Describing this event in words is tough. That’s why there is a wonderful movie, too!
This year’s occupyMarmaris11: The Beach Bang Theory, hosted by EESTEC LC Ankara, lived up to its reputation as one of the most anticipated EESTEC exchanges of the year. With participants from across the continent, the six-day event combined the beautiful Turkish seaside with cultural exchange, adventure, and some of the best people.
Some of the highlights of the event were:
The first day was directly a beach day. To make things exciting, we were dragged around on a giant floaty by a speedboat through the sea at crazy speeds and with jumps on every wave. Round two of the fun came with the additional challenge that the floaty was smaller, and you could easily fall off.
The traditional International Night allowed us to taste food and drinks from across Europe, from a big Turkish table all the way through Poland and to Spain. From Sarma and Raki via Soplica and Polish salami to Sangria. And of course, we had Swiss Raclette and tasty Ricola Vodka at the LC Zurich table.
If you didn’t get enough Turkish snacks on international night, there was also the dedicated Turkish Night, which also included typical Turkish music and, of course, learning some Turkish dances (or at least trying to).
To give us a change of scenery from the beautiful seaside, we went on a safari day. This started with a buggy ride through some forest, and importantly, lots of mud, which went on the buggy, in your face and eyes, and all over you. Feeling like a true adventure. Fittingly, the afternoon consisted of a giant water gun fight. But not a regular one: The fight was happening from moving trucks which drove past each other, allowing us to get a good angle on every opponent and ensuring everyone was completely soaked. Of course, this was all very safe, there were safety belts, which were generously ignored.
On the last day, we went on a boat trip, which was one of my favourites. The sea in the bays we went to was so crystal clear and deeply blue, it felt like swimming through the sky. Combined with the option to take a (long) nap on the deck chair, this made it a very relaxing experience.
Leaving behind the exciting adventures and chill life, the turquoise blue sea, and, hardest, all my new friends. To cushion the end, I spent an extra night in İzmir, and then took intermediate stops in Niš, Serbia, and Ljubljana, Slovenia, on the way home, where I visited my friends from previous events, in true EESTEC travel style.
Will you join the next EESTEC event?
