We are ready.
Ready to hit this gathering off with a bang. Ready to start feeling, learning, growing, laughing and exploring together.
We worked all year to get to this moment; the start of the 2016 Y-top gathering “The Human Rainforest” and it feels amazing now that we are finally here.
But let's start at the beginning of the day before the mansion got filled with Y-toppians. After a day like this the beginning of it already feels like a week ago. Basically we have been running around like maniacs to get the last important details ready, like printing the signs for on the bedrooms, common rooms and bathrooms and making a board full of information like floor plans, program, map etc. But also talking through every tiny logistical step that needs to be made for the next day. We cleaned the whole house and we prepared the ecology for everyone to arrive.
And even more massive preparations were done. All of this while dealing with the stress of not getting our printer paper delivered until about one hour before the first coach arrived.
In the meantime our ´dream team´ Open and Elias were on the airport ready to welcome our friends with open arms (and dealing with delays, hungry people and impatient bus drivers). They did an amazing job.
When the coach finally arrived Freja and me were behind the front desk to check everyone in, get them their keys tell them where they live and make sure they bring their bedlinen with them. It felt kind of like we were managing a very hectic and busy hotel. By the time the second coach arrived we had refined the organisation so it went even smoother. It was so much fun to do!
After everyone got settled and had showers we gave them a tour around the grounds and the house to help the participants discover their location. The whole day has been about landing and settling so we can start it all off amazing.
It was the day of first country meetings and the first evaluation meeting with the team. Good to have everyone here and seeing everyone's face and hearing everyone's voice. After all this we went off to a good and refreshing night's sleep.
Dora:
Well, It’s quite difficult to put into words how it was to arrive in Killarney. The journey had been really tiring, but seeing all the y-toppers again after a year was heartwarming. The atmosphere of the team and the surroundings are amazing and after a good night's sleep I can't wait to het started: without a doubt this camp is going to be amazing and surprising yet again!
Maia:
After a very long journey it was amazing to see all those familiar and new faces waiting to welcome us. All the hugs, new names, new impressions and the spectacular building together were quite overwhelming, but nevertheless I think everyone couldn't have been happier to be reunited here in the beautiful Killarney.