I’m moving to Rotterdam and I’m bringing…

When you move places, missing family and friends can be tough. Little things, like a gift from a grandparent or a photo of an old friend, can make things easier. Students Quinten, Raphael and Jet show the objects that have sentimental value for them.

Photo of a former friend

For Quinten (18, Dutch, BA Economics and Business Economics), who just started at Erasmus University, the pictures of his friends are of great personal value. The longer Quinten talks about these pictures the more it becomes clear – and it seems as if he only realises this himself during the conversation – that one photo is very important to him. The picture shows him together with his best friend from primary school with whom he is not in contact anymore. It’s the only framed one in the collection.

Although looking at it makes him happy, he gets melancholic about the time in his life when he didn’t have to stress about the future and didn’t feel parental pressure behind his decisions. “It was all about living in the moment and having fun.” Although the boys’ friendship ended because they went to different schools, he is hopeful that maybe one day their paths will cross again.

Sketch book

Raphael (26, German, MA Cultural Economics and Entrepreneurship), who describes himself as not materialistic, takes a sketch book with him everywhere he goes and uses it as a visual diary. The book that he has been drawing in since the age of 16 is filled with pencil works of abstract and humanoid creatures. Usually, it serves to retrospectively process the previous stage of his life, for instance, his last summer in Prague.

Sometimes he doesn’t know what he is drawing and only realises what it means later, he explains. “I think you would actually know me better, when you looked at the drawings than if you looked at my face. If people would look at the book they would probably find out that I’m a little bit insane. So it’s good that they don’t.” His next drawing is going to be about his move to Rotterdam which has been very intense for him due to a car accident and ongoing housing issues. “There is a lot to work with”, he acknowledges, and is looking forward to start processing this in his paintings soon.

Bowl from Italy

Sentiment and utility are the perfect combination for Jet (24, Dutch, MA Media and Business). The objects that remind her of home are usefully integrated into her everyday life. They are all household things, mostly kitchen utensils. For instance, when she moved out, her mother gave her a bowl that she had brought from Italy. Now Jet uses this blue bowl with a white print daily. She is very proud to own this bowl and whenever visitors come to her house, she likes to put it on the table and say ‘this is my bowl’. While she is very attached to this family object, Jet doesn’t mind her four roommates using the bowl too, as long as they don’t break it.

Further on Jet’s list of functional objects from home is an orange cooking pot from her grandparents and chopsticks that her grandma gifted her. “I always think of home immediately when I use them”, she explains. Re-using the objects that once were used by other members of her family makes her feel good because it is very practical, and she can prolong their lifespan.