Welcome to Texts and Contexts! by V. Alexander

Vera Alexander

vera_alexander — 2022-01-27 14:10:22 UTC

I was born in Germany, but I have lived in England, Italy, France and Denmark, so.... hometown: Europe.
If I could go anywhere in the world, at the moment I would probably choose somewhere sunny, perhaps in Greece or Italy. Ideally, I would like to be at a Lindy Hop festival on a picture postcard beach (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yB9fWpoXPpU, to give you an idea), surrounded by hills and caves and other dancers. Soon again, I hope! Unless all of the people in the culture sector have moved into other fields.
As for the reading, during lockdown walks I discovered that YouTube is full of audiobooks of the fantastic Terry Pratchett, and that listening to them as I walked made me giggle like a madwoman, probably generating mirth for many neighbours, so I am modifying my original post to draw your attention to one of them, or all of them. They are not just good for laughs, mind. Some of the greatest wisdom on earth is found in comedy.

Vera Veldhuizen

vera_alexander — 2022-01-27 14:10:29 UTC

I am from Brabant, but emigrated to the UK 7 years ago. A couple of referenda later I now find myself in Groningen - or, as my parents call it, the Arctic!
I am trying to maintain my sanity through making music, baking and cooking, practicing embroidery, and playing Animal Crossing New Horizons and Doom 2016. Mostly, I've just been staring at my two kittens being cute and silly for hours though.
Readingwise, I am just over midway through the Wheel of Time series. Although I have hit the infamous slog, I do love the depiction of petty politics and how hard it is to get people to unite even in the face of the apocalpyse (sounds pessimistic in the face of ...you know, events, but it's philosophically and emotionally very challenging in a fun way)!

Clara Ciopata

2022-01-27 16:39:12 UTC

Hello! My name is Clara and I am from Romania. I love traveling and I would really like to be in Paris or Venice, someplace filled with beautiful landscapes and cultural legacies. I have Hogwarts on that destinations list too. I'm ready to do some spells! In addition, I am an avid reader that can't let a day pass without reading. Also, I like recommendin the books that I loved on my instagram account dedicated for books. I am sharing in my photo my current read. I can't wait to meet you all!

Amber Mars

2022-01-28 14:13:24 UTC

Hi I'm from Dalfsen/Zwolle (Netherlands). I'd love to travel and that's why I'm excited for the summer where I'll discover Europe with the interrail pass I won ;). I'm always surrounded by animals so that's why I'd love to move somewhere with a lot of nature. I read a new book(s) every few days but I'm currently reading Ninth House and some spiritual/self-improvement/feminism books. I just watched Nightmare Alley in the cinema and what a wonderful movie it was! If you like twists, turns, complicated people or simply villains, I'd recommend going!! Defenitely fits in this course ;)

Hugh McDonnell

2022-02-01 10:25:58 UTC

I grew up in southwest England but also lived for a long time in Ireland, as well as Spain and the Netherlands. A lot of my research is on Spain, and given today's rainy weather, I would particularly like to be there now! Looking forward to working with you all and hearing about your interests.

Amber van Kempen

2022-02-01 14:44:22 UTC

Hey! I'm Amber, I was born in Nijmegen, the Netherlands but grew up in Quebec, Canada. My family and I moved back about 6 years ago. If I were able to go anywhere I would probably hop on the first plane to New Zealand. I find the Maori culture fascinating and the people seem very free spirited. The nature also calls to me and I would love to surf there. I enjoy reading but prefer watching movies or series. A movie that I recently watched on Netflix is called Blackbird. It is the type of movie I usually go for but this one was not what I expected from the explanation. Though it was beautiful. Sad, but beautiful.

Esmée Renger

2022-02-02 22:14:12 UTC

Hi! I'm Esmée, I was born in Nijmegen, but grew up in Spain and Gorinchem. If I could go anywhere right now, I would go to Souht-America, explore the countries there and try a bunch of new and exciting things. A few days ago I started with Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, which I really like so far. I worked in a book shop a long time, so I love reading ;) Also love doing sports and trying new, challenging things. Really looking forward to this course!

