/sl sh/ university college groningen issue 1 - december 2016
contents
1. Introducing the crew 02 2. A spooktacular night 06 3. Short story 07 4. City reviewed: London 08 5. UCG’s compliments 10 6. Sinterklaas 12 7. Puzzle 15 8. Interview Hugo 16 9. City reviewed: Valencia 18 10. The world of anime 20 11. UCG’s compliments 22 12. Secret Sinterklaas 24 13. Ice skating 25 14. City reviewed: Dhaka 26 15. Movie review Inferno 29 16. Christmas fair Bremen 30 17. Comic 32
introducing: the co Emmi: If any of you haven’t been to Norway yet, I suggest you do so at your earliest convenience. I’m a third year student currently on exchange (yes in Norway). Thus far it has been amazing; the nature, the people… It’s completely different from studying at UCG. Originally I’m Dutch, although I have lived pretty much my whole life in Greece, which kind of makes me a misfit in both countries. I’m majoring in Humanities, specifically in the field of literature and enjoying some courses in psychology. Next year I’m probably going to do a masters in Writing, Editing and Mediating, but the future in uncertain so who knows what will happen. When I’m not cramming for exams like I should be doing right now, I’m going out into the nature, reading, writing, watching movies, doing some art or simply chilling with friends. Looking forward to seeing everyone again next semester, even though it will mean that I’ll have left the beautiful Norway behind.
Asyana: Hey there, my name is Asyana Eddy. I’m a 19 year old first year with an ongoing cultural identity crisis. I’m half Dutch, half American, but I was born in India and raised in China. I joined SLASH because I enjoy writing about what I think the world should know about, take more seriously, and be critical of. So far my plan is to major PPE and minor in law. Outside of school I enjoy socializing, making art, and travelling. I try to learn as much outside the classroom as I do inside the classroom, this means attending lectures, listening to TED talks, and meeting strange people. I am a hardcore food enthusiast despite my inability to cook, although from time to time I do bake a mediocre cake. Coming to UCG has been one the best decisions I’ve ever made and I am so excited to continue to learn and build relationships here! Oh, and my favourite animal is a jellyfish. 2
ommittee members Anne: For those of you who haven’t met me yet, I am a second-years, both at UCG and as Chair of SLASH. I am a Dutchie by birth and though I used to think this made me boring, I am embracing it now. Currently I am majoring in the Humanities, with a specific focus on Gender Studies and Narratology, which nicely combines my interests in Politics and Literature. I have always loved writing and reading, which is the main reason I started the Journal Committee with Roos. Next to this, I will be a member of UCG’s Educational Committee until the Christmas Break and I assist the Admissions Office as a Student Ambassador. To not have my life fully revolve around UCG and because I love acting and volleyball, I take acting classes at the USVA and I am a member of volleyball association Kroton. Lastly, I love nice weekends home-home with my family and dog Balou and ‘gezellige’ moments with the UCG Community!
Roos: I’m a second-year PPE student and secretary of /SLASH/. Let me start out by saying that I don’t like writing. Yes, I hear you thinking; then why did she ever join slash? For the lay-out! So, even though you won’t read that many articles written by me, you can find my traces in this journal in its visual set-up. I love designing this journal, posters and pictures. Furthermore, I am always up for a run, a good cup of coffee, chocolate (lots of it), a bowl of soup, or just a nice chat! In love spending my spare time by hanging out with my UCG friends, the girls from my rowing team, and my family in the little town near Arnhem. If there is still some time left, I´ll watch some series, play sports, sing or just do nothing for a while (something you´d almost forget about as a UCG student). 3
Olle: Hey there, as most of you probably know already, my name is Olle. I am a first year student and I will probably choose PPE as my major next year. I will start with saying that I have enjoyed every minute of UCG so far and I don’t see this changing anytime soon. Especially now, during the Christmas season. I always get pumped during this time of the year. Everyone is super nice to each other and I love christmas decorations. I joined SLASH since I enjoy writing quite a lot, and I have never done anything like this before so I decided to try it out. Thing I like to do vary from basically anything to even more, as long as it doesn’t involve sleeping. Lastly, I have a little obsession with hockey. And with hockey I of course mean, the better, field hockey. I’m still captain for my hometown team and I’m training to become a national referee. I tend to mumble about this quite often so don’t be afraid to change the subject when this happens. To close this out though, I need to say that I am so happy to be part of UCG, thank you all for making this place so amazing.
