Today and tomorrow students from all over the world are visiting Hanze University for the first time. Who are they and what are they looking for?
Please to meet you, mister Free Spirit.
Wahyudio Mahesa (24), Bandung, Indonesia
‘My name is far too difficult for non-Indonesians, so I have to pick another one. Dio, perhaps, or Opa or Kakek which already are my nicknames back home. They both mean grandfather in Bahasa Indonesia. I was given those names because my face looks old, and it might also be for the wise things I say. That’s a joke, of course.
‘I live at my sister’s place in Paddepoel. Actually, she is quite famous in Indonesia. She has written a book about her experiences as a student in Groningen. It’s really popular, almost every Indonesian student who wants to study in Europe has read it.
‘Living with my sister’s family – yes, she is married – has some advantages, of course. I don’t have to pay rent, and the food is for free. On the other hand, she is kind of strict. I have to help with cleaning and she insists on me coming home at ten in the evening, which is very early.
‘Groningen has a chill vibe. It’s a perfect place, especially for free spirits like myself. I want to become a university lecturer, but to do so I have to earn a master’s degree first. That’s why I enrolled at the International Business programme at Hanze University.’
