{"id":88955,"date":"2018-08-21T13:34:27","date_gmt":"2018-08-21T11:34:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=88955"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:04","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:04","slug":"tracking-group-228-how-this-group-of-iba-students-experienced-day-1-of-eurekaweek","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/08\/21\/tracking-group-228-how-this-group-of-iba-students-experienced-day-1-of-eurekaweek\/","title":{"rendered":"Tracking group 228: How the first-years experienced Day 1 of Eurekaweek"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s just before noon on the opening Monday of Eurekaweek and members of group #228 are getting\u00a0 to know each other outside Ahoy Rotterdam. The randomly selected group features faces from Finland, Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, and a bunch of half-this, half-that students, all of whom are being guided by a duo of second years from Egypt and Hungary. Before the guides can even introduce themselves, the incoming first years are happily chatting away with each other.<\/span><\/p>

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Guides Morad Farag and Mate Pocs hang out with the first-years.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIvar Laanen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cWhen I did Eurekaweek last year, my group was pretty awkward and no one talked at first,\u201d says Morad Farag, one of the guides. \u201cThis group isn\u2019t like that. I\u2019m impressed by how quickly they\u2019ve started getting along.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While the opening introductions start smoothly, the day\u2019s activities do not. First a swarm of bees leaves stinging souvenirs on the hands of three students, and then the bike-less group get lost in Rotterdam-Zuid after the metro stopped near Maassilo due to construction reasons.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe\u2019re supposed to start our tour of the city at Beurs, but I guess they\u2019ll get to see the south of the city first,\u201d laughs Farag.<\/span><\/p>\n

Age gaps<\/h2>

After touring the city where these students will spend their next three years, the group heads to a house in Kralingen where both guides live. Pasta is on the menu, followed by Desperados and Heineken. As the drinks start to flow over a game of King\u2019s Cup, it becomes easier to see the age gaps between the students. Some of them barely hover above the age of 17 (those who are 17 may not drink), while one student tops off at 23 years old.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou can tell that for some of these students everything is a completely new experience, and that does make me feel a bit older than everyone,\u201d says Valentin Marchon, the bearded 23 year old from Switzerland. \u201cBut I expected this coming into the week, so it\u2019s not a problem at all.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s gezellig\u2019 <\/h2>

Any outsider walking into this post-dinner party would easily assume that these students had been friends for a while due to the complete lack of awkwardness in the room, something that was readily apparent before the opening ceremony earlier in the morning. The students are already putting their arms around each other\u2019s shoulders, dancing together and diving into good conversations.<\/span><\/p>\n

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It's all smiles in Group 228.<\/span><\/p>

\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIvar Laanen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cI think the only way to describe this group is with the Dutch word \u2018gezellig<\/span><\/a>\u2019,\u201d says Sem Koelewijn, a Dutch student from Amersfoort.Another student, Myrna from Limburg, credits the guides for the good atmosphere.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning, the guides have been open and genuinely interested in us, so that\u2019s made everyone really comfortable with each other,\u201d Myrna observes. \u201cAt the opening ceremony, several people said \u2018you\u2019re going to find friends for life\u2019, but to be honest I don\u2019t think they should emphasise that because it feels so forced. I think it all depends on your group, and luckily our group is a good one.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s what the group can expect on day 2 of Eurekaweek.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n\n\t

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