Trine Blogs – End of term

The new year is approaching rapidly. It both thrills me and makes my heart sink. Not for the coming coursework, oh no (because let’s face it, I’ve done enough on that) – no, for the people.

I attended a student union galla/farewell party before the end of term. I didn’t plan on going, but two of my flatmates, who are both exchange students, convinced me to go and promised they would be my dates since I didn’t know anyone. To be honest, I expected I would just go for an hour or two (if nothing else just so I could wear a pretty dress), have a drink or five with my flatmates and ask them to send me home if I started walking up randomly to strangers and staring at them (as you do). I didn’t expect I’d actually *gasp* have a good time.

I haven’t seen many exchange students this semester – I know what it’s all about, being on exchange; a lot of fun goes in and hardly anything productive goes out, and as a Master student I didn’t feel I could afford that. Whether it was a fear of being sucked into the whirling madness that is the exchange semester, with its boozing and late night tea parties and scandals, I don’t know. But going to that galla made me regret sticking my head in the sand for half the academic year – both in respect to ignoring (exchange) student life, and the total lack of social events in my Master’s programme. I can’t name half the people in my class. We’re not even 30 people. Isn’t that a little sad?

After being looked incredulously up and down by half the galla attendants who told me they had never seen me before, I was forced to admit that I have been leading a somewhat dull student life until now. I have had some nights out with my group mates, and while there was the inevitable wine-drinking, gossip and Spice Girl impersonations, the chatter would eventually always end up on the topic of coursework and deadlines. I have spent some weekends in “the north”, visiting friends there. While they offered nice (and fun) breaks from academic life, they are still friends I don’t see in my everyday life here, in Tilburg. So it was nice to meet some new people here, albeit most with a one-track mentality (be it sex, drugs and/or rock’n’roll), who could not care less for the strict deadlines and haunting, late-night working in hell the library.

It hit me later that night, standing outside in that charming, Dutch, freezing drizzle, watching (rather soggy) people say their tearful goodbyes, that I missed out on a grand opportunity to get to know these people and, come the new year, most of these will have left to their various home destinations, never to be seen again. It takes a while to get to know people, and I’ll say there were a good handful at that galla who I would’ve liked to get to know. It’s such a pity. Time’s run out; I was too late. I forgot to find the balance between a hectic, serious, challenging academical life and a spontaneous, indulgent, enriching social life.

I am comforted by the fact that the new year will bring a new shipping of exchange students, intoxicated and dazzled by the bright lights and new experiences. Next time, I’ll be a part of it through my student union. The new year also offers a new opportunity to get to know my classmates better, hopefully making bonds for life.

I’ll make the best of my remaining academical life. “Grown up” life is approaching all too fast, and these years are the ones you want to look back on with a sentimental look on your face and your kids (with a horrified look on theirs) going “Ew, mum, you didn’t!!”.

Happy New Year!

Trine Larsen (23) from Denmark studies Management of Cultural Diversity at Tilburg University and blogs for Univers.