By Boudica Gast Trees are like phoenixes. They die in autumn to reincarnate in spring. There is a tree outside my window that, as every other tree, sheds its leaves. I took the first picture because the lighting coming from the sunset was pretty. A few weeks later, I took the second picture- I think…
Longer Semesters: The Pro’s and Con’s
By Anja Hermann UCR’s summer holiday lasts around three months and the winter 6 weeks, making the semester a 15-week intensive period for both students and staff. Both groups have questioned whether the heavy workload and semester length is contributing to stress and anxiety. If the length of the semester were to change, it…
What’s up in Middelburg? or Is Actually Something up in Middelburg?
By Lucia Bertoldini You might be a first or a sixth semester, but you have certainly heard of the UCR bubble, this fictitious bubble that haunts us from our very first moment in Middelburg. Ah yes, Middelburg- sometimes we even forget that we live here. It could be any other city in any other country,…
Let’s Talk About Periods
By Elise Renkema As you are reading this right now, around 800 million people are on their periods. With so many people experiencing this on a monthly basis, one would expect it to be normalised by now. Yet, there still seem to be taboos surrounding menstruating. This taboo and shame surrounding menstruation has, among other…
Toxic Pillows and Potatoes
By Gabrielle Gonzales Understanding modern art is a difficult undertaking – and contemporary art is more challenging still. It’s no surprise, then, that a visit to a modern and contemporary art museum or gallery can seem a daunting experience for many. It’s not exactly like the national gallery or encyclopedic museum where you know exactly…
Winter Has Come- Here’s How to Feel Happy About It
by Alisa Adams Numerous layers of clothes, steaming hot showers and heaters on five, yes, winter has made its dreaded arrival. For the past couple of weeks we have all been living on edge, wondering when this transition was going to be permanent and sadly, we have gotten the answer. The leaves are no longer…
Life after UCR: Part 2
By Anja Herrmann This is a continuation from the previous article, Life after UCR Part 1. In this sequel, UCR alumni talk more about their experience at UCR, what they would have done differently, what societies they were involved in, and more! Amélie Snijders Graduated in 2019, majored in Politics and Law and minored in…
Cold Water
By Boudica Gast I wrote a poem the other day on the occasion of me and my friend sitting hungover like a pair of idiots on the pavement in the rain. Elliott was just in front of us, yet we didn’t get up and find shelter there. We stayed just where we were, cold…
The Bubble of Personalised News Feeds and the Politicisation of Facts
By Elise Renkema Twitter CEO Jack Dorsley recently announced that Twitter will be banning political ads on its platform. The ban is not only for individual candidates, but also for advertisements on politicised issues. In practice, this means that political candidates can still tweet, but that these tweets cannot be promoted through advertisements. This…
My Experience As a Jury In a Film Festival
By Lilliana Estefania Padilla Some weeks ago I was able to participate as a jury in a wonderful film festival called Film By The Sea. Film By The Sea is an international film festival that takes place in Vlissingen during the month of November, and is considered as one of the most important film festivals in…
Life after UCR: Part 1
By Anja Herrmann At UCR, you are confronted with so many opportunities and subjects that it can be hard to pick the ones you want to do in the time frame of just three years- and when you finally draw near to the finish line of a 3 year marathon, you get hit with these…
Vulnerability in Love: Relationships in Call Me By Your Name
By Iris Vergeer ’I liked you from day one, and even when you’ll return ice for my renewed offers of friendship, I’ll never forget that this conversation occurred between us and that there are easy ways to bring back summer in the snowstorm.’ Ever got so struck by someone’s words that they took over your…
When Painters Flip: Art, but Make It Weird
By Alice Fournier It’s that time of year again, when everything-pumpkin is on the menu. Pumpkin soup (yuck), pumpkin candies (moderately passable), pumpkin seeds… and of course pumpkin carving (definitely passable)! Halloween season means that I inevitably double-check with myself and map out the things that scare me – reasonable and unreasonable. In fact,…
The Case for Joining LinkedIn
By Anja Herrmann Getting LinkedIn should not only appeal to UCR students, but any student in college. Whether you’re in your 1st, 3rd, or last semester, LinkedIn is a door-opener to whichever career you want to pursue during and after your university studies. Most students at UCR already have LinkedIn, which is amazing! But for…
On Autumn
by Boudica Gast Autumn has recently arrived, and it’s heralding its own advent with deteriorating weather, balding trees, and shorter days. Some people welcome the change, others would rather immigrate to an island in the Caribbean (I’m 100% Team Tropics). Inevitable as it is, the third season of the year has always been a vague…
The Value of Cartoons
By Marco Segantini You may not know this about me, but I am a huge fan of movies. Not a movie expert or nerd (though I can seem a bit nerdy when I watch them), but definitely someone who loves movie making as an art and watches movies quite often, even in the frenzy of…
“Feeling Blue: The Performance Pressure & Mental Health of the 21st Century Student”
By Amélie Snijders and Mieke Pressley Acquiring a university degree has never been a simple task. It inevitably goes hand in hand with many hours of hard work and the occasional unhappiness about having to spend this time on studying, writing a paper or preparing for a presentation. Recently, however, there appears to be an…
Mini Mundi Review
By Elise Mertens and Cas Visser Perhaps you have seen it from the road when entering Middelburg by car, or maybe you have only heard rumours about it. A mere 15 minutes from the city centre by bike lies a place of endless fun and joy: Mini Mundi. After more than three years of living…
On London’s Graffiti
By Boudica Gast This summer I travelled to London. I took my camera with me with the intent of attempting some urban photography. As I explored through the city looking for unusual ways to depict a place that has been photographed countless times before, I noticed the hundreds of beautiful graffiti paintings, and was intrigued….
Happy Birthday, Buddy!
By Sithis Yim Samnang Happy Birthday to my ten-year-old brother, Sotheareach! I know it’s been two years that I have not been to your birthday parties, buddy! And, for that I am so sorry. I’d really like to watch you grow up and be the best brother I can be, but I guess that is…