Word from the board Whilst on exchange in Vaasa, Finland, I decided to take 60 Erasmus students to St Petersburg, Russia. I have no idea why but I just knew travelling on my own would have not been as fun as going with all my new exchange friends. After a few google searches I managed to find timetravels. fi I talked with Mikko the owner of the travel company and the rest was history. I was not a Lecturer wanting to do an international trip, I was not even on an ESN board or international office in finland. I was just an Exchange student in Finland with a good bunch of friends wanting to do something different. It was a weird moment I have to admit, I had never organised such a large scale trip and now all of a sudden I was in charge of 60 internationals on a trip to Russia, scary! Well at €230 with no need for a visa, all transportation and accommodation covered it was a great deal and I had little work to fill the bus. Plus it helped everyone wanted to go to Russia, specially when you don’t have to get a visa. The trip was a great success and some of the moments from the trip I will remember for a lifetime and thats what its all about when travelling with your fellow exchange, there is something about travelling with others that increases and enhances your exchange bonding. You take yourself out of the current situation which might be a comfortable night in your PJ’S watching movies with ice cream at verbs to getting out there and doing something which is an out of this world experience. The world is large with many corners to explore, many experiences to embrace and a boat load of new people waiting to be met, so why don’t you make the most out of your time being centrally located and well connected in The Netherlands? Just like my first trip I organised it was scary at first but take on board a little independence, arm yourself with a good audience and get yourself promoting in the correct way and you could be onto a winning trip with your exchange if you get the destination and enough interest right. Hey it might even just inspire you to be an ESN Events manager in the future, it seemed to have done the job for me. If you would like to organise a trip yourself independently, feel free to email me: events@ iesntilburg.nl. I’m happy to send you an information back and help you towards organising your own trip. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy exploring with your new friends, see the world! Dave
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Index Editori a
l Comm
ittee - 3
Carnav al in th
Dr. Phie
e Nethe
rlands -
5/6
Pass it o
Maastr
ke - 8
Reside nc
e perm
Pubqui
Queen
it to bu y weed
z & Car
of Rom
Things
you wo u
Wall of Sh
- 10
Knock
ame - 2
er - 12 r expec
t - 18
1/22 “ Looks c a
Knock
iew - 7
-9
na & I*
I*ESNe
5/16
ld neve
icht rev
ESN Sie
pe Dinn
ance - 1
n! - 4
Upcom
ESN Til
r lookin
n be de
ing act
ESNow
ceiving
1
g for lo ve - 13/ 1
ivities -
- 19/20
” - 23/2
burg - 1
4
17
4 Horo scope
- 25/26
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Editorial Committee Hey guys! Some of you have probably heard of us way too many times already, but some of you might have missed out on our fun so far! So let us introduce ourselves: here we are, the Editorial Committee! We’ll be the ones serving you the most inspiring, mindblowing and mysterious articles. Oh and ofcourse, every now and then they’re informative as well. We’re here for you in so many ways! Whenever you need to know if the stars are in your favor during I*ESN’s next activity; while you’re craving for some more gossip about the crazy other night at Carpe Diem; when you suddenly feel the need to sit on a rusty swing in a totally sketchy playground, or.. When you’re looking for love! Yes, you just read that well. We’re not just committed committee members, we’re also dedicated to spicing up your lovelife. Not working, you say? Then why don’t you contact Dr. Phieke? With her years of experience in heartbreaking and -every now and then extremely awkward- situations, she’ll be happy to share her intelligent insight with you. Despite the fact that we’re all tremendous -and unlikely modest- writers, we would still love to get your input. So if you, by example, went on an I*ESN trip and you would love to share your experiences just like Mikko did, let us know and perhaps we can place it in the magazine! Also if you’ve got any other smashing idea, don’t hesitate to contact us (iesneditorial@gmail.com) and you might just become a famous journalist. For now, there’s no more to say than simply: enjoy your time at I*ESN and have fun reading its magazines! Ilse, Yvonne, Fieke, Marvin, Manon, Michiel and Agata
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Pass it on!
