“I started studying here in 2021, when some Covid restrictions were still in place. I often met up outside with the friends I’d made during INKOM – people I’m still close to today. This tree in Monseigneur Nolenspark quickly became ‘our’ tree. When the weather’s nice, we like to meet up here to hang out, toss a ball around or play football. We come back every summer.
“I settled into life in Maastricht faster than I’d expected. I thought I’d be going back to my parents in Hilversum more often, but before long, I was staying here at weekends to spend time with my friends. Maastricht is such an easy city to get to know, as everything’s close by.
“Now that some of us have graduated, a few friends have moved away, which feels strange. We still see each other – we recently went on a weekend trip to Budapest together – but our Maastricht era is behind us. Because of that, we don’t meet up by the tree as often, and I don’t really go and sit there on my own. But I often walk past it on breaks; it’s close to both UCM and the Student Services Centre, where I now work with the rest of the AIESEC board. It’s still a special spot for me.
“I’ll be moving soon too, after the summer – probably to Rotterdam for my master’s. I really enjoy living in a place I know so well, where I run into familiar faces in the supermarket, but at the same time, I’m looking forward to the energy of a bigger city. Somewhere a bit livelier, where the shops don’t close at 6 PM on Sundays. I do miss that sometimes.”