{"id":102224,"date":"2019-08-26T14:08:06","date_gmt":"2019-08-26T12:08:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=102224"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:24:25","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:24:25","slug":"hot-and-sweaty-dancing-in-the-packed-ssr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2019\/08\/26\/hot-and-sweaty-dancing-in-the-packed-ssr\/","title":{"rendered":"Hot and sweaty dancing in a packed SSR"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s Wednesday evening and the SSR party on Mauritsweg is packed to the rafters. There\u2019s a long queue to get in. Nevertheless, students are happy to wait because this is apparently the party you don\u2019t want to miss. EM mingles with the revellers.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

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10.30 pm<\/strong> \u2013 The last Eurekaweek participants leave the terrace of SSR-Rotterdam on Westersingel. But most of them aren\u2019t thinking of going home yet. The students cross the bridge to the building on the other side which has big SSR banners displayed on the wall. A queue has already formed past the metal barriers, there\u2019s no more room inside. Five hundred guests means it\u2019s full capacity, so they just have to wait till someone leaves and makes way for another partygoer. Playing tonight: the Partysquad.<\/p>\n

While members of the association clear up the terrace, Loes Baltussen and Nick Veldheer, president and member of the SSR Eurekaweek committee respectively, talk about the past few days. Veldheer: \u201cThanks to a new permit, we were able to extend the terrace this year. And that was really necessary because we couldn\u2019t fit everyone in any more.\u201d This year, the terrace can accommodate over 550 students. Five hundred fit into the association building. We watch the queue on the other side and Baltussen says: \u201cWe\u2019re full already and it\u2019s only 11.00 pm. There are too few student parties for the growing number of students, really.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

11.15 pm<\/strong> \u2013 We\u2019re allowed in through the performers\u2019 entrance. It\u2019s much too crowded by the main entrance. Occasionally someone comes out and a new student can go in. Inside, the bass powers though your body. Stairs lead to four different storeys: the party room, an area where you can look down on the party room from the balcony, one where new members can enrol and right at the top is the so-called \u2018braadlounge\u2019 [roasting lounge].<\/p>\n

The \u2018braadlounge\u2019 does its name proud: it\u2019s extremely hot in here. With sweat on their brows, people are sitting drinking and talking at long tables. There\u2019s a small bar where you can order beer. We join a group of first years. \u201cI think that we\u2019ve definitely become friends over the past few days,\u201d says Demi (18). Daniek (18) agrees: \u201cIf you don\u2019t come from Rotterdam, that really makes a difference. It\u2019s been quite a culture shock for me.\u201d Daniek comes from Kampen where they drink different things than here. \u201cI like Berenburg with iced tea, which they apparently don\u2019t know here,\u2019 she laughs with her group. Suddenly there\u2019s a huge cheer. A pizza delivery has arrived.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

00.30 am<\/strong> \u2013 The heat and liquid refreshments take their toll. One first year empties the contents of her stomach on the lounge floor (and her neighbour\u2019s arm). Luckily there\u2019s someone from the association\u2019s Eurekaweek committee on hand to help her. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard going, all these long days. It was all a bit too much for her,\u201d he says. We go outside to cool down and find that the queue has become quite a bit shorter. While our photographer takes a picture of the queue, one boy shouts: \u201cI\u2019ll only smile if I can get in.\u201d Obviously, the bouncers don\u2019t take the bait.<\/p>\n

We see the Partysquad members arrive, they shake hands with a few SSR members: in recent years, the duo has been a regular feature during Eurekaweek. We decide to rejoin the masses ourselves. On the staircase, we\u2019re greeted by Lars, a first year who we met earlier this week at RSG. He\u2019d told us then that he was planning to join SSR: \u201cI\u2019ve just enrolled,\u201d he says happily before disappearing into the party room.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

1.15 am<\/strong> \u2013 The Partysquad starts playing and everyone goes wild. From Get busy <\/em>by Sean Paul to JA!<\/em> by Bizzey, everyone sings along loudly. We try our best to get to the front, but the people mass has become impenetrable. Luckily, we get to go back stage for a dance. The Partysquad jump and the audience jumps with them.<\/p>\n

An hour later and we\u2019ve had enough. The bouncer wishes us a nice evening. The anti-hangover pills which SSR was handing out on the terrace this afternoon will come in useful.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Een lijst van afbeeldingen<\/h2>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t
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