{"id":2801,"date":"2016-08-22T16:28:47","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T14:28:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=57565"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:10","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:10","slug":"international-night-during-eureka-week-were-here-to-learn-about-the-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/08\/22\/international-night-during-eureka-week-were-here-to-learn-about-the-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"International night during Eureka Week: \u2018We\u2019re here to learn about the culture\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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>

Eureka Week? Don\u2019t change anything \u2013 it\u2019s fine the way it is. Just ask the international students. On Wednesday they had one night to party together. \u2018It\u2019s fine for one evening, but we\u2019re here to learn about the culture.<\/p>\n

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The party is held in Plan C and is organised by Erasmus Student Network Rotterdam (ESN). Dozens of international students throng their way past the club\u2019s bouncers, some of them draining their alcohol-filled water bottles while others distribute cigarettes.<\/p>\n

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Louisa (l) en Tatjana<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>

They\u2019re all looking forward to it, mainly because during the association parties there\u2019s so much shouting in Dutch. \u201cIt\u2019s a fun experience, even though we don\u2019t understand a word they\u2019re saying,\u201d laughs Louisa (22) from Malaysia. \u201cAnd the parties are so <\/em>lively.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the psychology student is fine with the fact that the programme has only a single activity exclusively for international students. \u201cFor me, the Eureka Week is important for me because it\u2019s an opportunity to learn about Dutch culture and the culture of Rotterdam.\u201d And she also feels you can learn a bit of Dutch.<\/p>\n

The 17-year-old Fia from Cape Town nods in agreement. \u201cI want to see and experience everything.\u201d Earlier that day she rode on the back of a bike for the first time and almost fell off. And she had a taste of vla<\/em>. It wasn\u2019t bad.<\/p>\n

Peculiar people, the Dutch.<\/p>\n

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Fia from Cape Town.<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

Connecting<\/h3>

The Eureka Week is also a great time to make friends. The terms \u2018connecting\u2019 and \u2018bonding\u2019 are heard frequently. Or, as Teresa, a 19-year-old psychology student from Norway, puts it: \u201cIt\u2019s impossible not <\/em>to make friends during this week. You get so many opportunities.\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\tRonald van den Heerik<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Tatjana (25), a first-year psychology student from Germany, concurs. \u201cI\u2019m here to meet and talk with lots of people and hear about new perspectives on life. Studying abroad is very useful for doing that and the Eureka Week is a great start. You meet so many people at once.\u201d<\/p>\n

'All of them have friends, we don't'<\/h3>

But for one evening it\u2019s nice to be among like-minded people. \u201cI mean, we are all in the same situation. Everyone is living away from home. It\u2019s fun to be among all the Dutch people, but all of them already have friends. We don\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

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The party-goers demonstrate they understand each other as Ludacris blasts from the speakers. Immediately, in chorus: \u201cMove bitch, get out the way, bitch.\u201d Some things are the same everywhere.<\/p>\n

That could also apply to dormant nationalism. A Brazilian crosses the dance floor, passing under a Brazilian flag. He stops, kisses his fingers and places them softly on the flag. Others gather for group photos under their own flag. If someone shouts \u2018E-S-N, E-S-N, E-S-N\u2019, this is immediately met with shouts of \u2018U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A\u2019.<\/p>\n

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And this was just one of the examples of traces of American culture encountered during Eureka Week. Ji Hyun (22), a student in the Innovation Management master, mentions that English is spoken frequently, especially at the opening ceremony. \u201cThat was strange. So many people, so impressive \u2013 I was asking myself: what is going on here? This is something you would expect in America. But it was useful, as I immediately saw that I wasn\u2019t the only international student. Just the opposite, in fact.\u00a0There are quite a few international students and that\u2019s a comforting thought.\u201d<\/p>\n

While enthusiastically relating her experiences, she loses sight of her group. After searching for an hour, she still hasn\u2019t found them.<\/p>\n

You could say this is a good time to start \u2018connecting\u2019.<\/p>\n

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