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It has been a tradition for EuroAquae to hold an inter-generational meeting in Newcastle every year. It has the sole goal of providing the 2nd semester students the guidance they need in order to have a clear picture of choosing among 3rd semester locations. In addition, it is also a good occasion to develop and strengthen not only the professional but also the social bond between EuroAquae students as well as alumni. This event is an independent effort which has been conceptualised by the pioneering batch of the EuroAquae Alumni Association (EAAA) Coordination Board; and through the years, this tradition has been passed down from generation to generation. This year, five graduating students from generation 7 volunteered to facilitate this activity in cooperation with the incumbent coordination board of the alumni association. Our gratitude goes to Waiteng Luen, Shanshan Liu, Katya Perez, and Mamadou Doucoure for their effort of travelling from far places just to make this meeting a successful one.
Before the event has started, we had a spontaneous dinner at an Indian restaurant called ‘Salomon’s place’. Afterwards, the main meeting commenced around 9:00pm in 75 Wingrove Road with a large turnout of participants. We used to call this venue a ‘big house’ because it was able to accommodate more or less 30 people when we had the same meeting last year. We are very much grateful to the current EuroAquae residents in that house for their hospitality of providing not only the meeting venue but also warm accommodation for some of the visiting facilitators. During the session, an informal and light atmosphere was observed while everyone was enjoying some refreshments; thanks to EAAA for sponsoring the foods and drinks.
A comprehensive presentation of each 3rd semester location was given with particular focus on subject matters. Nevertheless, other important aspects about student life were not disregarded which include accommodation, city living, social life and activities, administrative stuffs, visa issues, and internships, to mention a few. I hope we were at least able to shed light on minds of students with regards to some facets of their future professional plans. Overall, I can say that it was a successful activity and is worth continuing in many generations to come. -JR.Estil
(Photo credit: Nazmul Azim Rezwan)