Peeking inside student homes: The Engelenbak

“De Engelenbak (“the gods” in English) is the highest and cheapest seat in the theatre,” explains Bauke Vendeloo (23), student of Maritime Engineering and house manager. “This high building on Oude Delft is in a great location, and we pay relatively little money. Hence the analogy.” The student house was established just after 1945 and boasts many corridors, a bicycle parking facility and its own gym. “First-year students share a room,” says Pino van de Ven (21), student of Industrial Design Engineering. “They actually pay less, but because they then move on to their own room, we’ve evened out the prices.” A unique feature of De Engelenbak is that two student associations can be found under one roof. “We have 14 guys from DSC living here and 14 from KSVSV, the Catholic Student Association Sanctus Virgilius, or ‘Virgiel’ as it is known,” jokes Bauke. Nevertheless, the boys claim that there is no actual rivalry here. Psychobiology student Marijn Leidelmeijer (23): “Back at the Toko/Zaak (the nicknames for Virgiel and DSC), they always say: ‘There they go. The guys from De Engelenbak are off chilling together again’.”

Spic-and-span
“This is a typical HJ (‘house junior’) meal,” confesses Mike Blom (23), student of Maritime Engineering, as he dishes up a plate of fried rice. “Normally, we eat good healthy meals.” The large living room, known as ‘de Eetzaal’ (the Refectory), is surprisingly clean. “If you leave your plate lying around, for example, you have to clean the whole room,” explains Chemistry student Marnix Verdegaal (22). Bauke: “Such rules are needed to keep the house in order.” The men of the house meet up every Sunday at 20:00 for the ‘manager’s coffee meeting’. Sem Voet (23), student of Nanobiology: “We then discuss everything that needs to be done in the house. The manager will take the minutes while we clean the whole house.”

Borat mankini

The manager’s coffee meeting is also used to discuss whether everyone has carried out his allotted task, called his ‘Mij’. Pino: “We have a beer-mij, a bread-mij, an egg-mij, a web-mij, Pablo-mij (the resident cat), a fruit-mij, an excursion-mij, a Makro-mij, a tea-towel-mij, and so on.” Binnert Prins (23), student of Mechanical Engineering: “First-year students are allotted a Mij that is time-consuming but where it doesn’t really matter whether the task is not fully completed.” What if that is still the case after a fortnight? “In the past, you would have to run naked through the Phoenixstraat and Binnenwatersloot and then back here,” explains Marijn. “A former housemate was then apprehended by the police.” Nowadays, in order to avoid fines, the men of the house cover their private parts with a Borat mankini. “The girls from the student house opposite were recently standing outside dressed up. And you should have seen the look on their faces when Mike ran past wearing that green mankini!”

• Type of student house: male student house
• Residents: 28
• Student associations: Virgiel + Delftsch Studenten Corps
• Location: Oude Delft
• Room size: 17 m² – 30 m²
• Room price: 410 euros

This is the last article in a series about student houses. Read also the stories of all male house The White House, mixed house De Woondiversiteit, all female house De Voorstraat and Proteus-Eretes rowing club house The Kreekrugridders.

Elise Mooijman / Freelance redacteur