{"id":1394,"date":"2016-12-08T14:09:32","date_gmt":"2016-12-08T13:09:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/?p=63217\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:06","slug":"campus-talk-wat-is-jouw-bijgeloof-of-ritueel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/12\/08\/campus-talk-wat-is-jouw-bijgeloof-of-ritueel\/","title":{"rendered":"Campus Talk: What’s your superstition or ritual?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are more things between heaven and earth than religion alone; even a superstition or ritual can be very important for everyday life. EM<\/em> went to talk to students on campus and encountered a whole range of superstitions, from the downright hilarious to the surprisingly effective. \u201cI sleep with my summary notes the night before a difficult exam.\u201d<\/p>\n

"I sat the exam wearing a T-shirt with a portrait of Mao Zedong"<\/h3>
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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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Bruno Falconnier (21, from Belgium), student of International Public Management and Policy:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor every exam, I wear clothes that are related to that subject. I believe that it helps me perform better. When I was on my exchange in Canada I went to the exam on post-Soviet Russia wearing a \u2018chapka\u2019 (a Russian fur hat). Two weeks ago when I had an exam on Europe, I sat in the examination room wearing a European Commission wristband. But it\u2019s not always easy to find the right outfit. For an exam about Asian international relations it took me ages to find something to wear. Eventually I sat the exam wearing a T-shirt with a portrait of Mao Zedong printed on it. Now I just have to wait for an exam about the Netherlands; then I\u2019ll eat a whole pack of stroopwafels<\/em> just before it starts.\u201d<\/p>\n

"Secretly I hope that the pen remembers part of the material"<\/h3>
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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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Tessa van Hartingsveldt (21), Clinical Technology student:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor the Clinical Technology exams I have to know a lot of long texts. I make summaries of those texts and write them out on paper. I believe that if I take the exam using the same pen, I\u2019ll be able to answer more questions. Secretly I hope that the pen remembers part of the material and can reproduce the answers itself. But in the three years that I\u2019ve been studying I\u2019ve lost faith in that a couple of times \u2013 sometimes \u2018that pen\u2019 remembers less than you would have hoped.\u201d<\/p>\n

"Our belief in the shirt number of Johan Cruijff has taken on a life of its own"<\/h3>
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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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Robert Nieuwenhuis (20), Economics student:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cSince the death of Johan Cruijff, my friends and I have a superstition about the number 14. We call it an ode to Johan, but our belief in his shirt number has actually taken on a life of its own: the volume of my television is always set to 14, I have a football shirt with the number 14 on the back, and I love it when I\u2019m travelling by train and it departs from platform 14. Even when I\u2019m playing a game I always go for 14, if possible. Recently I even managed to win quite some money playing roulette by betting on, you guessed it, number 14. But now, 14 is no longer just about profit and pleasure for me. Unfortunately, during the last exam I took, I didn\u2019t know the answer to\u2026 question 14.\u201d<\/p>\n

"Running feels as though you're on drugs"<\/h3>
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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\tJob Zomerplaag<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Natalia Derossi (19, from Italy), Liberal Arts & Sciences student:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cNow that I live in Rotterdam, I go running three times a week. Together with a friend I mark the routes that we have already done on a map of the city. Eventually I hope to have covered the whole of Rotterdam. For me, running is more than just a sport \u2013 it\u2019s also a form of meditation. When I run, I feel as if my thoughts are being released from my body. It feels as though you\u2019re on drugs: it makes you feel really happy.\u201d<\/p>\n

"I set off loads of fireworks to scare the monster"<\/h3>
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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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Minglong Shi (21, from China), Econometrics student:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThe most important ritual of the year is chasing away the mythological monster Nian during the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). Then I set off loads of fireworks and I wear red clothes to scare the monster. Chinese people also get together with their family and eat a traditional meal. In this way, it\u2019s a little bit like your Christmas. When I was little, every year I got a red envelope with money in it from my parents. Unfortunately, that tradition stops when you\u2019re an adult. I can\u2019t be with my family for the next Spring Festival, so I\u2019ll be celebrating it here with Chinese friends and we\u2019ll make dumplings together.\u201d<\/p>\n

"I sleep with my summary notes"<\/h3>
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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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Willemijne Meurs (22), Clinical Technology student:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI sleep with my summary notes the night before a difficult exam. So I don\u2019t put that pile of paper on my desk or on my bedside table, I have it right next to me when I crawl into bed. I don\u2019t believe that all the material will just flow into my brain or that I\u2019ll dream about the exam. I also don\u2019t wake up startled in the middle of the night because I need to look up the answer to a possible exam question. I just think it\u2019s nice to have the summaries near me, so I can take a last quick look through them before the exam.\u201d<\/p>\n

"That AA drink has to be orange, otherwise it gets to me"<\/h3>
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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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Patrick van Duivenbode (18), Medicine student:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the run-up to an exam is a whole ritual in itself. I start the day with a banana for breakfast, and then I leave for university. Just before the exam, I chew two pieces of gum to ease the tension. When I\u2019m at my desk in the examination room, I take out my supplies: a bottle of orange AA drink and a packet of Dextro. That AA drink really has to be the orange version, otherwise that really gets to me. I know that this ritual is a bit autistic, but it is based on scientific research \u2013 chewing gum and a good dose of glucose curb stress and help you focus better. The downside of my examination diet is that I\u2019m really hyper from all the sugar afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

"It's more of a way to refresh my mind"<\/h3>
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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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

Kristien van der Graaf (22), Clinical Technology student:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy ritual doesn\u2019t take place before or after, but rather during the exam. When I\u2019ve answered all the questions, I always go to the toilet to fill my bottle with water. I\u2019m not always thirsty at this point, but it\u2019s more of a way to refresh my mind. Then I can go over my answers again. Just being able to get out of that examination room for a brief moment is the real strength of this ritual. I have always done it this way and expect to be filling up a lot of bottles with water in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\t

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What’s your remarkable, inspiring or surprising ritual or superstition? Please let us know in the comments below this article!<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t

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De redactie<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t
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