Musilon, the close harmony choir, had an open practice session on Monday. 'We would really like to have international students in the choir as it is a joyous experience to interact with them. It's a pity that we hardly have anyone this year', says Susanne, the outgoing chairperson. Adds Kien, an enthusiast from the Netherlands Antilles, 'You need not know singing; you must simply be smart enough to catch the lines and sing along. It's great fun.' The group's repertoire includes songs by Queen, Sting, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, jazz, and some Dutch songs.
In an exciting workshop on photography, organised by the Cultuurcentrum, nine international participants were taught the basics of photography by professional Kees Oortwijn. He introduced them to dark-room technology as well as to the artistic side of photography. 'Photography is all about one's vision - it should be able to capture something that is beyond the visible. Just taking flicks of things that you like is certainly not true photography', says Kees who believes that his profession demands sensibility as well as sensitivity. 'Using a digital camera doesn't seem so interesting after this experience', was the comment from one of the participants, who intended to enroll for the regular course.
Ineke, the teacher for the workshop portrait drawing held on Thursday, charted out the rules for drawing portraits to a class of five participants. Asking each one to draw a head in full face, she gave them hints: a rectangle containing an egg as the basis of the face, the nose halfway between chin and eyebrows, the ears planted between the eyeline and the noseline, mouth is a two-eyes breadth. Says Priyanka, one of the enthusiasts, 'It was a very informative class after which there was a tremendous improvement in the quality of my drawing.'
SHOT - a brass band of 30 students with a repertory ranging from light to classical music - held an open practice session on Thursday evening. It was a great experience to hear the fantastic synchronisation of blowing trumpets, thundering drums and the whistling flutes.
In addition to the cultural activities there were training sessions for a variety of sports including basketball, fencing, triathlon, frisbee, and juggling. At the open archery practice Dirk, the instructor who has been practicing for the past two decades, said 'Following the rules for safety and protection in archery is of supreme importance. A minor lapse could be fatal.' After instuctions on safety and proper positions the participants got the opportunity to practice. The experience was very adventurous for everyone taking part.
Lieneke Hohmann, board member of the Student Union and the co-ordinator of the open week, when contacted on the fourth day, said with disappointment, 'The response from the international community, as I hear from the different sports and cultural societies, has been very low.' This is the first time that such an event is organised,' PITS - the international student body, came up with this idea to strengthen the concept of internationalisation at the UT.' Pointing toward the lukewarm response from the international students, she adds, 'It is a pity that they do not turn up evenwhen they are welcome. We tried our level best to publicise this event through SMIT, UT-Nieuws, posters, and personal e-mails.' Lieneke invites one and all to send their comments and suggestions regarding the week to her so that there can be improvements next time. E-mail her at [email protected].
