During the ten days I spent in Serock participating in the interdisciplinary camp, I met numerous people – not only my peers but also some slightly older tutors – who were filled with the same amount of enthusiasm as I. I could see their eyes glitter when they delivered a lecture on the Navier-Stokes equations, outlined the assumptions of the Riemann hypothesis on a piece of paper, or explained to me what microcontrollers or the zeta function are. A gathering of so many open-minded individuals, clearly passionate about what they do, was something very different from my everyday experience. The conversations I had at that time significantly contributed to my mental well-being: they gave me a sense of belonging as I realised that I am not alone in this world – that there are some kindred spirits out there. They enabled me to find my place within the community. They strengthened my conviction to never give up and to carry on, to focus on doing what I really love instead of fulfilling other people’s expectations.
