On Tuesday March 28th the pre-university class from the Zuidergymnasium high school got invited to visit the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) by the Academic Outreach Programme ‘Connecting Our Future’. In total there were 19 pupils, i.e., seven pupils from the pre-university class and 12 exchange students from Istanbul, Turkey. Math Osseforth, teacher at Zuidergymnasium: ‘’Last year our pre-university pupils visited Istanbul for a week. They lived with host families and learned all about the Turkish culture and the city Istanbul. This week the Turkish students are visiting us in Rotterdam to learn more about our city and a visit to the EUR had to be a part of it’.
The central theme of the exchange week was ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ and the goal was to share as many aspects as possible of each other’s world with one another. The day started with a guest lecture from researcher Maurice Janssen, Port Ecosystems expert. During his lecture the class learned more about the challenges and the wellbeing of seafarers during their time on sea. Afterwards, the students got a tour of the campus, showcasing the new sports building, the SPAR supermarket, and the Hatta building where a lot of international students live on campus during their first year at university. “It almost feels like a small city”, said one of the exchange students.
One of the highlights of the day was the group’s visit to the Turkish student association SV Mozaik. SV Mozaik aims to provide a platform to her members. This is achieved by promoting student interactions through organizing different activities such as dinners, study trips, and educational events. The pupils were welcomed by board members Fatih Acer and Selda Sahin, who spoke about their own journey to university and their experiences as a student at the EUR. Of course, the pupils also had lots of questions to ask Fatih and Selda about student life in Rotterdam, their student association, and the possibility to study at the EUR as an international student.
The Academic Outreach Programme team is happy that they were able to welcome these students and hopes to one day see them again on our campus!
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