Abidur: Just a little guy from a big, third-world city. Jack of all trades (master of none) and probably the happiest nihilist you’ll ever meet. The only thing I do more regularly than arriving late (if that wasn’t evident enough yet) is taking leaps of faith. I’m not here for any reason in particular. Just jumping into a random river and waiting for the current to take me places. No hobbies, no ambitions, no attachments. Just here to make memories. The only things I love more than meat are visiting new places, staying up late, and trying out new things. No assignment or life-changing decision can stand between me and my peace of mind. Nothing matters. We’re all going to die. Nothing on Earth is worth getting worked up about. Hope you have a great day! 4
Anna-Lotte: Hi, my name is Anna-Lotte Reitsma. I am 19 years of age and I’m from a little (in my opinion pretty big, but this opinion has been harshly dismissed by multiple people) town in the beautiful countryside of the Netherlands that is Friesland. I joined /SLASH/ because recreational reading is one of my favourite things to do and writing has always been my main creative outlet; basically, I’m a huge book nerd. Besides reading, writing, and studying, I play Lacrosse (that one sport where it looks like we’re jellyfishing), like to go out, play Pokémon or Animal Crossing, and love to play around with make-up. For my major I am mostly leaning towards PPE. Since I am interested in doing my masters in Bioethics, I can really take any route as long as it contains ethics, law/politics and biology, so for this reason I haven’t quite made up my mind yet. So far I have been loving living on campus here at UCG, it’s really been great to be part of this community, and to experience the student life in this way. I hope this first year continues to be awesome and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me!
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a spooktacular night By Anna-Lotte Reitsma
As most of you might remember (and some of you most certainly not), a few weeks ago we celebrated our first holidaythemed UCG party of the year: Halloween. The party was held in the Frascati basement, which was, along with all its eerie decoration (e.g. those fake spiderwebs everyone got stuck in when entering), the perfect place to host the event. With costumes like Luigi, Tinkerbell, a baby, Donald Trump and his pussy, and a low-budget Ariel the Little Mermaid, most costumes were not necessarily scary, but they were certainly funny, beautiful, and creative. In the end, of course, there could only be one winner of the costume contest, and this winner was SLASH’s own Asyana, who dressed up as Medusa and won the wonderful price of two bags of candy. Besides the race for the best costume, some other memorable things happened that night: Yoran, Hauke, Christoff and Jackson made sure our night was off to a good start by guiding everyone from the first floor to the basement, all of this accompanied by some relaxing Asian music and matching costumes. Furthermore, we played some heated games of beer pong, Eden shot some instagram-worthy pictures and even the RA’s visited us at some point (to join us instead of kicking us out, for once!). All in all, I think the Halloween party was very successful and that the SOC did a great job organising it. It was really fun to see how creative people got with their costumes and I think I speak for most of us when I say that I’m looking forward to SOC’s next event.
