01. Letter from the Editor

02. Help, wat is dat?

04. The Dutch Stereotype

06. East vs. West

09. Your ESN Card

10. Erasmus Survival Guide

12. Omnomnomathon: Boerenkool

13. Omnomnomathon: Chocolate Salami

14. Omnomnomathon: Egg Rolls (Taiwan)

16. Holidays Across the World

18. Sponsors

20. This Past Semester

IssueSemester 1, Jan 2014

Editor-in-ChiefMarissa Mes

Managing EditorSarah Stoel

WritersLotte van Weerd

Erin JacksonVladislav Vershinin

International Kitchen Winners

Lulu ChangFrancesca Azzolina

Cover ArtBart Geelen

ContactESN Utrecht

Achter Sint Pieter 25info@esn-utrecht.nlwww.esn-utrecht.nltel: (030) 25387 81

Culture Shock...

01Marissa Mes

Secretary 2013-2014

Lots of love,

Culture Shock: A phenomenon that every experienced traveller will need to face at least once in their journeys. You get off that plane, you have no idea how the public tranportation sys-tem works, you don’t have the right currency, nor do you have linguistic skills to ask for help.

So, what do you do? Option one: You sit down on the ground and start hysterically crying until someone books you a ticket home out of pity. Option two: you man up, focus, and start your process of crea-tive problem solving. Let’s not forget that linguistic limitations can be cured with exaggerated hand gestures. Interpretive dance if you have to! At worst, you’ll make a local laugh and make a new friend. This is the positive aspect of culture shock, it pushes you out of your comfort zone and makes you a stronger individual.

We, ESN Utrecht, want to be able to guide you through the stressful process of culture shock and into that stage where you feel like you’ve conquered it. There’s nothing more rewarding than being a cultural chameleon! So wipe away those tears and push those panicky thoughts to the back of your head. It’s time to go on an adventure and that can’t happen unless you open your mind to new experiences!

Letter From the Editor

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by Lotte van Weerd

You are standing in the Albert Heijn in front of the shelves. On them are a load of things that appear to have nutrients in them. Judging from the hungry looks of the Dutchies in the store and the speed they snatch the packs from the shelves, you are pretty sure that it is food. But what is what? You fi ll your basket, but you have no idea whether the pack you just grabbed contains either mayonnaise or detergent. You decide to go for it anyways. Sounds familiar? Congratula-tions, you are experiencing the phenomenon known as culture shock.

“You fi ll your basket, but you have no idea whether the pack you just grabbed contains either mayonaise or detergent”

This is, according to Google and the Oxford dictionary, ‘the feeling of disori-entation experienced by someone when they are suddenly subjected to an unfamil-iar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes’.

So now that it is clear that your general feeling of overall cluelessness in the Appie and around the Nether-lands is due to being exposed to another culture, what can you do about it? First of all, and most importantly, keep an open

mind with everything you do. Buy some food that you do not know and let other people try it. Or check out the recipes in this ESN magazine that are typically Dutch! Another thing that is great to do is to sit back on a bench in the city centre and watch and listen to the people strolling by. In time some typical Dutch habits will stand out to you, and a sense of familiarity will grow on you. This is also highly recommended to do on a Thursday night at 3.00am at Broodje Plof for higher entertainment value!

“Help, wat is dat?!”

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Lastly, remember that you are not alone. We all have been there, standing disoriented in that one supermarket in a foreign country suddenly being hit with the realization that we have no clue what is going on around us. So buy an extra drink in the Po-ema for yourself and your mates and share the stories of your adventures! Also, remember that the ESN board and committee members are

The sense of disorientation that stems from living in another country other than your native one will not disappear very easily. However, this feeling will pass steadily in time. Keeping a fi xed routine and a good sense of humor about your encounters will help you get the most out of your short stay in the Netherlands. Despite their tendency not to waste too many words on praise, Dutchies do appreciate it highly when you show genuine interest in the country’s culture and they are happy to help you out.

“Lastly, remember that you are not alone. We’ve all been there”

always around to shed some light on anything that puzzles you about the crazy Dutchies. And if we cannot explain our quirky ways of life to you, we hope a hug is an excellent substitute.

The Dutch Stereotypeby Erin Jackson

We’ve all heard the common phrases of “Going Dutch”, “Double Dutch”, or “Dutch Courage”, but what are the Dutch people really like? We asked international students about their fi rst impressions of Dutch people, and put them under the microscope to see if they’re really true.

