i*esn magazine vol. 1 issue 1

TILBURG INTERNATIONAL CONNECTION

Volume 1 Issue 1

Word from the board - Das Oktoberfest - The first weeks of ....ViktorLive at Verbs - Festival of Lights - Queen of Romance - BirthdaysAmsterdam trip - Wall of shame - T-Day: Efteling - Culture Talk Face off! - Location Loca - Upcoming Activities - And Much More!

Editorial:Janneke Janssen, Jinwei Zhang,

and Michael Landis

Design/Technical Support:Paul Deckers

Photography:Fitra Kurniati, and I*ESN

Special thanks to:Dennis van Erp, Yvonne Petit, Michiel Matthijssen,

Viktor Rönn, Devvrat Gaggar, Aga Doo, Joyce Adriaensen Vincent van Roij, and Mark Lauret

The editorial committee consists of six enthusiastic members of I*ESN, with various backgrounds. We have Jinwei (an article writing buddy who is from China), Fitra (the provider of all the beautiful photography in the magazine from Indonesia), Paul (a Dutch mentor who is the designer of the pretty layout and graphics), Michael (one of our promising writers from Australia), Hamoen (the newest Dutch addition to the committee, who will write for the next magazine), Vincenzo (an Italian writer who will be active for the next magazine), and Janneke (a board member who coordinates the committee).

Introducing the Editorial Committee

1 I*ESN Tilburg Magazine - Volume1 - Issue 1

Table of ContentsIntroducing the Editorial Committee 1A word from the board... 3Birthdays October 4Pass it on! 6The first weeks of... Viktor 7Indian Festival of Lights 9Queen of Romance 11T-Day: Efteling 12Wall of Shame/ Face-Off 13Amsterdam Trip 15Culture Talk 17Upcoming Activities Oktober 19Life at Verbs 50: “Funloving and open-minded” 21Martijn’s Random Quotes 22Das Oktoberfest 23Location Loca Backcover

2I*ESN Tilburg Magazine - Volume 1 - Issue 1

Hoi!

Lately, I’ve seen many of you thinking; “Those handsome people in yellow must have the best job ever!”Very true.However, life as a board member is more than just attending the parties and activities. It is a full time job! Especially because a lot of things changed over the summer and we had to set up a whole new organi-zational structure. We actually started working already in June, long before most of you came to Tilburg. Basically, I*ESN has become our life!Apart from the busy times with I*ESN , I’m also trying to find time to do some sports, attend a few class-es of my Master in Management of Cultural Diversity and to manage my own Foundation which is sup-porting a school in India.

Now, let’s see if I can give you some more insight in what I actually have to do as being the president. Most importantly, I have to make sure that the organization is moving into the right direction, that is, in line with our vision and policy plan. It is my task to keep the overview and know what the rest of the board is doing , while also taking into account external developments that can affect our organization in a posi-tive or negative way. I have to make sure to keep in good contact with people from the University that can help us or which we can help, and to keep in close contact with our partner associations of which the number has grown extensively this year. Unlike my other board members, I’m not at the office that much as I have to go to meetings all the time. In these meetings I make sure that the international students are well represented.

As you just read, my tasks are pretty vague… Maybe the only clear thing in my job description is that I have to prepare and lead meetings & presentations. In addition, I’m very motivated to make my new two committees (Research Committee & Social Projects Committee) a big success!Oh, and not to forget, I’m also very much involved in getting our own I*ESN building which is almost, al-most, almost there! Once it’s there, I will drink a beer with each and every one of you.

A word from the board...


Birthdays October

1 - Jiska Vroon2 - Ander Prada - Stefan Leeffers3 - Thijs van Zijl 6 - Nazli Ceylan Ersoz - Jasper Hendriks11 - Ricardo Hurtado13 - Beatriz Modrego Marco 15 - Michaela Klausen18 - Leon de Klerk - Stephen Wintermute19 - Anne Gabrielle Aleso20 - Daniel Mandrella - Martin Potucek22 - Vandya Sharma - Jesus Marin Trusillo23 - Thijs van Zijl24 - Yvonne Petit27 - Nicolas Benavides29 - Fadli Gunawan31 - Stefan Riegger

So far, I have been enjoying these past few months a lot.I enjoy my ‘job’ because I learn something from every aspect of the organization. Being the president also gives me the opportunity to meet lots of interesting and active people and learn a lot from them about leading an organization or a group of people. I enjoy seeing Mark counting the money, Jiska fixing stuff in the building, Janneke designing a flyer, Joyce being excited about the first excursion to Amsterdam and Robert asking every buddy and mentor if they’re happy. We as a board also enjoy seeing the students having a good time! It feels as if the hard work we put into I*ESN pays off. The only thing I have to get used to is staying sober and responsible at parties while under the influence of a chronic sleep deprivation. At those times I wish I was a buddy or mentor.And last but not least, I enjoy meeting all of you; students from all around the world with their own story and own view on life. Just perfect!

