{"id":197979,"date":"2026-05-20T12:33:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=197979"},"modified":"2026-05-20T12:33:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T10:33:06","slug":"strijd-tegen-sereniteit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/","title":{"rendered":"Fight against serenity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-intro-font-size\">There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1600x1067.jpg\" alt=\"EM columnist Giselle Timmers zittend in een bioscoopzaal\" class=\"wp-image-196000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1600x1067.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 1600w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-875x583.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 875w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-300x200.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 300w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1280x854.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 1280w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1536x1024.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 1536w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-2048x1366.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><p data-component=\"image-credits\" class=\"flex flex-wrap gap-2 items-center text-base\">\n\t<span aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg width=\"24\" height=\"24\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\">\n<path d=\"M19.5 5.25H16.9012L15.6234 3.33375C15.555 3.23114 15.4623 3.147 15.3535 3.08879C15.2448 3.03057 15.1233 3.00007 15 3H9C8.87665 3.00007 8.75522 3.03057 8.64648 3.08879C8.53773 3.147 8.44502 3.23114 8.37656 3.33375L7.09781 5.25H4.5C3.90326 5.25 3.33097 5.48705 2.90901 5.90901C2.48705 6.33097 2.25 6.90326 2.25 7.5V18C2.25 18.5967 2.48705 19.169 2.90901 19.591C3.33097 20.0129 3.90326 20.25 4.5 20.25H19.5C20.0967 20.25 20.669 20.0129 21.091 19.591C21.5129 19.169 21.75 18.5967 21.75 18V7.5C21.75 6.90326 21.5129 6.33097 21.091 5.90901C20.669 5.48705 20.0967 5.25 19.5 5.25ZM15.375 12.375C15.375 13.0425 15.1771 13.695 14.8062 14.25C14.4354 14.8051 13.9083 15.2376 13.2916 15.4931C12.6749 15.7485 11.9963 15.8154 11.3416 15.6852C10.6869 15.5549 10.0855 15.2335 9.61351 14.7615C9.14151 14.2895 8.82007 13.6881 8.68985 13.0334C8.55962 12.3787 8.62646 11.7001 8.88191 11.0834C9.13735 10.4667 9.56993 9.93964 10.125 9.56879C10.68 9.19794 11.3325 9 12 9C12.8951 9 13.7535 9.35558 14.3865 9.98851C15.0194 10.6214 15.375 11.4799 15.375 12.375Z\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Image by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t<span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/persons\/geisje-van-der-linden\/\" class=\"underline hocus:no-underline decoration-1 underline-offset-2\">Geisje van der Linden<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-intro-font-size\">Two months ago I wrote <a href=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/03\/18\/roken-huilen-en-zoenen-in-het-pierre-bayle-monument\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/03\/18\/roken-huilen-en-zoenen-in-het-pierre-bayle-monument\/\">a eulogy<\/a> to the secluded Pierre Bayle Monument. A pavilion partially hidden among the trees at the edge of campus, making it the ultimate place for all kinds of secret activities: crying, smoking and kissing. The place felt like a refuge. But there is a reason I have to write about it again: the green area around the monument has been fenced off and dug up by a team of mechanics who keep their radio on all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The university is waging a war against serenity and seems to be winning. There are hardly any places left to unwind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t<div data-name=\"acf\/posts-list\" >\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"sr-only\">Een lijst met artikelen<\/h2>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"space-y-6 md:space-y-8\">\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<ul class=\"grid items-strecth grid-cols-1 gap-2 md:gap-4 lg:gap-8\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"@container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<div data-component=\"teaser-post-small\" class=\"block-theme-violet  relative flex h-full bg-sand-300\n\tblock-theme-violet:bg-white block-theme-violet:text-purple block-theme-mocha:bg-sand-500 block-theme-mocha:text-brown\n\tblock-theme-sand:bg-sand-300 block-theme-sand:text-neutral-900\n\tblock-theme-violet:outline-purple-100 block-theme-violet:outline-1 block-theme-violet:outline-t-0\n\ttheme-mocha:bg-white! theme-violet:bg-white! theme-sand:bg-white!\n\tflex-row gap-4 @md:gap-8 p-4 @md:p-6\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image:w-full image:aspect-square image:object-cover shrink-0 size-17.5 @sm:size-21.25 @md:size-30 @lg:size-40\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" src=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374\" class=\"attachment-square_lg size-square_lg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 2560w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-875x583.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 875w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1600x1067.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 1600w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-300x200.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 300w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1280x854.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 1280w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1536x1024.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 1536w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-2048x1366.