1) Dutch people are tall. This is an undeniable fact. The Dutch people are the tall-est population of people in the world. Get used to feel-ing like a shorty even if you’re the tallest of your friends back home. Be warned: if you’re borrowing a bike from a Dutch person your feet may not actually touch the ground.

The Dutch from an international perspective

2) Dutch people are rude. If your fi rst encounter of a Dutch person is that they are very rude, don’t let this get you down. The Dutch are very blunt and they say what they think. This is actually a good quality, since you always know where you stand. Just try not to be too offended if they say something you don’t want to hear.

3) Dutch people follow a strict schedule. This one is defi nitely true. Don’t be surprised to see a calen-dar full of dates on the back of your Dutch friend’s bathroom door, or to have them pull out an agenda to make an ‘ap-pointment’ for your next hangout. Dutch people even make ‘appointments’ to see their family members, so get used to it!

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4) Dutch people don’t do good service. Unfortunately, this one is true. Don’t expect ‘service with a smile’ when you’re trying to buy a shirt or order a cappuccino at your favourite bar. Of course, there are always exceptions, but over-all Dutch people just stick to doing their job.

5) Dutch people are good looking. This is certainly true. Dutch people are extremely good looking, so take a seat outside Winkel van Sinkel for some people watching or snag yourself a Dutch boy or girl. It’s a good excuse to stay in Utrecht forever.

6) Dutch people think you sound stupid when you try to speak Dutch. Absolutely false. Okay, Dutch people might chuckle at your funny accent when you attempt to speak their native language, but they really appreciate that you try so don’t be afraid to give it a go.

7) Dutch people can do (almost) anything on a bike. Dutch people are magical on bicycles. They can have coffee, give a friend a lift or trans-port their whole family all while sending a text. I wouldn’t recommend trying to copy this. It’s much more diffi cult than they make it look!

versus West(East)

by: Vladislav Vershinin

After reviewing hundreds of scientifi c articles, I can say that there are lots of differences be-tween Western and Eastern people from the scientifi c

point of view; difference in processing information, percep-tions and even reactions on different colors. However, I would like to concentrate on differences in customs and values between the cultures. Despite the increasing globalization and decreasing interest of the youth in the national traditions, there are still plenty of differ-ent customs and beliefs that represent distinctive points of view on certain life situations and are defi nitely worth knowing, so here it goes:

“It implies that the woman you are giving fl owers to is so ugly that she should urgently be decorated.”

I cannot think of any other country in the world but China with such a great number of ancient customs and traditions, which successfully integrated into the lives of modern people. West-ern women are always happy to receive a bouquet of fl owers from either admirers or just friends, whereas in the Chinese tradition it is considered to be impolite to give fl owers to a woman. Wonder why?

It implies that the woman you are giving fl owers to is so ugly that she should urgently be decorated. Have your parents ever told you not to champ while eating? It might seem very rude in Europe, but in China loud champ shows that you truly enjoy your meal. Fun facts to know right? Well, continue reading and fi nd out more interesting facts.

Lots of girls start dreaming about their wedding in early childhood as it is considered to be one of the happiest days in life. In some Chinese regions the ceremony starts

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with lamentations and tears long before the actual wedding day. The bride should spend at least 30 minutes per day cry-ing and accompanying it with lots of wails and lamentations. In 10 days the mother of the bride and on the day be-fore the wedding other women of the family join the bride for the big circle of crying. It is believed that if the bride cries enough before the wedding, she will never do so during her marriage. Crying is undoubtedly very sad but getting dirty on your wedding day can be really entertaining! There is an old tra-dition in Scotland according to which the bride in a snow-white veil and dress should be tarnished with mud. Young guests cover the bride with dirt, soot and sauces and then she walks

“There is an old tradition in Scotland according to which the bride in a show-white veil and dress should be tarnished with mud.”

through the city stopping in the Scottish pubs on her way. It is considered then the marriage will be happy and “spotless”.

India is also a country of mysteries and fascinating tradi-tions. It impresses with its diverse culture, rich history and traditions that might seem quite strange for the foreigners. One of them is

throwing newborn children from the roof. Yes, yes exactly like that! In the southwestern Indian state of Karnataka this tradi-tion has existed for more than 500 years. Monks throw the babies, who are usually from 9 to 11 months old, from the highest roofof the temple in the Indian city of Sholapur. It is believed that after these ritual children will grow healthy, brave and strong. Though the tower of the temple is not a skyscraper (it’s only 15 meters tall)

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and the children are caught on a sprawling canvas under the tower, I don’t think that UNICEF will ever approve it.

