How do students live in Delft? Showering with the door open, drinking tea and borrowing each other’s clothes: In a city full of men, living in an all-female sorority house is wonderful say the residents of the Voorstraat. “It is like having eight sisters.”
(L-R) Noémi, Cile and Carolien in their cosy kitchen. Drinking wine outside was not an option during this interview as it was raining cats and dogs. (Photo: Chris Reichard).
- Type of house: All female
- Residents: 8
- Associated sorority: DSC
- Location: Voorstraat
- Room size: 10m2 – 15 m2
- Room rate: 310 euro
“Our motto is ‘cosy and practical’,” says Maritime Technology student Carolien van Mens (24) while sitting in the colourful kitchen. “We don’t have a real house name. We call ourselves the Voorstraat. Being the only all-female house in the street, I think we are allowed to claim that name, right?” The sorority house is small but cleverly furnished. For example, two refrigerators in the kitchen serve as extra countertops. Mechanical Engineering student Noémi Los (21): “You are always aware of what everyone is doing, because we live on top of each other. During exam weeks, we go to the UB (university library) together. We chill on each other’s beds. Borrow each other’s things. It is like having eight sisters.”
All-female house
Clinical Technology student Cile van Holthe says that “We do everything here with the door open. Even showering. Something you wouldn’t do if you lived in a mixed house.” The girls can back up their claim: new roommates go to an all-male house on the Oude Delft for an exchange . Noémi adds, “We gave the boys who came here this year names from a Dutch TV show called ‘Gooische Vrouwen’. They drank tea with us. To be honest, they were totally pampered for a week.” In the male house the exchange takes a rougher turn. Cile explains, “They wake you up with a beer. If you live there, you become a bit of a man. They really do their best to treat you as one of the boys. It brings you nice friendships.” (Article continues below pictures)
Nursery
The women’s home is located above a nursery. On warm evenings, this is quite a sight: eight students sitting outside with a glass of wine, behind them a room full of children’s toys. Noémi says that “We can sit there from 18:00 onwards. That rhythm works perfectly for both parties. Until 14:00 we have the sun on our rooftop terrace at the back.” The house, however, is quite noisy. “You know everything about those children,” Carolien says. “Do not put mud in your mouth, again!” adds Cile, laughing. A nice extra: parents looking for a babysitter can knock on the girls’ door. Carolien: “Our telephone number is pinned on the wall.”
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