{"id":3459,"date":"2016-06-01T12:49:35","date_gmt":"2016-06-01T11:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/06\/01\/een-ideale-mix-van-allerlei-mensen\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:12","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:12","slug":"een-ideale-mix-van-allerlei-mensen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2016\/06\/01\/een-ideale-mix-van-allerlei-mensen\/","title":{"rendered":"‘An ideal cocktail’"},"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\tSanne van der Most<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Public Administration master student Marina Boer (27) is standing on the quay. It looks like a picture postcard with the sparkling water and De Hef bridge gleaming in the setting sun. Another five minutes\u2019 walk and you can see the Erasmusbrug bridge with a fine view of De Boompjes. It must be one of the most beautiful places in the middle of Rotterdam. \u201cReally peaceful, isn\u2019t it?\u201dMarina says.<\/p>\n

Peaceful and tranquil<\/h3>

You might even forget that Noordereiland is actually a city district. But the island is peaceful, even tranquil. The streets are practically deserted and cars take the shorter bus route from the Willemsbrug bridge. Nobody knows and nobody cares. The saying that Noordereiland is a self-contained village seems pretty apt. Or as Marina puts it: \u201cThere\u2019s not much on the island unless you actually live here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her fellow student Rick Tuin (24) experiences that village feeling every day. He and a few friends have been renting a flat here since 2014 and it\u2019s completely different to the busy and dynamic city of Groningen that he was used to. \u201cPeople here speak to you on the streets,\u201d Rick says. \u201cMaking eye contact with people at the Spar is quite normal here. It\u2019s like you\u2019re part of the in crowd.\u201d And it\u2019s safe too: \u201cI had to put a strong padlock and chain on my bike in Groningen and it still got stolen! No need for all that here. You can just leave your bike outside the front door.\u201d<\/p>\n

One in 12 is a student<\/h3>\n\t
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\n\t\t\u2018It\u2019s South without all the preconceived ideas about that district.\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t–<\/span>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRick Tuin\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Noordereiland is located on the Nieuwe Maas, wedged in between the city centre and Zuid district and next door to the Erasmusbrug. The Willemsbrug bridge links the central quay with the island, and the islanders use the two other bridges \u2013 De Hef and Koninginnebrug \u2013 to get to Zuid. Noordereiland was accidentally created in the 19th centurywhen the Koningshaven was dug out, as it got dislodged.<\/p>\n

About 3,300 people live on Noordereiland, many of whom are seafaring folk. According to the municipal records, 8% are students. We don\u2019t know exactly how many Erasmus students are among them because the municipality counts all individuals on student grants. The island, nicknamed \u2018Montmartre on the Meuse\u2019, has a reputation for being a cultural centre with a lot of artists and studios, and it mainly attracts students from the Willem de Kooning Academy. There aren\u2019t that many Erasmus students living there.<\/p>\n

\u2018Those students really are fantastic people\u2019<\/h3>
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Quite a few students left the island after dozens of \u2018anti-squatter buildings\u2019 \u2013 buildings rented out cheaply to prevent squatting \u2013 on Van der Takstraat were demolished at the beginning of 2015. Henk de Heer (79), who lives nearby, still thinks it\u2019s a pity: \u201cIt\u2019s difficult for people who aren\u2019t local and don\u2019t make any effort to fit in,\u201d he says. \u201cBut students do just that. They\u2019re fantastic people, really great. They say hello to you and have a bit of a chat. So we give them a hand too now and then, like mending their bicycle tyres if they get a puncture. I\u2019d like to see more of them here. We get on fine together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nel Noel, president of the Feyenoord district committee, has also noticed that there aren\u2019t as many students living on Noordereiland any more: \u201cYou don\u2019t see them around so much.\u201d Students aren\u2019t really noticeable among the islanders, who are highly individual people. \u201cThere\u2019s a good deal of social cohesion here with a lot of active residents who join in neighbourhood watch schemes. They have no ties with any part of the city; as far as that goes, this is their<\/em> island. They\u2019re very proud people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Island bus<\/h3>

