Sightseeing Challenge – Brugg 2nd day / travelling to Engelberg

Today we had a very busy but funny day. We woke up, packed our bags, had breakfast, cleaned our rooms and went to Luzern. In Luzern we took a bus to the Eigenthal where we went hiking. The hike was not very long because of the weather, but we still enjoyed it. We stopped at a farm where we had lunch and rested before we hiked the way down. We got on the bus and walked to the circus, but it started to rain hard, so we went back to the train station. We took the train to Engelberg where we had dinner and then free time.

Feet Sightseeing Challenge – Brugg

stomping. Shields crashing. Dust rising from the ground. The sound of legionaries crying out.

This was the setting we found ourselves in. This morning we went to legionary camp to travel back in time and live the life of Roman warriors.  Not only was the experience fun but it was also informative and interesting. We got to feel how the Romans lived on a military base by wearing the same equipment and going through the same training as they did. We could barely stand up with the 8 kilo chainmail vest that the Romans had to wear through their 25 year military service.

After lunch, we went to the pool to cool down after the mornings training. We all had fun diving, going down the waterslide, and playing different games in the grass.

We then finished the day off by bonding over Kinospiel, a funny “dating” cinema game.

Sports & Leisure - Besuch im Durchgangszentrum Embrach

Das Hauptthema während den letzten 2 Tagen waren die Flüchtlinge und das ganze Flüchtlingssytem in der Schweiz. Dieses Thema wurde von allen beteiligten Campteilnehmern mit sehr grossem Interesse aufgenommen und verfolgt, da auch ein Teil der Campteilnehmer mit der aktuellen Flüchtlingskrise in deren Heimatstaaten konfrontiert sind. Clemens Tuor, Leiter der ASO-Camps, Mitarbeiter für die Flüchtlingshilfe, erstellte extra für das Camp einen Workshop mit vielen Informationen zur Flüchtlingskrise, welche das Abendprogramm am Campalltag darstellte.

All die komplexen Informationen und ausführlichen Beschreibungen stiessen auf grösstes Interesse. Nun war das Camp bestens vorbereitet auf den kommenden Tag, der Besuch im Durchgangszentrum Embrach.

Der Besuch begann mit einer kurzen Einführung durch das Durchgangszentrum, wie das System funktioniert, wie die verschiedenen Räumlichkeiten aufgebaut und genutzt werden. Während diesem Rundgang stieg auch so langsam das Interesse der Flüchtlinge an den Neuankömmlingen. So entstanden kleine Smalltalks. Nach der Einführung und dem Lunch ging es dann los mit den verschiedenen Sportworkshops und kleinen Aktivitäten. Dazu zählten zum Beispiel auf einem Seil balancieren, Ping Pong, Tischkicker, Fussball und Ultimate Frisbee.

Die Motivation war auf beiden Seiten sehr gross, was ein erfolgreiches Zusammensein garantierte und so eine schöne Atmosphäre entstand. Nicht nur die Erwachsenen waren animiert, Fussball oder Ping Pong zu spielen, auch der Nachwuchs war fleissig vertreten und spielte mit.

Auch wenn alles sehr friedlich und sehr erfolgreich von statten gegangen ist, gab es auch ernste und beeindruckende Momente. Die einzelnen Geschichten von den Kriegen und schlimmen Schicksalen bevor oder auch während der Reise nach Europa von den einzelnen Flüchtlingen hinterliessen bei all dem Spass bleibende Eindrücke, die auch einen selbst viel zum Überlegen anregten, angefangen bei den Kindern, die auch mit sehr viel Begeisterung immer überall mit von der Partie waren, aber in einzelnen Momenten sehr deutlich zeigten, wie der Krieg und die ganze Flucht in Verbindung mit dem ganzen Stress sie gezeichnet haben. Dies ist sehr faszienierend, das am eigenen Leib mitzuerleben, aber natürlich auch sehr erschreckend und traurig, dass fünf jährige Jungen und Mädchen solche Dinge erleben müssen. Bei den erwachsenen Flüchtlingen hat man natürlich auch verschiedene Anzeichen bemerkt, die sie gezeichnet haben über die schwere Zeit, aber es war nicht so extrem, wie bei den Kindern. Sehr positiv ist ausserdem, wie schnell und gut die Flüchtlinge die Sprache lernen und mit welch Respekt sie mit Besuchern und auch Mitmenschen umgehen bzw. umgegangen sind. All das war sehr beeindruckend und ein Erlebnis für das Leben. So ging der Tag mit einem bleibenden Eindruck, einem neuen Blickwinkel und mit einem guten Gefühl, bei etwas sehr Schönem dabei gewesen zu sein und miterlebt zu haben.

  

Culture & Politics / Wednesday 27.7.