In loving memory of the D3 Kitchen Tit, which unfortunately could not escape the horrors of hallow’s eve. 6
By James Carter Young I wished I was outside. The weather was ...dreary. But dreary was better than the physics class which was waiting for me at the top of that enormous spiral staircase. After making the effort to speak a different language every day for weeks and weeks a certain special fatigue sets in. A fatigue that made walking up three flights of stairs to a difficult class in a language I was only barely beginning to understand significantly more difficult than it was when I started this whole thing. So I paused between floors and looked out the window at the street below and wished I was outside. The world seemed to be perpetually damp. There were cute little European cars rolling ‘round a roundabout. A bus slowed along the side of the street and a gaggle of subdued looking commuters standing along an ancient wall roused themselves in anticipation of it opening it’s doors. The bus obscured the brief bustle, but it soon pulled away from the curb to reveal a new crowd, just as subdued as the people whose places they’d taken. But two heads stood out from the sea. A man and a woman. The tide of people flowed around them. No one looked. The woman was crying. Trails of mascara ran from her eyes as the man screamed something, knowing that the people around them wouldn't hear. His arm flashed out and struck her across the face. I felt the fleshy crack in my chest as the woman’s head snapped to the side and she stumbled into the faceless bodies of her fellow commuters. No one looked. Time stood still for the two of them, briefly isolated from their surroundings. The woman took something off her finger and limply threw it at the person she might have once thought she loved. She turned and tried to break into a stumbling run but the man grabbed her arm and wrenched her back towards him. No one looked. I was almost on the third floor of my building, and the door leading outside was facing away from the street. They were yelling. Even though they were surrounded by people it seemed I was the only one who could see or hear them as they struggled. Or rather, as the woman struggled and the man shook her and yelled. I could feel flecks of spittle on my face. No one looked. The crowd was thinning. The man shoved her away and she ran, losing one shoe in the middle of the street and leaving the other at the feet of the man. After a moment he snatched it up and threw it into traffic after her. It was flattened by a passing car. They didn’t even slow down. I climbed the last seven stairs and went to physics. My hands shook as I opened the door. “Hey! Ça va?” “Ouais, ça va.” I said.
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city reviewed: london By Anna-Lotte Reitsema Background information London is, as most of you will know, the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. Founded around the year 43 by the Romans, it has been a major settlement for two millennia and is nowadays one of the leading global cities in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism, and transport. With more than 300 languages spoken in the region, London is considered a multi ethnic city, something that really stood out to me during my visit. The most prominent historic event that you will run into when visiting London is, in my opinion, the Great Fire of London, which broke out in 1666 and destroyed most of the medieval part of the city. While walking and driving around the city the memory of this fire can still be seen in memorials, signs and reconstruction. Practicalities The currency in London is the British Pound. The Pound is currently, as a result of the recent Brexit, lower in value than it used to be. This means that in shops where you can choose to pay either in euros or in pounds, where it was first cheaper to pay in euros, it is now cheaper to pay in pounds. This little trick has saved me around 40 euros during my stay. If you are planning on using the public transport regularly, I think it is worth it to get a Visitor Oyster card. The Oyster card is similar to the Dutch OV card, and I think we got one for 5 pounds. As it never expires, you can keep it and use it when you visit the city again in the future, which makes it relatively cheap. This brings me to the next point, which is AirBnB. In my opinion, it is cheaper and easier to get an AirBnB that is a bit more expensive but closer to the city than one that is a little cheaper but further away. Public transportation can get quite expensive in London, so it might be good to look up the distance and price of the transportation to the city center before you book an AirBnB. Being closer also makes spontaneous trips to the city center easier. Don’t forget your RUG Student card! Most shops on Oxford Street, and even some pubs and restaurants, offer discounts to students. Even international ones.
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Must do Go ride one of those stupid, touristy hop-on busses. Seriously. When I visited London for the first time, we bought tickets with which we could ride those busses for 48 hours. Not only did the tour guides provide me with really interesting information and fun facts (which eventually even led me to see the Queen), you can also just use them as a normal bus when you need to go somewhere. Two birds, one stone. Make the effort to go see the Big Ben, London Eye etc. by night. It is not as crowded and the lights are gorgeous. Instead of only doing your shopping on Oxford st., explore areas of the city such as Camden and Shoreditch. Camden has a really nice market where you can get Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and many other themed clothing for a low price. Shoreditch has a lot of nice vintage and remade vintage stores. Especially check out Blitz - besides selling gorgeous clothes, they also sell really cheap, well-known books. I bought a copy of Nabokov’s Lolita here for 3 pounds! Check out an Indian restaurant. Because of colonial history, there’s a lot of Indian people living in London. This means there’s also a lot of authentic Indian restaurants, and therefore loads of opportunities to try new things!
‘’A bad day in London is still better than a good day anywhere else.’’ - Unknown
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ucg’s compliments Max, I love it that you are always so sassy By the way, do you want to sign up for student for a day? (Inside joke) Felix always smiles to me so happily during class which makes the world a better place Thanks!! Jona, I love how you are so passionate and ambitious :)
Bart, Thank you for walking for 1 hour to get us bread, even though the supermarket was only 15 minutes away
Kelly, thank you for helping with thinking of hashtags You are good at making ugly faces for our pictures Kusjes, ons x Saar, You are a really funny and warm person Lots of love x
Laura, you’re an excellent organizer, you know how to keep track of things, take on responsibility for group work, and alone all you are a good friend!
