{"id":118388,"date":"2020-10-08T09:27:51","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T07:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=118388"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:07","slug":"international-students-make-new-friends-by-means-of-whatsapp-projectors-and-parties","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/10\/08\/international-students-make-new-friends-by-means-of-whatsapp-projectors-and-parties\/","title":{"rendered":"International students make new friends by means of WhatsApp, projectors and parties"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cWhere do you meet new people?\u201d An anonymous student on EUR Confessions International\u2019s Facebook page is in need of some help. \u201cI\u2019m from Asia and being new here I don\u2019t have a chance to meet people on campus as everything is online. It would be nice to meet people from Asia but also from other countries.\u201d Most international students have now been here for slightly over one month. How are they seeking to ensure their time in the Netherlands is somewhat enjoyable, and what are they doing to build a network?<\/p>\n

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New residents moving in Hatta, August 2019.<\/span><\/p>

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\u201cYou need to be creative,\u201d says Alfredo Menghini, a 24-year-old student attending the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication (ESHCC). He has lived in the F-Building on campus since early September. Menghini says it is a quiet building where he is largely left to his own devices. \u201cPer the rules issued by the Dutch government last week, we are only allowed to get together with a small group of people. This makes sense and is understandable now that the infection rate is going up. I did think the Dutch restrictions were rather liberal at first. So we try to meet outdoors, or we\u2019ll meet in a small group at a caf\u00e9\u2019s outdoor seating area.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Cristian and Marika.<\/span><\/p>

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Two other Italians standing in front of the Hatta Building agree on the laxity of Dutch restrictions. Psychology student Cristian Merigo, 22, does not live on campus. He is waiting for a friend, a student who does live in the Hatta Building: Marika Grimaldi, 20. \u201cWhen we first came here, the coronavirus seemed to be a million miles away. It really surprised me, as an Italian. In my home country we took things a lot more seriously, particularly because of all the drama we went through in March. Here we didn\u2019t have to wear face masks in the supermarket, and the hand-washing rules were a lot less strict,\u201d says Marika.<\/p>\n

Projector and cooking<\/h2>

As a result, some international students felt that anything went, according to Cristian and Marika. Everyone was looking for new friends in a strange world. They found that international students were regularly throwing house parties at the Hatta Building. \u201cSuch parties are organised to help people meet people. It\u2019s the quickest way. In the beginning, there were a lot of parties,\u201d says Cristian. Now that the infection rate is rising, the number of parties has decreased, say Marika and Cristian. \u201cWhich is good. As for myself, I\u2019ve come up with a small group of people I regularly meet. I try not to meet any other people. And I don\u2019t hug anyone,\u201d says Marika.<\/p>\n\n\t

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Lees meer<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t