Yvonne
Name: Sharon Dzwairo Place of birth: a hospital bed in a small city called Bulawayo (Zimbabwe). Weirdest dream I’ve ever had: I dreamt that I was the Director of Hunger Games 2 and I scratched that crappy ending and gave people what they want! If I could be a movie character, I would be: ‘Giselle’ in the movie ‘Enchanted’ because like her, I believe animals can sing and I would live in a fairytale where a prince will come and slay the dragon and elope with me on his noble steed! My biggest fear when I was a kid: “fear” is an understatement! I had a gutt-wrenching phobia for those 8 legged hairy monsters they call SPIDERS! In a perfect world, everything would be: Colourful, happy-go-lucky, smouldered in chocolate, dainty, lovey-dovey and musical Most impressive person I’ve ever met (and why): Well if I had met Miley it would be her. Because she started in Disney and now she’s dangling from an iron ball naked! Woop! Woop! If I’d have 10 million dollars and a 6 months holiday, I would: GO CRAZY! Hallo Paris! Hallo Milan! Hallo California! Hallo Beijing! Hallo North Pole! Hallo Egypt! Hallo Australia! -- and then some to a business investment, some to my family and some to charity (because thats what good people do, HAHAHA). I wouldn’t mind waking up next to (or on top of..): BRADLEY COOPER! A face carved by angels, abs crafted from iron, a voice that makes my ears smile, hair that glistens in the sun... need I say more? When I would meet Michael Jackson (alive) in a bar, I would ask him: Why he never followed me back on Twitter! - and then maybe lend a few bucks, LOL. Best moment during my time at I*ESN: When Group 10 (the resident of the Yellow submarine) made me stand on a table and gave me a cake for my birthday (nevermind the part when they smashed it against my face). I am going to ‘pass it on!’ to: Liuyi Lan
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Carnaval in the Netherlands
Manon It is almost time for Carnaval! Maybe you have heard of this amazing Dutch tradition before, maybe you’re still wondering what those crazy Dutchies actually do from the 28th of february till the 4th of march. Tradition From origin, Carnaval is the fest before the fasting period begins. It is a Katholic fest, which is why it’s only celebrated in the south of the Netherlands; in Noord-Brabant and Limburg. It was the last opportunity for people to eat and especially drink a lot before they had to fast. Now it is still being celebtrated because it is an amazing party (but we kinda forgot about the fasting)! Carnaval officially starts at 11-11 at 11:11 o clock. At that moment, the Councils of Eleven (Raad van Elf) gather and choose their princess. ‘Eleven’ is known as the ‘crazy number’: when you celebrate Carnaval you will understand the connection! Get ready for lots of beer and be prepared for ‘hossen’ (name for carnaval dancing, jumping, being crazy) and the polonaise! Carnaval is different in every city. I’ll name some of the traditions that we have in Tilburg (Kruikenstad). Carnaval begins at a friday, this year at the 1th of March. On this day, the Prince of Carnaval receives the key of the city from the mayor. This is a symbolic ceremony for the fact that the Prince of Carnaval is in charge of the city for the coming days. He ‘takes over the city’. All the cities in the south of the Netherlands also have a Carnaval name. Tilburg is called Kruikenstad. On the saterday there will be a big Carnaval parade in ‘Kruikenstad’. Definitely something worthwhile to attend! Monday is a full day of partying, going all day long with drinking and a lot of crazy people on the streets, feel free to join the crazyness! Tuesday afternoon there will be a lot of soup in Tilburg, a traditional kind of soup called ‘snert’. This will take place at ‘De Wijn’ from 14:00 - 20:00. On Wednesday there is the tradition that people go to the church and get a ash cross on their forhead. This is the beginning of the fasting period. The end of all the partying… (for al non-I*ESNers ofcourse). In the evening the ‘haring happen’ takes place: people go and eat haring (a kind of fish, really sour and with onions).
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Carnaval in the Netherlands!
Manon How to dress up Be creative and go insane! There are so many ideas for a good carnaval costume. Tilburg has a carnavalshop close to the Schouwburg. But you can also go to action and create your own costume! Primark in Eindhoven has some funny costumes as well. Popular costumes are pirates, indians, etc. But as we are I*ESN Tilburg, you might just wanna go beyond borders and come up with something really creative... like Liam’s Miley Cyrus outfit?
Parades Breda Den Bosch Eindhoven Maastricht Tilburg
Monday the 3rd of March, 12:50 Monday the 3rd of March, 12:55 Saterday 1th of March, 13:00 Sunday, 10th of Februari, 13:33 Sunday the 2nd of March, 13:00
Where to go?! Friday night:
CARPE DIEM!
Saturday:
Saturday night is ofcourse another Carpe Diem party!
Sunday:
Eindhoven has a famous pubcrawl on sunday, called ‘Stropdassen-kroegentocht’ (ties-pubcrawl). You buy one of the ties, which gets you a free beer in a lot of bars! Tilburg has its parade on sunday, so if you don’t feel like going to another city, the party in Tilburg is also going strong this day.
Monday:
Tilburg has KONGSI festival, organised by Olof. Den Bosch has its parade on monday. The centre is packed and everyone is partying outside, always a lot of fun!
