Boston

The Adventure Kicks Off

It’s official. The adventure has begun! I’m writing this from Munich Airport during a layover, and this place is wild. I’d read online that there’s minigolf, a giant giraffe statue, and even a climbing park somewhere in here. Time to explore!

A Familiar Face?

Before my flight, I was checking arrival times and noticed two other Hack Clubbers were scheduled to land at the exact same minute as me. I reached out, and sure enough, Nikos and Verdant were on my flight! I chatted with Nikos for a bit and found out he’s been in Hack Club for three years. So cool!

An Unexpected Upgrade

After waiting at the terminal forever, well past our boarding time, I got a notification:

"Because of the delays, your boarding pass was updated."

I checked it, and my jaw dropped. First Class. I never thought I’d experience this. The food was incredible, the service was top-notch, and the seats were amazing. What a way to start the trip!

More Friends!

When we landed, I messaged a few people and found out Alex was also at the airport. We met up and headed to the hostel as a group of three. And when we arrived… WHO DO I SEE?! PAOLO!

For anyone who doesn't know, Paolo is my favorite human in Hack Club. Seeing him there was the perfect welcome. We all went out for food, but I was so exhausted from being awake for nearly 24 hours (plus jet lag) that I went to bed pretty early.

I'm excited to meet everyone tomorrow, including some of the event organizers I've heard so much about. Jeremy and some other awesome people are coming too! :yay:

A Rough Morning

I woke up in the hostel this morning to a lot of noise in my room. I didn’t sleep well at all, waking up every hour or so. At 8am, I saw a message from a friend sent five minutes earlier:

"we're leaving for breakfast in 5 minutes"

I scrambled out of bed, grabbed my stuff, and rushed to join them. I ordered some bacon and eggs, which were really nice.

After that, we all waited in the lobby for a few hours before heading to the pier to officially start Shipwrecked!

Arrival and Challenges

When we finally arrived on the island, it was beautiful.

We immediately got our first challenge: make a 2-5 minute video introducing ourselves. I teamed up with Andre, and we made a quick video of us saying hello while skipping rocks. It was a great way to break the ice.

After a decent dinner of salad, chicken, and cookies (an odd but welcome combo), we all gathered in the big tent for the opening ceremony. The energy was amazing! They went over the house rules and the plan for the event, which was filled with fun challenges and a mysterious island story to tie it all together.

Our next challenge was announced: find a way to communicate without using words. People immediately started brainstorming and coming up with hilarious ideas.

Campfire Vibes

After the ceremony, we all walked to the campfire. We made some s'mores, chilled, and talked for hours. It was the perfect end to the first day. I went to bed at midnight and fell asleep instantly, excited for what was to come.

A Good Morning

Today is Day 2. After a quick shower, I went outside and ran into one of the organizers. I joined them and another guy, and we walked around for a bit, meeting more people. We ended up going on a small hike, which was a great way to see more of the island. The views were incredible.

Later, we all sat down to play a few rounds of Uno. It got pretty competitive, but it was all in good fun. During the game, we met Criss. He’s a super interesting and fun guy, and we had a great chat about Hack Club and other random stuff.

Workshop with Zach

After breakfast, we all went to a workshop with Zach. He talked about the financial systems of Hack Club and how it all works. It’s always fascinating to hear him speak, and it was cool to get a behind-the-scenes look at how Hack Club operates. It's amazing to see how much thought and effort goes into making all of this possible for us. The whole vibe of the day was super chill and fun, just a bunch of friends hanging out, learning, and exploring together.

Towers and Beaches

After Zach's workshop, a tower building competition started. The challenge was to build the biggest tower using only sticks. The prize? An IKEA plushie! Some people showed off their engineering skills, building sturdy towers with lots of triangles. One creative team even used a tree for support, and they ended up winning.

After the competition, we got the chance to go for a swim at the beach. I went with a few others, and we drew some fun stuff in the sand. It was a perfect way to cool off.

But the day wasn't over yet! Soon after, we joined another workshop on how to run your own hackathon. It was more educational than entertaining, but still decent.

Dinner time was burgers! We had to eat quickly because the showcase for our second challenge was in 30 minutes. After the showcase, where we got some cool merch, there was a campfire with a talent show and lightning talks. People started to lose interest pretty quickly and left.

I spent more time with the organizers in a group of people. We all chilled for a bit, walked around, and then went back to the lightning talks around midnight. They were still going, talking about the most random stuff.

I woke up after only 3.5 hours of sleep, so I skipped the morning run and went straight to breakfast. I didn't do much after, just talked with a few people from the crew, and called my family back home.

After lunch, it was time for the ship showcase, science fair style! Everyone walked around, and the organizers were giving out stickers. Suddenly, we heard William's voice over the speakers, along with a girl's voice, explaining the next challenge. Then, a giant pink inflatable dinosaur appeared on stage, chasing one of the villagers!

After all that drama, there was an announcement for a spicy challenge on the beach. No context, just "go." I had other things to do, so I couldn't make it, but I heard it was a "hot ones" style challenge to see who could handle the most spice. The winner got an Orphius plushie!

Later, I hung out with Jeremy and Parneel. It was a chill end to a crazy day.

Last Morning on the Island

I woke up feeling a mix of exhaustion and excitement. It was the last day, and the energy on the island was different, a little quieter, a little more reflective. We had our last breakfast together, and people were already starting to exchange contact info and make plans to stay in touch.

Closing Ceremony & Final Showcase

In the afternoon, we all gathered in the main tent one last time for the closing ceremony. This was also the showcase for the "communicate without words" challenge. It was hilarious to see what everyone came up with. One team developed a whole system of elaborate hand gestures, while another created a series of rhythmic drum beats to signal different messages.

After the demos, Zach gave a final speech, thanking everyone for making Shipwrecked so special. He talked about the importance of building things together and finding your people. A message that really hit home after the last few weeks.

Ferry back to land

Not to long after we all had to grab our stuff and get on board, that was without relizing the last place i saw most of the amazing people here. becouse soon after we arrived we got on the bus to the airport. and since all of us had different gates we all just split up without relizing it. kind of the best non emotional ending.

Final Thoughts

Shipwrecked was exactly the experience I needed. After the chaos and abrupt ending of Neighborhood, being on an island disconnected from the world, surrounded by people who just wanted to build, learn, and have fun, was incredibly refreshing. It wasn't about hours or competition; it was about community.

I left with a bag full of merch, a phone full of new contacts, and a renewed sense of excitement for what's next. This is what Hack Club is all about.

Thank you, Shipwrecked. It was unforgettable.