Samuel Rapolu (25) helps his buddy during the quarantine. Photo: Samuel Rapolu Students from outside Europe from an area coded orange or red for Covid-19 (by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, the RIVM) must all go into quarantine for two weeks on arrival in Wageningen. That makes shopping and meeting people difficult. So ESN Wageningen has appealed to other Wageningen students to befriend the newcomers as ‘buddies’. Working with WUR’s Student Service Centre, ESN will link every new international student who has to go into quarantine with a buddy who lives in the same neighbourhood.
Nienke van Iterson is the Integration Coordinator at ESN Wageningen, an association that aims to support both international and Dutch students. ‘We organize a lot of activities and excursions with which we create a home away from home. I already had a buddy programme, which I run. In that programme we form “families” consisting of two or three mentors and eight to ten “children”. These families form close friendship groups, come to our ESN activities, and help each other get used to life in the Netherlands and the city of Wageningen.’
All linked up
When the university approached ESN to ask whether they had any ideas for supporting the new students in quarantine, a buddy system seemed like the answer. ‘In consultation with the university, I have approached several organizations such as Coronahulp Wageningen to ask whether they could recruit volunteers,’ says Iterson. ‘Volunteers could tell us when they were available through a Google Forms document. The students who arrive in August have all been linked up with someone already.’
I sit outside his room and he sits inside, with the door open
Samuel Rapolu, buddy and student
Samuel Rapolu (25, from India) started his MSc in Plant Sciences in February 2020. When he saw the appeal for buddies, he didn’t hesitate to volunteer. ‘I arrived in a weird and difficult period to start a degree programme in. That prompted me to become a student buddy. You can help new students. They are not allowed to leave the house for two weeks, and that is difficult. They need help with groceries and someone to talk to.’
Win-win
For Rapolu, the buddy programme is also a way to meet new people. ‘It is a win-win situation for me. I have now been linked with a student from Japan. We have emailed and exchanged telephone numbers. I gave him some information and let him know he has a friend here. Because it can be very tough to arrive in a new place and shut yourself up for two weeks.’
Rapolu’s buddy has already arrived in Wageningen. ‘I get groceries for him – a lot today, actually. And we have a chat every day. I sit outside his room and he sits inside, with the door open. It’s important to see someone and talk to people. People need a buddy they can depend on and can talk to. It’s all about personal contact.’