Let me finish with one of my favorite quotes, that holds true for all of you:

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles”Keep that in mind,

El Presidente


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Name: Yvonne Petit Place of Birth: TilburgCurrent living place: TilburgLanguages I speak: Dutch, EnglishDescribe yourself in one sentence: Lacrosse playing, red-haired, skirt wearing active student ;-)Your Hobbies: Lacrosse, going out, watch moviesWho is the funnies person you know: Angélique van der VeerThree things you cannot live without: Friends, ice cream, sleepThe best vacation you have ever had: Croatia, RovinjThe biggest turnoff in a guy/girl: If a guy smells funny or has a bad breathFavorite Drink: Martini! With some ice and a lemonWhat I would do with 10 million euro’s: Take my friends on a nice holiday, buy all the things I desire and give to charityYour favorite superhero: Clark KentThings that put you in a good mood: Ice cream, good (live) music, happy people Things that put you in a bad mood: Ugly people, bad weather, having a hangoverSome last words: It ain’t over, till it’s overI am going to “Pass It On” to: Sirli Luik

1- Pass it on!

2- Pass it on!

Name: Michiel MatthijssenPlace of Birth: Zundert

Current living place: TilburgLanguages I speak: Dutch, English

Describe yourself in one sentence: sorry for the very Dutch name, I am Michiel MatthijssenYour Hobbies: football, all other sports, music

Who is the funniest person you know: the homeless guy in downtown Tilburg that yells a truly meant hello every morning I see him with his shopping cart.

Three things you cannot live without: beef, pork and chickenThe best vacation you have ever had: the past Summer in Cambodia was quite legendary

The biggest turnoff in a guy/girl: a lack of enthusiasmWhat I would do with 10 million euro’s: buy the northern part of Belgium

Your favorite superhero: Van WilderIf you were an animal then I would be: a husky, together with everyone that ever went to the University of

WashingtonThings that put you in a good mood: blue skies

Things that put you in a bad mood: scoring own goals with football (I do realize that this sounds like I kick two of those per game)

Some last words: the sky is the limit, alwaysI am going to “Pass It On” to: Stan Berkers


Why Tilburg?Hi! My name is Viktor Rönn; some of you might know me as Mega Mindy or possibly the Crazy Swedish Guy. These are nicknames I have received because I have participated in I*ESN events. Yesterday I met a Lithuanian girl at a house party that told me she wasn’t interested in joining I*ESN events. I urge all of you to participate in as much as you can! The board and the committees are working their asses of mak-ing sure that we are having a good time, and guess what? They are good at it. About the Lithuanian girl, I think she let go of her plans going into Plato, and I think all of you will be seeing her soon. Since I received the message that I was accepted for exchange at Tilburg University, I have been asked; Why Tilburg? If you are going to Holland, why don’t you just go for Amsterdam? My knowledge about Til-burg was not very extensive at that moment. I had three criteria for choosing destination. They were (1) that I wanted to improve my spoken English. (2) I did not want to move too far away from home, as it was important to me that it would be relatively cheap and easy for my friends and family to come visit me, and for me to get home in case it would become necessary. (3) I also wanted to come to a city where there was a rich student life, since that is not really the case for people studying at Stockholm University after having lived in Stockholm since birth. After having considered the alternative locations I came to the con-clusion. Tilburg met all my requirements, so I thought: Why not give it a try? I later find out that I was the first student of my university to go on exchange in Tilburg. That was positive, I wanted to get here without any prejudices, and so I did.

Since I got here I’ve heard some people argue that Tilburg is a small city, and that there is a risk that I will find the city boring. Some others have compared Tilburg to cities such as Amsterdam and Utrecht that they said are so much more beautiful, and even called Tilburg an ugly city. The beauty of a city lies in the eyes of the observer. My belief is that a city is not defined by its buildings and canals, but by its inhabit-ants.