Thanks for being our UCG daddy Hugo!
Isidora, your instagram is on fleek Claire Hudson, You are the happiest and most positive person I know
Julia Damen, I love your clothing style X
I love how Bart’s eyes sparkle under the christmas lights Defs one of the sexiest boys in UCG, maybe even in Groningen
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Jona, I love your style! Xoxo
To Felix, I love your compassion and friendship
Carlijn, You are such a beautiful soul!
Abidur Rahim, we love that you are always late to class, so it does not seem so bad that we are as well! Hope you can cycle soon! Yoran, thanks for letting me fall asleep in your bed when I am too tired to deal with life (or just drunk) To Lisa, because you’re always enthusiastic
Madara and Merle, You have gorgeous hair!
Ellis, I love you for going on midnight adventures with me
Wander Jager, we love your sailing metaphors Keep being happy, it makes the lectures at 9 am better
Dear Peha, you’re good company and it is a pleasure to work with you, as you tackle tasks well and efficiently Lars you got a great ass
Jona, I love you
Dear Bogdan, the humour we share (to great extent), your generosity and your thirst for adventure make you a good friend of mine. Let’s keep it up! Josien Scholing, You have an awesome laugh. Keep using it X
Jack, you are a clever guy, a skilled debater, and always up for an enlightening conversation Good to know you! 11
sinterklaas
and the controversy of zwarte piet By Asyana Eddy The end of November and beginning of December chimes in the joyful cheer of children as the celebration of Sinterklaas begins. However, in recent years, it has started the uncomfortable, angering, and, in my opinion, necessary conversation about the controversy of Zwarte Piet, or the English translation, Black Pete. The celebration typically starts the second Saturday of November, when Sinterklaas arrives on a steamboat from his home in Spain. This is known as the Intocht Van Sinterklaas, he arrives with his white horse and Zwarte Pieten, and they are welcomed by crowds of children and families excited to see them. On this night, children put their shoe in front of the fireplace, sometimes with a carrot for Sinterklaas’ white horse, and they sing songs. They wake up the next morning with small gifts in their shoe, or a lump of coal if they were naughty. Children do this every Saturday night until the 5th of December. The celebration of Sinterklaas continues over the next few weeks, and the spirit is notable as the stores fill with Sinterklaas themed decorations and costumes, pepernoten (small spiced cookies), chocolate letters, speculaas, and other holiday treats. Images of Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet are seen throughout the city, along with themed parties, events, and shows. December 5th is known as Sinterklaasavond, and this is the night where many families get together and exchange gifts. How people celebrate can differ between families, some play a game exchanging gifts, while others pull lottery tickets weeks prior and make a surprise and poem for the selected family member. The next day, December 6th, is said to be Sinterklaas’ birthday and this is the day he gets back on his steamboat and heads back to Spain. For such an innocent and traditional celebration some may ask, why the controversy? The image of Zwarte Piet can be quite startling, especially to foreigners in The Netherlands, as he is painted completely black and throughout history that has been known as blackface. 12
The movement called ´Zwarte Piet is Racisme´ or ´Black Pete is Racism´ took storm in 2011. It reached a global level of conversation in January of 2013 when representatives of the UN said they were looking into whether or not the Dutch custom is racist. As a result, they produced a letter stating, ´The character and image of Black Pete perpetuate a stereotyped image of African people and people of African descent as second-class citizens, fostering an underlying sense of inferiority within Dutch society and stirring racial differences as well as racism.´ This finding was not met with a positive or accepting response. The conversation became fuelled with anger and defence, many people refusing to see the correlation between Zwarte Piet and a colonial slave. Amsterdam’s mayor, EE Van der Laan, wrote, ´The tradition is not in the least static. In the past 50 years, Zwarte Piet was no longer depicted as an ogre for educational ends. He evolved from being the stereotypical subservient ‘black slave’ into a cheerful ‘clown’´. Many argued that the blackness comes from the soot of chimneys, which in turn, does not explain the excessively large red lips, afro wigs, or gold earrings.