One example is an islander who recently walked across the Willemsbrug bridge to get to a bus stop. A 63-year-old \u2018outsider\u2019 witnessed the scene: \u201cThere are two buses on the island, no. 32 and no. 47. No. 47 is the island bus which doesn\u2019t go any further than Blaak on the mainland, but no. 32 goes a bit further. This man saw no. 32 coming with no. 47 right behind it. And he ignored 32 and got into 47, simply because that one\u2019s the island bus. Just for that one stop. It was a real giggle.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marina shares the islanders\u2019 pride. She\u2019s Rotterdam born and bred, grew up in Zuid and has been living on Noordereiland since the summer of 2013 \u2013 with a short break in Utrecht in between times. She didn\u2019t actually intend to go and live on the island, but one of the housing corporations offered her a flat there. But, she says, she liked the idea right away.<\/p>\n

Wonderful views<\/h3>

And Marina thinks the location is absolutely perfect too: \u201cYou can see Zuid if you look one way and the city centre if you look the other way,\u201d she says. \u201cEverything\u2019s well within reach. I can get to uni in a quarter of an hour, but I can get to a street market in Zuid just as easily. And the Nieuwe Luxor Theatre too, of course. I love it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Another good thing about this location is that there are wonderful views from the island: \u201cYou can laze around on the quay in summer and watch the boats go by under the Erasmusbrug,\u201d she says. \u201cI always take a rug along and a bottle of wine. Absolutely perfect. And we\u2019ve got a great view of all the fireworks on New Year\u2019s Eve.\u201d It\u2019s even more spectacular on days when Feyenoord\u2019s playing at home: \u201cI can see all the lights at De Kuip from my flat if they\u2019ve got a home match. Fabulous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rick adds:\u201cThere\u2019s a good view of De Boompjes from the island as well. The skyline\u2019s really impressive, and unique too. I reckon Zuidas in Amsterdam is the only other place in the Netherlands where you get something like that. And I enjoy logospotting for big companies like EY. Probably because of the programme I\u2019m doin<\/p>\n

Ideal for \u2018older students\u2019<\/h3>
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Rick ended up on Noordereiland \u201cthrough a friend of a friend\u201d, after having lived in Groningen city centre for years. \u201cIn a typical student house,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I really didn\u2019t want to live in a house like that again after I moved out. I wanted somewhere cleaner and quieter.\u201d He says the island is ideal for \u2018students who are a bit older\u2019: all the amenities of a city are close at hand, yet it\u2019s nice and peaceful. Marina enjoys the \u2018very relaxed atmosphere\u2019. \u201cNo yuppies here. But it\u2019s an ideal cocktail with all kinds of people. It\u2019s Zuid without all the preconceived ideas about that district.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Although the islanders maintain that there are rarely any problems, contact between natives and non-natives \u2018isn\u2019t too good\u2019. People enjoying a drink at De Willemsbrug caf\u00e9 described the situation pretty accurately when asked if the two groups actually mixed with each other. \u201cOutsiders live on the inside with us on the outside. Didn\u2019t you see that great big fence?\u201d (Roars of laughter). Integration is essential, say the people in this caf\u00e9. \u201cBut that\u2019s true everywhere, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018A real shame they knocked down those buildings\u2019<\/h3>
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Fadime, who owns Fadi\u2019s Turkish bakery, \u2018hardly ever\u2019 gets customers from the island in her shop and \u2018nobody\u2019 ever says hello to her on the street either. All her customers are office people who come to eat at her bakery at lunch time, and of course students.\u201cIt\u2019s a real shame they knocked down those anti-squatter buildings,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of students used to come here before then.I\u2019m still in contact with some of them on Facebook.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

She told us that one student started his own Bed and Breakfast in one of the anti-squatter buildings. And she\u2019s still laughing at the fact that this lad was able to sublet his room for 300 euros, \u201cand he was only paying 100 euros for it!\u201d<\/p>\n

Protected cityscape status<\/h3>
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The island enjoys \u2018protected cityscape\u2019 status and De Hef is a \u2018historic structure\u2019. Most of the buildings are old and stately, students don\u2019t all live in one house and there are no student association houses. Most outdoor activities take place at Burgemeester Hoffmanplein, a long boulevard rather like La Rambla in Barcelona. It\u2019s packed in summer, but right now only a few children are playing there.<\/p>\n