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Review: Maastricht
Mikko Rudanko
On a Saturday morning our party bus, arranged and led by the great leader from London, left rainy, familiar corners of Verbs and Tilburg for a trip worth remembering. On this magical tour the main destination was the city of Maastricht, out there in the south, bordering both Belgium and Germany. But this time we didn’t really do any treaties there. Or maybe we did? What happens in Maastricht... There we wandered our ways around (maybe) the oldest and most beautiful city in the Netherlands. Fortunately we had the City Tour arranged by the lovely ESN Maastricht to see the places to see, as many places as one can fit in a few hours. Catholic and protestant churches next to each other. They even put bookstores and nightclubs in old churches. Dog shit with national flags, check as well. We stayed at StayOK Hostel Maastricht, which was right by the river Maas, so the view was a truly spectacular one and, lucky for us all, no one drowned. Neither in river nor in sorrow, not even in alcohol with all the beer menus and Koskenkorva Salmiakki involved. This was a triumph. There was also this place called La Bonbonniere with the Masquerade Party. Sold out, of course. But we were there, fancy and sexy. Doing what? Party, party, party. Just watch the video on Facebook. Masks included, it truly was an awesome party? After everyone had survived it back to the hostel and its free breakfast on the sunny sunday morning, our bus took a new direction: the direction of castles, (dave) caves and catacombs, the direction to the city of Valkenburg. The mine cart ride in the Gemeentegrot, Town Cave below Valkenburg, was truly an epic experience with moments of pitch black and paintings as well as sculptures all around us. It was really worth going! After the ride we had a lot of free time to see the wonders of Valkenburg. Eventually all journeys come to an end. That’s a fact. Party bus full of a bit tired but truly happy people finally got back to Verbs later that Sunday. Some had lost their clothes, some had lost their heart to that special someone. Many continued their ways to new parties and adventures. Ode to all those party people, to those who took part in this trip of ours. We’ll always have Maastricht.
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Dr. Phieke
Fieke Dr. Phieke is a certified psychologist and will answer all your questions regarding love, family, and other issues you might be experiencing. So are you feeling down, confused or just really pissed off? Then don’t doubt to pour your heart out and ask for advice. Just e-mail your story to iesneditorial@gmail.com, subject ‘Dr. Phieke’, and she will be handeling your case in full confidentiality.
“It took me long time to be able to talk about this subject, but I think I am in love for the first time in my life. And not just with someone usual, but with my neighbour at Verbs. Too bad he does not speak a word of English..” “He doesn’t speak English? I’m assuming he doesn’t speak Dutch either? Then how the hell does he make himself clear here in Tilburg? Well, anyway.. He might not speak world’s 2nd most spoken language, but he might speak the language of love (if not, I wonder how you guys communicate). Have you ever tried flirting with him, by only using body language? Like standing in front of his door while wearing no more than a long black coat and leather boots (if you’re a guy, you might want to lose the coat)? If he doesn’t get that message either, you can always express your feelings by using pencils, and make him a nice drawing. “ “Dear doctor Phieke. I am considering going on exchange, but I have never been abroad and I think I will feel really homesick and that it is just not for me. I really want to take this opportunity since only few people in my school got the scholarship, of which I am one. Do you have any advice for me, to deal with this? Should I stay at my safe home or should I try.. but maybe fail?” Dear anonymous person number two. What a brave question to ask! It is very common that people are afraid to take chances, to prevent themselves from losing confidence by failing. It is a great step that you want to go on exchange even though you feel homesick! You should be proud of that! Do you know what it is that makes you feel homesick? Perhaps if you tackle the reason for that feeling, you’ll be able to deal with it in a way you can study abroad without longing for your mommy every night. Would it help you to bring tons of pictures of your loved ones? Or call your parents every week? If it does, don’t be embarrassed to do so. Lots of people on exchange are feeling down or alone every now and then, and everyone has got different ways to deal with it! Another creative idea that recently caught my eye was a sort of human-pillow. It’s a pillow in the shape of a chest + arm. So it wouldn’t feel like you’re sleeping there all by yourself. You can do it! Good luck and enjoy!
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Knock Knock
Agata
Why is Verbs 32 the best floor to live on? “We have the best speakers around, so that once in a while there’s someone that borrows them. Besides that and with no exaggeration - people that live here are the best people and most importantly this is where the most beautiful girls live!” Who is the craziest person on your floor? “Stefano. That name just speaks for itself, but if you see him drunk you’ll understand.” What’s the best thing of living with such a variety of nationalities? “A lot of different people live in here, so every day you get a taste of new culture, you learn totally new things: words, dishes or customs.” What have you learned of roommates with other nationalities? “Americans don’t know what a “kettle” is and they also set a lot of things on fire (apparently further explanation on that was not given). Besides that, some of the people on the floor don’t refrigerate eggs” (which appeared quite odd to the others). Is there anyone who appears to have special habits or seems to be “unique” to the other roommates? “Stefano drinks two bottles of wine every night. Callum’s way of laughing. And finally: (just) Luis; especially known by getting kidnapped.” How are the tasks ( cleaning, cooking etc.) divided at Verbs 32? “We’re all new in here and (so far) everybody takes care of their own stuff.” Do you like having a lot of visitors and is there a custom that they bring something when they visit? “Sure, we like it, we have visitors all the time. No, no one brings anything.” Are there any lovebirds? After a common (and a bit intriguing) response: “yyy…” came an answer: “let’s put it this way: ‘the beautiful one’ and the followers.”
