Last semester I had to suffer a lot in the first few weeks of the semester because I was not ready to be back at ETH. So, when I saw that there was an option for me to be at the beach in Turkey in the first week after the summer break, I did not hesitate and applied. Looking back, I can only congratulate myself on that idea.
I arrived in Marmaris on a Sunday afternoon, where I was greeted with smiling Turkish faces from our hosts from LC Ankara. They picked me up in classic EESTEC fashion and brought me to our stay for the week. It was a hostel in the city with a big pool upfront. Even though I was one of the first guests to arrive, there were already people in the pool playing volleyball and enjoying the warm weather. After checking in, I immediately joined them. There we stayed till the evening, when we had to get ready for the welcoming party. Like most EESTEC events, it started out with a get-to-know everyone. After a few games, we went out into the city of Marmaris and went clubbing. Our hosts took great care of us, and I think that was the first time I went to a club with a big group, and no one got lost!
On Monday we went on a boat cruise around the coastline where we had multiple stops to go for a swim and to hang out on beaches. After spending the whole day in the sun and swimming a lot, we could rest for a bit before we got dinner and prepared for game night. We played a variety of games, but as a member of LC Zurich, I was surprised to not see a rage cage setup. So I took it as my duty to teach them and maybe cage some poor people.
On Tuesday we went to an aqua park which was located directly at the beach in the city. There we spent the day before we got back early to the hostel to prepare for the mandatory international night. For me, that meant preparing Ricola Vodka. Luckily, I found a few helpful participants to help shake the bottle. Up to then I had heard a lot about Turkish delight and other Turkish specialities but did not have the chance to try them. So naturally I was looking forward to that, and I have to say it did not disappoint. After trying all the different countries specialities, we threw a great pool party.
Wednesday was beach day! We could sleep in a bit and ate lunch at our hostel. Then we headed to the beach, where we enjoyed some cocktails and the nice weather. In the evening we went out of the city for the Turkish night. Where the hosts from LC Ankara showed us some traditional Turkish dance moves, and we had a lot of fun in an open-air venue while eating Turkish food and drinking lots of Raki. On our way back to the hostel we made a stop at the club where we stayed a little too long.
For the next day, Thursday, most people were late for the meetup. But luckily the OC of LC Ankara had that planned in, and we did not miss our bus for the Safari which was on the program for that day. Although it was more of an adventure day where we drove around in jeeps and made multiple stops during the day at local sightseeing highlights and activities. Those included a water fight in the jeeps on off-road tracks, go karting and of course a beach could not be missing. Sadly, after that, it was already time to pack my stuff and head to the farewell night. For that, we went out into the city of Marmaris one last time and made a few clubs unsecure with our superb EESTEC dance moves.
Then on Friday they brought me to the bus station where I took a bus to the airport. There I arrived very sleep-deprived but totally happy with how the week went and the great people I’ve met.
