MOST Newsletter September 2025

Review: Armenia

Last summer, MOST went on a trip to Armenia, organised by the travel committee. Our first stay was of course in the capital, Yerevan, from where we made excursions to the Armenian Genocide Museum, the easternmost temple of the Greco-Roman world, and various other monasteries, Soviet ruins, and museums!

You can't say you've visited Armenia without leaving the capital, so we headed inland to walk along Lake Sevan and climb Mount Aragats. After Yerevan, we went to Gyumri as a stopover before our final destination, Tbilisi (Georgia). In both cities, we enjoyed a more flexible itinerary, allowing us to visit all the coffee and khinkali spots on our own and buy souvenirs to take home.

A highlight of the trip was unexpectedly experiencing the Armenian holiday of Vardavar. Suddenly, we found ourselves in the world's largest water fight, and one of our committee members, afraid for his phone, didn't even dare leave the hostel to get train tickets. None of us escaped dry, but with the Armenian heat no one complained.

Introduction of the new board

A new year and a new board: and one that (for now) only consists of second year students! We all know each other from EL CID and were already joking back then about our grand plans if we were to be on the board. None of this was meant seriously; none of us expected to actually be on the board this year.

Our plans for this year may not be as grand as our jokes back then (our own MOST boat, for example), but they're still important. For example, we want to organise more small outings, get committees to be more active, have consistent newsletters and socials, and get as many members, young and old, involved and as active as possible.

We haven't taken a board photo yet, so as an introduction, here are the three of us from left to right: Bart as secretary, Cedric as treasurer, and CJ as president, sitting at Barrera where we've spent many hours this past year. We're really looking forward to starting the year and hope to see you all soon at the first events!

Formation of committees

This year, there are three committees: the travel committee, the activities committee, and the cooking committee. We're still primarily looking for members for the activities committee and the cooking committee! Joining is, of course, optional and you can dedicate as much time as you like.

Being a member of the activities committee primarily involves coming up with fun activity ideas and helping to organise them (think of arranging a venue, making posters, etc). Depending on your availability, you'll likely spend 3-10 hours per month on this.

The cooking committee members will cook for two dinners: Orthodox Christmas and Maslenitsa. You'll cook elaborate meals for this committee twice a year and possibly help organise the dinners. Throughout the year, you'll occasionally make some snacks for other activities. This will require at least the time needed to prepare a dinner with your fellow members (probably around a day) twice a year, and a few hours of organising time for both dinners (creating the menu, shopping, etc).

Send a whatsapp to one of the board members or email info@mostleiden.nl for more information or to join a committee!

Merch!

The MOST merch is returning! Last year's hoodies are still available for €20, but in limited quantities: get one while you can! We plan to release MOST sweaters and possibly other items later this year, so we'll keep you updated!

Maandkalender

8/9: General Assembly

9/9: 1ste Biweekly Borrel

19/9: Most kennismakingsdag

23/9: Biweekly Borrel

GA Agenda

· Presentation of the new

board plan

· Committee formation

· Discussion of membership

fee

· Pegasus book deal

announcement

· Questions

REKA review

On September 4th, the anniversary edition of the annual REKA conference was held. MOST was delighted to be invited, and we eagerly took advantage of this opportunity. We learned a great deal from the various experts present, including our own professor Egbert Fortuin, who discussed ideology and the Russian ideological narrative with Katja Tolstaja (VU) and Marietta van der Tol (Cambridge University). After three rounds of very informative workshops, the conference concluded with drinks, and we headed home.

Practical info

A new year also means a new MOST group app, and (unfortunately) membership fees. As mentioned earlier, this will be a topic of discussion at the general assembly next Monday, so collections will only begin after that. We will only add you to the new MOST group app once you have paid. The payment deadline is October 1st; after that date you will no longer be able to participate in events until your membership fee has been paid.

Сентябрь 2025

Дорогие Мостники и Мостницы!