The first weeks of ... Viktor


Why do I consider Tilburg to be such a great city to live in? I meet many people who just like me are here on exchange. The main thing we have got in common is that we have all come to a city where we originally did not know many people. I would say that this is the main reason to why I consider most of the exchange students to be really easy going people who are eager to make more friends. Naturally the Dutch people engaged as mentors and buddies are the same way, since they have made an active decision to take part in our exchange experience with no rewards except from having an awesome time that gives them memories for life. Before I went here I was told that Dutch people are similar to Swedish people in the aspect that don’t approach strangers without a very good cause. My experience is that this isn’t true, at least not among young people. The younger Dutch generation seems genuinely curious on new people and foreign cultures.

Yes, Tilburg is not a big city, although it is the 6th largest in Holland, but, what is not to like about a city where you always meet someone you know but didn’t expect to meet every time you go to the University. There is numerous cafés that are crowded every night of the week. It is easy to get to whatever city in Holland by train. I know some people consider it expensive, but as long as you bring a long a few friends it will be worth it wherever you go. I don’t have to work weekends as I always did at home, which enables me to pursue the exchange experience fully.

So what is the best thing about living in Tilburg? For me it is the fact that you can do whatever you want to. As long as you keep an optimistic mind-set and stay curious to your environment, I can promise you that you will have the time of your life. I can also tell you that I now know enough about Tilburg to convince any of my friends back home that they should schedule a trip to Brabant.

For deeper stories about life in Tilburg, please visit my blog viktoritilburg.blogg.se

Houdoe!


The colourful mosaic of Indian festivals, which is as diverse as the country, is an everlasting expression of celebration. They are like gems ornamenting the crown of Indian Culture.

When it comes to celebrating festivals and honouring time-bound traditions, no other civilization in the world can compare with us in our zest. This diversity of the land leads to Indians celebrating numerous festivals. Apart from the main festivals which are feted all over the country, each state also has its own festivals. The different religions all over India celebrate their own different festivals. We Indians celebrate with light. We celebrate with colour. We celebrate with boat races. We even celebrate by taking a dip into the Ganges which is considered holy. A festival is a time when nothing distinguishes a beggar and an emperor. A mud hut is the same as a royal palace. They both are entitled to it equally. In this article I shall delve into the legend behind a great, possibly the most widely celebrated and anticipated festival in India. Diwali or Deepavali as it was called in Sanskrit; the oldest of Indian languages is the festival of lights. Legend has it that the origins of Diwali go as far back as 5000 B.C.E. Diwali commemorates the return of Lord Ram (A major Hindu god) after 14 years in exile with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman. To celebrate the return of their king, the people of the kingdom of Ayodhya lit up the entire city with earthen lamps and burst firecrackers throughout the city. Diwali also signifies the victory of good over evil as it was during his 14 years in exile that Lord Ram defeated the demon king Ravan and freed the people from his tyranny.

Diwali falls on any of the days between mid-October and mid-November depending on the position of the moon. On the day, every house is cleaned and there is the exchange of sweets and snacks with friends and family. Traditionally we worship the Hindu goddess of wealth, Lakshmi on this day and engage in many religious activities together as a family. This is a time which is supposed to be spent with your loved ones and so getting together with friends and relatives is not uncommon.

Indian Festival of Lights


The celebration of Diwali is almost similar all throughout the country. This is a time when every city in India truly displays its beauty and its proud heritage. The cities are bathed in light. The earthen lamps (diyas) are lit illuminating our homes and our hearts. The aroma from the burning of the incense sticks lingers in the air and completely subdues any other scent. The firecrackers add to the beautiful lights everywhere. While the sound of the firecrackers booms in the distance, there are other sounds which fill the air that night. Those are the distinct sounds of happiness which are made known to everyone around by means of laughter or spirited and cheerful conversations. This happiness is also easily noticeable on the wide smile that invariably remains on the faces of the multitude. In truth Diwali is that time of the year when the cities and the people shine in tandem.

The reach of the Indian is not only within the borders of India and as a result of this Diwali is also celebrated in many countries around the world. For example a few of the numerous countries in which it is celebrated include Sri Lanka, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, the UK and the US. The traditions of this festival are fol-lowed even in these countries and the beauty of Indian culture is simultaneously imparted to different cul-tures.

I would like to end this article by quoting Mark Twain, “India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great grandmother of tradition.” No wonder it is called Incredible India.

