When we say EESTEC we also mean travelling. The two words fit together like Gin and Tonic. The primary aim of EESTEC, the europewide student association for electrical engineering students, is to promote and develop international contacts and the exchange of ideas. To fulfill this aim travelling is indispensable. Imagine the situation: You have spent five years at university and you get your degree, you are a real engineer now, but you have never been abroad all this time. Poor engineer, I can only say. You have missed something. There are many good reasons for travelling: You become more open-minded, you get to know new people, you can improve your english or other languages, you once see your own country and its good and bad sides from another point of view and most important you simply have fun. Some will ask now: How to travel if you can't afford it? The answer is simple. Only join EESTEC.
Now I should tell you some more about our activities. The main activities of our national committee for the last two years were student exchanges. During such an exchange a group of about ten students visits another city and university somewhere in Europe for ten days. The organization of the programme as well as its financiation are up to the host. For you as a participant this means that you only have to pay for the travelcosts and this can really be cheap if you hitchhike for example (no joke!). Of course an exchange always consists of two parts, because the other students want to come to visit you as well and then financiation is up to you. But don't worry, there are always possibilities to get money from somewhere, either from your university or from the private industry.
Every year we (the swiss) organize two exchanges. Two years ago we visited Budapest and Dublin, last year Vienna and Bologna and this year the destinations are Madrid and Sevastopol in the Ukraine. Espacially the trip to Sevastopol will be an extraordinary experience, as there the living standard and the mentality are pretty different from Switzerland. There is one big advantage when you go on such an exchange instead of travelling alone. Your experiences will be much more intensive. You are always together with the local students of the city and they show you around. Thus you get to see places and meet people which you wouldn't reach alone.
Next year we also organize something else than exchanges. The yearly congress, the main event of our association where all EESTEC-matters are discussed, will take place in Zurich and we will be pleased to welcome also three delegates from Finland.
So don't waste your time, taste the EESTEC-spirit.
Olivier Suter, Switzerland EESTEC Chairman '94/95