Magdalene Blincoe-Deval

mblincoedeval — 2022-02-03 11:42:54 UTC

Hello! I am from New Zealand, but grew up mostly in the UK, and have since lived in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Serbia, among other places. Right now, I would most like to be on a yoga retreat somewhere sunny, or hitch hiking my way through Abkhazia or Turkmenistan without a final destination in mind, although I am writing this from Venice. After re-reading “The Master and Margarita” for… I’ve lost count of how many times, I decided that I should delve deeper into the world of Mikhail Bulgakov, so I’ve been having a go at reading <Записки на манжетах>, or “Notes on the Cuff” recently. Looking forward to getting to know you all!

Tiara Ruidavet

2022-02-03 14:36:14 UTC

Hi everyone! I'm Tiara, I'm French but I grew up abroad practically all my life, namely the Maldives, Singapore, Jordan, the island of Bali and Malaysia, before finally moving to Groningen for university after spending my entire first year of online classes stuck in my hometown in France. If I were able to go anywhere right now it would have to be somewhere warm and sunny, good food is also a must. Going back to Kuala Lumpur would be nice as I haven't been able to see my family and friends there in almost two years, I especially miss the good food and my beloved dogs and cats. I would absolutely love to visit Sicily because of the rich history, lovely weather and of course the food! I am a voracious reader and enjoy true crime and mystery novels in particular, but I also do enjoy binge-watching series on Netflix. I am currently re-reading Arsène Lupin by Maurice Leblanc after watching the Netflix adaptation with Omar Sy (both of which I highly recommend!) and I am also in the middle of watching Sergei Bondarchuk's legendary (and lengthy) film adaptation of Tolstoy's War and Peace, it is very enjoyable and I am also enamoured by the wonderful period costume design and the cinematography. Looking forward to our upcoming classes!

jcreedon1 — 2022-02-03 16:28:44 UTC

Hey guys! I’m Julie and I’m from Ireland. If I could choose to be anywhere right now I’d go for Austria to do water sports and hike all day or perhaps Costa Rica for the jungles and waterfalls;) My favourite books are everything by Sarah j. Maas, six of crows and red, white and royal blue. Highly recommend them all !! Currently reading Tuesdays with Morrie but really just counting down the days until Crescent city: house of sky and breath is released (feb 15!!). Basically any book with magic is my cup of tea. Anyway can’t wait to meet u all and really looking forward to this course :))

Leonie Busse

2022-02-03 19:02:52 UTC

Hey there!!

I’m Leonie from Germany though I’ve been travelling around a lot therefore I cannot name one exact spot I’d like to be at right now. But probably somewhere on a beach listening to the waves to just chill for a bit before everything starts again.

This is the book I’m currently reading. Usually, I mostly read dramas but this field very fascinates me as it's also based on true stories.

Gioanne Wilson

2022-02-04 10:48:54 UTC

Hi, my name is Gioanne. I have lived most of my life in the Netherlands, but I am originally from the beautiful island of Curaçao. Although I would love to visit as many places in the world as possible, there is no place like home and therefore Curaçao is the place I’d like to be at most. Not only for the hot sun, cool wind from the sea or the amazing beaches but also because I can really loose myself in the overal vibe as if time does not exist.
This same feeling I also have when reading books. Although I can jump right into any world I’m reading about, one of my all time favorites is the world as portrayed by Cassandra Clare. No matter how many books I’ve read, the connection of “the real world” as we see it and “the fantasy world” with al its different species and creatures is something I find extremely beautiful. But then again I have been called a daydreamer many many times :)
Besides well known books I also like to read up and coming books from authors that started out on Wattpad. A couple of my favorites on there are Vintage Love and Before Sunday.

Iva Zheleva

2022-02-04 12:10:39 UTC

Hello! I'm Iva and I'm from Bulgaria. I've lived my whole life next to the sea and that's where I would always want to be! Although I'd love that - chilling on a lovely beach on a sunny summer day without a care in the world, I crave the winter snowy wonderland that I didn't get to see this year. :( That's why I found myself immersed in the world of this cozy book, inspired by many Russian magical winter stories!

Maria Katzendorn

2022-02-05 09:31:36 UTC

Hello everyone!

