Sander Senhorst, University of Maryland, Post 1: Living and eating
Hey everyone, I’m Sander and currently I’m studying at the University of Maryland. As you might be able to tell, I am not alone, there are so many students from Delft here! When I chose for UMD i had no idea there would be this many other Delft students, but I will try not to bore you with any duplicate stories.
So; America. a culture so big that it is nearly unavoidable. As foreigners we have plenty of stereotypes for these citizens of the land of the free, but not many have actually experienced their culture from within. This was my purpose for studying here, and so far it has been an enlightening trip.
One immediate connotation you might have with American Universities is campus life. Living at walking distance from my classrooms was new to me, but the sense of community a dorm provides meant that I got used to the situation with ease.
I have been placed in an apartment with six flat mates, all Americans, one of whom I also share my room with. In the beginning I was anxious to see how this would work out, as I expected Dutch people give more value to their privacy. I am glad to be able to say I get along with my roommate very well, and at times I barely notice there is someone else in my room. I am also very glad that I got placed with Americans rather than international students, as this allows me to better experience their ‘way of life’. Perhaps I got lucky with my housing assignment, as I have heard stories of people having to switch rooms due to either roommate or location issues.
Another facet to campus life is undoubtedly food, a topic close to my heart. Because my apartment has a kitchen, I was not required to get a meal plan: a subscription to the all-you-can-eat dining halls available on campus. Because I was here to properly experience American campus life, I chose for the meal plan nonetheless. Americans are infamous for their slightly exorbitant serving sizes, however the dining hall is all you can eat. This means you get to choose how much you wish to eat yourself, for better or worse.
The food in itself is not amazing, but also not as bad as you might expect. I am slightly disappointed in the variety though, it feels like the available vegetables and meats are nearly the same every day. There is the option to spice it up yourself by visiting a build your own pasta, stir fry, or vegan booth, which are usually nicer, but this still will not fill a week’s worth of food.
The dining hall is one of the places to meet my friends after much studying and a long day of work. Not everyone joins at the same time, so if you come early people will be joining you while you are already done eating. All this friendly interaction often changes a quick meal into a one and a half hour interaction. If you have an exam the next day this might not be the great, but after all life is not just for studying.
Occasionally the dining halls will provide a special day to change the rhythm a little. For example, last week there was a buffalo wings special (I was a big fan), and there was an opportunity to eat freshly fished crab for a small fee. I had never eaten crab before, so the process of removing the meat from their shells was very exciting to me. Perhaps I got a bit too excited, because as it turns out, crabs are still very sharp posthumously, which left me with some small cuts.
I’ll keep you updated with some more topics I come across!
Sander Senhorst
(PS: To the Delft students currently studying in Michigan: You’re going down this Sunday, go Terps!)
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