Untitled Document
4U2: "Hit the streets and tell them the
nitty-gritty"
Who or what is 4U2? It's not a band and it's not a new
kind of robot. Even with some forty active members, many of them
foreign Ph.D. students, 4U2 is not a well-known organisation at
TU/e. When posters for a '4U2 Welcome to Eindhoven Party' started
appearing on campus, we decided it was high time Cursor talked
to this mysterious entity.
"We've been holding monthly cultural evenings with foreign
Ph.D. students for six years now. Last year we organised classes
for Chinese who wanted to improve their English language skills.
But our publicity has always been mainly by word of mouth",
says Izaac Hija. "We are a partnership of students and locals,
who want to help foreign students and visiting scholars feel at
home in Eindhoven."
Housing
Some of that practical help extends to finding housing. "We're
working on an idea which could make a big difference to the housing
situation for foreign graduate students. There is a very real
possibility of obtaining temporary housing for students in urban
renewal areas like the Kruidenbuurt, where houses would otherwise
remain empty for years. I'm meeting with the Trudo housing people
this week to talk about that. There are already a number of foreign
students living in that particular area."
4U2 is a Christian student organisation affiliated with IFES
(International Fellowship of Evangelical Students). "We're
not ramming Jesus down anyone's throat. If people want to talk
about spiritual matters, fine. If not, that's fine too. In fact,
this group is not only for Christians. We've welcomed many Hindus
and Moslems over the years and we respect their faith. Some of
our other guests are not religious at all", says Izaac. "Our
main focus is friendship and helping each other out. It's important
to hit the streets with newcomers and tell them the nitty-gritty
in a hurry."
Izaac Hija and his wife Diane know from experience exactly what
it's like to be foreign and they have weathered their share of
culture shocks. They met at California State University Longbeach,
where Izaac was president of the foreign student league. Diane
is an Italian American, originally from Boston. Izaac is an Indonesian
who came to the Netherlands at the age of 13. He left for the
US on a badminton scholarship to study physiotherapy in 1972,
but returned to the Netherlands with his family in '87, at his
mother's urging. "But that wasn't the only reason. Our neighbourhood
in L.A. was becoming increasingly dangerous. We wanted our kids
to have a safer environment to grow up in."
Now she is fluent in Dutch and her own children are older, Diane
teaches third grade at the Regional International School. But
she wants to do more for young foreigners in Eindhoven. "We
were always involved with the foreign student program in L.A.
When we heard of the IFES program from a student who came to our
church, we immediately felt that this was something we would like
to be part of. We knew there was a real need for support among
foreign students in our neighbourhood. So we started offering
practical help and a place to meet."
"It's such a rewarding thing. Foreign graduate students are
very motivated. But they sometimes need encouragement. I've told
shy students that you have to do more than hide in your office
if you want to move up. A little push like that can help."
4U2 has an informal cultural evening on the second Friday of every
month. On occasion, foreign graduate students cook some of their
national dishes. "People are curious about each other's countries
and customs", says Diane.
Soul
"It's sometimes hard to hold on to the desire to integrate
in a new environment. Friendships with other foreigners and with
locals make that easier. We tell people to be bold and make contacts
with the locals. Just assume there's someone interested in you.
It happened to us. And students we know in the Kruidenbuurt were
taught Dutch by neighbours", Diane continues.
"To learn another language is to gain another soul. To learn
Dutch is to know the Dutch", says Izaac. "We advise
newcomers to start immediately. We can find Dutch people to help
our members. If enough people are interested 4U2 is prepared to
put in place a Dutch conversational class."
Bikes
Another part of 4U2's practical approach is setting foreign graduate
students up with cheap, working bikes. 4U2 helps with bike maintenance
and teaches students how to fix their bikes. A bike maintenance
session is planned for Saturday September 22, with a bike tour
of Eindhoven on Sunday September 23.
4U2 also offers family members of foreign graduate students help
in adjusting to their new environment. They'll even help you move
house. "I've got a little Suzuki van and I'm always happy
to lend a hand if needed", says Izaac.
The people at 4U2 are planning various activities and excursions,
including an American Thanksgiving celebration in November. The
Dutch waterworks are always a continuous topic with foreign engineering
students and a popular excursion with the group./.
The 4U2 'Welcome to Eindhoven Party' is this Friday (September
14), starting at 7 p.m. at the 2e Kruizemunstraat 2 in Eindhoven.
All foreign (graduate) students and visiting scholars are invited.
Dutch students who want to meet foreign colleagues are also welcome.