Devvrat Gaggar


BREAKING: Authorities have established a crime scene at Alphen Farm, “we’re still questioning suspects, but we have some firm, hard evidence,” Inspector Mark Lauret says, “the DNA tests should be coming back from the lab within the next 48 hours.”

Birthdays have come and gone, amid the celebrations were exaltations and sighs as the nations were united between the sheets and beneath the stars. One lucky Spaniard was given a royal introduction to Holland by the crown Prince of Oranje (proof courtesy of the Swedish paparazzi), as another Madridista mentor saw to it that no country was off limits to his welcoming touch.

The frisky Canadians currently lead the romantic pack despite fierce competition from the sheer num-ber of egregious Italians and sexy Spanish, as one – or two – has settled themselves quite snugly into the Dutch culture, one even scoring himself a warm bed from a keen mentor. He simply can’t bear the thought of her going away, giving a fond farewell suggesting this won’t be their last special mention. Meanwhile, Michael Jackson was seen back from the dead, thrilling us with a mysterious curly haired ‘dance’ partner. More mentor madness, and the president saw himself envious of Mr Berlusconi, stealing himself a moment with a barely legal Italian flower.

A stone’s throw from Cafe Phillip, a big Brazilian boy barged through the crowd on one eventful, sangria-filled Spanish party night to lock lips with one particular Italian beauty; have we found a love potion?Leading the way, however, a bespectacled mentor has managed to fit in a flurry of silencing kisses in his busy schedule, possibly probably resulting in the need for crutches for one lucky target.

Finally, only time will tell how a Hungarian fantasy ties out in this edition’s Romance of the Month.And so until next time, as Gandalf the Grey asked while shaking his little friend, always first askyourselves, “is it secret? Is it safe?”

Keep sending your gossip to [email protected]


Ring ring. Ring ring. “Henrik?” “Errnnnn”“It’s Adri. Can you take me to Efteling?”“Nuurrrrrrrrrr”

So begins the weekly Saturday 8am hangover for our beloved Pole, preluding a dreary, crowded stretcher bus ride to the fantastical fairyland of Efteling. Time for a quick group photo, then we head straight for the ‘genuine daredevil’ rides to beat the afternoon queues – not the last time our all-knowing local mentor guides would lend their expertise. A double wooden rollercoaster around a huge fuming dragon awaited us, and it didn’t disappoint, as we formed two teams and raced to the finish, twisting and winding along the creaky timber beams towards either our untimely doom or meaningless victory. Our next experience was a mysterious ghost ship, where a long queue, cleverly disguised as a tour, was capped by a pitch black ride through murky waters amid terrifying pirates. We emerge into the welcome sunlight, a celebration in itself in this winter-trapped country, and before us lies the dreaded Python rollercoaster. A hulking web of steel, including 2 upside down loops and a dizzying spiral was too daunting for one over-dressed Englishman, preferring instead to admire the Efteling forest of older pines and saplings. One action photo purchased (eventually) from a sleeping-while-standing-and-staring attendant captured one of the milder moments of happy faces, available along with all the day’s photos for your viewing pleasure on the I*ESN Magazine Facebook page. A swinging pirate ship after a typical deep fried Dutch lunch, then we begin the more relaxed half of our adventure. We walk past hour long queues, journeying towards the various fairytales brought to life in the rare golden sunlight. A talking tree told its tale with its great chin wobbling all the while, toadstool stools along the footpath and hidden in bushes rang out childish music, and a sultan flew his magic carpet between the turrets of his palace along big black cables that probably cost less than the TIK week’s lunch budget. My top pick for the day, however, goes to Villa Volta, a haunted house where in the final room we expe-rienced a headspin unrivalled by any of the day’s rollercoasters, nor even the highs of Amsterdam. The room transformed as we, and the floor, were turned up and down the walls, defying gravity and challeng-ing everything you used to take for granted about the rules of the universe.After soaking up some sun, we go tubing through roaring rapids, resulting in water soaked bums and armpits. We then take a relaxing cruise through a middle eastern marketplace recreation, where we’re shot at, mauled by tigers and tantalised by belly dancers. Sunset brought with it the end to our Efteling adventure of shared terror, exhilaration and giddy glee, but this is a day we won’t soon forget.

T-day: Efteling


Wall of Shame

Tits are tits, right?

Zac: “Ireland sucks” Men’s bathroom, that way!

Keep on dreaming...

Dutch like vla

Where is that Tequila!?

FACE-OFF #1 FACE-OFF #2VOTE NOW ON FACEBOOK!