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Residence permit to buy weed
Ilse
Buying weed in the Netherlands would all of the sudden be restricted by the ‘Wietpas’ (Weedpass) in January 2012. After a trial of 2 weeks in the South of the Netherlands, all cities decided to abandon this pass. According to our Minister Ivo Opstelten it was not needed at all, because the amount of tourists buying weed was not that extreme. Other more accurate reasons are that it would encourage illegal drugsales on the streets for those who do not have a pass… This can for example be tourists, exchange students and everyone who just does not really feel like getting this pass at the municipality because then they would be registered as a drug user...that does not sound that well on your resume, right? So, from January 2012 each municipality can decide for itself how strict they want to be concerning weed sales at coffeeshops. In Tilburg, you need to show that you are a resident of the municipality of Tilburg. Therefore, tourists and exchange students cannot buy weed, unless they apply for a residence permit. We also heard that at some coffeeshops also a housing contract will do. In Amsterdam, mayor Eberhart van der Laan even decided that an ID alone is enough, since the coffeeshops are very important for tourism in Amsterdam. Today we talked with Lenka, who came to the Netherlands on exchange because she is especially interested in the Dutch drug policy and the social services for drug addicts. She is here to find out more about this topic and wants to write her thesis about it.
‘In Prague, you cannot buy weed legally, but you know exactly who to ask when you want it. I bet it’s like that in every other country. I experienced that some coffeeshops are very strict, but others are not. I think strict regulations only work when it’s the same rules everywhere.” It is a question we at I*ESN are asked a lot during the first days of the semester: ‘where can I best buy weed, and can I just walk in the coffeeshop?’ Despite of the stereotype, most Dutch people do not smoke at all, they are used to it being as legal and available as alcohol, and so there is nothing excited about. It is common to smoke for a while at the age of 16-17 when it is cool, just to try, but that age everything your friends do is cool and imitated. For students now, it’s probably also not that appealing because it is legal. During our Prague trip everyone wanted to try the 90% absith, because we just don’t have that here in the Netherlands. What about growing your own weed, no difficulties entering coffeeshops anymore! In the Netherlands you are allowed to grow your own plants, with a maximum of 3 per household. But, where does the weed sold by coffeeshops actually come from? Actually, a lot of weed sold in the Netherlands is imported from other countries in Europe. It seems the Netherlands just cannot keep up with the need, but there’s a lot of vagueness about where the shops import from...Should the government maybe built governmental weed greenhouses to at least regulate growing of weed?
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ESN Siena and I*ESN Tilburg
Giuseppe Giangrosso
ESN Siena Ges, born on the 25 october 1989 as Ges( Gruppo Erasmus siena) by the initiative of the first italian people coming back from their Erasmus. With the collaboration of other six sections (Milan,Trento,Pavia,Parma,Genova,Bologna), we joined the ESN international network by founding ESN Italy in 1994. As one of the ESN sections, we have been active on both the national and the international level by organizing many events like national platforms and international events. Moreover, in the past years we gave to ESN Italy 4 board members and actually 2 board members are in the international committees. We are supported by the University of Siena and our office is located next to the international student office. As ESN Siena Ges, we organize local activities in our awesome town to promote the Italian language and culture such as the “Cineforum� and the Dance school where we teach traditional Italian dances. We also do trips aimed to discover our beautiful land as the Chianti Tour: a trip between the Unesco protected Tuscany landscape enjoying the wine tasting, since we are in the part of Italy that is most famous for its wine. We are proud to have an international soul; in the past years we did not miss one of our regional platforms (seep and swep) and we often have been present to the other ones as guest. From 2010 we also were the first in all Europe to promote the Section partnership founding one with Esn Tilburg and adding two other ones in the last year in Estonia (Esn Tartu) and Romania ( esn Cluj-Napoca).
After the visit of the Esn Tilburg board I decided to go and join them during their intro-week in january. I did not know what to expect and was everything a surprise for me. The location was yet amazing and the atmosphear you were able to feel was magic. During the three days of the event despite I did not know everyone I made lot of friends.All Esn Tilburg and his board welcomed me like one of them and I even had the honor to open the camp with the president Hein. This gave me the opportunity to see the exceptional work and moreover the organitation of this section and take a bit of this spirit to home.I will be always thankful to Esn Tilburg and moreover I hope our twinning friendship will last forever trying to transmit the same spirit to the esners that will come in future. Sincerely the Dolphin
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Pubquiz & Carpe Dinner
Yvonne
Pubquiz On the 20th of February the first I*ESN Tilburg Pubquiz of the semester took place! Would you like to team up for the next pubquiz? Keep an eye on our facebookgroup and make sure you’re the first one to sign up when the event is created! Only full teams (of 6 people) count. Make sure you don’t miss out! The next pubquizes will take place on the 20th of March and the 24th of April. Carpe dinner Who feels like cooking after a long tiresome week? Well, probably you don’t, but our chefs of the Cooking Committee (CoCo) do! They prepare the best international, most culinairy dishes for you on fridays. The first editions were both a great success! Don’t miss the chance to join the CoCo dinner! It’s 5 euro only for a three course dinner. You can sign up through the form in the facebookevents that are online every week. Cafe Friday After our Carpe Dinners, you can chill in Carpe Diem and drink some special beers to start your weekend in style. Every Cafe Friday, we also have an extra activity, such as beerpong, pokernight and a movienight. On fridays, Carpe Diem is a perfect place for pre-drinks before exploring the other bars of Tilburg.
