The homo sapiens studentus is a special species. Besides the typical activity of studying, the members of this species are known as real (night)life lovers. But do they have other secrets to unfold? dwars finds out in their natural habitat, the student dorm.
Joona is a twenty-two-year-old Finn, hairdresser, fashion freak, art lover, student in professional sales and shameless people watcher (aren’t we all?). In short, he is a busy guy who fits in perfectly in our city. This versatile student came all the way from Helsinki to live the Antwerp life.
big city life
Joona has only been in Belgium since the 29th of August but he already loves our sparkling city, ‘t Stad. “Antwerp isn’t that big, you can go everywhere without using the underground or tram. The citizens dress fashionably and look nice. Besides, everyone is super social, which makes me feel comfortable.”
Besides his enthusiasm for the city, Joona is equally enchanted by his new housemates. Back in Helsinki, he rented a student dorm in a building that counted approximately one hundred student rooms. However, the students hardly greeted one another. It seemed like everyone had their own group and they kind of ignored the others. Here in Antwerp, the fashion-conscious Finn is staying in a building with about eighty students.
That is quite a few too, nevertheless he remarks a main difference: his new housemates are immensely friendly. “I am very excited to see what the student life will be like. But I already know my housemates are up to date with the nightlife, so that won’t be a problem (laughs).”
comfy couch
In Antwerp, Joona enjoys the luxury of having a student room with his own shower. In Helsinki he shared a shower with other students and we all know how horrible that can be. Nonetheless, the shower isn’t his favourite part of the new crib. His preference goes to his couch, without a doubt. It’s comfy to chill on as well as convenient for his friends who come over to visit. So he didn’t have any problems so far? “The biggest difficulty I run into here is definitely visiting the grocery store. The names of the products are all written in Dutch and French. Honestly, I often don’t understand what they mean. A while ago, I went to the supermarket with a friend from Helsinki. We were looking for cream. Instead we apparently bought something totally different. I think it was whipped cream, but I am not sure at all. Anyhow, it tasted horrible!”