsible), Raphael Angelis, Stavros Vlatakis, Giota Grintzou, Petros Vezos, Katerina Anastasopolou (AEGEE-Athina), Akis Tampachaniotis (AEGEE-Peiraias), Costas Frem, Costantinos Fasourakis, Yiota Mitropoulou, Anastasia Karantza.

After a quick dinner outside the hotel, we all went together to a lounge in a pub, ten minutes away from the hotel that was our accommodation for the first four days. I was really tired after the long trip from Athens to Patra, but I could not wait for the interesting programme that the organisers had crafted for us. Patra is famous for the Rio-Antirrio Bridge, the longest suspension bridge in Europe. In Patra, I also visited the Apollon Theatre, which was designed by the famous German architect Ernst Ziller and completed in 1872. The Apollon is located east of Georgiou I Square, one of Patra’s most popular squares. The theatre is a micrograph of “La Scala” in Milan, and is the oldest existing enclosed theatre of the same era. The Apollon Theatre has been the main stage of the Patras Municipal and Regional Theatre since 1988, and can hold up to three hundred people.

The TSU was in collaboration with the ‘Democracy in Practice’ project. For the newbies in AEGEE, the aim of the project is to raise awareness among young people about the importance of human rights as the basis of a healthy democracy, in order to promote social and political participation of young people at local, national, and European level. This can be achieved in two ways: by means of training, and by means of advocacy. Therefore, the members of Democracy in Practice set some learning objectives and some advocacy objectives. The former required the participants to explain what the interconnections between human rights and democracy are, to develop a campaign for Human Rights, to direct their own learning through the process, and to develop a concrete action plan in order to start a follow-up process. Advocacy objectives are various as well: the participants can identify the local stakeholders for human rights education; the participants are able to advocate for human rights education in their local communities, specially targeting universities and other educational centres.

There have been many sessions that allowed us to know each other better and to discuss about Europe. For example, at the Gythio campsite, Noemi asked us to write down some words that we associate with Europe: peace, freedom, security, human rights, prosperity, language, mobility. She also proposed us to watch a movie titled: “The Untouchables”, which topics were discussed during our stay in Patra.

On the third day, we spent the evening in Plaz, a beach close to Patra’s city centre, where we enjoyed the European Night, a traditional activity in every Summer University. The organisers decided to surprise us by showing their European friends the basics of some popular Greek dances. Then, Stavroula would not be amiss to show us the famous ‘Ouzo’, an alcoholic drink very similar to Sambuca with the flavor of anisette.

On the morning of the day after, we followed a Democracy in Practice session about the structure and organisation of AEGEE. Noemi also talked about several AEGEE projects you can join, such as The AEGEEan. Later, the protagonists of this amazing Greek adventure visited the Achaia Clauss winery where they relaxed, chatted and made some group photos. In the Youth Mobility Workshop, David explained to us the incredible advantages of living on a new planet with his “Apollo Mobility Program”.

The participants were involved in D.i.P. activities almost every day, but we also went to Ancient Olympia, known for having been the site of the Olympic Games in classical times. In the 10th century B.C., Olympia became a centre for the worship of Zeus. The Altis – the sanctuary to the gods – used to contain one of the greatest collections of masterpieces from the ancient Greek world. In addition to temples, we saw the remains of all the sports structures, which had been erected for the Olympic Games that were held in Olympia every four years. The first ever Olympic Games were held in honour of Zeus. After some hours at Kaiafas beach, we visited Kalamata. The city tour was guided by Dimitri Eliopoulos, former director of Alpha Bank, who spoke more Italian than Greek or English. On Sunday, we went to Polylimnio for river trekking. The course ended at a lake and some Spanish guys inaugurated a dive competition from very high rocks. In Methoni, we managed to make some group photos over the rocks near a castle without falling into the water.

The day at Kalamata’s city hall was the best for me. After we were welcomed by the mayor, we made an analysis and comparison of the situation of human and fundamental rights in several European countries. We were divided into small groups on the basis of our country. I still cannot believe it, but I talked in front of forty people in a foreign language about the Italian Constitution, while expressing my opinion about some current problems of Italy without getting nervous. I would have liked to answer some questions, but it was also important to talk about countries where the problem of human rights is probably much more felt, countries such as Ukraine, Russia and Turkey.

In Kardamyli, thirty-five kilometers southeast of Kalamata, in the region of Messenia on the Mani Peninsula, we admired the Mourtzinos Tower and the Church of Ayios Spyridon. After enjoying the sun at Stoupa beach, we reached the third Greek town of this vacation, Gythio, where we celebrated at the Hippie Hippie Shake Party.

