Lonely and bored are not words you might typically think of when describing the average university student on a Friday night. But when the weekend comes, many international students do find themselves alone with nothing to do.
Moving to a new country to study often means leaving family and friends behind and the transition can be difficult for some.
“Dutch students already have a social network, but international students can feel lonely in Holland. We don’t want them to feel isolated,” says Anoeshka Ishwardat, Event Coordinator for TU Delft Sports and Culture.
In an effort to help combat homesickness and improve social integration, TU Delft offers a series of Friday night events for students. These events offer students the chance to meet each other and learn more about each other’s cultures. Past events include a Persian New Year’s celebration, cheese tasting, Indian Holi festival, and Chinese New Year.
To kick off the new school year, the Sports and Culture Centre is organizing a tropical barbecue party on Friday, August 23rd. Aside from delicious food, there will be beach volleyball, a live performance by the indie folk band Friends of the Family, a DJ, dancing and more.
Some of the other events planned during the next months include a karaoke night, international movie night and a workshop by 17 year old Mats Valk, this year’s Rubik’s Cube World Champion. In addition to the Friday night events, there are also some daytime and weekend events such as inline skating and a trip to a biological farm. Most of the events are free or low cost to participate. All students are welcome to attend, but there is a focus on making international students feel welcome.
There may be added incentive for attending these events. There seems to be a correlation between academic performance and a fulfilling social life. According to Ishwardat, study results for international students have improved overall since the university started offering these types of social gatherings a few years ago.
“These parties are always a riot of fun,” states Aarabi Kumar, a former TU Delft international student. “They are a good place to meet people from all over the world and to make a whole host of new friends. One is introduced to exotic practices of many different cultures and exposed to the characteristic traits of many diverse societies.”
For more information and a complete schedule of upcoming events visit www.sc.tudelft.nl or stop by the Sports and Culture desk.
Comments are closed.