“For 150 years we have been confronted with this institutionalized racism and we are supposed to be living in the most tolerant and anti-racist country in the world. In the 21st Century there should be no room for racism, especially open racism.” said Jerry King Luther Afriyie, a Ghanaian-born Dutch citizen. His opinion is shared by many, even among other countries. In 2014, Sunny Bergman, filmed a short documentary called “Our Colonial Hangover” where two Zwarte Pieten walk through London and hand out 13
toys, and people’s responses are filmed. The strong responses the Zwarte Pieten received revealed the shock and disgust that many people around the world have when they see what this tradition entails. Many comments by people on the street included something along the lines of, “How do they not see that this is offensive?” A man who was clearly from African heritage stated, “ You cannot put this in the face of people who have been oppressed, who have been slaves, you cannot then say here’s what we think of you.” The team even managed to get the famous actor and activist Russel Brand to comment on the tradition of Zwarte Piet, “This tradition dehumanises people that are of a different ethnicity and reduces them to a lower status of either toys or a degenerative role as servants” he says, “We think of holland as a very advanced nation, with very advanced social principles, so it’s very surprising to see this kind of tradition… I think it’s a colonial hangover”. As society progresses, it is necessary to question and to challenge societal norms, practices and traditions. It is necessary to reflect on where our practices and traditions stem from and where they lead to. Hear this, the majority of the Dutch population has no intention of being racist, and their meaning behind the celebration is not to be racist. However, the reality is that the impact of the celebration and tradition is. Impact will always carry larger significance than intent. So, is it time to reflect and maybe change what may very well be this country’s “Colonial Hangover?”.
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the ucg puzzle Let’s see how much you all know about UCG! (spaces are allowed)
Horizontal 2. The slogan of UCG 4. Caerus’ favourite pub 5. The coziest Dutch word 6. ‘Doe mij maar het ..., het ... van het Noorderplantsoen!’ 8. The holy Italian food 10. The UCG word
Vertical 1. ‘GA’ 3. Our awesome caretaker 7. The R in R&M 9. The best Sinterklaas candy 8. Location of the introductioncamp 15
interviewed: hugo By Anna-Lotte Reitsema
Every UCG student knows who Hugo is, but it is always nice to get to know the people you are seeing on a daily basis a little bit better, which is why I decided to ask him some questions. So, the first question is: Where are you from, and what brought you to UCG? I’m from Angola and Portugal, depends on what you want to know. And.. What brought me to UCG… Was… The need for a job. Haha, okay, what is the thing you like the most about UCG? Diversity. Cool, so, do you have a favourite student? And don’t lie! Haha, everybody has a favourite person! But I will not tell you. Okay, fair enough. You always seem so happy and cheerful, what’s your secret? Forgetting about my problems. I try to forget about my problems. So how come you speak Dutch so well? Ehm… I don’t speak so well, I speak a little bit of Dutch.
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How come you appear to speak Dutch so well then? Because I try to, ehm, I had a one year course, and even though I didn’t speak for a while, almost a year of not speaking Dutch, I did try my best to speak Dutch with the people here that I know that cannot speak English. From the University, not from UCG, because at UCG everybody speaks English. Yep, what is something about you that many people don’t know? Hmm… I think I’m an open book. Ehm… maybe how many sisters I have. So how many sisters do you have? I have five sisters. Wow, that is a lot. If you could teach a class, what would you teach? Politics, international relations. I studied politics. Ok, the next one is a bit of a weird one. You are a new addition to the crayon box. What colour would you be and why? I would say blue, because it is my favourite colour. It is not too dark and it is not too light. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ehm… In the new building of the UCG. Ok, the last question: if you could teach us, UCG students, one life lesson; what would it be? Take every day with as much pleasure as you can take. Because you never know what is behind the corner. 17
city reviewed: valencia By Anne de Vries
During the first week of November I got to catch a plane on my way to Valencia. Besides it having a great climate and being the third largest city in Spain, it is also the place my brother chose to live his adult life, working for a game design company. Seeing that he doesn’t live in the same country as his family anymore, we get to visit him in sunny Spain. History Valencia was founded in 138 BC during Roman rule. From 711 to 1238 Valencia was under Arab rule, of which a remnant can still be observed in a little bakery upheld by a piece of the Arabic town wall, near the Torres de Serrans to the north of the city. The city nowadays has around 800,000 inhabitants in its centre. Valencia handles 20% of Spain’s exports, because its port is the biggest on the Mediterranean western coast. And for the academics amongst us, the Universitat de Valencia Estudi General (University of Valencia) is one of the oldest surviving universities in Spain, founded in 1499. Practicalities To me, Valencia’s city centre really feels more like a small town than one of the biggest cities in Spain. The largest distance from one place to the other takes you 20 minutes by bike (so in a way it is a lot like Groningen). I can definitely recommend renting some bikes on your visit there. While everything can be reached by foot, bikes are just that much easier, and you can rent them on nearly every street corner. While the Valencian people did try to make their infrastructure more bike friendly, if you follow the scarce bike paths on the sidewalks you occasionally run into a bus stop or you have to swerve to keep from hitting a tree. Though, I will still stress not to use the roads: the cars (especially the taxis) will not take your presence into account!
