April 2010. 18 years of age. First year at college. Beside me is my most recent group of friends, also in year 1, and my suitcase bursting at the seams.

They said the Medical Olympiads were the week of the year, when everyone left behind Tomes, Libraries, Classrooms, and the Wards and left for the fun.

As freshers, we could not be more enthusiastic and, in fact, the Olympiads met our expectations. The days were spent in conversation, between naps and play. Sport was just a myth and sponsorship did not extend beyond the meal on the first night (that was what I thought!). But it hardly mattered. The interaction with peers in the same year as me was very funny and the friendship grew, day by day. In the evening, we dressed up to the part for theme parties, had dinner together and danced the night away. After meeting the people I really identified with, I finally felt I was in the right college and degree!

Quite frankly, during those four days I never thought about how much work was behind such a lively event that had changed my life at college forever.

April 2011. 19 years of age. Second year at college. Member of CODM. Beside me is my most recent group of friends: CODM. This time, instead of my suitcase and will to arrive at the destination, I had 1200 people waiting eagerly for me to take them to the buses.
After a few hours, the first step of our mission was accomplished and we had the participants and the (almost) complete team in Lagos. Then the adventure began!

Being part of CODM meant much more than preparing the event of the year for the entire faculty! First, it taught me that sport is actually part of the Olympiads and involves a lot of work, with many people wanting to participate and defend their individual year of studies. In addition, it also showed me that, in order to be able to offer a simple bottle of water, crisps, fruit or yogurt, we have to work for weeks on end.

And, unlike the nearly 1200 people who enjoy the Olympiads and take it as an opportunity to rest, those who are part of the organizing committee barely find the time to rest: in the morning, we have to prepare the sporting events and assemble the CODM tent on the beach; at dawn, we need to wait for the last enthusiast to decide to leave the party and then ensure that everyone arrives safely at the hotel. Not to mention the constant state of alert in which we live, just in case something does not go well.

However, despite all this, there is time to laugh, dance and be with friends, who still do not understand why “we got into it.” In fact, to outsiders, the advantages seem to be few. Those who think so are wrong. The experience of looking around in the middle of the night and see the good mood of our colleagues who dance, laugh and sweat from every pore, very much as the tent where we are, gives us energy to do it one more week. This is largely due to the fact that this enjoyment depends on us and on our commitment.

Contrary to what happened in my first Olympiads, when I only strengthened my friendship with others and made me like peers in my year more, this year I gained a great esteem for the entire Faculty. Now I understand and I value those who work all day in the Student Association. Now I finally feel at home. The expression “you do not understand yet, but these are the best years of your life,” begins to make sense. Mothers are always right!

Madalena Leite Rio