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It is that time again! Today in “Peeking at” we are visiting Harmen in his student room in Wageningen. Harmen is 24 years old, lives in our residential location Nano and studies for a Master’s degree International Land and Water Management in Wageningen. “It is a fairly broad study, but you can choose different directions. I wrote my thesis on modulating the water quality of a lake. I find it interesting that you get to know both the technical and the practical side during the study. You make calculations of water qualities and then you implement your results in practice.”

Harmen has been living happily in his student room in Wageningen for 2.5 years. “The thing that I like the most about living in Nano is the contact with roommates. I live in a corridor with 18 others students and everyone wants have a lot of fun.” This is visible in the corridor, because Harmen and his roommates have made several murals. Harmen: “I really enjoy drawing and together with my roommates we had the idea to make the corridor more cheerful.

The residents get their inspiration for the murals from (daily) life: “Last summer we were in Spain and we had a beautiful view of a mountain. I took a picture of this and then painted this view. I also made a mural with elements from a serie that I watch together with a roommate. We also made murals of animals.” Are you curious about more murals? Then check out this blog about murals of other corridors in Nano.

Besides making the corridor beautiful and fun, Harmen tries to keep his room cozy during the coronavirus pandemic. Harmen: “I bought plants for my room and I made a bookshelf and a small bedside table. I am very satisfied with this. I also bought a monitor and keyboard, because I now study more at home than before.”

   

Harmen thinks living with international students in Nano is one of the best memories that he has of Nano. Harmen: “I have made friends who also live abroad. As a result, I have already been to Spain two summers in a row on holiday.” Being able to do voluntary work abroad seems really cool to Harmen. Harmen: “I would like to become a turtle keeper in the Galapagos Islands or count birds in Spain.

Now that voluntary work is not possible, Harmen would like to create a vegetable garden around Nano. Harmen: “Sustainability is very important to me and I want to dedicate myself to ensure that nature is not getting ruined even more. I think it would be nice to grow vegetables by yourself.” Besides that nature & the environment are important subjects in Harmen’s life, he also finds it very important to have contact with friends and family. Harmen: “I was in Finland for my thesis, but the Covid-19 outbreak forced me to go home. I found this very difficult, but a friend brightened me up with a voice message and a card. This small gesture meant a lot to me and we became very close after that.”

Did you like this blog and are you interested in a student room in Wageningen? Cool! Check out our FAQ page to learn more about living in Nano!