Pech met je promotor - Univers

Name: Jie Xun Nicky
Tan
Age: 23
Nationality: Singaporean
Study: Economics &
management
Here as: Exchange
student
Why Tilburg? I wanted to go on exchange to the Netherlands
and I ended up in Tilburg.
What about the snow? I hate snow!
How did you end up here? Through the I*ESN Facebook
group.
First impression of Tilburg?
It’s so cute and going to
the center is easy. I like the
campus very much.
How are the Dutch people?
Dutch people are so helpful,
I like Dutch people.
Made any friends already?
Yes, I have made a lot of
friends!
Funniest moment until
now? I have made a lot
of memories already but
nothing special.
What are your plans for
this semester? I’m planning
to visit other countries and
to have a lot of fun!
Why Tilburg? I just had to come to the Netherlands
once.
What about the snow? I want to build a snowman!
Because of the snow, I can work on my cycling
skills.
How did you end up here? The party was on Facebook
and my friends asked me to come.
First impression of Tilburg?
Fantastic! I asked a girl for
help when I was lost on the
train and she accompanied me
the entire way, switching trains
and everything.
How are the Dutch people?
Dutch people are very nice
and helpful. They help even
before you ask.
Made any friends already?
Yeah definitely, you say hi in
the street and you make a
friend.
Funniest moment until now?
I fell and landed on my ass.
People were looking when I
wanted to come up, and then
I fell again. Everyone asked if I
was doing okay.
What are your plans for this
semester? To know more
people, travel the place and
have fun.
Name: Beste Bulut
Age: 21
Nationality: Turkish
Study: Economics
Here as: Exchange
student
Column
Lord of the Rooms
International .25
Prices are very
negotiable 'for such a
nice girl like yourself'
You have to know that when it comes to room search, there
is only one place destined for each brave person that dares to
find it. If it wasn’t for the guidance of helpers who made me
remember my goal, I would have never completed the task.
The first Middle Man I encountered on my way was a helpful,
rather round man from the Ottoman Empire. He offered
transportation in his vehicle mysteriously smelling of dust and
smoke. We moved from place to place while he was telling me
about conflicts with his wife from a far away Christian land.
All households he showed me were inhabited by people of
exotic origin and decorated accordingly. There was a Persian
owner with preference towards female tenants; he claimed
that his own gender ought to be distrusted. There was also a
single mother, her face hidden behind a colorful piece of cloth,
with a prematurely obese son.
The Middle Man tempted me prices that are very negotiable
“for such a nice girl like yourself”. But I didn’t let myself be
deceived. I knew that a kitchen counter crammed into an attic
room of 13m2 is not a studio. I knew that a lower price is not
worth having everything smell like fried chicken every time
I cook. But the time was running out and I had to keep be lieving
that the Room was still waiting for me.
The next Middle Man was a young man of dark eyes and
ebony skin. He was a resourceful man who, except for guiding
seekers to their perfect Rooms, was also selling inexpensive
footwear. He tried to make me abandon my search by offering
splendid food and drinks. He tempted me with his youthfulness
and good company, but I knew I had to keep going
despite cold and hunger.
And finally there it was. I stood in from of a breath-taking
wooden house in a small village outside of town, admiring the
tree branches touching the ground and windows sparkling
in the sun. An old man with a long, white beard opened the
door. “The Lord of the Rooms!, I thought to myself in amazement.
He greeted with me words: “Come in. I have been
expecting you.”
Sonia Kolasinska
Univers
7 februari 2013