Laura Juan (24) started the second year of the Master’s program Innovation Management in September. The first year she completed at the university in Valencia, where she lived. Via the Erasmus program she ended up in Eindhoven and for seven weeks now she has shared the kitchen and the bathroom in Aurora with three other internationals.

Is Eindhoven not a touch disappointing for someone who is used to such a magnificent city as Valencia? No, Laura thinks it is quite a pretty and especially clearly laid out little city. Surely it will have made a difference that her first few weeks in the Netherlands were extremely sunny? “Yes, they were quite fantastic, I enjoyed sitting outside on our balcony together with my flat mates. It’s getting too cold for that now, but I don’t really mind cold or rain that much. What I do like less is the wind.”

In Valencia Laura used to live with her parents. “Still, they left me a great deal of freedom, so living together with three other students now is comparable with that. At home I was often the one to cook, for both my parents have full-time jobs. And I really enjoy cooking.”

Laura is living together with two men and a woman. One of the guys is from India. “He’s very busy, so he seldom joins us for dinner.” Nevertheless at night she does eat together regularly with her two other flat mates, who both come from Italy. For lunch she also goes back to Aurora. “I’m a vegetarian, and the choice provided here on campus is a bit limited, unfortunately. What I have tried immediately, though, is the stroopwafels (treacle waffles), because everybody was lyrical about them.”

Living on campus and in Aurora has agreed with her fine so far. “I’ve already made lots of friends within the block and keeping the kitchen and bathroom clean is actually no bother at all. Whoever feels called upon to do this just does it. We haven’t even made a duty list yet.”

The only downside really is the fact that she does need to ride some distance to do her shopping - she shops at AH opposite the railway station. “However, that is partly because I always forget something or other”, she says with a smile.