Agora
Here the story about the agora on special request ;)
Moving around Italy
Wednesday was my first travel day. From Rotterdam to Rome. I had a nice flight and also I didn’t had to wait a long time like in Amsterdam, just 1 hours before the flight I was at the airport and not 2 hours. When I arrived in Rome, I had to take a train to the centre. They really know how to take money from the tourists, 11 euros for 30 minutes trip. The nice thing was that four people were waiting for me at the train station, Duco & Rogier whom came by car earlier to Rome all the way from Rotterdam, and Bobby from Sofia and Arjan whom came earlier that day by plane from Vienna. We went by bus to the Youth Hostel. When I was installed, we ordered some nice pizza’s. We are in Italy, so let’s eat Italian. After the dinner Arjan, Duco and me went outside and left the lovebirds together. We gathered on a nice square nearby the hostel to sit and drink (at least the other guys, since we had beer and wine). We found out that Duco can’t handle cheap wine :) It took him a ages to sent a simple sms to a lady from Minsk… Since the day before my trip was the Halloween party, so I didn’t wanted to make it that late but still it became.
The next day we went by car, all five persons to Napoli. It was a nice trip, we sung some songs of André Hazes during the trip. When we arrived at the agora place, we went to the registration to get our nice badges. This time not as in Torino where some people had to wait five hours, it went rather easy; maybe because some guys from Valetta were helping. After that we went for a short tour by car around Napoli. Sometimes Napoli looks like eastern Europe, so old and dirty. The sleeping place was not even in a gym, but two big halls, where they just had toilets, not even a showers.
So, what did the Italians do again… showers outside, but even the first day they were not there, and when they finally came, they were not connected, when that finally was solved, no warm water in the beginning. Welcome to my worst Agora….
At five I was ‘forced’ to join the meeting with European activist “Quo Vadis AEGEE”, it was a nice meeting. Although I’m not sure what will be done with the outcome. Before the party we had the official opening of the agora, with the mayor of the city, and other important VIP’s. The first party after that was ok, it was in a disco which was in a restaurant.
(never leave your tent unguarded)
My first night was not that nice. My stuff was in Room 6, and I slept in Room 5; but beneath the working lights… the whole night they left on. Then it became also freezing cold during the night a nice start of the Agora.
Friday was the day of the workshops. Naturally I was at the beginning of the agora. Then all the locals can call “present” if the chair call the local during the row call. Nowadays is a kind of battle between the locals whom has the nicest song, so it takes for ever. Normally Rotterdam have a nice horn, but our dear president didn’t dare to take it with him, and the theme of this agora was “Time for daring”! After all the first plenary introduction stuff, there was the time for the first workshops timeslot. I went to the workshop given by Olivier Genkin and Julia Hoffmann both of the International Politics Working Group, with the title “Bigger – Better – European integration?”, there were some statements, and by moving from one end to the room, it showed if you were in favour, against or in the middle. There were around 50 participants. The statements were like: “Romania and Bulgaria are joining to early” and “The EU is and should be a Christian Club”. It was very nice workshop.
After the lunch I went to the workshop of the Culture Working Group and Find Europe Coordination Team, namely “Cul-Tour: check out Culture in AEGEE. The workshop began with a card game, the goal of the game was to make the participants more sensitive for different cultures, for being aware of minorities and how it feels to communicate without a common language. Directly afterwards we started a discussion about time perception and about time value in different cultures. It was a great workshops with around 30 participants.
(Cul-Tour workshop of FECT together with CWG)
After the workshop we had a short coffee break, then we had the second plenary of the day. After the dinner we had a nice party. It was the best party of the agora, it was a cool place with even a swimming pool!
Since the programme of the Saturday morning is not that special, I left with the guys from Sofia and Rogier to Pompei. We went there by metro and train. It was a nice and cool place. A lot of old stuff. Worth to see. We headed back to the Agora. I was on time to see the last minutes and results of the prytanium of the European Boards Meeting working format. After the coffee break, there was one of the most important happenings during the agora the presentation of the candidates of the Comité Directeur. After the presentations of the 6 candidates, there was a big line of persons whom wanted to ask one or more questions. Most of the questions went to the new secretary general. The first problem was that he didn’t understand English very well, and also he don’t know a basic task like the General Mailing, which is the mailing before the agora with the agora booklet, flyers of events, other important stuff; and not answering emails.