VS


Wall of Shame

Where is the other hand,

Stan?

Zac: “Ireland sucks”

Haha, you had Chinese

for lunch!

Got milk?

Men’s bathroom, that way!

It was THIS big!

FACE-OFF #1 FACE-OFF #2VOTE NOW ON FACEBOOK!

YOU decide who wins!

VS


Amsterdam – the city of three “Bs” ; bikes, boats and boobs. On the 17th of September I*ESN organized a day trip to the capital of Holland – Amsterdam. The day started veeeeery early, as we gathered in front of the Dante building at 7:30 am. I was actually very proud of myself for waking up around 6am and making it to the meeting point on time. Each of us received a trip programme with a list of places that we were supposed to visit together with some general informa-tion and fun facts about all the attractions and Amsterdam itself. Like did you know that there are 6100 animals in the Artis Zoo? Well now you do...thank I*ESN!The first stop was Zaanse Schans. There we could get a vivid impression of the Dutch way of life in the 17th and 18th centuries. The area consist of authentic houses, a historic shipyard, a pewter factory, a cheese and dairy farm, a age-old grocery store, clog-making demonstrations, and above all, lots of wind-mills. A huge group of Chinese tourists with big cameras slung around their necks arrived pretty much at the same time as we did but we quickly blended in taking lots of pictures and posing in groups with big smiles on our faces.

By the time we got to Amsterdam it was raining steadily, this turned out to be the theme of our entire trip here. It was a constant fight with umbrellas. “Oh it’s raining” [opening the umbrella], “Oh it stopped raining already” [closing the umbrella]…3 minutes later – “Oh…it’s raining again…” and the fight with the umbrella starts all over again. I can now proudly announce that I have mastered the art of opening and closing the umbrella within the first drop of rain!

First attraction on the list in Amsterdam was a canal tour. These are numerous, and they take tourists for an hour long trip on the canals of Amsterdam. Everyone spent as much time happily taking snapshots of everything we passed. The tour took us past lots of landmarks, including the maritime museum behind which is the world renowned red light district of Amsterdam. The views of the canals and overspanning bridges, the tall, narrow buildings in neat rows along the edges were everything that picture postcards show Amsterdam to be. Bicycles by the hundreds, tied to the lamp-posts, bridge railings and overspilling bicycle racks, pay testament to the favorite means of transport among the Dutch.

Amsterdam Trip


Afterwards we had a bit of a wander around the centre of Amsterdam. Beware, there were bikes eve-rywhere (and I mean everywhere!), and they stop for no one. You really need to be very careful and look both ways – in Amsterdam cyclists have all rights. You can see it in their eyes “you either move or I KILL YOU!” There are bike tracks that run alongside the roads so when you avoid the cars and cross the road you are only half way to safety – BEWARE THE BIKE! All the bikes are old crappy ones and people are always having them stolen. No one wears helmets; we’ve even seen mums with young babies strapped to their fronts happily cycling away no helmets for either and not a care in the world. There’s a multi story bike park in the middle of the city which can take 2500 bikes – and its full. To be honest, the traffic was quite an effort to get through, crossing the road involved looking first for pedestrians, then bikes, then cars, then trams... and once you made it to the middle, the pattern started again, look for trams, then cars, then bikes, then pedestrians. Phewf!

During our trip we also managed to visit Museum Rembrandt House. The Rembrandt’s House is an inter-esting reconstruction of painter’s everyday life, his living quarters, and his workshop. After that we had some free time to explore Amsterdam ourselves and see whatever we felt like seeing. My group was quite interested in visiting Heineken experience. As they claim on their website;“We’re not the Heineken Museum, we’re the Heineken Experience. Why? Because four levels of interac-tive experiences in the former brewery will plunge you chin deep into the fascinating world of Heineken!” And they certainly did. What makes this stand out is the level of interactivity of the activities. There is the “become a beer bottle experience” which is where you are watching a cinema close up of the beer from start until you are bottled. All the while the room is shaking and water squirting on you head. Only thing that could be better is....drumroll....MORE TASTING BEER !

We spent our last couple of hours walking through the red light district. It was definitely an eye opening experience. There were women in various arrays of undress, copious amounts of makeup and fake eye-lashes, standing behind glass doors, attempting to entice passers by. Although, while there were plenty there that were openly enticing there were many that were sitting looking completely bored, glaring at people on the streets or talking on phones and generally ignoring everything going on outside. I bet most of them were playing angry birds on their iPhones...