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I*ESNer looking for love
Marvin As members of the I*ESN editorial committee and the international student network as a whole, we recognize it as our duty to promote love among our fellow members and to provide you with the opportunity to express this desire, as part of an endless journey of finding your soul mate. For this reason we present to you in this month’s issue: GAVIN BUDD How I ended up in Tilburg… I basically needed to find a place where people speak English. Tilburg offers that and so much more. Recently I got involved in the huge local hamster community of which word got around to England. I also had heard about the amazing hamster breeding opportunities Tilburg granted. From there on my decision was as easy as it gets. The story of Dr. Clitoris (my hamster) I really, really wanted a hamster so I googled how to get one. Turns out that’s quite easy, and so I took him back home on the bus, holding him in my hands the entire time. At first I was quite scared of him which made me aware of my hamster-phobia I had been repressing all these years. With a lot of female support and guidance I managed to overcome my fears and am now comfortable with any type of hamster. The only thing that still scares me, are a stray cats and dogs. Lizards on the other hand are very sexy! Are you a good student? Well I failed 80 percent of my courses so far but as long as I can maintain my re-sits to medals ratio I’m quite happy. I really like it when girls read a lot because that probably means she is doing about as many re-sits as I am. If she had more medals than me, that would be intimidating though. Why are you looking for love in I*ESN? Because all the prizes on the Carpe Diem wheel of fortune are divisible by two. Which animal would best represent your ideal women? And why? A hamster. The girl’s haircut is really important to me as well as her eye color; they should be hamster-ish dark. Furthermore she should be able to handle the hamster-wheel.
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I*ESNer looking for love Marvin
Where I see this relationship going… I am going to take her to my castle in England as my princess where we live happily ever after as Banana-Man and Banana-Woman. They are both insanely quick at opening bananas, plus Banana-Woman can fit up to 8 bananas into her mouth; at the same time. Getting more serious though, I would definitely want to get married and take Koko, our Japanese floormate, to live with us in our castle. We will take good care of her. You are on a deserted island with a beautiful girl. Would you rather she is top-half fish? Or bottom-half fish? I’d prefer her to be bottom-half fish which does not mean that she shouldn’t have scales on her nipples. That would be hot and sort of compliment her bottom-half. I guess if we were on a deserted island, sex would not be a priority, but rather, I want her to express her feelings and tell me how her day was. How has I*ESN helped you so far in finding your soul mate? Not at all. If the alcohol was cheaper, many more would be able to find their soul mates at I*ESN. My tips for other I*ESNners looking for love: Banana-Man costume + hamster = eternal love and happiness.
Do you think Gavin Budd might be the one for you? Write a letter and drop it off at the office E205 or email it to iesneditorial@ gmail.com Gavin will choose one of the candidates for a romantic date! You might just be the one for him..
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Well I*ESN Tilburg, lets be straight here, you’re all guilty of doing two shamefully wonderful things: drinking mass amounts of alcohol, and touching each other…usually at the same time. That’s right, I’ve seen it. All of Carpe Diem has seen it. And if they haven’t, I’m here to fill them in on all the dirt. I mean, I get it, I*ESN people are sexy, who could resist? Not even the captains are able to keep their hands off each other, isn’t that right senhorita? You’re supposed to be setting a good example for group 8, were you just being kind to the walking bike accident? And while we are on the topic of group 2 mentors, (yes yes I know you cant help but think of the cheer “who rapes the cows, we do”- thank you Gavin for that) did anyone happen to see one get swept away by a fellow Dutchie? I mean they both are pretty small and could have gone under the radar inside, but in the window ledge outside? You were asking to be seen! But maybe she wasn’t asking to be seen with a certain Brazilian. He has been here all year, so watch out ladies, he knows how to get down and dirty in Carpe Diem! Intro week was of course full of parties and parties and oh yeah a beer cantus too. Going to the Willem II stadium was a nice little bike away, but for some, it was so far they ended up almost passing out in a garden. Silly American, should learn to act like his fellow countrymen and take the cantus as an opportunity to kiss his group member. Didn’t notice? She was dressed as a cow. He was dressed as a cow. Need I give any more hints? It might have been easy to miss as this cowboy was later caught with a captain, who you perhaps know, if not, maybe you could ask group 10. Now I know some of you have quite a hazy memory of Intro Camp, but a lucky Peruvian man was given a nice reminder the next morning when he woke up with the biggest hicky I’ve ever seen. Whoever planted that one on him must have either been marking her territory or getting some serious inspiration from Twilight. Now I don’t want to go into too much detail about Intro Camp, but there is a certain rumour that a mentor had to leave their room because everyone was getting down and dirty in it? Shame on you mentor, you should have
