Not every international student can or wants to go home for the Christmas holidays. That’s why the international student association BEST came up with the idea of a cookie baking evening. “You experience the Christmas spirit differently when your friends and family are far away.”
International students bake Christmas cookies at X. (Photo: Thijs van Reeuwijk)
The sweet, spicy smell of cookies is unmistakable on Wednesday evening in the kitchen of sports and cultural center X. About twenty students, some wearing reindeer ears on their heads, are busy with bags of flour, sugar, walnuts, and bottles of maple syrup. Tonight, they are preparing three different Christmas cookies, based on Slovenian, Australian, and Argentine recipes.
Shreyaa’s (22, Master’s in Biomedical Engineering) cookies have just come out of the oven. The Australian oatmeal cookies with white chocolate are delicious, says the Indian student, pointing to the baking sheet with the cookies that have stuck together a little. “But they’re supposed to look a little different.”
On the other side of the kitchen, the cookies made by PhD student Sara Khaleghizadeh (29, Aerospace Engineering) and her colleague are running a little late. “After twenty minutes, we realised that the oven wasn’t on.”
A little Christmas spirit
A little chaos is part of the fun on a baking night like this. The international student association BEST organises these events not only for the fun of it, but also to give foreign students a little Christmas spirit.
Chair Bazyli (20, Bachelor’s in Aerospace Engineering): “You experience the Christmas spirit differently when your friends and family are far away. We hope this helps them, including those who are not going home for Christmas.”
‘Traditions create connection and closeness’
Foreign students struggle with fatigue and loneliness more often than Dutch students, according to this year’s latest Mental Health and Substance Use Monitor from the Trimbos Institute (in Dutch). This is due to language barriers, cultural differences, financial worries, and housing problems, according to Nuffic (an organization for internationalisation in education). And then your social safety net is also far away.
All different traditions
The month of December, with all its small, recurring rituals, can be particularly difficult, Bazyli believes. “Traditions create connection and closeness. But in an international environment, you all have different traditions.” He hopes that an evening like this will help to evoke a kind of collective Christmas spirit.
What if you don’t celebrate Christmas at home? Shreyaa, who comes from India and is Hindu, knows all about that. Christmas has no special meaning for her. Baking cookies and enjoying a cozy evening—that’s what she’s here for.
She does love romantic Christmas movies, though. Shreyaa: “I love those cheesy romcoms. They made me curious about Christmas.” She’s staying in the Netherlands for the Christmas holidays and visiting Christmas markets with her roommate. “And of course, I watch Christmas movies. It’s pretty special that I can now experience the atmosphere from those movies in real life.”
Christmas dinner for the first time
PhD student Sara also didn’t grow up with Christmas in Iran, she says as her cookies finally go into the hot oven. But now that she’s here, she’s happy to immerse herself in the Christmas spirit – she also has Christmas markets on her agenda. And something special awaits her this year. “I’m joining a Christmas dinner for the first time, with my Dutch boyfriend’s parents.” She’s looking forward to it: “The more reasons to celebrate, the better.”
For Mexican Ana Sofia (28) on the other hand, Christmas was part of her upbringing. Still, she’s staying in the Netherlands because Mexico is far away and plane tickets are expensive. In recent years, she has celebrated Christmas with her family less often than not, she says: “I worked in the United States for a few years and then I didn’t go back.” She is not afraid of loneliness, because she has company and plans with a Mexican friend who also lives here. And yes, they too are visiting the Christmas markets.
It makes a big difference when you have friends who are also staying, Bazyli thinks. Still, he sees most foreign students leaving. “I would advise that too, because everyone does it. The irony is that this leaves less company for the people who do have to stay.”
Busy study month
Christmas with all its traditions is not the only reason for so many people leaving Delft. After four months in the Netherlands, it’s time to catch their breath at home, Bazyli thinks. “December was a busy study month. Many students are ready for a break and want to see their loved ones again. So in terms of timing, it works out well.”
Many students are ready for a break and are looking forward to seeing their loved ones again
For Tsvetina (24, Master’s in Architecture), that is the main reason for traveling to Bulgaria. Seeing friends, family—especially her grandmother, who is not doing so well. But she also loves the Christmas traditions. “Every year, my mother chooses different colors for the Christmas tree, this year brown and gold. And on Christmas Eve, my grandmother cooks an elaborate meal. It’s a special time of year.”
BEST chairman Bazyli himself will be spending the Christmas holidays with his family in Poland, complete with a Christmas mass and Christmas dinner. “In Poland, that always has twelve courses. That means lots of delicious food.” Tonight’s Christmas cookies are just a preview.
BEST’s cookie recipes
Keksi z orehi (Slovenian walnut cookies)
Ingredients for 25 cookies: 200 grams of flour, 60 grams of sugar, 140 grams of butter at room temperature, 2 eggs, halved walnuts (one per cookie)
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Separate the eggs and mix the egg yolks, sugar, and flour into a smooth dough. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Form small balls and flatten them slightly. Dip the top in the egg whites and press half a walnut into each one. Bake for 20 minutes at 180 degrees until the cookies are golden brown.
Australian oat cookies (Australian oat cookies)
Ingredients for 30 cookies: 130 grams oatmeal, 50 grams shredded coconut, 200 grams flour, 150 grams butter, 115 grams golden syrup, 220 grams granulated sugar, half a teaspoon baking soda, 100 grams white chocolate chips, pinch of salt
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Mix the oatmeal, coconut, flour, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Heat the butter, syrup, and sugar in a saucepan until the butter has completely melted. Increase the heat and continue cooking until the sugar has completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly. Then stir in the baking soda and a tablespoon of water.
Pour over the oat mixture in the mixing bowl. Stir well with a wooden spoon. Allow to cool slightly and stir in the chocolate chips. Shape into thirty balls and place them on a baking sheet, three centimeters apart. Flatten them slightly. Bake for about 14-18 minutes, until golden brown.
Alfajores (Argentinian double-decker cookies)
Ingredients for 20 cookies: 150 grams butter, 80 grams powdered sugar, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 150 grams flour, 150 grams cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 200 grams dulce de leche, shredded coconut
Instructions: Mix the butter and powdered sugar together until the mixture is creamy. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until everything is well combined. Add the flour, cornstarch, and baking powder all at once. Knead the dough until it is firm. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Roll out the dough on a floured work surface to a thickness of 5 mm. Cut out 5 cm circles. Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 175 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown slightly.
Allow the cookies to cool completely before filling them. Spread or pipe the dulce de leche onto half of the cookies and place the other half on top. Press them together gently. Put some grated coconut in a small bowl and roll the edges of the cookies in it. Finally, dust them with some powdered sugar.
Do you have a question or comment about this article?
k.bakker@tudelft.nl
Comments are closed.