At student complex ‘The Cave’, chaos is almost a tradition. Second-year bachelor’s student Chemical Science & Engineering Lena Janicka (19) is no exception, with a meme as wall decoration and a Hello Kitty duvet cover.
Room: A 14 m² room. She pays €340 including gas, water, and electricity, and shares a bathroom with seven housemates and the living room and kitchen with fourteen.
Fourteen housemates?
‘Yes, indeed. I often get the same reaction from people. It’s not as bad as it sounds. There are seven people living on the upper floor and seven on the lower floor. We have a good division of chores and cooking, so it’s more manageable than you might think.’
How long have you lived here?
‘Since I started my degree, so for a year. I’m from Poland, but before moving here, I lived in Thailand for six years. It was very difficult to study there because you have to speak Thai, and I’m not very good at it. I found places like England or the US too expensive, so I ended up here. I liked the atmosphere, and it’s accessible for English speakers.’
Is there a big difference between the Netherlands and Thailand?
‘I like that cycling is so normal here. As a student without a car, it’s easier to get around. Things are also more structured in the Netherlands, which I personally like. In Thailand, everything is more go with the flow. Here, things like dinner are planned in advance. Chores and who cooks are all clearly divided.’
Where did you get most of your stuff?
‘I was lucky that my parents helped with the move. I know a lot of students buy things second-hand. I actually got almost everything from IKEA, and I bought a few things from the previous resident.’
Are you a neat freak or a bit of a slob?
‘It’s too difficult to be a neat freak in a student house. I think you’d drive yourself crazy. I try to keep things tidy, but I’m just a little messy. I do a proper clean every two months.’
What’s special about your room?
‘When I was in highschool, I thought this wolf meme was really funny, so I bought it as a wall tapestry. When I moved out of my parents’ house, I wanted to add a bit of personality to the walls because they looked so bare. So, now he's here. The view from my window is also something not every student room has. A lot of students look out onto another window or building, but I have a nice view of nature.’
Do you have a good anecdote about your room?
‘I forgot to clean a pan that I had burnt. After a few days, there were all kinds of versions of “pot” and “pan” written in all over my door. I kept procrastinating it, so my housemates eventually printed out a poster saying 'stop pan bullying', which is still hanging on my door. In the end, it only took me ten minutes to clean it.’