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followed the trend! I know a certain boy from down under did, his name even rhymes with “bad”, which is exactly what he was being ;) Naughty boy! And then there is Carpe Diem. The motto “seize the day” is taken in overdrive at this bar. People are seizing everything: the night, the alcohol, the lips of another student. I witnessed a certain lovely lady seize one Swedish man (tall and blonde, who could resist) but then in the time it takes to order a drink, she was locking lips with the Mexican mentor! Talk about variety; touring the world gets a whole new meaning. If you want to get the quickest tour possible, you should have a chat with our French Canadian boys. They know how to get down to business. It was the Glow in the Dark party and both these men had women attached to their mouths already. Although one seems to be keeping up with Argentina quite a bit these days, a possible Valentine’s date? But Cupid didn’t just stop with this couple; it hit a certain Japanese girl pretty hard during the Crazy Animal Party. She enjoyed some Dutch, she enjoyed some French, hell she enjoyed letting the animal inside out for a night! Lets not forget a lovely lady from Australia. A late arrival, but she made herself known. I believe she was feeling a bit “Chile” one night inside Carpe Diem, but found a way to make things…hot. I think the South Americans are used to keeping things hot as Brazilian after Brazilian have been conquering everyone from Spain to France. Its like they are so excited for the World Cup they can’t help but score early, if you know what I mean. While we are on the topic of football, there is another Ball of the American nationality who was having some fun with the Dutchmen during Schrobbeler night, well done lady. But didn’t I see you kissing someone else the week before? There might be some foul play going on. Course no one can forget the Irish getting lucky, but we need to spice it up, lets talk more about our yellow friend “czeching” out a panda costume up and close. What a frisky little bunny she was. Lets not stop with one board member, why not mention another? He lives in a cave and was dressed as a bear for the animal party. But don’t be fooled, this bear isn’t hibernating this winter; he took a rugby player upstairs, and is on the lookout for the next one, it might just be you! I think a last nice little mention about the bar committee is of course needed. They provide us all we need to party and create the gossip for me, but what about them? I’ve heard a certain member from across the pond in merrie olde England has done more than just serve beer to an Australian boy from group 2. If you think this is the last you’ll hear from me, you’re far off. Everyone loves a little gossip here and there, and if there is something you guys are good at, it’s making it. Until next time boys and girls, party on. But remember, safety first. Spreading gossip around I*ESN is fun, spreading other things… hmm not so much. See, I can end a round of scandalous info with some nice advice ;) Xoxo, Queen of Romance
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Upcoming activities Carnaval @ Carpe Diem 28th of February, 1st of March When in Tilburg, you cannot miss out on Carnaval! To enjoy this it with your fellow I*ESNers, we organize two Carnaval parties! These will be held on the 28th of February and the 1st of March. Come and feel what a real Dutch party is like! Both parties are open parties, so feel free to bring your friends! Karaoke night 13th of March Enjoy a night at Extase singing along with your friends to all the classics, go on you know you want to give it ago! Will be a fun packed evening with many songs to choose from, Extase has an awesome stage and sound system for you to use on all your tunes. Holland City Race 15th of March The Ultimate event of the year! Race around The Netherlands in your Mentor/buddy groups to compete for an ultimate prize. The idea of this day is to explore and visit as much of the netherlands as humanly possible in one whole day whilst completing tasks to win an ultimate prize! its a fun pact day and a great way to explore the Netherlands. This event is first come first serve and in order to register your team you must pay at the I*ESN office E205 located at the university open monday to friday 12:00pm16:00pm.
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Yvonne
Things you would never expect: Tilburg
Michiel Kandinsky Kadinsky is my favorite spot in Tilburg! It’s a small cafe located near the train station. Kadinsky offers a wide variety of beers from all over the world. You can visit Kadinsky for over a year and still try new drinks. The most amazing part is that the staff can tell you something about any drink they serve. This is always a good place to start your evening with friends of even people you just met. It’s a little bit off the main road. But don’t worry, everyone in Tilburg can tell you where it is located.
Social Sofa Maybe you have already spotted the many colorful sofas in Tilburg. They are decorated with mosaic and always look unique. In Tilburg there are already over 200, but what’s the story behind it? These sofa’s are made by a wide variety of people. Professionals, volunteers and sometimes individuals even organize their own project with their neighbourhood. I*ESN Tilburg will also make her own sofa to be placed at Talent Square! This project has been spread throughout the Netherlands and helps people getting work experience and brings art to every neighborhood.
La Trappe Tilburg has it’s own brewery: La Trappe. It was the first Trappist beer of Holland and is even made in a trappist monastery under supervision of the munks, to guarantee the quality of the delicious La Trappe beer. The monastry is located near Tilburg. La trappe offers all kinds of different beers and even a guided tour through their brewery. If you want to have an amazing day you should go the brewery to see how they make the beer, and if you’re lucky you can maybe even try a beer or two.