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-2 md:gap-4 \">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"text-md @lg:text-lg\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/03\/18\/roken-huilen-en-zoenen-in-het-pierre-bayle-monument\/\" class=\"absolute-link text-current hocus:underline inline-block\">\n\t\t\t\tSmoking, crying and kissing in the Pierre Bayle Monument\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"flex flex-wrap gap-4 items-center\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Gepubliceerd op:<\/span>\n\t\t\t<time class=\"text-sm font-soehne text-neutral-900\" datetime=\"2026-03-18\">18 March 2026<\/time>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<ul data-component=\"list-badges\" class=\"flex items-center gap-2 flex-wrap\" aria-label=\"Geplaatst in categorie\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-component=\"badge\" class=\"block-theme-violet:bg-purple font-soehne font-bold text-sm bg-brown-600 block-theme-violet:bg-purple text-white py-[2px] px-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\tColumn\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-intro-font-size\">Lately I have often been in the library from 10.00 am until 8.00 pm. While I write my thesis, life goes on: I get rejected for a master&#8217;s, my knees hurt and I talk to my friends. Because I work so much, everything hits hard and I do not believe I can or want to stop that by putting my life on hold until a deadline has passed. I try to create space by seeking out beauty. I thought I had found that in the Pierre Bayle Monument and the fact that it is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines disappoints me. It is a bit like finding out that the boy you fancy is hiding his girlfriend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apparently a new heat regulation system is being installed for the Theil Building. The mechanics are now constructing a heat storage facility. This will take months. Men are drilling large pipes into the ground and moving piles of earth from one place to another. They drink coffee together and wear T-shirts from their company in Dedemsvaart. We wave at each other when I walk past. At the end of the day they all get into a green van and head home again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t<div data-name=\"acf\/quote\" class=\"align\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"\">\n\t\t\t<figure data-component=\"quote-with-author\" class=\"@container\">\n\t<blockquote class=\"text-md italic @2xl:text-xl @4xl:text-2xl text-purple\">\n\t\t&#039;I would like something like that too: beautiful places to hide my own heat regulation system. Perhaps a storage place for shame beneath my earlobe&#039;\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>They leave behind containers where grey water trickles from one to another and in the final container a large ball floats on the surface. Large red hoses supply these reservoirs with water. When I walked past the construction site again on Wednesday evening, I saw that a hole had appeared in one of the red hoses and a tiny fountain was now spraying across the grass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is little soothing about it anymore. The park, now only half there, is not for students to relax in, but seems more like a place to bury installations and hide the heat regulation system. I would like something like that too: beautiful places to hide my own heat regulation system. Perhaps a storage place for shame beneath my earlobe. Or a spot in my bra where I can replace disappointment with renewed hope. The university is becoming increasingly hectic. I will have to find the peace within myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\t<div data-name=\"acf\/posts-list\" >\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"space-y-6 md:space-y-8\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"text-lg md:text-xl\">Read more <\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<ul class=\"grid items-strecth grid-cols-1 gap-2 md:gap-4 lg:gap-8\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"@container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n<div data-component=\"teaser-post-small\" class=\"block-theme-violet  relative flex h-full bg-sand-300\n\tblock-theme-violet:bg-white block-theme-violet:text-purple block-theme-mocha:bg-sand-500 block-theme-mocha:text-brown\n\tblock-theme-sand:bg-sand-300 block-theme-sand:text-neutral-900\n\tblock-theme-violet:outline-purple-100 block-theme-violet:outline-1 block-theme-violet:outline-t-0\n\ttheme-mocha:bg-white! theme-violet:bg-white! theme-sand:bg-white!\n\tflex-row gap-4 @md:gap-8 p-4 @md:p-6\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"image:w-full image:aspect-square image:object-cover shrink-0 size-17.5 @sm:size-21.25 @md:size-30 @lg:size-40\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"460\" height=\"307\" src=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361\" class=\"attachment-square_lg size-square_lg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361 2560w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-875x583.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361 875w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1600x1067.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361 1600w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-300x200.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361 300w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1280x854.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361 1280w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1536x1024.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361 1536w, https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto2_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-2048x1366.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370361 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 460px) 100vw, 460px\" \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"flex flex-col gap-2 md:gap-4 \">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"text-md @lg:text-lg\">\n\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/04\/15\/spar-red-mij\/\" class=\"absolute-link text-current hocus:underline inline-block\">\n\t\t\t\tSpar, save me!