I am Maria, I’m from Moscow, Russia. I’m 19. I haven’t travelled much before, I’ve only been in a few countries around Europe for a short period of time, I mostly travelled around my own country. So like many of you, I would like to go somewhere warm and sunny, and I would rather prefer being close to nature than to the fast and loud city life (at least for now). I’d like to travel around Europe more but among my dream destinations are also Australia and South America - ocean, jungles, mountains. There are two places that I imagine when I meditate, and if they exist, they are probably somewhere there.

I enjoy reading Russian classics: currently, I’m reading “Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoevsky, I also love Tolstoy, Andreev, Bunin, Nabokov etc. And I like Russian poetry as well. My language and different authors’ styles give me pure pleasure. I enjoy dissecting their texts:)

I am not well familiar with foreign literature but I expect to get better at it while studying and living here in Groningen.

As for movies, I like binge-watching Netflix romcoms or sth fantastic as it all helps me to switch it up.

I am currently re-watching “The chilling adventures of Sabrina” (it also brings me joy when sth is somehow connected to the Bible (though almost everything is:)), there was a time when I was very much interested in different religions).

However, I enjoy watching everything except for real horrors (“Sabrina” is not):)

I am also prone to reflecting and observing a lot. I like observing the life of the world, people’s behaviours, tiny casual things that are quite usual but if you look at them closer, you’ll see something magical happening. I write notes then about what I see and what I feel, sometimes post them on my social media, but they are mostly in Russian and are difficult to translate, cause, as I’ve already mentioned, I like playing with language. Maybe, one day I’ll be ready to write my own book. Now I am just trying to be open to experiencing everything I can (and want!).

Looking forward to meeting you all soon!

2022-02-05 11:54:51 UTC

Hello! My name is Lana and I'm originally from Syria, but I have been living in The Netherlands now for a very long time and call this country my home. I love traveling so it's really difficult to choose one place I want to go to. But right now I would like to go somewhere sunny with a beach, like the south of France. I have always loved the old English classics like Pride & Prejudice, and currently I'm reading Little women. I also enjoy binge-watching series on Netflix, I'm obsessed with How to get away with murder at the moment. I would definetly recommend it if you like mysteries! Looking forward to meeting you all soon!

Emma Goede

2022-02-05 12:45:53 UTC

Hi, my name is Emma. I am from Den Haag, but I moved to Groningen at the beginning of this school year. I really like it here, but because we cannot experience the real 'student life' it is different than expected. I love to read and that's how I spend most of my free time. My favorite book is a Dutch book, called Zondagskind. I read mostly English books, but occasionally a Dutch one. I don't have a preference to a certain genre, I like a lot of things - fiction, romance, comedy, fantasy, thriller, etc.
I am excited to start this cours and meeting you!

Zoë Duppen

2022-02-05 15:12:00 UTC

Hi, my name is Zoë! I am from the south of the Netherlands, but live in Groningen since the start of this academic year. Though my life changed at that moment, I really enjoy the student life ;). If I were to choose a place, I would to go to Hawaii. I get my daily dose of inspiration from a few influencers who live there, and I think it would be amazing to discover the culture & nature there, and to surf! I finished reading Normal People this week, and I absolutely loved it! The romance was so ordinary (just like the title implies) but that made it so relatable and heart-breaking/heart-warming. I look forward to meet you all!

Alant Loonstra

2022-02-05 18:30:43 UTC

Hi everyone! My name is Alant, I’m from a small town in the Frisian province in the NL, and will be living in Groningen from the first week of the 2nd semester. I absolutely love travelling, so I would basically want to be anywhere but at home. Especially New Zealand and Australia, Those countries have fascinated me for such a long time and I wanted to go there after high school, but corona ruined those plans :(
As for fictional places I would like to go, there are plenty. Anywhere magical and with lots of nature I would love.

I very much enjoy reading books, but haven’t been able to read the books I’ve been wanting to as school demands a lot of time. One of the books I really liked reading lately was 1984, because the historical context and the comparison to our world now fascinated me. Also, I read The Thursday Murder Club over Christmas break, which was such a fun easy detective to read. I’m excited to start reading The Memory Police, which is quite similar to 1984, so I expect to like it.
I’m not necessarily someone that watches a lot of series (can’t really because I don’t have Netflix ahaha), but I really liked the British television series Merlin, and as for movies, I always enjoy Studio Ghibli movies, they always make me feel at ease.