Tilburg Symbol Tilburg has its own symbol? Well yes! Ever heard of the ‘’kruikenzeiker’’? Translated into English it would mean: ‘’jar pisser’’. Before 1850, the textile industry in Tilburg used human urine to clean or paint sheets or wool. The employees would bring jars with their own urine to sell to the factory. During Carnaval the Tilburgers still use the name ‘’kruikenzeiker’’ (jar pisser) as a reference to their famous textile history. During Carnaval you will even see a lifesize statue at the Heuvel.
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ESNow!
Agata In the meantime between one class and the other stop for a minute and imagine yourself in the midst of Alpine scenery, equipped with skis or a snowboard, ready to hit the ski slope together with the people that you partied with the night before… good enough for a perfect winter break scenario? With ESNow it gets even better! No matter whether you are a skiing addict or you’re looking for a unique place to party among great people, you will find something just for yourself. This year’s edition will take place 28th March to 6th April in Les Deux Alpes, a village known for one of the best après ski parties in France. Besides that, it is France’s second oldest ski resort, which is prepared to serve even the most demanding visitors with an assortment of 100 different ski – runs, 51 lifts, a terrain park and numerous après ski bars.
“As soon as I got on the bus, I’ve begun to have the best time of my life” says Dave Brett, last ESNow’s participant. It is worth to mention, the party begins hours before reaching the destination. Common spirit of winter sports melted with a party mood brings everyone together no matter how long (or if) they’ve known each other: “you get to meet a lot of international students, not only from Tilburg, since there are 8 different sections participating, so you make a lot of friends”. After a 10 hours trip there is a comfortable accommodation waiting in ‘Residence La Muzelle’ located in the village centre, 2 minutes walk to the nearest ski lift. Since the price includes a 6 days ski pass all participants are able to hit the ski slopes right away. Ski level is beyond the concern, extensive variety of runs enables absolute beginners, as well as experienced adrenaline seekers to enjoy their snow day in full. “You’ll always find a group of people that will be just the right one for you”, ensures the last edition’s participant, “so if you’ve never skied before, do not be worried, there are a lot of beginners from all around the world and it’s a great way to learn together, either under the supervision of professional instructors or from international colleagues that seem to be quite patient teachers”.
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After whole day on the glacier there is nothing better than good après ski party, which is held in places like the “Prins van Oranje”, where students will get a special discount on beer. In addition to that, there will always be a DJ that will boost the fun and make you lose yourself to dance after (and just before) another day of skiing or snowboarding. After seven days you’re pretty tired, but let’s be honest here: that’s the kind of fatigue that all those, who had to stay on the campus, will most likely envy the participants of ESNow2014. Admittedly, the trip is worth to be placed in the top of our I*ESN’s yearly events for various reasons: “great bonding, boarding and partying: all in one trip” notices Jordy van den Bogaert. ESNow2014 provides a perfect combination of winter activities and unforgettable parties, all taking place in the midst of breathtaking landscapes of French Alps. The number of participants that signed up for this year exceeded expectations, which only confirms that last year’s edition turned out as a great success. There are some photos and videos from ESNow2013 posted on Facebook, which are worth to be seen at least for getting into the spirit of winter craziness. In the end, if there’s one thing to be sure of – you will not get bored during ESNow! The trip is worth to be taken part in for so many reasons that it is difficult to mention all of them: low price (total of 319 euro for 10 days including ski pass and transportation), snow guaranteed (some lifts run almost for the whole year), theme party every night at the après ski, possibility to enjoy different winter activities with people from all around the world… “Really good partying and really good skiing”, conclude last year’s participants, in other words: “epic”.
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Wall of Shame
FACE OFF #1
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Wall of Shame
FACE OFF #2
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“Looks can be deceiving”: from military training field to university campus Agata Tilburg University has a population of about 14,000 students (2013) that individually have different baggage of experience. Check out a unique story brought by Shir, first year Global Law student and a second lieutenant in Israeli Defense Forces.
