Mediterranean adventure, Cosenza, 21-28 May 2006

Imagine the feeling after a long exam period. Studies are finally over for the semester and now it's a week of vacation before the summerjob starts. I'm in an airplane eagerly waiting for the arrival to Rome. My first trip with EESTEC has started and I'm a bit excited. I don't know what to expect for the week. I just know that it must be fun. The feeling just keeps on rising when the plane lands. The weather turns out to be awesome. I have to reduce some clothing when stepping out of the plane, it's +33 degrees Celsius out there!

My next goal is to get to the bus station where my trip would continue towards Cosenza and the Mediterranean adventure. Through some improvisation I manage to get there faster than I expected. I use the extra time by feeding my hunger and tasting some local pizza. Both the pizza and the ice cream I took for dessert are definetly worth their reputation. I really hope they some day learn to make ice cream like that in Finland, too.

Well, after a six hours bus trip, I finally arrive to Cosenza. The event has started a day before my arrival, but I got much cheaper flights this way. Despite of coming a bit later than the others I get to know the people very fast. The participants and the organizers are all so social and nice people that I really felt welcome. There was a traditional Calabrian party held that evening and the atmosphere was like I would have been there from the beginning.

The accommodation was in a students' dormitory. We didn't spend there much time because the event was full of program. Practically we only used the dormitories for sleeping. We had early wake-ups and long days with parties every evening. We visited some nearby villages and spent also some time on a few beaches. There was sightseeing, an excursion to a tunafish factory, a trip to the Curcio mountain, dinners in nice restaurants and all sorts of other fun program. One night we even ate and slept well in a hotel in Falerna. I really need to thank the organizers for all the hard work they have done for the Mediterranean adventure. I had a wonderful time there.

The best thing in the adventure was not the magnificant weather we had all week nor the interesting program they had planned for us. It was the awesome attitude everyone had. People were on a vacation and you could really see that. The great feeling was just glowing from everyone. You didn't have to worry about anything, just concentrate on relaxing and having fun. I enjoyed every moment of the adventure. I remember once lying under a tree just smiling widely in the sunshine and listening to some of the people playing guitar. That moment I decided that this is not my last EESTEC event - definitely not.

All in all the Mediterranean adventure went beyond all my expectations. I got a week full of program in a painting-like scenery with awesome people all over Europe, a nice tan to show my friends back home and a pile of wonderful memories. All this was just for the price of the travelling costs. It's a nice deal, I think... I'm looking forward for the next EESTEC event I'm going to attend.

Written by: Otto Parantainen