One of the places that fascinated me the most was Monemvasia Island. Monemvasia is a town and a municipality in Laconia. The town is located on a small island off the Eastern coast of the Peloponnese. The town’s name derives from two Greek words, “mone” and “emvasia”, collectively meaning “single entrance”. Many of the streets are narrow and can only accommodate pedestrians and donkeys. A small hamlet of about ten houses lies on the northwest. The most interesting aspects of the island were for sure: Christos Elkomenos Square, the church of Agia Sophia, and the fortress. There was a very strong wind around the island, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying a wonderful excursion. Another interesting archeological site was Mystras, a fortified town and a former municipality in Laconia, always in the Peloponnese, situated on the Taygetos mountain, near the ancient Sparta.

In the next chapter of our journey, we arrived in Mycenae (or Mikines). In the second millennium BC, Mycenae was one of the major centres of Greek civilisation. I got petrified when I saw the Lion Gate, because I had only seen it in my history of art text book. On the last two days of the TSU, the accommodation was in a campsite in Napflio. During those couple of days, we went on a cruise discovering the Hydra and Spetses islands. In Hydra there were no cars, but a lot of mules instead. On both islands the water was crystal-clear. At the end of the SU, the organisers brought us to the ancient theatre at Epidauros: among all the ancient theatres, this one was the most beautiful and best preserved. And although it was very hot, I could not resist the temptation to climb up the steps to the top of the theatre.

The organisers of AEGEE-Patra did a really good job; some of them have been very affable with the most shy participants, and they have created and nurtured a group that wanted to have a lot of fun. Sometimes they had to modify the timetable for the evening programme by the request of most of the participants; such as when we asked to include one more party on Gythio beach. In the discos, someone among the organisers could not bare to see you sit on a chair, so they immediately grabbed you by your arms and made you fly on the dance floor. They showed to be very experienced after their Agora in 2014. Not everything  was perfect and there were some aspects that need to be improved for next year, but the organisers were also warm-hearted. When I got sick, guys like Raphael, Vasiliki and Stavros took care of me without hesitation.

Written by Matteo Lai, AEGEE-Cagliari.

First SU, first report, first of many! If being in a foreign country (lovely Czech Republic) and meeting Aeggeans of all across Europe is not enough, developing ourselves and getting to know better AEGEE has been great.

Before even arriving in Brno, our host city, we  already met some other participants and started to plan our trip with foreigners. A broken bus, some delayed flights and the language barriers wouldn’t stop us. After all, we all were determined to have an awesome time and make the most of the SU!

Once we arrived, and after some ice breaking games and super-fast Czech lessons, we started to know each other; only 12 participants and other 12 organisers. Being a small group led to better interactions and made it easier to know each other. Since the very first minute we mixed, almost with no difference. They even slept with us in the gym and every night went partying. The last ones standing were always the Spanish, Czech and Slovaks!

Teambuilding was the main topic for this SU.  Workshops taught by professional coaches, with the help of Tereza as a translator, were an absolute success. Team cooperation and group dynamics workshops taught us mainly how to deal with decisions within a bunch of people and how to make everyone  commit to the group. It also let us see the cultural differences between countries and regions, as leadership and teambuilding is really shown in different ways depending on that.

Feedback, coaching and conflict dealing where the other  main workshops and made us realise how important it was to give feedback properly to make others improve and how to help others to develop not only themselves but the group as a whole. All these workshops led to results ASAP. For example, whenever we went to a trip, even in smaller groups, everyone had its role, we knew how to deal properly with conflicts and even make decisions satisfying everyone. Personally, I had never felt so comfy within a group of people.

From an AEGEEan’s viewpoint, workshops on Civic education, Eurooptimism and Interculturality were also superb. Listening to opinions from all across Europe on how the education and customs influence our point of view or on how we perceive the EU have really opened our minds. Together with all this, we came to understanding other cultural differences deeper, thanks to a well-organised European night, to an awesome orienteering role game and to other many small games where we had to mix with each other. It was not easy for us (we were 6 Spaniards out of 12 participants) but I think we succeed. By the final days, we weren’t divided into small groups but we acted, thought, decided and worked as a single one. Amazing.

Brno, Mikulov, Lednice, Viena, Brnos’ Dam… We went to so many places… We visited two different chateaus, a wine-cellar, and so many pubs… Katka, Zuzana, Eva, Petra, Lenka and Lucie became tour guides for us, teaching both cultural issues and local habits. We learnt a lot about local culture, habits, behaviours, (huge) meals… All this thanks to activities such hiking, going to the swimming pool/dam, wine tasting, beer tasting (of course) or just by hanging out for a drink at evening. Organisers were great. Lubomir, Matej and Juraj made sure no one got bored, and that there was someone to party with.

Lovely place, great people, awesome experience. Looking forward to meeting again and for the next one! Díky a na shledanou!

Written by Jesús Pérez Gil, AEGEE-Bilbao