This evening was the worst party of the agora, it was at the agora place itself, a big white hall, with no acoustics, and way to big. There was a life band playing, but mainly hard core rock. After the band, there was a DJ, which was already better, but still…. So went to bed early somehow with the tenue de ville “jasje” of the president of AEGEE-Europe.
Sunday, the waking up service was not working, I slept through it totally. I got up at 14.30; So I missed my lunch meeting… So I went directly to the “communistic” handclapping ceremony. 2 hours clapping for all the elected candidates, amazing.
After this wonderful clapping event, we had dinner, a nice sandwich. I stayed then with the people from Heidelberg. After dinner I talked with the CWG representative whom is studying in Rome. The nice thing out of this, was that for my days after the agora in Rome, I had a normal bed, and a warm shower. The last party was again at the place on walking distance of the agora where we had also the first party. I ate there a nice pizza at one in the night :)
The party was alright, I had some fun with the Heidelberg/Praha people. It went again late, as usual. The nice thing was, that it was said that everybody should have left at 7 in the morning the sleeping place. But come on it’s Italy! Butt…. the Italians started to wake up us at 7.15 in the morning. I left together with the Roma people to Rome, we left at 10.30 Napoli, Thank god! And came to the beautiful Rome a bit later then we should, the trains are working everywhere the same! The first thing I did when I arrived in Rome was laying down for some moments on a real bed, and after that taking a hot shower after 4 days of survival you know to appreciate the things you take for granted. On Wednesday I flew back to Rotterdam at midnight I was back home in my own apartment, how nice. With in my mind that the next agora in Valetta will be again in a hotel, what a nice dream!
René Keijzer
Moving around Italy
Wednesday was my first travel day. From Rotterdam to Rome. I had a nice flight and also I didn’t had to wait a long time like in Amsterdam, just 1 hours before the flight I was at the airport and not 2 hours. When I arrived in Rome, I had to take a train to the centre. They really know how to take money from the tourists, 11 euros for 30 minutes trip. The nice thing was that four people were waiting for me at the train station, Duco & Rogier whom came by car earlier to Rome all the way from Rotterdam, and Bobby from Sofia and Arjan whom came earlier that day by plane from Vienna. We went by bus to the Youth Hostel. When I was installed, we ordered some nice pizza’s. We are in Italy, so let’s eat Italian. After the dinner Arjan, Duco and me went outside and left the lovebirds together. We gathered on a nice square nearby the hostel to sit and drink (at least the other guys, since we had beer and wine). We found out that Duco can’t handle cheap wine :) It took him a ages to sent a simple sms to a lady from Minsk… Since the day before my trip was the Halloween party, so I didn’t wanted to make it that late but still it became.
The next day we went by car, all five persons to Napoli. It was a nice trip, we sung some songs of André Hazes during the trip. When we arrived at the agora place, we went to the registration to get our nice badges. This time not as in Torino where some people had to wait five hours, it went rather easy; maybe because some guys from Valetta were helping. After that we went for a short tour by car around Napoli. Sometimes Napoli looks like eastern Europe, so old and dirty. The sleeping place was not even in a gym, but two big halls, where they just had toilets, not even a showers.
So, what did the Italians do again… showers outside, but even the first day they were not there, and when they finally came, they were not connected, when that finally was solved, no warm water in the beginning. Welcome to my worst Agora….
At five I was ‘forced’ to join the meeting with European activist “Quo Vadis AEGEE”, it was a nice meeting. Although I’m not sure what will be done with the outcome. Before the party we had the official opening of the agora, with the mayor of the city, and other important VIP’s. The first party after that was ok, it was in a disco which was in a restaurant.
