JEF Belgium

Saturday was workshops and the seminar party in the evening. The Berlin Seminar offered no less than six different workshops from which participants could choose. Topics such as the financial crisis, foreign policy, social media 2.0, street art, campaigning or debating were on the table. Whatever you chose it wasn’t just to listen and learn, it was also doing it yourself. Since I was already writing this blog I chose the social media 2.0 workshop.

In the morning we got a introduction into social media such as facebook, twitter, bloggingportal.eu and so on, to show us the great potential of these digital tools to connect to others and spread the word of JEF. The purpose of the workshop was of course to write our own blog, something our trainers, Thomas, Martin and Miriam, assured us was not that difficult. Our topic was going to be the new EU 2020 strategy, the follow up of the Lisbon Strategy, about which we as Jeffers had some serious doubts. After lunch we’ve hit it hard and fast. We started with some research, gathered online sources and wrote our piece. With the help of our trainers we put it on the JEF site, The new federalist. This and more in less than 3 hours.

In the evening we returned to the hostel, to enjoy some free time before dinner. Since the pintjes in the hostel were outrageously expensive (2 EUR!!!) me and Peter hit the Netto supermarket and

got our own stash. Always a smart thing to do when you’re on a seminar: look for local budget solutions. A nice shower, some very nice pasta and a train ride later we we’re standing outside the venue JEF arranged for us, Fritzclub. This club was all about young people, catering to different tastes in more than four different music style rooms. More than enough to ensure that everybody in our group of Jeffers could have a great time.

The only thing we missed was the traditional Tequila sharing moment which Mandi (aka Manja) arranged. A longstanding tradition that goes all the way back to Ventotene. Off course it wouldn’t be the same without Angel, but we simply had to do it, since this was a ‘party on a seminarie’. After some deliberation we went back to the hostel to get the tequila and dive even further in the rich nightlife that Berlin has to offer with the help of my local guide, Martin.

Gaute

For the moment I’m sitting in the Sanatorium 23 bar with some locals. It wasn’t easy today, but now I’m chillin so let me tell you more about my day.

I got up at 8h30 to leave at 9 am for our first informational seminar session in Berlin, the JEF World café session. It’s a lot like the Speeddating Europe activity in Ghent, but with bigger groups, longer discussions and a bit more anarchy. We were free to choose at which table we wanted to join until all chairs are taken. What I really missed was of course the little ‘change seats’ tune, so did the moderator I guess. After four group discussions and two hours later we were invited to a soup buffet for lunch, paid for by a German insurance company, thanks!

After lunch we made our way to the Bundestag in the Reichstag. Big difference here! For clarity the Reichstag is the building, which dates back to the rule of the German Emperor, the Bundestag is the actual parliament. We kicked off with a fish bowl discussion, a novel discussion concept that let’s room for participants to join a small permanent panel up front. Everybody was invited to make a couple of statements if they felt like it. Since it was pretty late yesterday and the speakers weren’t that interesting, participants had a bit of trouble filling in the empty seats of the panel. But hey, it was international evening yesterday, living on a seminar can be hard.

We finished our seminar responsibilities with a visit to the dome of the Reichstag. A disorienting structure of steel and glass, that moves, ventilates, shines,… well very important for Germans and very pretty to look at. The tour on the dome was even funnier, real German stuff here. They gave us an audio guide that told you when to stop while climbing the dome and at which buildings to look. I lost the track quite early. International evening hangover maybe? Or just me wondering over the large skyline of Berlin. Breathtaking anyway.

So now I’m in the company of some lovely locals. Their’s Martin, Merete, Manja (the pirate girl) and Uwe from the seminar, joined by Andreas, Sascha, Mattias and Maja. They’re a nice bunch of hardcore hamburger fans. They took me to a small place called the “frituurhause” and let me get a taste of my first real Berlin Hamburger. I can assure you, definitely better then my German Bradwurst yesterday, and very enjoyable. The frituurhause looks actually like a real frituur, but don’t come looking here for a bickyburger. Only ‘real’ meat my German friends assure me, and no deepfrying. Although I miss my bicky I left satisfied and happy, guess they made a new fan. This brings me to where I’m right now the Sanatorium 23 bar, a lounge bar, with stylish seats/beds, arty pictures on the wall, ambient beats and a fine gin tonic. Prizes are about the same as in Ghent so no panic here. Time for me to go again though, cause my Berliner friends are starting to think I’m a real computerfreak.

Maybe a little, but not that much. Let’s enjoy our drinks, but get to bed early tonight, because tomorrow the workshops start (Blogging or Streetart for me) and off course their will be the official party. Good night and see you soon again.

Gaute