We then all gathered again next to the central station to catch our ride back ‘home’. Some folks didn’t really handle what Amsterdam had to offer and were found in the bus with plastic bags rolling their eyes and glaring at some random spots in the bus...I could only imagine how much they enjoyed the ride back to Tilburg.

My final statement after that trip is: I am sterdam....I am coming back!!!

Aga Doo


In delay there lies no plenty,Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty.Youth’s stuff that will not endure.By Shakespeare

‘Romance’ renews from time to time, never fading away from people’s topic list. A piece of gossiping a day keeps a doctor away. Of course, in this session we are not going to take over our Queen of Ro-mance’s job. What you are about to find out here are quite profound talks among you and your fellow international students sharing their opinions on Romance

Appearance: What kind of girl/guy would you find attractive?Scientific research indicates that it is human being’s instinct to chase for beauty. Psychologists actually figure out that people from different districts have unalike definitions for beauty. What has been dug from our guests proves the theory with no surprises. When asked to describe the ‘ideal type’, Lim from Indonesia says, ‘she should be smaller than me and have long hair.’ 21-year-old Chinese girl Tsian describes her Mr. Right as ‘the one who has a delicate face and a tidy look’. For Laurien from the Netherlands, her preference goes towards big strong guys.However, all interviewees agree that appearance is not the most appealing issue by pointing out plastic surgery will not really make a relationship work. On the other hand, internal personality and characteris-tics are of larger significance.

What traits are you looking for?Victor who was born in Asia but brought up in the Netherlands says he treats his value as a combina-tion or hybrid of both Eastern and Western cultures. For him, having a girl who is gentle and sweet is far more enjoyable than being with bossy ones. Jake, a Catholic Dutch, would definitely nod along, because he also finds easygoing and nice girls agreeableThe girls’ story tells that guys who are humorous and thoughtful gain extra points. Being smart, sincere and independent seems cliché, yet it is definitely the killer’s move today.

Culture Talk


Before moving to more serious issues, another important but easily ignored perspective pops out: Age: what is your domain? If we divided our interviewees into groups using geographic criteria, our mysterious friends from the other side of the continent mostly vote for ‘almost same age, but slightly younger girl and slightly older guys are acceptable’. Our western guests seem do not concern much about age, ‘It does not bother me even if my girlfriend is a few years older than me’, Jake indicates, ‘as long as we have a lot in common and can talk.’

Relationship and marriage: big deal?The topic starts with how to deal with conflicts inside relationship or marriage. Laurien believes that oc-casional arguments are, to some extent, healthy. Arguments help pick out and diagnose the wrong parts in a relationship/marriage. Laurien says that when coming across arguments, the couple should be open to each other and directly focusing on a solution. Tsian considers it is true that arguments and conflicts should be resolved ASAP. Nonetheless, in a comparatively more conservative culture, it is not easy to carry out practical action. ‘Couples clearly notice their problems, but no one is willing to take the first step or point it out. They are afraid of breaking the balance. They wait until the last minute when things get re-ally tricky and they have no other choices but to face it. Pitifully, it usually does not end well.’‘You may break up with your girl/boyfriend as many times as you wish if you cannot see the future of your relationship. But divorce is really bad.’ says Lim. Indeed, in eastern culture, marriage means more than a couple falling in love and forging bonds with each other. Marriage means the merging of two families. Thus, divorce should not even be mentioned unless the situation goes seriously beyond retrieval.

If everything goes well,…‘Men take the lead,’ says Jake, ‘it is a luxury of being a man.’

Accurate measurement? Woops, do not even think about it!After all, no measurements count if you come across the magic ‘click’ all of a sudden. ‘Follow your vibes’, says Laurien, ‘just be yourself and listen to your heart.’ Even the debate about a relationship measurement may be result-less, still, Nita, a vivacious Dutch girl concludes ‘they are strong and sporty, they are animal-lovers, they are diligent and they care about family. Wow, I would say the hottest guys are the Aussies!’


Hi everybody!I hope that everybody who joined one or more of our activities enjoyed them as much as I did. And of course there are again a lot of activities coming up! I will tell you some things about our activities in the month October;

Thursday 6th of October - Create your own event: Oktoberfest Oktoberfest is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It is one of the most famous events in Germany with more than 5 million people attending every year. And this weekend there is going to be an Oktoberfest in our beloved Tilburg! Thursday the 6th of October is a special student night, for which you can buy tickets at the I*ESN Office! Of course, don’t forget to wear your Lederhosen or Dirndl. Tickets are €5,- for non-members and for I*ESN members we arranged a special price: only €3,-! The tent will open at 16.30 and the program will start at 17.00. Make sure to get your ticket before they are sold out, since it’s going to be legendary!