Besides the differences in traditions, I found out that there are very different attitudes towards education in Europe and Asia. After talking with dozens of Asian students here in Utrecht, I observed that students in many Asian countries are not allowed to ask a question without raising a hand and cannot leave the room without permission. It is also not a common thing to ask questions during the lectures as students should only write down what a lecturer says. You can also forget about eating in the classroom. Smoking is not allowed on the ter-ritory of the University, and Asian students could hardly imagine that somewhere in the world you can buy beer or wine right in your University.Russia is part of both Europe and Asia and it might be the reason why it acquired both European and Asian approaches to higher education. In some Russian Universities you may enjoy all your free-doms, whereas in others for drinking or eating during the classes you will be asked to leave the room as “the classroom is not a canteen!”

Our world is very diverse: each country has its own customs, tra-ditions, views and values. Leave all the prejudices and stereotypes and just try to widen your horizons while dealing with people from other cultures.

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The Erasmus Survival GuideInternational Correspondent Erin Jackson helps you with

your homesickness

As a winter chill sets over the brightly lit streets of Utrecht, it’s that time of year of transition for the international stu-dents drawn to this city. While some students prepare to say teary goodbyes (or see you soon’s) to new lifelong friends made during Erasmus, some pack their bags in anticipation of the journey about to begin, and many look forward to the second half of a year abroad in the place they have come to call home (away from home).Whether you’re faced with the uneasy feeling of going to Schiphol’s departure gates for your fl ight home (why can’t Erasmus life just last forever?) or feeling the post-holiday dip brought about by see-ing friends and family, ESN has got some good advice for you.

If you’re going home:

Keep in touch. Okay, so you won’t live in the same country as all the new friends you’ve made, but you can hardly imagine not knowing what’s going on in their lives and having nostalgic catch ups about your time in Utrecht. Keep in touch with regular Skype sessions (a Skype session with all of the group if you can sort out the time zones), or make a private Facebook page where you can post updates about what’s going on in your life. However you do it, keep in touch because those friends will be the only ones in your life who remember (or don’t) those messy Poema nights.

Make a plan to see each other. We all know that hopeful conver-sation when saying goodbye and you add ‘come visit me!’ But why not make these plans a reality? You’ve met friends from all over the

world, so you suddenly have a lot of sights to see and couches to crash on. Take advantage of seeing new plac-es and picking spots for Erasmus reunions. Need a little extra motivation? Take something of yours (a bracelet or keepsake) and switch it with a friend. You can switch

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back next time you see each other. Now that’s a promise.

Take your new Nederland self with you. Now that you’ve discovered a new culture, don’t leave it behind. Take what you’ve learned about Dutch culture, whether it’s your new language Nederlands (een bier alsjeblieft?) or your new love of biking, don’t forget the things you learned to love during your exchange and incorporate them into your life at home. Ok, so you can’t stay forever, but you’ll always be a little bit Dutch at heart.

If you’re staying:

Enjoy comforts from home. Keeping in touch with family and friends from home is one of the best ways to boost your mood if you’re feeling homesick, but it also has some added benefi ts. If you ask nicely, maybe you will receive a package from home with all of your favourites. You’ve got a world of Dutch treasures to discover, but nothing beats the comforts of home!

Make new friends. Whether you’ve made your best friends for life, or you haven’t quite found where you fi t, the second semester brings a whole new group of students waiting to meet people and learn from your expertise. Don’t be afraid to take part in another introduction week (maybe this time as a guide) or to fi nd yourself in a whole new group of exchange students.

Make a new to do list. It’s a new year and a new semester of Erasmus. Remember all of the plans of things you wanted to see and achieve but put off to the side? Now is the time to brainstorm, rethink those old ideas and make some new ones. Make a new to-do list and commit to seeing it through. Maybe a weekend away in Barcelona? Or fi nally learn-ing how to ski on the ESN ski-trip? It’s up to you to make it happen, so make sure you don’t miss out this time!

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OmnomnomathonA special extended section on Food!

“Boerenkool” by Lotte van Weerd Winter is coming! And unlike in a certain HBO series involving a political game around a throne, that means that the time has come to spend more time inside with your housemates, friends, and loved ones. The Christmas holidays are a perfect occasion to catch up on how everybody is doing and to gather a few willing volunteers to try some new recipes. For the latter I can help you out cause there is some amazing Dutch food that will keep you warm during this time of the year. Also, they are also a lot of fun to prepare with a group of mates.

