Freshers’ Camp 2018
This year’s Freshers’ Camp was all about meeting people, having fun together and making friends. Studying abroad is an adventure we want to experience together – and this weekend trip gave our Freshers the perfect opportunity for a good start into a whole new life!
As every year, Guosta gave us a warm and sunny welcome with a slight refreshing breeze in the air. After arriving, registering, finding their teams and exploring the campsite, everybody had the chance to get to know each other by playing some extraordinary games made up exclusively for them by our creative organizers. Our Freshers – and the organizers – were amused to find themselves in the middle of a vicious paint battle, a race against time or a human pyramid. Drenched in our most famous weapon, the tomato juice, the teams fought until the very end to become the winner of the first event.
To recover from this energy consuming activity, we had dinner in the beautiful outside food area of our campsite in Guosta. After another little break, we started our much beloved Guosta Quiz Night, the ultimate battle of brains. The teams had to answer five rounds of tricky questions – as well about medical subjects as about commonly known topics. Everyone wanted to prove their knowledge and it became loud and cheerful inside the assembly hall. Even hours after those brainwars, the students – old as new – were still discussing the questions and answers of this challenge.
Some of us decided to have a bonfire in the yard between the cottages. Until late at night we played guitar and sang our favourite songs by the fireplace. Others were rather in a dancing mood and Guosta was filled with music and laughter until the early morning hours when it was time to get some sleep.
But of course, you cannot make friends when you sleep. This is why our Freshers got up before breakfast the next morning for some wake-up-dance-moves outside. The Indian members of our organizing team showed everyone how to have a great time – even if it is early in the morning, you are not a morning person and maybe not the best dancer. We all ended up moving and laughing and enjoying ourselves. The best way to start your day!
After breakfast, our Freshers were sent on a mission to find pieces of information in our annual Scavenger Hunt. Since we just had eaten and some of us had a little lack of sleep, we decided to take it easy and not rush the hunt. With brains and precision, our Freshers found every location that contained a hint, took pictures for later analysis and fiercely protected their team mascots. In the end, we had a lot of photos, many new team memories and a Lion King!
At lunchtime, everyone gathered in the food area of the camp. With a beautiful view of the sun reflecting from the lake downhill, we enjoyed our well deserved meal and Guosta at its best.
The afternoon was about relaxing and doing what you want to do. Not without some action though! Those who wanted and felt fresh enough, could participate in team sports like basketball, volleyball and soccer. The Freshers as well as the organizers showed their wild side and competed for the win until it was almost dinner time, while others were sitting by the lake, swimming or catching up on some sleep.
The second night in camp began – and that also meant the craziest games! Can you push an orange with a banana tied to your pants? Or eat a cookie that was placed on your head without using your hands? Our Freshers sure can! And they showed us what determination looks like. Just what you need to win the game and have a good party with your best friends afterwards! And this is just what we did. For those who wanted to have a short break or listen to the sounds of the guitar, the fire was lit again and uncountable rounds of Werewolf were played in the glimmer of the flames.
For us, this was the last night in Guosta for 2018. But we will be back soon and do it all over again! Making friends in a foreign country can be like finding a second home and having another family. For us, studying here means spending time together and helping each other. Freshers’ Camp was the perfect chance for our new students to start with that right now!
Julia Kempen, Student of Veterinary Medicine