Sunday the 9th October - T-day: Cycle Tour to the Brewery and Karaoke night(This activity is rescheduled from Saturday the 8th of October to Sunday the 9th of October)Brewery de Koningshoeven (the royal farms) is the only Trappist brewery in the Netherlands. Here, in cooperation with monks, the La Trappe beers are being developed and brewed. We are going to have a cycle tour to the brewery. At the brewery we have a guided tour and everyone gets one consumption, there is a nice terrace where you can enjoy more of these beers. It is €10,- for members and €12,- for non-members, you can sign up at the office from Monday the 3rd of October until Thursday the 6th. Please note that the office is going to be closed on Friday the 7th of October, so there is no possibility to subscribe after Thursday 4 pm.

Afterwards we are going to have a Karaoke night! So if you want to show to everyone how wonderful you can sing, come to the I*ESN Karaoke night! More information will follow in the weekly update and onmFa-cebook.

Upcoming Activities Oktober


Thursday 13th of October - International DinnerIn September we had the first International Dinner, where some lovely Indonesian students cooked for 50 other international students. They could show their culture by a presentation, dance, music and food. If you would like to show your culture or you would like to join this dinner, subscribe for it one week before the dinner at the office or on the website of I*ESN Tilburg, everybody is welcome, as long as you sub-scribe on time, because there are limited places. It costs €5,- for members and €6,- for non-members and it starts at 7 pm.

Friday 7th, 14th and 21st of October TGIF (Thank God It’s Friday)Every Friday from 4 pm until 8 pm we celebrate the weekend with our TGIF drink! Until the building is ready we will have drinks at Extase. With your I*ESN card you only pay €15,00 for 2 pitchers of beer!

Sunday 16th of October - Movie NightAt the first movie night in September we showed the Dutch movie ‘Loft’ and there are a lot more Dutch and other none-English spoken movies to show! One week before the movie night we will announce which movie are broadcasting.

Saturday 22nd of October - City Trip MaastrichtOn this Saturday we will go by bus to the most southern place of the Netherlands, where the borders of Germany, Belgium and the Netherland come together. After this we will go to the lovely city Maastricht. More information will follow soon on the website and on Facebook.

Friday 28th of October - International Party: HalloweenIn the fall break, we will celebrate Halloween like all the Americans do as well! So put on your most scary costume and party with us!

Greets and see you soon!

Joyce AdriaensenActivity Coordinator I*ESN Tilburg


Life at Verbs 50: “Funloving and open-minded

Imagine you’ve got a flat and at one floor there are living 15 people from more then 10 different coun-tries. That’s what Verbs 50 is all about. I showed up on a Wednesday evening, unannounced because that’s the best way to test hospitality and how fun people are. Turns out that verbs 50 is full of fun. I arrived around 19h00, Borja (from Spain) and three Argentinian boys were sitting in the kitchen. First I was at 48 but they told me to go upstairs if I really wanted to hear some wild stories. When I walked in, I was lookin straight into the eyes of a film poster with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis on it, titled: Friends with Benefits. Captain Obvious the guys arranged that one. But the girls and guys live in harmony, there is even a little tradition starting: Once a week the girls cook for the boys, and the next week it’s vice versa.

Danitza offered me a beer almost right away, while the four guys were playing this game Mus with a strange Spanish deck of cards (okay it’s not strange if you’re from Spain but I am not).Captain Obvious Tuesday is LG night. On Monday usually is a party as well, and Wednesday, well it de-pends on who’s birthday it is (cause men there are a lot of birthdays over there, don’t think its possible!).There is this other tradition which is not really accepted by the girls: The guys think the girls should be eating breakfast naked and when you haven’t done your dishes, you need to run around naked in the even-ing.

They also told me about another tradition, called Cleansing of the Royal Ass: if you can manage to walk around the table on your hands, you can point out someone who has to wipe your ass the whole week. But ofcourse, there’s more than traditions on verbs 50, they also have food! And with Argentinian people you can expect something well: Fermin offered me some dulce. Danitza says it’s the enemy of Nutella. And man, what a taste! Seriously, if you see Fermin, grab him and don’t let him go before he serves you some toasted bread with dulce, it’s godilicious!