Perhaps the most favorite dish for Dutchies in winter time is ‘boerenkool’, which is mashed potatoes and kale served with smoked sausage. The kale is also known as ‘borecole’ in English. It is the perfect dish to make in large quantities when a friend unex-pectedly drops by and joins you for dinner. Bear in mind that the mashing of the potatoes is a work-out for your upper arm muscles, so drag that one buff housemate out of his room to help you out! Enjoy making this healthy and fun dish and do not forget to rush to Hema where you can get the best ‘rookworst’, or smoked sausage!

1 bunch of Kale6 Russet potatoes5 Slices of bacon1/2 c Potatoes

1/2 c Half HalfSalt & Pepper to taste1 smoked sausage

Ingredients

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Wash the kale well. Drain, roll together and slice the kale in thin slices or chop the leaves in a food processor. Set it aside while you fi ll a medium sauce pan with water and bring to a boil. Add Kale and cook it for about one minute. Drain well. Next, fry the bacon until the slices are crisp. Chop them in small pieces.Next, wash, peel and dice the potatoes. Fill a large pan with water and add the diced potatoes. Bring to a soft boil for about 10 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return to the pan. While you are mashing potatoes, add the butter, half & half, and salt & pepper. Do not be too shy while adding the salt as it brings out the taste of the kale. Finally, add the drained kale and bacon. Heat the smoked sausage in a bit of water for about eight minutes. Slice the sausage and serve on the side.

“Chocolate Salami” by Francesca AzzolinaInternational Kitchen Winner #1

300gr biscuits150 gr butter100 gr sugar200 gr chocolate2 eggs

Before starting, take the butter out of the fridge. Break all the biscuits, cook the chocolate in a bain-marie and then let it cool down. Now the butter should be soft enough, so add to it the sugar, eggs and the (now cold) chocolate. After you amalgamate everything, mix the result with the biscuits too. To give it the classic form of a salami you have to put the dough into a sheet of parchment paper that you will roll by pressing the dough to give it a cylidrical shape. Put in the fridge for 2.5 hours. Done!

Ingredients

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“Egg Rolls (Student Meal)” by Lulu ChangInternational Kitchen Winner #2

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Holidays around the WorldBy: Vladislav Vershinin

Christmas and New Year are the most popular holidays all over the world. Each country has its own traditions and beliefs concerning these events. Some of them are going much further than just family dinners, X-mas tree decoration and giving each other pre-sents. To make the best of it and avoid possible misunderstandings and confuses with the locals, I will reveal you some interesting facts about the ways of the celebrating these holidays in different countries.

Like Christmas in Africa, have you ever thought of how they celebrate Christmas over there? Despite the fact that people there have never seen the snow and know about Christmas trees only from pictures, there is still a magic atmosphere of Christmas. In Central and South Africa, X-mas is right in the middle of the summer and the weather is usually very hot. African children sing and dance in a ring around the decorated palm trees and later on all streets are full of the people dressed like angels, who sing lots of songs (mostly African folk songs combined with lyrics about the birth of Jesus).

New Year is a truly interna-tional holiday, but people from dif-ferent countries celebrate it in their own way. Italians throw old irons and chairs from the windows with all their southern passion. Pana-manians turn on the sirens of their cars, start whistling and shouting, trying to make as much noise as possible because they believe that

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it will “propitiate” the upcoming year. In Ecuador the special attention is paid to the underwear. If you want to be as rich as King Croesus you should weal yellow underwear while the clocks ring 12 times. In case you are concerned about the love and happiness in your private life, you should wear underwear of red hues. Turn your lights off if you celebrate New Year in Bulgaria as the fi rst minutes of New Year are the time for kisses. In Japan they ring the bell 108 instead of 12 bell rings and the best New Year attribute is a rake so that a person can rake up happiness.

Do you want your most cherished wish come true? Then you should defi nitely spend New Year in Moscow. When the Kremlin Bell rings 12 times, you should write down your wish on a piece of paper, burn it, put in the glass of champagne and drink it. I know it sounds a bit complicated, but I assure you it works! At least it did for me In spite of all these differences in customs and traditions, there is something common all over the world… everybody should cel-ebrate this magical time with the people they love and appreciate.

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This Past Semester...

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