Lara Günter

2022-02-06 13:49:38 UTC

Hey everyone! I'm Lara and as my surname probably already tells, that I am from Germany. After school I decided to take a gap year and ended up spending the first year of the pandemic in Scotland, which brought me so much joy and provided me with the hint of an accent that makes people misshear my name as Lora from time to time, but also forced me to give E-readers a chance given that I couldn't take my whole library with me. Turn out they are not as bad as their reputation, but paper is nevertheless something truly lovely. Forests are my go-to-places-to-be but I also like travelling around Europe, avoiding the big cities and getting to know different languages and cultures. Over the years with me and my brother always being in different places we have build a great Netflix relationship and end up streaming films together. Right now we are going through all of the Wes Anderson stuff. In another live I might have been a movie critic. Concerning books I am the type of person who is reading at least half a dozen books at the same time and even if it ends up taking me years I never leave any of them unfinished. I just finished Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with my book club but due to the text being Middle-English I can't rely claim that it was a proper read. So next I am going back to my favourite E. M. Forster and doing a re-read of good, old Howards End. Unfortunately, I've just got the German version at hand, but going on about terrible translations is half the fun :)

Jessica Hogewerf

2022-02-06 17:47:22 UTC

Hi everyone! My name is Jessica and I live here in The Netherlands in a small town called Wirdum which is east of the city. A place I would love to be right now is quite a hard question, especially since fictional is included! So many places to choose from... But I guess right now, I would love to be in a semi-fancy cabin in the woods (not the murder filled one, or one that looks like a serial killer hunting ground (sorry I watched too many criminal minds episodes the last couple of days) more like the lovely peaceful kind) on a sunny day with a beautiful view and a book in my hand and the possibility to watch Netflix in the evening or when it rains.

While I mentioned Criminal Minds before and I have been binging it, there is a series that I would love to read again, but haven't found the right time to do so. The name of the series is "All for the Game" and is written by Nora Sakavic and I really love it, though the original covers are not pretty (the added cover is fan-made). It is a self-published book and is not perfect, but I love the way that every character is troubled in its own way, but is still relatable and real. For those who are curious it has a lot of trigger warnings, so please look into that.

Annie Algra

2022-02-06 22:12:00 UTC

Hi everyone, my name is Annie. I have lived in Leeuwarden my whole life until I moved to Groningen in September to study here. There is not one particular place I would want to be right now, as long as I would be with my friends. Last summer I spent a week on Mallorca with them and it was probably the best week of my life. A fictional place that I have always wanted to visit is Hogwarts, of course. I have not traveled that much in my life, yet, besides visiting several countries in Western Europe on holidays, but I hope to visit as many other places as I can.
During the boring corona times, I have spent most of my time playing Minecraft or games on my recently bought Nintendo Switch. I have also been rewatching Grey's Anatomy the past two weeks or so and have already watched four entire seasons... As for books, I just finished reading my second Neil Gaiman book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The first Gaiman I read was Neverwhere and it remains one of my favorite books I've read so far. Something that could be fun for all of us in this course is becoming friends on the app Goodreads to see what everyone is reading, but that's just an idea.
I am also looking forward to our classes and getting to know everyone better!

Marina Barbour

mbarbour11 — 2022-02-06 23:32:25 UTC

Heyaa! :) I'm half Lebanese and half Cypriot but I was born and raised in Cyprus. If I could go anywhere right now I would go to Japan which is my dream destination. Japan is one of my favourite countries because of it's culture, language and society. I have always loved the art and literature of Japan and I find it very interesting to see things from the Japanese aspect. Currently, I'm watching a series on Netflix called "Bridgerton" which I recommend to all of you. This picture above is from a Studio Ghibli animation which is called "Howl´s moving castle", which is written by Diana Wynne Jones. It is my favourite Japanese animation. I´ve watched it 5 times and I never get tired of it. It is the perfect animation combining mesmerizing soundtracks, amazing visuals and it just makes me forget about everything negative.