Tradition check, food check. Now the tricks! Turns out, they have a Czech breakdancer overthere: Jakub (who should also start his own restaurant because he started cooking but ended up looking at 5 girls helping him).


Jakub! And believe me, it was a steady position!

Between all those strong and wild boys there’s this little girl from Denmark: Isabel. She told me about how much she loves the snow in Denmark, especially during Christmas. Turns out she once chopped her one christmas three and dragged it 5 floors up to her room, and thats pretty funny, especially when you see her small appearance. It’s really cool to see how everyone helps each other, at a certain point there were 13 people cooking and eating in the kitchen. It really is fun loving and open minded there, as Nina from Slovakia de-scribed it. At a sudden moment I went home. I walked out the door, infected. Infected with the interna-tional experience called I*ESN.

PS:The people of verbs 50 could use the following things: oven, microwave, christmas tree (“only with a star” says Isabel) and a freezer. Cheers!

Martijn’s Random Quotes

19/09/11 21:30 “We’ll wait for the weed to seep down your arm like a stroke”3/09/11 16:30 “Shaneequa, I used to dance under that name at the weekends”

16/09/11 04:00: “I have carpet........ hoover that shit up.”

19/09/11 22:04 “He asked to join the group, this shit is going viral!”

06/09/11 Between 2:00 and 4:00 “I don’t want to go home with her!

Hang on, I’m drunk, I’m horny! What the hell, see you tomorrow!”

04/09/11 around 14:00 “Guys what I am about to tell you has to stay between the 20 of us..”

21/09/11 22:01 “Give me an appletini, careful on the tini”

Russian girl tries to talk Dutch and says: ‘Ik ben geil?!’, Martijn answers; “I wasn’t going there, but if you insist..”

2/10/11 20:20 “I always touch people, i’m out and having

a good time. Maybe I should stop doing that.”

Send in your quotes through “Martijn’s Group of Random Qoutes” on Facebook!


Das Oktoberfest

The Oktoberfest is a big beer festival held in Munich, Germany every year. It is held in the last few weeks of September till the first weekend in October. It is famous all over the world with 6.5 million people at-tending every year. The Oktoberfest is opened by the mayor with a 12 gun salute and tapping of the first keg.The Oktoberfest consists of 14 big tents. Each tent is run by a brewery from Munich. Only beer brewed in Munich is allowed to be served at the Oktoberfest. A big tent that I would advise is the Hippodrom, it is the smallest of the 14 big tents but very fun and the atmosphere is amazing. The Hippodrom is the very first big tent you see when walk on the Oktoberfest grounds. The Oktoberfest also consists of a big fare with rollercoaster’s, haunted houses and many more awe-some attractions. One of my favourite attractions is the “turning wheel” where you stand against the wall, the walls start spinning very fast and then the floor drops underneath you. Also the rollercoaster Olympia is very awesome with 5 loops. However, a warning from me, don’t do these attractions after you have consumed several liters of beer!The Oktoberfest is all about beer. Every year 7 million liters of beer is consumed! In the tents beer is served in liter glasses. The prices of the beers are quite expensive as they are raised every year. This year people pay about €8,50 per liter beer. The beer at Oktoberfest also has a higher percentage in alcohol than normal beer as at Oktoberfest beer is 2% stronger in alcohol. At the Oktoberfest traditional clothing is worn. The guys wear lederhosen which are short leather pants traditionally worn when hiking in the mountains. The girls wear dirndls which are traditional dresses made to highlight the female forms. Furthermore the placement of the knot of the apron is an indicator of the woman’s marital status. A knot tight on the right side means she is taken or married, a knot tight on the back means a woman is engaged, a knot tight on the left side means she is single, and finally a knot tight on the front means she is a virgin.Some fun facts about the Oktoberfest: - 505,901 chickens consumed. - 980 toilet seats, 878 meters of urinals - About 4000 lost items - Australian embassy moves from Berlin to Munich especially for the Oktoberfest because so many Australians lose their passport.

I hope all of you get to visit the Oktoberfest in Munich because it is very awesome! However, if you cannot attend don’t be to sad, because this year we will have a Oktoberfest for the first time in Tilburg on the 6th of October. Of course it is a lot smaller but there will be a big tent at ‘t Laar and a similar atmosphere. Tickets are only 5 euros and you can buy them in the I*ESN office at E204.

Mark Lauret


Das Oktoberfest

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