(never leave your tent unguarded)
My first night was not that nice. My stuff was in Room 6, and I slept in Room 5; but beneath the working lights… the whole night they left on. Then it became also freezing cold during the night a nice start of the Agora.
Friday was the day of the workshops. Naturally I was at the beginning of the agora. Then all the locals can call “present” if the chair call the local during the row call. Nowadays is a kind of battle between the locals whom has the nicest song, so it takes for ever. Normally Rotterdam have a nice horn, but our dear president didn’t dare to take it with him, and the theme of this agora was “Time for daring”! After all the first plenary introduction stuff, there was the time for the first workshops timeslot. I went to the workshop given by Olivier Genkin and Julia Hoffmann both of the International Politics Working Group, with the title “Bigger – Better – European integration?”, there were some statements, and by moving from one end to the room, it showed if you were in favour, against or in the middle. There were around 50 participants. The statements were like: “Romania and Bulgaria are joining to early” and “The EU is and should be a Christian Club”. It was very nice workshop.
After the lunch I went to the workshop of the Culture Working Group and Find Europe Coordination Team, namely “Cul-Tour: check out Culture in AEGEE. The workshop began with a card game, the goal of the game was to make the participants more sensitive for different cultures, for being aware of minorities and how it feels to communicate without a common language. Directly afterwards we started a discussion about time perception and about time value in different cultures. It was a great workshops with around 30 participants.
(Cul-Tour workshop of FECT together with CWG)
After the workshop we had a short coffee break, then we had the second plenary of the day. After the dinner we had a nice party. It was the best party of the agora, it was a cool place with even a swimming pool!
Since the programme of the Saturday morning is not that special, I left with the guys from Sofia and Rogier to Pompei. We went there by metro and train. It was a nice and cool place. A lot of old stuff. Worth to see. We headed back to the Agora. I was on time to see the last minutes and results of the prytanium of the European Boards Meeting working format. After the coffee break, there was one of the most important happenings during the agora the presentation of the candidates of the Comité Directeur. After the presentations of the 6 candidates, there was a big line of persons whom wanted to ask one or more questions. Most of the questions went to the new secretary general. The first problem was that he didn’t understand English very well, and also he don’t know a basic task like the General Mailing, which is the mailing before the agora with the agora booklet, flyers of events, other important stuff; and not answering emails.
This evening was the worst party of the agora, it was at the agora place itself, a big white hall, with no acoustics, and way to big. There was a life band playing, but mainly hard core rock. After the band, there was a DJ, which was already better, but still…. So went to bed early somehow with the tenue de ville “jasje” of the president of AEGEE-Europe.
Sunday, the waking up service was not working, I slept through it totally. I got up at 14.30; So I missed my lunch meeting… So I went directly to the “communistic” handclapping ceremony. 2 hours clapping for all the elected candidates, amazing.
After this wonderful clapping event, we had dinner, a nice sandwich. I stayed then with the people from Heidelberg. After dinner I talked with the CWG representative whom is studying in Rome. The nice thing out of this, was that for my days after the agora in Rome, I had a normal bed, and a warm shower. The last party was again at the place on walking distance of the agora where we had also the first party. I ate there a nice pizza at one in the night :)
The party was alright, I had some fun with the Heidelberg/Praha people. It went again late, as usual. The nice thing was, that it was said that everybody should have left at 7 in the morning the sleeping place. But come on it’s Italy! Butt…. the Italians started to wake up us at 7.15 in the morning. I left together with the Roma people to Rome, we left at 10.30 Napoli, Thank god! And came to the beautiful Rome a bit later then we should, the trains are working everywhere the same! The first thing I did when I arrived in Rome was laying down for some moments on a real bed, and after that taking a hot shower after 4 days of survival you know to appreciate the things you take for granted. On Wednesday I flew back to Rotterdam at midnight I was back home in my own apartment, how nice. With in my mind that the next agora in Valetta will be again in a hotel, what a nice dream!
René Keijzer
posted by René Keijzer | 1:58 PM
1 Comments:
Thanks for fulfilling my request. Seems it was interesting time. Good for you :p
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