Ioana Panait

2022-02-07 00:56:57 UTC

Hey, y'all! I'm Ioana. I'm from Romania and I haven't picked a book for at least 5 years. If I could go legitimately anywhere right now be certain that I will enter the plague-ridden medieval but not quite world from Peter Parrish. I feel like I already got experience with pandemics plus I will become what my parents always wanted me to be: a doctor. In terms of books, I've been personally touched by stuff like "The world according to Garp" by John Irving or "My grandmother asked me to tell you she's sorry" by Fredrik Backman. Real sad stuff, love a good depressive episode. Recently I've fished a book out of the trash discussing loneliness and divorce children. Psychologically of course. Unfortunately, it has no pictures and a lot of diagrams so not sure whether it's a good read. It gets boring after you realize the studies don't really have a conclusion. Hope we can all get along!

Scott Ludema

2022-02-07 21:47:45 UTC

Hi! My name is Scott. I am from the Netherlands, I have lived in Groningen for 22 long years now. So I always get excited thinking about staying at other locations for a while, which only happens for me on trips and holidays. If I could choose to be anywhere in either a fictional world or a real destination, I would choose to be in one of the cute and peaceful universes of a Studio Ghibli movie. For a real destination, I would really love to visit Japan, especially if I could go with my girlfriend, that would make me very happy!! The cover I chose is of a manga/anime called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, it is my absolute favorite creation of art. For me, it combines an amazing art style, humor, crazy stories & fights and incredibly cool designed characters, I could seriously talk about this forever. Would 100% recommend. See you guys in class!

Mina Chatenay

2022-02-08 12:05:19 UTC

Heyy
My name is Mina and I come from France (a town in a middle of France, and in the middle of nowhere). And I'm an Erasmus student so I'm spending the semester in Groningen. The city and the people are great ! The only thing that I miss already is the sun ahah. So I guess I would go somewhere where the sun is often shining and brightening my day.

I used to really read a lot, but since I started university in 2020, I have less time to do so... Recently though, I encountered a charismatic, arrogant and pretty horrible character, but acting by revenge for the death of his brother, killed because he was black. This book, I Spit on Your Graves, by Vernon Sullivan (Boris Vian) quite shocked me, but I read it in one go and now, I actually still don't know what to think about it.
Recently I have developed a certain interest for cinema. And so to catch up, I'm watching big classics like Hitchcock movies, Scorsese's. And I really appreciate the cinema of Paul Thomas Anderson or Paolo Sorrentino too.

Looking forward for this course and to meet the people in it :)

Britta Smit

2022-02-08 13:19:11 UTC

Hi I'm Britta and I am from the Netherlands. I currently live in a town about 1.5 hours away from Groningen called Klazienaveen. If I could be anywhere I wanted though, I would want to be in either Scotland or Australia, since these two countries are on top of my 'to-go' list. I am currently reading multiple books, one of which is the first part of Lord of The Rings. Next to that I am also reading Sherlock Holmes and Heroes. I also like to watch series but I am always watching more than one at the same time. Disney movies, however, take over my watch list at the moment, since I have a little movie club with friends and we watch Disney movies together (I am also including Marvel with that). I am very interested in old stories, especially about the Antiquity or the Arthurian Legends.

Naomi ter Borg

2022-02-08 18:43:12 UTC

Hi! My name is Naomi and I'm from The Netherlands. I was born in Harderwijk, raised in Zeewolde which is about 20 minutes from Harderwijk by car. I've moved to Uithuizermeeden, 40 min by train from Groningen, last summer and live there with my grandparents and my cat, Floris.

If I could be anywhere in the world I would either like to be in a magical fairyland far away or in Sweden where my parents and siblings live in a tiny town in the countryside.

The last book I finished is Cresent City by Sarah J Maas, which I loved greatly. However, my favorite book must be the false prince by Jennifer A Nielsen. If you like anything from Terry Pratchett or Rick Riordan you will certainly like this read as well! Most of the time you can find me in the fantasy genre but sometimes I venture out to a little historical fiction and very rarely I also read non-fiction.