At the end of the boulevard, there\u2019s a Spar supermarket \u2013 the only one on the island \u2013 with \u2019t Buissie caf\u00e9 next door. Students rarely go to either of these places. The Spar is too expensive and the caf\u00e9 is full of \u2018funny old men\u2019: a lot of elderly people, usually seafaring folk. Like Jan den Haan (71) for instance. \u201cI sometimes see a whole lot of bikes propped against a lamp-post,\u201d he says. \u201cI suppose they belong to students. And I always think that it must be pretty difficult for the student whose bike\u2019s the one right at the back.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018Mayor Aboutaleb sometimes eats here\u2019<\/h3>
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As far as nightlife and entertainment are concerned, students and other young people prefer \u2018the mainland\u2019, where Oude Haven or Witte de Withstraat beckon. Marina says she has to refuse \u2018weekly invitations\u2019 from the people at Rijnvaart pub opposite her flat. \u201cThe owner always asks me over for a drink,\u201d she explains, \u201cbut I\u2019d far rather go to the city centre. It\u2019s a lot more fun and it only takes a couple of minutes to get there, even if you\u2019ve had a few drinks too many.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

However, students do patronise La Gaetano Pizzeria and the Smily snack bar a lot. This pizzeria is especially popular because pizza and pasta dishes only cost a few euros on Mondays and Tuesdays. \u201cIt\u2019s very tempting not to cook on those days,\u201d Marina says. \u201cThey\u2019ve got really good food there,\u201d adds Rick. \u201cAnd Mayor Aboutaleb has eaten there a few times too. There\u2019s a photo of him hanging up in the restaurant.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n

Smile Lee<\/h3>

The Smily snack bar is equally well known and rather dubious as well. Its slogan is \u2018service with a smiley\u2019. Rumor has it that the owner always says \u2018Smile Lee\u2019 to her Chinese colleague. Marina says it\u2019s cheap, \u201cbut one of the two ladies there can\u2019t add up properly. She\u2019s always making mistakes in the bill, sometimes up to 60 cents for each order.\u201d<\/p>\n

Anita, who works at the snack bar, isn\u2019t bothered about this. She says that Noordereiland is \u2018like a big village\u2019: \u201cEveryone knows everyone else,\u201d she adds. \u201cCustomers tell me the story of their life. The window cleaner\u2019s ill right now and the whole island\u2019s talking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018You have to have guts to live on Noordereiland\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarina Boer\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Unsuccessful campaign<\/h3>

One remarkable drawback to La Gaetano\u00a0Pizzeria is that you can\u2019t pay by bank card. And this is no exception on the island. Students living on the island once started a campaign to get a cash point installed there in 2009. They found it strange that the islanders had to cross the bridge every time they wanted to withdraw any cash. But apart from 4,000 signatures, the campaign wasn\u2019t a success.<\/p>\n

Nonetheless, it would be going too far to call the island out of date and it isn\u2019t really dangerous either. Marina remembers that the quays were flooded after heavy rain at the end of 2014. \u201cIt was a bit of a shock,\u201d she says. \u201cYou have to have guts to live on Noordereiland,\u201d she adds with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Zip lining from De Hef<\/h3>

And those who do have the guts can enjoy peace and quiet.\u201cQuite different from the city centre,\u201d says Marina. \u201cNo H&M here!\u201dShe enjoys it, but it sometimes makes life difficult for Fadime at the Turkish bakery. She thinks there should be more attractions on the island, like A La Plancha restaurant which is only open in the summer.\u201cA lot of people visit the island then,\u201d she explains. \u201cGood for business!\u201d<\/p>\n

But the peace and quiet is absolutely fantastic. Marina doesn\u2019t want the island to change. There were plans afoot at some stage to set up zip lining for tourists at De Hef bridge, but Marina wasn\u2019t at all keen on the scheme. \u201cI\u2019m pleased that the idea fell through because it would have meant hordes of people all over the place,\u201d she says. \u201cNoordereiland is great as it is. Ignorance may breed contempt, but that\u2019s fine by me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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