On October 1-2, 2014, a day before the holiday, the Second GEAS cohort gathered for another trip to the Riverside Hotel Zeuthen. The day started with a  lecture by TJ Pempel, and with a cosy warm-up, a small welcome reception at the TOPOI building. All of the 12 multinational students met each other and most of the faculty for the first time.

The group then had to leave for the boat ride on the river Spree, starting from Treptower Park and going all along the beatiful and warm October scenery of the Spree down to Zeuthen in Brandenburg, followed by a dinner and an informal meeting to get to know one another at the Bar Boat of the Riverside Hotel Zeuthen.

The next day, the entire day was filled with a program of first presenting and getting to know the school, curriculum, followed by introductions as well as guidelines offered by the postdoctoral candidates and associate director of GEAS.