My name is Shir Cornblum and I am almost 22 years old. I was born in Israel and when I was 13 I moved to live in Bucharest, Romania. When I graduated from the American International School of Bucharest, I wanted to take a gap year and join an organization and travel around the world to developing countries to teach English. However, I decided that if I want to contribute to the society I might as well do so for my own country. That is the reason I decided to volunteer and join the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces). For me joining the military wasn’t mandatory since I left the country before the age of 14. I believed that recruiting will contribute not only to my country but also to myself in terms of understanding the meaning of responsibility, growing up, personality characteristics and I was eventually right. I started my service when I was 18, as a soldier in a “public relations job”. I was in charge or the North America department. What I had to do was arrange visits for American soldiers to train with the IDF and take care of the visit in terms of logistics, timing, meetings etc. The mandatory service for girls is 2 years and after a year and half of service, I decided to join the officer training course in order to be a lieutenant. The officer training course lasts for 6 months and at the end I was assigned to be in charge of manpower and reserve service officer in the casualties department. I was in charge of over 800 active army reserve and 150 soldiers that are in their mandatory service. I finished my service after 3 years as a second lieutenant and it was a great experience, which I know I would not be able to get anywhere else. Since it is mandatory at the age of 18 for all Israelis to join the military there are many jobs opportunities for
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girls in the military. The large range of jobs starts from secretary in a compartment, NCO (noncommissioned officer) of Adjutancy, intelligence, casualties and move toward combat roles that includes border patrol, Artillery, search and rescue etc. I enjoyed my time in the military and I think this is one of the greatest experiences I have ever had and the prerogative opportunity to participate in. I must admit that it wasn’t great at all times, but dealing with problems with peers as well as with soldiers that are ranked under you and officers that are ranked above prepared me for the “real life” work as an employee. I think I matured during the military, learned how to be independent and take responsibility. I learned how to adjust to situations, work under pressure conditions and manage an office as well as soldiers. During these three years I was away from my family because they stayed in Romania, I got to visit them once in a while but it was still difficult at the beginning – a great preparation for university. Over all I wasn’t much in the field, only during the officer training course and during trainings with the unit. However, I was glad I got to go home almost every day (except from operations, trainings and other exceptions) when I was an officer because it created a separation between the military and personal life and let me do other things. I decided to study global law because I was very interested in the international scenario after studying in American International School, as well as dealing with public relations in the military. I decided to study in Tilburg University because I heard many good reviews about the university, student life in the city and the amount of lectures in a week, which has also contributed to my decision. So far, I am having an amazing time here, the city is nice, the program is challenging and shows different international perspectives and I am glad I chose to come here out of all other universities!
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Horoscope
Marvin Aries. New experiences will shatter old beliefs. Be especially aware of Mexicans and their tacos this week. While both may taste good, you will do better avoiding too much spice in your life at this point. Substitute your daily water supply with beer and you shall receive a heavenly gift when the moon is at its fullest.
Taurus. Your head is in the clouds, you are in love for the first time since 5 years and looking at the position of Jupiter this month, I think this will be your last chance to be and stay with someone...all the following chicks/dudes will never be faithful. It seems like the only thing you want to do is stay in bed with him/her the whole day, while listening to sweet acoustic music. You are totally in heaven, but don’t forget to get your big feet back on earth once in a while. Gemini. With everything you do, Cupid is watching you! You know you are doing something right when ever-busy bartenders serve you first. Just be sure to take a look at your cup before drinking. Courageous acts will be highly rewarded this month as Fortuna is taking you under her wings of protection. Cancer. You feel like there is a big change about to happen in your life and it might be connected to the upcoming PubQuiz. Keep an eye open for your potential (temporary) soul-mate but abstain from excessive rivalry. Be sure to keep in touch with friends as former relationships might turn out to be surprisingly beneficial to you. Leo. With Carnaval just around the corner, pleasant surprises come in disguise. Do not be afraid to engage more in other cultures and experiment with different perfumes. They just might attract what you are looking for. Follow the scent of Lavender and Vanilla and you will encounter various financial opportunities. Be careful however, as they will not last forever. Virgo. Buddha will play a crucial role in your life this month. However, he may appear in various shapes and forms. As he is known to be found at the bottom of Tequila bottles, this is your lucky drink these days. Once spotted, he will bring you lasting luck and charm; so do not let this opportunity go to waste.
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Horoscope
Marvin
Libra. Carpe Diem is the place to be for you. Nevertheless you have to be prepared: regular daily exercise keeps you in shape for upcoming nightly exercise. Seek out the support of Capricorns. Not only will they boost your study results but also find solutions to problems you have not been able to face before. Scorpio. Somebody is not being honest about their intentions but it will only take a couple of shots to get to the truth. Be aware of bald professors the next four weeks. They can be your fortune or demise. Generally you feel more at home in Tilburg than before; nonetheless, your nights are best spent with your friends in the center. They will show their appreciation. Sagittarius. Taste as many foreign dishes as you can this month. These culinary foods will give you all the energy you need to succeed in all your endeavors. What better way to start is there than to join the Cooking with Culture at Carpe Diem? Let your olfactory and gustatory senses experience some peppery Indian curry, some hot Mexican salsa or the oriental taste of spicy Asian ‘cuisine’. Capricorn. The fresh morning air spikes your creativity these weeks and inspires you to unknown adventures. It is important that you express yourself artistically in the form of singing, painting and participating in a ballet class. Luckily the Karaoke Night is soon held in Carpe Diem, giving you the chance to unleash your inner diva. Aquarius. Although it may sometimes seem foreign, you will come closer in touch with Dutch culture than ever before. Going with local beer flavors will definitely pay off this month, not only in terms of relationships but also financially. The close-by brewery offers you an unexpected encounter you will not forget for the rest of your stay and will change your personal relationship with beer forever. Pisces. Many roads lead to success. Follow the one with least resistance and do not be afraid to fail. Explore Tilburg’s best kept secrets and you will find what you are looking for. Optimism is called for these days. See the glass half full rather than half empty, or even better, take action and refill it yourself. Nobody is going to do that for you.
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