On the 25th, 26th and 27th of October, IAAS Louvain-la-Neuve organised an international weekend as the first event they would be hosting this year. Students from France, the Netherlands, Flanders, Germany and even China were invited to join the team and share this wonderful experience.
As to stay true to the very spirit of IAAS (exchanging, sharing and discovering), the team decided to have a Trade Fair on the first evening, on Friday. This consists of what is basically a banquet, but more fun: members bring food which they consider to be typical of their country and set it on their flag lain on a table.
Therefore, the point of the activity isn’t only to stuff your mouth but also to take part in an intense version of Catch the Flag which can - and has - resulted in playful, but nonetheless ferocious, fights.
This combination of the greatest and merest delights in a human’s life on this earth (food, drinks and battle) gave everybody the opportunity to get to know each other in a relaxed (if you forget the duelling, I guess) and friendly atmosphere.
The night eventually came to an end in a bar, which is probably not very surprising considering the presence of Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
On Saturday morning, all members were to go to the Bois de Lauzelle, a forest close to the university campus, and play a game involving nature and biology (we were, after all, a bunch of nerds studying agricultural and related sciences, so it was to be expected). The rules were quite simple: each team (4-6 people) had an hour to do a list of challenges which went from ‘find 5 different mushrooms’ to ‘create a mystical creature and describe it with an awful lot of details.’ While most probably didn’t think they would be digging the ground for mycelium or looking for spiderweb at 11am, everyone had fun and left the game happy and - very- hungry.
It was thus after a well-deserved meal that hosts and guests alike found themselves involved in another game meant to help them discover the city. Indeed, they were to find various places scattered all around the neighbourhood and learn about them at the same time through questions and riddles.
Once again, this came to an end in a bar, but this time, this only meant the beginning of the evening which was then spent eating french fries and playing casino games. (Do I even need to mention the fake money won that night was used to get drinks at this point?)
Then came Sunday morning: a dreadful, feared moment for all to realise the weekend would soon be over. However, before anyone was to say goodbye, the team in Louvain-la-Neuve organised a workshop to make soap in a natural way devoid of waste and pollution. Then, everyone was welcome to go and discover La Baraque, a green, independent neighbourhood right next to the campus. One of its inhabitants was nice enough to give us a tour full of anecdotes and wonders.
Eventually, the weekend came to its end, and it was decided we would end it like it had started: with food. That’s how we ended up 20 students in one kitchen making pizzas with different toppings to please everyone’s tastes. And, let me tell you, the result was quite worth the waiting.
In conclusion, this first event of the year for IAAS Louvain-la-Neuve was an absolute success. We got very positive reviews for everyone, and the new members seem to have had lots of fun. The atmosphere felt immediately pleasant and friendly, even though most people didn’t really know each other. There wasn’t an ounce of awkwardness as everyone came open-minded and willing to make the most of this weekend. It was overall a great experience which everyone will keep great memories of.
Written by Soléane Delbrassine (1st year Bachelor in Bioengineering) from Louvain-la-Neuve
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