St. Augustine once described the world as a book, purring that people who seldom travel only get to read one page. In the quest for knowledge the ‘new ones’ have travelled from distances far and wide to study at one of Europe’s best universities – TU Delft.
The last few weeks have thus ushered in an army of new international students arriving to begin what will be for many a journey of life-changing experience. In their time here, they will learn, as I have, to complain, criticize and cry their hearts out about everything from food and culture to the weather. They’ll learn to love bread, talk about the weather more than necessary, ride bicycles (or first learn how to ride one), loathe the wind and generally do as the Dutch do.
And many will come to terms with the faculty computer screensavers flashing the text Doe het zelf – do it yourself. They’ll learn the hard way that Doe het zelf is not just a TU Delft cliché, but rather the unwritten rule of Dutch education and the Dutch way of life. Call it what you want, but such is life here. Living and studying in the Netherlands will teach the ‘new ones’ many valuable life lessons, lessons that they’ll take back home with them from this remarkable country. Before then, though, we all have to live life, but how?
This is the question on the lips of many ‘new ones’, many already asking what do we do here besides exams, deadlines, reports, appointments and long, two-hour lectures staring at professors reading through endless PowerPoint slides? Time was when the now ‘old ones’ quipped such enquiries, complaining about the perceived drab demeanor of Delft, its sardonically sleepy aura and the shocking stillness that haunts the minds of ‘new ones’. But time is a healer, they say, and soon the ‘new ones’ will learn that this city is in fact alive and brimming with an uncanny type of social life that must be discovered, that they in fact must Doe het zelf, rather than waiting for ‘it’ to happen to you.
This ode to the ‘new ones’ was chosen not to complicate your already complex lives as new TU Delft students, but rather to instill in you the ‘TU Delft Spirit’, the will to do it yourself, the will to explore the very depths of this nation in the lowlands.
To all the ‘new ones’, the guys and gals already complaining and whining at the specter of Delft, I urge you to look no further than within. Many of us spend too much time in shells and cocoons of illusions of what can be, or should be, rather than just living life now. Get out, meet people, go to parties, make friends. There is more to life here than the daunting routines – exams, reports, deadlines and seemingly endless hours of professorial instruction.
There is much to do in this erroneously labeled ‘dull’ city. Every day there are wonderful places for students to go: Tango, De Ruif, Oude Jan on Wednesdays, Bebop on Thursdays, Salsa parties, and Greek parties (never miss them!) are just a few. Doe het zelf and strike a balance. Social life is a balancing effect and a prerequisite for success.
TU Delft is your new ‘book’ now, and it’s up to you to read all its many fascinating and entertaining pages.
Bemgba Nyakuma, from Nigeria, is a 2nd year MSc student studying sustainable energy technology at the faculty of Applied Sciences. He can be contacted at b.b.nyakuma
Poppodium Speakers hoeft zijn deuren niet te sluiten. Maandenlang had de directeur van Speakers ruzie met pandverhuurder Heineken over het huurcontract, dat op 1 januari 2009 afliep. Het leek erop dat Speakers geen nieuw contract kon regelen en moest vertrekken. Na onderhandelingen tussen de ruziemakers onder leiding van wethouder Lian Merkx is een oplossing gevonden. De directeur van Speakers is vertrokken en programmeur Gideon Rozendaal neemt het stokje over. Vorig jaar september vierde Speakers zijn tienjarige bestaan.
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