ReCoM Vienna: Read here how Jelena from Novi Sad experienced the ReCoM in Vienna...

After my first ReCoM in Bucharest, I just needed to experience Central Europe and its local groups so Vienna was, of course, the perfect place! When I applied for the event, I knew it would be hard for me to wait until “Registered” was written under my name. So, when that day finally came, I immediately started preparing everything for the upcoming trip.

The list of participants was more than awesome – German, Italian, Croatian, Portuguese and many other local groups; all will meet in one beautiful city! I just felt that this was going to be the kind of event where I would truly get ReCoMized.

Everything started in the morning of October the 27th, when I met with another girl from my Local Group in front of the bus station in Novi Sad. We were anxiously waiting for more than half an hour, and still, it was highly possible for us to miss the bus, because three minutes before the departure, I had stomach problems.

After a tiring trip spiced with a lot of Serbian people who were smoking in the bus, and playing Serbian national music (too much of it can get on someone’s nerves, trust me!), we finally arrived in Vienna in the evening.

Unfortunately, due to our late arrival, we missed the welcoming part, but we managed to meet the rest of the people in the club named LOCO. The place truly deserves its name – many Austrians partying, singing karaoke songs and just having some crazy fun. It was entertaining to dance around, or fight our way through to the nearest chair, since the club was more than cooped up - though, for that same reason, it truly had a unique atmosphere which made us all feel good.

That night we came back late, or early in the morning, to get some sleep because there was much work to do the next day. Trainings were scheduled for 8 o’clock in the morning at the beautiful Technical University of Vienna, which I found extremely amazing and breathtaking, not only for its size, but also for old buildings dating from the 19th century, or even before that.

The meeting officially started with the usual ESTIEM presentation, which was followed by presentations of all local groups, where everybody could see how others recruited their new members, motivated them to stay active, or organized their events.

After having long and fulfilling discussions about improving work of each Local Group, thinking of the first steps for future action plans, it was time for some sightseeing. The beautiful Schönbrunn was our first stop, where we not only enjoyed the fresh autumn air, saw many old statues, golden trees and elaborate fountains, but we also spiced the whole atmosphere with some ESTIEM spirit while singing various songs, having fun and after that, just relaxing near a pond and looking over the city.

That night, it was time for PRATERDOME which was, regarding my opinion at that point, the biggest club I’d ever been to. Unfortunately, everybody got separated into two parts, because some managed to get inside, and some didn’t. In the end, I was dancing around with a small group of participants and having fun, but still hoping that others are somewhere nearby.

Though, when all of us met at the workshop the next day, I was more than joyful to hear that everybody had a great time. That day was extremely interesting, because Local Groups needed to team up, and think of new ways of cooperating, improving and sharing experiences in recruiting, organizing, and participating in ESTIEM events and activities. After lunch, workshops continued with some corporate relations and motivation trainings, which were beneficial to all participants.

The greatest reward after such a hardworking day was a nice, long walk along the sunny Vienna. Everybody was enjoying the sights and beauties of the city, from Rathaus, to Hofburg and Stephansplatz. In the evening, everybody dressed up for the gala dinner, which included the tasty Wienerschnitzel and potatoes combined with a glass of Sturm. That part of the event was my personal favorite, because Local Group Zagreb and Local Group Novi Sad were making strong bonds while singing many songs, dancing and telling jokes, and at the same time, being supported by representatives of Local Group Darmstadt.

That night out was held in Arena, a big complex of clubs playing various types of music, with the main hall which was full (and enormous, so it immediately demolished my previous opinion about Praterdome) of young people dancing and having fun, so it wasn’t hard to catch their contagious spirit.

Unfortunately, that night had to end, and the next day, it was time to say goodbye. After we finished the final points of our action plans, gave out opinions and conclusions, Local Group Novi Sad needed to start packing, and getting ready for the trip home. After many hugs and farewells, we went to the bus station, full of impressions, and great feelings which we were talking about all the way home.

As it was a truly amazing event, with awesome people, it is my pleasure to say LG Vienna, thank you for a great time, hospitality, Stroh and of course, Ottakringer!

Jelena Bajsic LG Novi Sad