We went to Biel to visit the Omega museum. It showcased the history of Omega watches from the early 19th century up to present day. We could learn about the mechanics of modern watches and were they are used today. There were even original watches from the James Bond movies! However, the museum was rather small so we went through it in short time. After a long lunch break we met again at the train station and took the train to Neuchâtel, where we climbed the hill to reach the Dürrenmatt Museum. Some people got interviewed by Swissinfo for an article on their website:

http://www.swissinfo.ch/ger/jugendlager-zum-aso-jubilaeum_junge-auslandschweizer---auf-nach-bern--/42335458

We visited Dürrenmatts library and learned about the books he wrote and saw the paintings he made. The location of the museum is absolutely breathtaking because you can see the whole lake from there and the weather was very nice.

Culture & Politics / Tuesday 26.7.

On Tuesday, we had to move out accomodation again. We had to wake up early, clean the house and then pack our stuff. We then went on the train all the way down to Geneva because we had a very cultural program ahead of us: In the morning we had a guided tour at the "Palace des Nations", the main building of the UN in Geneva. We learned about the history of the UN, its purpose and the daily business that is conducted in the Geneva headquarters. It was a lot of information, but we had great guides that could answer all our questions. In the afternoon we went to the Red Cross museum just across the street. The exhibition was very interactive and informed us about all the different aspects of Red Cross work. It is a heavy topic, but people should know about it. After a long day we went back to our new accomodation in Délémont, where we stayed at the youth hostel.

Culture & Politics / Monday 25.7.

After breakfast, we met outside to play a game in three groups. The goal was to complete tasks with the leaders in order to earn "money" that we then could spend on cookies and melted chocolate to build a big castle. The tasks were very diverse, some required knowledge about Switzerland and other were more about sports. We were also visited by a journalist from "La Liberté" and some of us gave an interview. In the afternoon, the NGO "Terre des hommes" came to do a workshop with us and give us a short introduction to human rights and their work. It was very interesting, but also made us think.

Culture & Politics / Sunday 24.7.

We left early to go on a big trip. We went all the way to the Lac Léman to go for a short hike to a TV tower. The view was stunning and we could see the whole lake from there. After, we went to visit the beautiful Chateau Chillon and had a guided tour for about an hour. We then continued our journey to Montreux and from there went back to the camphouse in Estavayer. It was a very long day, but worth it!

Culture & Politics / Saturday 23.7.

On Saturday, we left the accomodation early to travel to our first destination, Estavayer-le-Lac. There we stayed at a farm close to the lake. As we arrived pretty late, we only went for a quick swim in the clear water. After dinner, we had free time and played some games, but everyone was very tired so we went to bed soon after.

Sports & Leisure - Camping

20 of us got the chance to go camping. It was 10 girls and 10 boys.We hiked from our new house to the camping site for an hour and arrived to the perfect place for camping and bonding which had the prettiest view.

Everyone helped out with something. A group helped out with making a fire. Others helped out with preparing the bread dough, sausages, and chocolate bananas to cook in the fire. Everyone had to find their own stick and sharpen it with their Swiss knife.

The rest of us put up our Berliner tents. For some of us it was easy and others it was not so easy.

Once everything was done, we had a delicious dinner around the fire.

When it started to get dark, everyone who was 16 or older could drink beer. We sang songs and danced around the fire until it was time to go to sleep. We had to wake up very early the next morning for another exciting day.

Sightseeing & Challenge - Winterthur

Day 3 at Winterthur

The last day in Winterthur was a typical “Scouting-Day”. In the morning in three workshops we learned how to make a tent out of tent tarpaulins, we had a “on rope-course” and a “firstaid2-Workshop. After the workshops we continued within the forrest and build our own tents for the night. LunchtimeJ

After lunch we went back to the forrest and played a hunter-game. All groups had their own base with wooden sticks to defend an colored bracelets to pull off. The goal was to steel the wooden sticks from the others and collect as many bracelets as possible. With the conquered bracelets we could buy ingredients for our Dinner with the group at our tents. The more bracelets we had the more we had to cook with. When the game was over we had to search for our desert (bananas and chocolate to cook at the campfire) within the forrest by compass. That was really hard.

In the evening we were sitting at the campfire and sang a lot of songs. Florian, a friend of the leaders came to support with his guitar. After singing, eating chocolate-bananas and marshmallows we slept in our tents and hammicks within the forrest. That was a new experience for everybody.

At the beginning of Day two in Winterthur the Weather was bad. Many clouds and it wasn’t so warm. So we decided to cancel the days program at the swimming pool. We went to the city of Zürich instead. The Leaders planned a challenge day for the groups.

We still had to do the weekly challenge: Interview with a pedestrian who lives in the city telling us what is special about the city and why he / she likes living there.

We became many Challenges to solve Like:

-          Going up inside the Grossmünster and make a Selfie on the tower

-          Making a picture with a family living in Zürich who has two children

-          Finding out the meaning of Swiss German words (Züridütsch)

-          Cutting bread an buying food for the group in the city with a small budget and having lunch together

-          And many more

After the challenges we splittet up in two groups. One group went to do more sightseeing and shopping. The other group went to the lake for a swim with some leaders, as the weather got better. 

Sightseeing & Challenge - Winterthur

Today we moved from Basel to Winterthur, where, just arrived, we ate Bratwurst und Cervelats. After we unpacked, we all hung out at the minigolf next to our house.

