Taking a stroll with a stranger: ‘I need it because I feel so lonely sometimes’

Ingesloten inhoud van YouTube overslaan

U kunt deze ingesloten inhoud bekijken nadat u akkoord bent gegaan met cookies van YouTube.

I agree See on YouTube

Ingesloten inhoud van YouTube overgeslagen.

Thanks to Erasmus Walks, student Maud Vos can enjoy a little stroll in her neighbourhood. Through the new initiative, she has already taken a walk twice with a fellow student. “I was matched with a boy, so that was a bit different. Usually it is girls who participate. But it was very pleasant. The second time we went for coffee.”

Spontaneous social interactions

Initiators Eva Verweij (Psychology) and Charlotte Krist (Economics) know all too well that students need social contacts, especially in these uncertain times. “Many activities are canceled due to the corona virus. We notice that many students are lonely because of that. So we would like to organise something that allows students to have spontaneous social interactions,” says Charlotte.

That idea became ‘Erasmus Walks’. The initiative aims to connect Rotterdam students with each other. Students are randomly matched with each other to go for a walk.

Fun

Business student Maud likes it very much. “I really need such encounters. Lately I was mostly by myself that I felt so lonely some days. I think this is a nice way to get to know new people.”

Maudie Dankerlui also participated in this initiative. The History student was paired with a Colombian student. “It was a bit awkward at first, but when we went for a walk, it quickly became fun. We are both students in Rotterdam, so you have plenty of common ground. ” For Maudie, the walk is certainly worth repeating. “We walked at the Kralingse Plas, next time we will cross the Erasmus Bridge.”