The year 2021 is coming to an end and with it our GAME project. Since mid of October, we were at GEOMAR in Kiel to analyse the data we collected during our experiments, to attend workshops on scientific writing and other science communication skills and to present our research findings at different universities in the north of Germany (mainly online like so many other things in 2021). We enjoyed the time we spent together a lot. We not only met during the courses, but also explored Kiel and, on excursions that were part of our agenda, also the Hallig Langeness and the hanseatic city of Lübeck.

For many of us, the weather in the north of Germany was a challenge. Just after the leaves had turned all yellow and red in October, the days got quickly darker and colder. What Leonard from Malaysia loved about this was that he would not sweat outside the house. So, he enjoyed the cold, while Bruna from Portugal was complaining about it until the first snow brightened up her mood. Some of us actually saw snow for the first time in their lives – even if it was just a short pleasure. 

During the last phase of our project, we had meetings with the GAME board of trustees and with GAME alumni from previous projects. We met (mostly online) with Joao Canning-Clode (GAME 2004), Thea Hamm (2015), Uli Kunz (2003), Christian Pansch-Hattich (2007), Sinja Rist (2014) and Annika Weseloh (2006). They gave us insights into their career pathways and provided helpful tips for successful PhD applications. Besides this, they inspired us to be passionate about what we do and to pursue our interests. It relieved us to see that their career paths were not always linear, and that they were also very successful by making detours. In the future, the GAME network will surely provide us with valuable contacts and with potential collaboration partners from all over the world. 

However, before we will continue with our careers inside or outside science, most of us first need to write and submit their Master thesis. Furthermore, some of us already have concrete plans for writing a manuscript about their findings, which will then be submitted to a peer-review journal science journal in the coming year. 

With this our time in Kiel has now come to an end. In GAME 2021, things did not always go as planned but we are very happy and proud that we have successfully accomplished our research work despite the pandemic. These days the foreign students are leaving Germany to go back home and we are all looking forward to holidays with our loved ones.

With this we would like to say goodbye. Thank you very much for reading our blog and being interested in GAME 2021. We wish all our supporters, science partners, friends, GAME alumni and blog readers Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We also wish the upcoming GAME teams all the best. Hopefully, your travels will not be restricted anymore, and you will have an amazing time all over the world. We’ll hear from you soon on this blog.

Hohoho Gamies 2021