Carla Grund genannt Feist (Germany)

In October 2017 I started a new chapter in my life: being a student. After my first few months of truly enjoying every aspect of my subject matter (Politics, Philosophy and Economics) I started to feel the desire of expanding my horizon. This desire of exploring got me from the cute, little, mountain surrounded, conservative town Salzburg (Austria) to the cute, little, very flat and progressive town Groningen in September 2018.

Faculty life

My first impression of the Philosophy faculty after I finally found the building was: I will get lost here. This prediction turned out to be right as indeed I got lost more than once on my way to class rooms, professor´s offices and even on my way to the exit. This confusion was caused by the countless stairs and the infinite amount of floors. However, I understood the complexity of this building as an analogy of the complexity of Philosophy itself, following the motto: It would not be fun if it was too easy. Moreover, the fact of getting lost in between all the stairs and different floors turned out to be a perfect opportunity to connect with other philosophers. Those were either helpful in finding what ever was desired or a great companion on the journey to the way out. This leads me to the superior attribute of the faculty life: companionship. The Philosophy faculty is more than an academic institution. Apart from being a place of captivating topics and inspiring discussions is this faculty a place where fellow students become friends and a really confusing building becomes a place of trust, support and gezelligheid.

City life

Bikes, bikes and more bikes. I am not a fan of prejudices but the belief that Dutch people consider their right to bike almost analogous to their right of freedom is definitely a fact. Moreover, it is a fact that people in Groningen are funny, lovely, helpful and always in a good mood. No matter if on the weekly market, in regular shops or behind bars, Groningers spread a vibe of winning charm mixed with great humour. My cultural shock in the beginning caused by unconcealed directness turned quickly into appreciation of the Dutch honesty. Moreover, definitely worth mentioning is the colorful nightlife of Groningen. Countless bars and clubs turn the city from Thursday night onwards into a scenery of creativity, culture and fun. But even though the nightlife is such an essential part of the city, I never felt unsafe at any point in time. Conclusively is to say that Groningen is a multicultural, vibrant and charming example of a city which made me realize what a gift it is to be a European.

Ten months among the Dutchis

Even though one could assume the Dutch and the German life philosophy is quite similar I want to point out some significant differences and lessons I could learn from the Dutch people. Apart from a crazy bike mentality and a great sense of humour I was deeply impressed by the immense sense of solidarity of the Dutch. This sense for commitment is especially in the student city Groningen represented through countless committees and associations. A decision which significantly influenced my entire time in Groningen was signing up for one of the committees of the philosophy study association (STUFF). While setting my signature for the event committee I thought of organizing a few small events such as relaxed game nights or cooking evenings. This belief, however, was far from reality as I found myself a few month later cutting vegetables for 106 people in order to organize the yearly Christmas Dinner for the entire faculty. Even though being part of a committee was much more stressful than expected it paid off as I got fully integrated not only into the great STUFF family but also into the Dutch mentality of community. It is expected to take allocated tasks seriously and to fulfill them in a responsible way. In return, however, one gains acknowledgement, support and the unique feeling of full inclusivity.
Another impressive example for the Dutch sense of community was our study trip to Estonia. This trip was organized by one of the committees and included daily activities which often started really early. All STUFFers without exception and without complaints appeared punctually to each of these excursions no matter how early they started and no matter how long and excessive the experience of previous Estonian night was. This discipline was a great example for the acknowledgement and respect towards those organizing the trip as well as a sign of solidarity, following the motto: we are all in this together.

I hope I adopted some of the Dutch humour, the Dutch honesty but especially the feeling of togetherness. Conclusively I can highly recommend Groningen as a place of excellent education, cultural diversity, solidarity and bikes. Additionally I want to motivate anyone who has the chance to do so, to participate in the Erasmus programme. As well as the individual benefit of opening one's horizon, and developing one's personality by adopting to other cultures, participating in the Erasmus programme is a great way to strengthen Europe and improve the solidarity within the European Union for the fact that we are all in this together.