Sun, spring, ocean, whales and dolphins, spicy dinners on the beach, and a friendly atmosphere to learn more about your colleagues from across Europe and the world – all of this awaited the participants of the latest Eurojuris congress in Tenerife from Thursday 9th to Sunday 12th October 2014!
'This is the first of a new format of congresses', says Eurojuris past president Hans Jonkhout (EJ Netherlands), who took this occasion to step down from his position and from the board. 'I am past my expiration date!', he says with a laugh. His successor Niels Eriksen (EJ Denmark) was elected as President.'The new format', explains Diane Tries, secretary of Eurojuris, 'gives more time to bonding and teambuilding, and less to serious stuff. We still have our plenary session of course, but it is limited to barely more than an hour. Most of the time, lawyers will meet their foreign colleagues in another way, not working together but sharing meals and drinks and various leisure activities'.
Eurojuris members and Jurismussers had the opportunity to enjoy the biggest of the Canary Islands, a Spanish territory located next to the Moroccan shore. Tenerife is a former underwater volcano which spread out of the ocean – the soil is typically made of porous volcanic materials. It is one of the biggest volcanos in the world, although it has not erupted since 1909, and is the highest mountain in Spain. Tenerife has one of the purest air in the world and its climate is so lovely it has been called the 'island of perpetual spring'.
For the most serious side, our participants were invited to learn more about the activities of our colleagues in Ukraine thanks to a speech given by our Kiev member Oleksiy Bezhevets. Dirk Van Dorsselaer, from the 'Dutch Debate Institute', a senior trainer who has worked with many professionals across the world, offered a variety of trainings on Saturday afternoon – participants were invited to choose which workshop they want to follow. Those who are more interested in physical activities instead opted for teambuilding games.
The president of Jurismus also took the occasion to deliver a speech, reporting about the activities of our youth chapter. And the practice groups met on Friday afternoon. Additionally, the traditional football match between lawyers took place on Saturday evening at the same time as the ELLA (Eurojuris Ladies) meeting.
The rest of the time, participants enjoyed the island and discovered its incredible landscapes and fauna. On Saturday morning, an excursion took them on a catamaran to see the wildlife: whales and dolphins are cruising the area! A finally, a lot of local food and drinks on the beach and barbecues at the hotel.
A few interesting facts about Tenerife:
-Its inhabitants are called Tinerfeño, for males, and Tinerfeña, for females. Important to know if you plan to meet some locals!
-Although many nations tried to invade Tenerife, none succeeded. Famous British Admiral Nelson lost his arm in a failed invasion attempt at Tenerife.
-The island is ideally located for astronomers, and there is an important observatory on Tenerife: Teide Observatory is considered one of the most important in the world.
-Tenerife airport has such a long railway that it was used as a backup landing spot for NASA space shuttles.
