Local Group Exchange Eindhoven - Vienna, 03-07/07/2011

What we did last summer…

Broadening my horizon and developing my perspective on an international level! In fact that is kind of what I did this summer. On the third of July Local Group Eindhoven, represented by 18 students, headed for a 5-day exchange with Local Group Vienna.

It all started on a Sunday evening when, after a nice flight from Rotterdam Airport, we arrived at Vienna airport. Right away we were welcomed by Markus and Daniel, some of the people who were going to take care of us for the next few days. From the first minute on the atmosphere was very relaxed. To take it slow we went to an Irish pub where we met all the other organisers and had the opportunity to chat with each other and so learn more about the rest of the group. After that, we split up in five groups and went to our host’s places. Of course I went straight to bed because I had to be fit for the next morning.

The program we then had in the next days to come was really good, it contained all aspects you need when visiting a city. Of course we did something educative; On the first day Markus took us to the nuclear research department of his University where they had a real nuclear reactor operating, which was very interesting to be standing right next to. After that we went to the headquarters of the United Nations where we got an organised tour around the complex. After that it was time to give our brains some time off so we went to the Pratern, a huge amusement park in the middle of the city. This was really amazing. There was a huge 117 meters tall spinning tower, the Prater Turm from which you could view all of Vienna. This was a really spectacular sight. To make the day complete, we went to a club in the evening where some of the participants got to know each other even better.

But we did a lot more. On the second day we did a city rally around the centre of Vienna. By doing all kinds of assignments we got to learn a lot about Vienna while visiting a lot of highlights like the Schönbrunn and small places you do not get to see when you go as a “normal” tourist. It was a lot of fun. In the evening we ate a huge Wiener Schnitzel, most of us could not finish it! We closed the day with a party at the LG’s office, where we got to know even more members of Local Group Vienna.

On the third day we went to Bratislava in Slovakia, which took only one hour by bus. While being much smaller than Vienna, it was still a beautiful city to visit. Some of us tried to ride a Segway, others just walked around the old town and saw the Bratislava Castle, Old Town Hall and the New Bridge. To conclude this day we relaxed at an artificial beach near the Danube river and had a nice dinner at sunset that yielded some nice pictures. We returned to Vienna and had the opportunity to discuss the day in a club that had a swimming pool in the backyard.

Last but not least we went for a swim at the Krapfenwaldbad on the last day. The swimming pools (yes there were multiple) were located on top of a huge hill with a spectacular view over Vienna. Perfect for a last good look at this beautiful city.

There were a lot of new members that joined the exchange with Vienna. To let them get to know the ESTIEM culture we sang a lot of the ESTIEM songs. But since there is a lot more to do in ESTIEM other than singing songs and participating in Local Group exchanges, there was a presentation held by the Local Responsibles of Eindhoven and Vienna. Telling about the history of ESTIEM, its goals and explaining the opportunities to get active on a central level, a quiz was set up to award the best listener with nice prices. This presentation was very interesting, and I won a nice price!

So, we may conclude that the trip was very successful. By making the new people enthusiastic, ESTIEM will be certain of some new active members. We broadened our minds by visiting another city and we got to know Vienna in a very special way so we learned a lot too.
Schönbrunn, sun (sometimes), swimming pools, drinks, clubs, great universities, great buildings, very hot Habanero peppers, ESTIEMers… VIENNA HAS IT ALL!

Thank you LG Vienna, Markus, Susanne, Emre, Monica, Daniel and Robert for this great experience!!! See you soon in Eindhoven!

By Muriël Kol
LG Eindhoven, Netherlands