Polish student Maksymilian has been living in a new flexible housing unit on the Windesheim campus for a month now. He likes it, although he can also name some downsides to it.
“If I wanted to, I could wake up ten minutes before my first lecture started and still be on time,” says Maksymilian, who is studying international business here for the next six months.
Housemates
He’s happy with his housemates: “I have two, they’re both American and very compatible. We spend a lot of time together and go out occasionally, to the bar.” He hasn’t met all the residents of the flexible housing units on campus yet. “I find that you can often strike up a conversation with international students. Dutch people are generally much less interested in that.”
Are there any downsides to the apartment complex? According to the student, there are. “I think my room is a bit small. I also miss a mirror and a table, and I don’t have room for a wardrobe.” The units are brand new, yet Maksymilian isn’t thrilled with their condition. “It’s actually poorly designed. For example, the walls are sometimes crooked, and the bathroom floor is made of a certain material, making it difficult to clean.”
Broken microwave
He also misses a shared courtyard. “Where you can chill with other students. Then you can enjoy the sunset with others.” Contact with the landlord, SSH (a national housing agency), is proving difficult; his microwave has reportedly been broken for a month and hasn’t been repaired yet.
“I didn’t want to go to a country popular with fellow students, like Italy or Spain,” says Maksymilian. Initially, he wanted to go to Norway, but he was paired with Windesheim in Zwolle. “And in retrospect, that was a better choice. Zwolle is nicer than Kristiansand.”
text: Sibren Veenvliet
photo: Jasper van Overbeek
