You’d have to put in a lot of effort to achieve a Fukushima like state in one week
“I was immediately hooked when I started my studies at the VUB. During my first semester I was still assigned to the old dorm rooms, before they were slated for removal obviously. In my second semester I, along with all the other ‘kotters’, was transferred to the newly constructed dorms. Two vastly different worlds; I had the pleasure and privilege of experiencing both.
I’m pleasantly surprised by the new dorms, because they improve upon a lot of areas in which the old dorms were lacking. The only negative aspect that I can note is the loss of a familial atmosphere, because we used to have a big communal space. But the rooms and isolation make up for that small complaint, it’s always nice to have a bit of privacy and thick walls are a great help in that area.
A clean dorm is not always a given, especially if you’re living with six pigs (laughs). Luckily the cleaning staff comes around once a week, so the damage is limited. You’d have to put in a lot of effort to achieve a Fukushima like state in one week, so I’m not complaining. The old dorms were worn out and only had single glazed windows, so some adjustment was necessary. Everything here is new and shiny because we’re the first generation living here; it’s up to us to make sure that these rooms aren’t worn out for the future generations.”
On the occasion of the VUB’s 50th anniversary, prof. dr. Martina Temmerman asked the students in her introductory course on journalism genres to make portraits of people on the VUB campus. The ‘snapshots’ resulting from the project Humans of the VUB offer a lovely cross section of life on our university campus in 2019/20.