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When staying in the city overnight, I recommend to use the wonderful services of AirBnB. It is generally cheaper, often because you have a kitchen so you can cook your own meals, but they’re also generally more centrally placed in the city. We had a nice apartment with a roof terrace, so while the locals walked around in winter coats down in the streets, we could enjoy the warm sun. Also, taxis are great to take you everywhere. However, especially if you’re taking one from the airport to the city, mind your wallet or they’ll charge you extra for their return ride back to the airport!
Must sees You should definitely take a walk in the park that surrounds the city. This used to be a river, which they drained and it is now full of football fields, playgrounds and bike paths. When following this park to the East, you will run into the Oceanografic, the largest aquarium in Europe, which is worth the visit (it might be too expensive for a student budget, I was glad to have my parents with me). If you follow the park to the West, you will find the Valencian zoo, Bioparc. It’s pretty because the animal enclosures look very natural. If you have the time and the stomach, go spot the many pig heads on display in the Mercat Central, also one of the largest marketplaces in Europe. At the restaurant LaLoLa they will make you fresh Sangria for just €5,a glass, which is relatively well-priced compared to many other cafes. For the gluten free people amongst us, I visited the gluten free bakery Celiacruz daily, because their bread, cakes and pastries are just to die for! Lastly, you haven’t really visited Spain without eating paella, and you haven’t visited Valencia without eating their Valencian paella, which includes chicken and rabbit. You can get a plate of paella almost literally everywhere, so eat up!
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the world of anime By Abidur Rahim
When we think about multimedia entertainment, we usually think TV shows, movies, and maybe cartoons. But there is a huge genre of entertainment that I believe is not as popular as it deserves to be in this part of the world. I am, of course, talking about anime.
Anime is short for animation and is used by the majority of the world to refer to a specific style of animation that is central to Japan. But what makes this so different from, say, a Disney movie or an American animated series like the Simpsons? The simple answer is the sheer amount of content and variation in this genre. It isn't just for children and it isn't always made to give you a laugh. There is so much anime out there that one of them is bound to become your favorite show if you end up watching it. You could 20
spend your whole life watching anime and you still wouldn't be able to finish watching it all. There are at least 10,000 series of anime out there. And the best thing is, you don't have to pay for it. There are numerous sites (like KissAnime) where you can watch and even download anime for free. There is a ton of anime for any genre you can think of. Some are for young boys. Some are for young girls. Some are for businessmen. Some are for adults. From action to drama to sci-fi to horror to light-hearted comedy to a mix of any and every genre. From a series with over a thousand episodes to movies only a few minutes long. Japan has made it all. I could write my thesis on the types of anime out there. Because of this, the fan base is also one of the biggest and most active communities out there. So if you have never had the opportunity to look at this virtually unlimited supply of entertainment, I will advise you to not miss out any longer. Go to MyAnimeList.net and find one you like and watch it somewhere. If you're short on time, you could watch the recent record-breaking anime movie Kimi no Na wa (Your Name), with a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Enjoy!
