This week, Dutch and international students can find out what it’s like to live together in a glass house on the Erasmus square. The Global Glass House is an initiative to call attention to the difficult position of internationals in the housing market.

Egyptian music plays in the background as students inside the Global Glass House discuss the Spanish and Arabic languages; at the same time, there is a workshop on lino cutting. While the temporary residents are focused on their lino art around a large table, there is also a lot of laughter in between the glass walls.

Prejudice

Anybody heading to the Lecture hall complex on Tuesday at 9 AM is sure to run into the glass house on the Erasmus square. This initiative by Radboud Student Life and International Mobility (SLIM) aims to bring Dutch- and international students together. There are workshops and games to ensure that the mixed group interacts.

The goal of the Global Glass House is to remove prejudice around cohabiting with international students, according to coordinator Minke Omlo. ‘Due to the tight housing market, it is very difficult for students to find their own place, but it’s even more difficult for international students.’ Omlo points to Facebook ads as an example. ‘“Dutch only” or “No internationals” are often the opening lines. Among other things, this campaign aims to get rid of those prejudices.’

Lüthien Jonis, an intern working on the campaign, is very familiar with the issues on the housing market; originally from Curaçao, he is currently a student of International Social Work at the HAN. ‘When my temporary lease ended, I was forced to couch surf with friends’, he explains. ‘Sleeping in a different place three times a week takes a mental toll.’

Warm conversations

Today in the glass house, however, those troubles seem very distant. Nigerian student Osato is having a great time in the Global Glass House. ‘Nobody knew each other beforehand, but we clicked immediately. The warm conversations in the glass house are a stark contrast to the harrowing search she had to undertake to find a room.

Osato spent three months sleeping at friends’ places, and sometimes had to book an Airbnb if they were unavailable. ‘The language barrier is a main issue that is often mentioned in rejections’, Osato says on her experiences.

Prejudices surrounding the differences in customs and culture between Dutch and international students are also addressed in the Global Glass House. According to Rebecca-Elisa, one of the Dutch students in attendance, those cultural differences are exactly what makes living with internationals such a valuable experience. Dutch cuisine in particular could benefit from some international influence, she opines.

Planting a seed

‘We are planting a seed of awareness in the Dutch students’, says coordinator Minke Omlo. According to Lüthien Jonis, that seed can sprout into more acceptance, openness, and diversity. As Egyptian music continues to fill the room, the students continue discussing their living situations. All of a sudden, there’s a breakthrough. During the interview with Vox, it turns out that one of the students has an acquaintance who will be subletting a room; a good reason to exchange phone numbers, and possibly put that social cohesion into practice.

Translated by Jasper Pesch