“It was a little bit exhausting but interac

ting with friends made it turn out to be a fun experience.”

“The icecream stand was very good after.”

“Half of the group went for a walk in forest just to enjoy Switzerlands nature.”

“During our freetime were decided to pay a game called “Ninja” a intense and energtic game”

“We had a amazing dinner tonight, it was Mac and Cheese [Älplemagronen], made by a very skilled kitchen team.”

“Currently we are decorating the house with colourful strimmer and ballons in order to prepare for a party tonight.”

Sports & Leisure - The Hike That Beat The Rest

Today we could choose between four different activities and we decided to go hiking with Jan, the leader. 

Jan

The hike consisted of many twists and turns around the town of Thusis. It was a difficult, yet enjoyable trek. We crossed multiple bridges with exceptional views, along with observing glacier water. 

The hike was went through the Viamala Canyon. Since not many people signed up to go on the hike, it was very intimate and socialable experience with those who went. 

When visiting the canyon, the five of us were able to see rock formations that are called „Bünderschiefer“. We hope to expeience more hikes like this one!

-Lara and Camille 

Sports & Leisure - The "Easy"-Hike (Part 2): Resurrection

While watching  "The Notebook" peacfully we didn't expect what was coming next...
They said that it was not going to be as hard as the last time, and we poor people believed them.

We began hiking next  to the river and within minutes, the path started to get steeper. Finally, we stopped at the valley of a mountain to recharge energy and to drink water.

Mirjam (leader) pointed to a platform on the top of another mountain and she said that it was out next aim.

We hadn't even done a quarter of the hike. That was when the hard part began.




Out of breath and completely tired we really arrived at the lunch place.

After that it got easier. We walked 45 minutes to a lake called "Cauma See" where we could swim.

In the middle of a storm we did a task about building a little boat with things that we could find in the nature. The team "Black Unicorn" won. But the other boats were cool too.


They had to be creative and float. After that we a bus back to the house and fell asleep as fast you can say "hike".

Culture & Politics / Friday 22.6.

After meeting up at the airport, all the camps came together at a church center to get to know each other and have dinner. We played a few games and then walked up to our accommodation, which was located right at the swimming pool. Because it was still warm outside we decided to go for night swimming and then fell asleep immediately.

Sports & Leisure - Bike-Tour II - In der Lenzer Heide

Die zweite Tagesbikingtour stand heute vor der Tür, aber diesmal mit einer kleinen Gruppe von fünf Campteilnehmern und zwei Leitern, in der Lenzerheide. Das Wetter übertraf alle möglichen Vorstellungen und erheiterte die Stimmung schon vor dem Aufbruch. 

Nach einem kleinen Lauf zum Fahrradshop und nach dem Ausleihen der Fahrräder ging es dann endlich los. Unter strahlendem Sonnenschein zog die kleine Gruppe auf ihren Fahrrädern los und begann mit dem Aufstieg zu der Liftstation Piz Scalottas. Während des Aufstieges durchfuhr die Fahrradgruppe verschiedene Orte, auf verschiedenen Strassen. Nach drei Stunden teilte sich die Gruppe auf, sodass ein Leiter und ein Campteilnehmer eine sehr schwierige Strecke befuhren, um am festgelegten Ziel anzukommen. Die restliche Gruppe befuhr den alternativen Fahrradweg, der alles andere als leicht war. 

Nach insgesamt vier Stunden kamen alle Campteilnehmer und Leiter am Ziel, Piz Scalottas, an. Der Stolz war Allen sichtlich in das Gesicht gezeichnet. 

Nach einer Mittagspause ging es dann allerdings auch wieder zurück. Die Biker verabschiedeten sich von dem sehr schönen Panorama und schwangen sich wieder auf ihre Fahrräder, doch diesmal ging es abwärts. 

Die Route hatte es allerdings auch in sich. Viele Sprünge, schnelle Richtungsänderungen und schnelle Abfahrten verlangten alles von den Campteilnehmern ab. Dies wurde aber sehr erfolgreich absolviert. So hiess es schon nach einer Stunde, Absteigen von den Fahrrädern, wir sind zurück. Ein sehr anstrengender, aber erfolgreicher Biketag ging so zu Ende. 

Sports & Leisure - Bike-Tour I

Heute stand die Bike-Tour für ein paar auserwählte Campteilnehmern auf den Tagesplan. Mit einem Bus ging es erst nach Scoul, um die Mountainbikes für die Tour auszuleihen. Nach bestandenem Check und Einweisung schwangen sich die Teilnehmer mit den zwei Leitern auf die Fahrräder und begannen ihre Bike-Tour. 



Es wurden zwei Gruppen gebildet, die Fast-Group und die Chill-Group. Schnell wurde die Strecke steil und anspruchsvoll, was alles von den Teilnehmern abverlangte. Die Herausforderung wurde von allen angenommen und gemeistert. So hat sich ein überaus erfolgreicher Bike-Tag entwickelt und wurde ebenso positiv und stolz beendet, die Bike-Tour so erfolgreich gemeistert zu haben.

Dorian