First Impressions of Tilburg
by Katharina Rieniets
Hi, my name is Katharina; I am an international degree seeking student, here for a minimum of one year. I travelled all the way from Australia to live in beautiful Tilburg. The purpose of my stay is to conclude my Master in International Human Rights Law, inspired by my internships at the European Parliament in Brussels, the United Nations Association, the International Humanitarian Law Office of the International Red Cross and Amnesty International. Born and raised in southern Germany, I lived and studied in Australia my second home and nationality, whilst also travelling to West Africa, Asia and the US for a variety of vocational training purposes and general life and inter-cultural experiences.
Tilburg is not only well located, that is, it is close to and amongst the Institutions important in the International arena; no in addition it also is a great meeting spot and melting pot for inter-cultural experiences, communication and friendships. Of course, just like my fellow students, adjusting to a new environment, making new friends and carving a new place for oneself, can at first seem a daunting task! Even for people like me, who are outgoing and confident! I always tell my friends, that I am shy on the inside, for some reason they do not believe me, although it is in truth a fact! Thanks to the great support of both ICONN and ESN mentors however, our first experiences and integration into Tilburg University, student –and nightlife have been made easy. So here, a big compliment and huge thank you, to all of you mentors who welcomed us so warmly and helped us make our first steps in this new environment!
My first impressions of Tilburg were so far only positive ones; I like the fact, that the city is so accessible. I absolutely adore the habit of the Dutch to ride their bicycles everywhere. Although, every time I ride my bicycle, I end up with so many knots in my hair that it looks like one big Rasta lock. People here seem very relaxed and helpful. It reminds me of the laid back attitude of my fellow Australians. In contrast to other international students, who may experience some form of cultural shock or ‘awakening,’ to me the Netherlands feel like a combination of German and Australian traditions and way of life. Of course not in all regards and maybe I should specify, so as not to offend my Dutch readers, it’s maybe best described as cultural similarities with its own unique Dutch facets and flavours. Tilburg is a nice mix of old and modern architecture and I look forward to seeing the landscape of the city change with the approach of different seasons.
It has only been two weeks since our first arrival, and on the one hand it feels like only yesterday that I left home for a new chapter, on the other the variety and hilarity of my experiences here so far could fill a whole book. For example, the fact that I could not walk in proper shoes, but had to wear flip flops (or thongs, as we call them in Australia) during the first few days in this freezing weather, got me a significant number of strange looks and funny comments. I rather not know or reveal, what people were actually thinking seeing me walking like this. Just days prior to my departure from Perth, I was bitten by a poisonous catfish in the ocean and was suffering from the wound and the poison. Then after a few days here, I fell of a bicycle and injured my knee…so sure, maybe I should have written a story on, ‘what not to do’ instead. However, I prefer to see the positive in difficulties and challenges, which was for example the amount of care and support I received from all the new people I met during this time!
My best advice to all students out there is to go travel, to go on exchange, emerge yourselves in a different culture and way of life and broaden your cultural and educational horizons. Not only will it make you a better person, or help you connect the dots, but most importantly the people you meet along the way and the friendships you establish are worth any challenge which may arise from leaving behind all familiarity. Personally, I am grateful for this opportunity! I look forward to enriching my knowledge, enhancing the fabric of my experiences and learning new languages. I can feel it in my bones; this will be a good and successful year for all of us! In that spirit, I would like to congratulate all international students for their decision to come here and wish you all the best times of your life!
