By Sebastian Meyjes
UCR Editor
IntRoweek is over, and the beginning of term is here. For a lot of people, especially first years, it’s a very exciting, and slightly stressful few days. The second and third years are back in town, and catching up with one another. First years are recovering from their IntRoweek, and the professors are undoubtedly doing mysterious professorial things to finish up their summers.
With the flood of UCR people coming into Middelburg this last week, everyone is busy making plans to catch up, meeting the first years (affectionately called “newbies” by some), buying books, changing classes, and taking advantage of their last moments of freedom to relax.
Soon, PartyCo will be running our Tuesday nightlife, classes and homework will dictate our social appointments, and exams will turn everyone into the manic, coffee-fueled bundles of stress that are only found among university students during midterms. The school buildings will become more familiar than home, and the 50 cent coffee machine in the Eleanor kitchen will once again be on overtime.
Of course, the horrors of being a student, even if exaggerated, don’t compare to the benefits.
The societies offer a variety of things to do, ranging from playing games to debating world events, from dramatic expositions to a good old fashioned sports match. Tuesday nights are given themes by PartyCo, and students throw their own parties on a regular basis, often resulting in noise complaints from the neighbors, who seem to want to sleep on Tuesday nights. While for many UCR students this is a bizarre concept, and occasionally a buzz kill, we should also remember that Middelburg locals are people too, and try to keep quiet.
UCR has good facilities as well, even if they are small. Computer labs in Eleanor (the busiest by far), upstairs in Theodore, and at the top of Franklin mean that there are always places available, even when one or two labs are reserved. A quiet study hall is even further up in Franklin than the computer lab, and virtually unused, making an ideal spot to get a few hours of uninterrupted work (or sleep) in.
The library is another place used by students to get work done, and has the added benefit of often having books required for your classes available to borrow as well.
Beyond the official places of study, there are also some awesome little places that are handy for new students to know about.
- HoneyPie serves unlimited coffee and tea for 3 euros per person, so just bring your books and study there while you sip perhaps the most valuable substance to students after alcohol.
- De Spot has all kinds of concerts, open mic nights, and other such events, which is a change from the daily life in Middelburg.
- Kloveniersdoelen is a café and cinema that does art-house and indie movies, with an occasional big name movie thrown in as well. A ticket costs four euros for students.
- The Hema does breakfast for one euro every day from nine ’til ten in the morning, and coffee and cake from four ’til five in the afternoon, which can be very attractive for students on a tight budget.
Whether that’s while partying it up in de Heeren or Rooie Oortjes, having a hung-over Hema breakfast, studying for an exam, or just chatting between classes, at the end of the day, fun is where you find it.
To the new members of our little community, I say welcome. To the older ones, welcome back.
Sebastian Meyjes, class of 2015, is a History and Philosophy major from Cottonwood, Arizona, United States.