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ucg’s compliments Laura and Jonathan, you are a cute couple and both nice people! Xoxo..from the other couple :) To Josien, hey girl, I am so glad I met you. You are super responsible but also know when is part time. Hugs!
Thank you for all you do for us and UCG Hugo...and Rob :)
To Jaimy-Lee, thank you for being so normal and calm. Anon will keep hug you every time :)
Claude, for being such an amazing actor at parties!
Marit, Madara, Julia, and Claire, I miss our project days <3
Maja, you are really sweet and cool. I liked going out with you and hanging out in the B2 kitchen! Christoff Kryziek, I love your laugh! To Asyana I love you, Mom!
D4 makes the best jungle juice :) To Abidur, you are the sweetest guy I have ever met. I will never get how you manage to follow school while pondering so much. A big hug
I love the way you always want to hold my hand, Tim!
I love Marius, his nickname “Michael”
Elena Degenhardt, thank you for all the Hugo and chocolate nights. You are a good listener. xx Jona, I love discovering your new talents. They are endless. 22
Roos W. You have the nicest elbows!
Tim, Your hair is gorgeous <3
Marit, thank you for taking me on spontaneous trips even though they always turn out stressful. Kusjes Naomi, you have such nice legs and a very nice butt
Alissa, you are one of the coolest people of UCG.
Julia, I love your hair and clothing!
To Jona, thank you for being so generous and kind. I love to hear your stories and see your drawings. You are great. Never forget it. To Elena D, you are the most Elena person I ever met and I love how crazy you are. I will still try to be the craziest though :)
To Isidora, you are one of my idols in UCG. I love the way you take the situation under control. Thank you for getting a grip on me sometimes. A big hug.
Anna-Lotte seems like she’s really cool. I really like her makeup. Tim, your Dutch is so good! Jonathan’s hair is breathtaking.
Hugo is sweet :)
Emma v. Nieuwkuijk, it sucks that you are a vegetarian but we like you anyways. Kusjes
Sam O’ Shea, I love your sarcastic humour :) X
Lieke Jorna, Your hair is really pretty and you are really cool!
Asyana, thanks for always being so nice to everyone <3 23
secret sinterklaas
Photos taken by PIXEL
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ice skating
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City reviewed: DHAKA By Abidur Rahim
Since the chances of me getting struck by lightning are higher than the chances of someone actually deciding to visit Dhaka after the sole act of reading this article, I will focus more on the peculiarities than the practicalities. I, of course, was born and raised in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, the small country beside India (P.S. our relationship is not the best). The first thing that will strike you about this glorious city is the sheer number of people. Dhaka is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Over 18 million people live in an area of only 270 km². To put that into perspective, if everyone in the Netherlands moved to Rotterdam, Dhaka would still have a greater population density. No, we do not have to sleep on top of each other. Bangladesh is home to over 160 million people, or about 2.2% of the total world population. As one may thus be able to imply, Dhaka has some of the worst traffic on Earth. It is not uncommon for traffic to stay still for hours on end in some places. And if some politician decides to take a ride outside then good luck with getting to your destination in time (all traffic is restricted on the roads they will take).
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Traffic police on the side of the road are not required to control traffic according to the street lights, they just move the cars however way they want a lot of times. So sometimes you can literally get out of your car and get yourself some classic sweet milk tea (ah the nostalgia) and cigarettes from the makeshift store at the side of the road before the traffic starts moving again. But if you think you are going to rent a car to travel around Dhaka then think again! Almost everyone drives recklessly, especially the buses. In fact, if you manage to get yourself around the city with your car unscratched, you will be entitled to a cookie from my part (but only one though). Dhaka isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t full of life; it is overflowing with life. I think one of the things that make it so special is its diversity. Shabby places where you can get more than a full meal in under a euro (not recommended for people with weak stomachs), international fast food chains, expensive restaurants, huge shopping malls, five-star hotels, tin houses, you can get it all in one city. The old and the new live together in the harmony with the sound of car horns. Dhaka used to be the Mughal capital of the world, and a very important center for trade, commerce and education. Although it is not as great as it once was, its rich history is still evident today. At one time it was even called Venice of the East due to its ample waterways, some of which are still in use today. If you ever take the time to visit Dhaka, here is a list of things that make Dhaka awesome. Remember that most people have a grasp over the English language and all decent shops have menus and everything in English. These are minus the usual museums and historical attractions, since all cities have those! Restaurants: Oh, how we love food. There is no shortage of great restaurants in Dhaka. From traditional to Chinese and Thai to Western to Italian and Mexican and even Japanese, food is one thing all Bangladeshis love spending their money on. There are buildings that are completely filled with restaurants. The best things to try is probably the distinctive biryanis and kebabs you get near the older parts of town. The bakeries are also notable, especially for their sweets that are sold by the kilogram.