\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t<div class=\"flex flex-wrap gap-4 items-center\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"sr-only\">Gepubliceerd op:<\/span>\n\t\t\t<time class=\"text-sm font-soehne text-neutral-900\" datetime=\"2026-04-15\">15 April 2026<\/time>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<ul data-component=\"list-badges\" class=\"flex items-center gap-2 flex-wrap\" aria-label=\"Geplaatst in categorie\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div data-component=\"badge\" class=\"block-theme-violet:bg-purple font-soehne font-bold text-sm bg-brown-600 block-theme-violet:bg-purple text-white py-[2px] px-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\tColumn\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines. Two months ago I wrote a eulogy to the secluded Pierre Bayle Monument. A pavilion partially hidden among the trees at the edge of campus, making it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":310,"featured_media":196000,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_trash_the_other_posts":false,"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"em_content_type":[24781],"class_list":["post-197979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rubriek-column-en","em_content_type-opinie-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Fight against serenity<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fight against serenity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Erasmus Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ErasmusMagazineInternational\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T10:33:05+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-20T10:33:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1600x1067.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1067\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Giselle Maria Timmers\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@erasmusmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@erasmusmag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"Giselle Maria Timmers\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/\"},\"author\":\"Giselle Maria Timmers\",\"headline\":\"Fight against serenity\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T10:33:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-20T10:33:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":490,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374\",\"articleSection\":[\"Column\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/\",\"name\":\"Fight against serenity\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-20T10:33:05+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-20T10:33:06+00:00\",\"author\":\"Giselle Maria Timmers\",\"description\":\"There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"EM columnist Giselle Timmers\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/20\\\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Fight against serenity\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"Erasmus Magazine\",\"description\":\"Independent news platform of Erasmus University Rotterdam\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Giselle Maria Timmers\",\"id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/persons\\\/giselle-maria-timmers\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/persons\\\/giselle-maria-timmers\\\/\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/Giselle-Timmers_profielfoto.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/Giselle-Timmers_profielfoto.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/8\\\/Giselle-Timmers_profielfoto.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Giselle Maria Timmers\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Fight against serenity","description":"There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Fight against serenity","og_description":"There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/","og_site_name":"Erasmus Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ErasmusMagazineInternational\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-20T10:33:05+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-20T10:33:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":1067,"url":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden-1600x1067.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Giselle Maria Timmers","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@erasmusmag","twitter_site":"@erasmusmag","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"3 minutes","Written by":"Giselle Maria Timmers"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/"},"author":"Giselle Maria Timmers","headline":"Fight against serenity","datePublished":"2026-05-20T10:33:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-20T10:33:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/"},"wordCount":490,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374","articleSection":["Column"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/","url":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/","name":"Fight against serenity","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374","datePublished":"2026-05-20T10:33:05+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-20T10:33:06+00:00","author":"Giselle Maria Timmers","description":"There are fewer and fewer places on campus to find peace and quiet, columnist Giselle observes. Even her favourite bench is now surrounded by fences and drilling machines.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_foto3_columnist_jan2026_Geisje-van-der-Linden.jpg?image-crop-positioner-ts=1770370374","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"EM columnist Giselle Timmers"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2026\/05\/20\/strijd-tegen-sereniteit\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Fight against serenity"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/","name":"Erasmus Magazine","description":"Independent news platform of Erasmus University Rotterdam","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Giselle Maria Timmers","id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/persons\/giselle-maria-timmers\/","url":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/persons\/giselle-maria-timmers\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_profielfoto.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_profielfoto.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/Giselle-Timmers_profielfoto.jpg","caption":"Giselle Maria Timmers"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197979","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/310"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=197979"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197979\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":197985,"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/197979\/revisions\/197985"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/196000"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=197979"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=197979"},{"taxonomy":"em_content_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/em_content_type?post=197979"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}