{"id":68581,"date":"2017-04-07T09:31:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-07T07:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/?p=68581\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:22:40","slug":"huize-verrassing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2017\/04\/07\/huize-verrassing\/","title":{"rendered":"House of Gifts"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yaning (20), China –\nAlissandra (20), -Germany\/the Netherlands –\nJia (21), China –\nNuria (23), Spain –\nCyydia (19), \u2018a Finn from Luxembourg\u2019<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>

It\u2019s no typical student house here on Honingerdijk. One student drinks wine, the others tea. There are no parties. The rowdiest it has been since August must be when they all went to see \u2018Fifty Shades Darker\u2019 on Valentine\u2019s Day. Back in the student house there was a discussion about the credibility of all the sex scenes. So there is that.<\/p>\n

Cultural differences<\/h3>

Four nationalities \u2013 Chinese, German, Norwegian and Spanish \u2013 living under one roof. They came together in a roundabout way, partly through Facebook. And this sometimes brings an element of confusion, especially the Chinese customs. Once, Jia (21) saw her housemate Alissandra (20) eating cornflakes with strawberries. So she thought she would give it a try. However, she mistook the strawberries for tomatoes. Laughter all around. Alisandra: \u201cYou can tell her anything you like about food.\u201d<\/p>\n

At breakfast, the girls like to watch the news on the television. Sipping at their tea, they discuss current events. Cultural differences come to the surface. Cyydia (19), for example, gets an explanation about the monopoly of the Communist Party in China. \u201cI learn a lot from my housemates, but I won\u2019t change the way I do things.\u201d Jia, on the other hand, thinks differently: \u201cI try to combine the best of both worlds. The Chinese, for example, have a lot of respect for the elderly. It\u2019s something I will never forget. Europeans are more open than the Chinese. That\u2019s something I want to take over.\u201d<\/p>\n

'It's just something nice and fun to do'<\/h3>

So far from home, the five students depend on each other. And therefore it has become a tradition to give each other gifts, in the form of a birthday cake, chocolates on December 5 or a rose on Valentine\u2019s Day. Asked why, they all shrug their shoulders: it\u2019s just something nice and fun to do.<\/p>\n\n\t

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\n\t\t\u2018Fortunately, we love each other. And that will never change\u2019\n\t<\/blockquote>\n\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n

Back in the kitchen, the word \u2018stamppot\u2019 comes up. Everyone frowns. \u201cStemppot?\u201d Only Jia has eaten it. She\u2019s also an admirer of the country and is learning the language. The others remain unconvinced of the need to do so. It\u2019s not really necessary, Cyydia believes: \u201cRotterdam is an international city and Erasmus University is an international university.\u201d That is why it is possible to find a large IKEA poster of Amsterdam hanging on the wall in the living room, with nobody bothered about it.<\/p>\n

They laugh, but also realise that it will all come to an end. A number of them will be leaving at the end of this year. One will start work, while another is going on an exchange programme. It\u2019s painful. \u201cWe\u2019re trying not to think about it,\u201d says Cyydia, who is immediately comforted by Jia. \u201cBut we knew it was going to happen. Fortunately, we love each other. And that will never change.\u201d<\/p>\n

read more<\/h2>