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The Bengali New Year: The Independence Day, Victory Day and International Mother Language Day are all celebrated with much emotion, but there is something cheerfully unique about the New Year on 14th April. The streets are painted, people wear colorful clothes (red and white usually), eat traditional food (fish, rice), have carnivals, sing, and basically go out and enjoy themselves. Imagine an acid trip on Valentine´s Day but it’s also the New Year and everyone is actually sober. Six Seasons: Yes, there are apparently 6 seasons in Bangladesh, summer, rainy, autumn, late autumn, winter and spring. The monsoon rains with continuous downpours and flooded streets are a sight to behold. Just don’t go outside unless you know how to swim. Books: There is a certain place called Nilkhet where you can get photocopied and even original books for around 2 Euros. No joke. There are also normal, expensive book stores. There is also a huge book fair every year in February but all the books are in Bengali. However, you are welcome to go see an ocean of people buying books. Just watch your phone and wallet. Everything is cheap: Except alcohol, that’s expensive. But you can get weed for about 15 cents a gram. Enough said. You will never look at the the price tag the same way after you return home.
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inferno, not as hot as the title suggests By Olle Hermsen
Dan Browns bestseller “inferno” had been out for a couple of years now. It’s the last book of the Robert langdon series (da vinci code, Angels and demons and the lost symbol). The book was, although sloppy written a big hit. I myself read the book multiple times so I was enormously pumped when the movie was announced. Unfortunately, I was Hella disappointed. The start of the movie closely follows the book. After an impressive prologue, our main character, professor Robert Langdon, wakes up in a hospital in Florence. The professor suffers from acute amnesia and a head wound. In the hospital a woman tries to kill him but luckily, his doctor Sienna is able to save him. Dazzled by the attack and his memory loss, Robert suffers from weird hallucinations of people in hell. After a narrow escape, the two arrive at the apartment of Sienna, where they decide to figure out who is chasing them and why. The setting of the movie is straight-up amazing. The movie was taken in Florence, Venice and Istanbul. Three of the best European cities in my opinion. However, the pace of the movie is way too fast. In the movie it feels like the professor figures out everything in a split-second, where in the book, you can follow the thought process. This kind of takes away the empathy we have for our main character. When nearing the end, the script deviates more and more from the book, in a bad way. New characters are introduced, a dramatic fight scene appears out of nowhere. And the ending is completely different. The ending of the book was in my opinion the most genius way of ending this story. This was by far the biggest disappointment of the movie. In conclusion, I would not recommend this movie unfortunately. I will give it one flame out of hell’s flames. To end on a positive note; all the cities in the movie are amazing! 29
Christmas fair bremen
Photos taken by PIXEL
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Saturday, December 10, a group of UCG students boarded a Pixelbus and took a trip to Bremen, Germany to attend a Christmas fair. Upon arrival, students were free do their own thing. Many of us split up into groups and explored the different attractions at the fair. There were amusement park rides, carnival games, ferris wheels, and of course lots and lots of food and drinks. There was even a medieval Christmas fair with pirate themed attractions and souvenirs. Although it was cold, many of us were able to stay warm thanks to gluhwein and hot chocolate! The trip, organised by AEOLOS, was a huge success!
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all the dutchies on exchange By Emmi Kraan
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Editorial office: Asyana Eddy Olle Hermsen Emmi Kraan Abidur Rahim Roos van der Reijden Anna-Lotte Reitsema Anne de Vries With thanks to: All those who submitted compliments Hanna Dosenko James Carter Young PIXEL