With a view to promoting active entertainment, sports and healthy lifestyle, the community of the Faculty, i.e. students of the International Communication Master’s studies, doctoral students and employees, had a non-traditional celebration of the finis anni academici 2016/2017 and organized a kayaking trip.
The trip began early on a Saturday morning at Vilnius Railway Station. Enthusiastic students of the International Communication Master’s studies, doctoral students and employees took a train to Pabradė and arrived at their start location – the river Žeimena. The travellers briskly paddled down the river, admired the Lithuanian nature and went ashore several times to have a picnic on the grass. After covering 15 kilometres and reaching the finish in the evening, the happy travellers took a train back to Vilnius.
The community of the Faculty welcomed this non-traditional idea for closing the academic year and hoped that hiking in nature would become a tradition of finis anni academici in the Faculty of Communication. According to the participants, it is an excellent way to bring the Faculty community together and to get to know each other and the country.
Student Dana Adil Hassan Bayoumi says about kayaking trip: "The Canoeing trip was indeed an awesome trip was organised by the faculty; our last activity as a farewell to us all. It marked the ending of a beautiful chapter of my life in Vilnius. Thank god it wasn't snowing or raining that Saturday. It surely was cold but it was a right amount of chill (Water) for the amount of work we did; especially the extra work we had to do, when getting stuck in a tree or when the canoe turns around and we're canoeing in the wrong direction of the current. Can't speak for the rest of my classmates but my muscles are super sore until now. Guess I didn't miss much at the gym haha. Anyways I really enjoyed canoeing and getting to know my partner more as well as a couple of new faces in this trip. Everyone was super friendly, the food prepared by the faculty was awesome and vegetarian :P the weather and nature is breathtakingly beautiful. I hope the next semester students enjoy Vilnius University and it's activities, along with what this country has to offer (from Heat to snow).‘‘
Student Saskia Mitchella Jones agrees with colleague and add: ,,I had so much fun on this trip. It was a long distance but having everyone together was very fun. We stopped a few times along the way to check out the nature and wildlife, ate together and relaxed. It was a great experience and I'm happy I got to see another side of Vilnius I never would have without this opportunity.’’
Hopefully, such trips will become a new tradition of the Faculty to close the academic year and say farewell to the students.