By Tom van der Meij Kudos is the name of the 2018 novel that ended Rachel Cusk’s outline trilogy, with earlier works named Transit and Outline. These sparse titles work as fine characterizations for Kudos as well. The main character, a woman named Faye, finds herself in an unnamed seasideContinue Reading
By Federico Arcuri and Mats van den Boogert Introduction When Kim Mirae left South Korea to work at Leiden University as an intern teacher three years ago, she noticed how each year the classrooms got fuller and fuller with students willing to learn her mother language. The Korean language hasContinue Reading
By Federico Arcuri “Is this restaurant Orientalist?” It all started as a joke. The restaurant Amazing Taste, located between Schouwburgstraat and Wijnhaven, is our go-to restaurant when I and my peers want to grab something to eat after a long day at uni or in between two classes. Besides its strategic location, whatContinue Reading
By Helena Reinders and various contributors It is yet again that time of year. After a nice summer of Dutch rain and barely seeing any sun, classes are about to commence once more. Now what better way to prepare for this, than with the right set of books? That isContinue Reading
By Arianna Pearlstein Trigger warning: This article discusses eating disorders, specifically anorexia nervosa, which some may find distressing. However, if you feel you are struggling with an eating disorder, please scroll to the end of this article for several resources. Imagine, there is a loud buzzing noise in your head.Continue Reading
By Chira Tudoran Look at the illustration above this text. What do you see? You notice several things: A tree, a man and a woman, a fruit, and a snake. Separately they don’t make any sense. Together they make a story. In your mind, these elements are combined unconsciously. YouContinue Reading
By Guillermo Cardenas In his 2009 speech in Cairo, Barack Obama mentioned Cordoba: “Islam has a proud tradition of tolerance. We see it in the history of Andalusia and Cordoba during the Inquisition”. Obama used al-Andalus as proof of the tradition of tolerance of Islam. In the context of theContinue Reading
By Tom van der Meij Look around you. Look at the phone in your hand or the laptop on your table, the lightbulbs that enlighten your walls and furniture, the machinery in your kitchen. Look outside, at the street lighting, cars, people with headphones, airplanes, billboards. Think of the thingsContinue Reading
By Hannah Vonberg Sustainability as a concept is becoming more and more prominent in our society. It is commonly defined as ‘meet[ing] the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs,’ and closely tied to climate change and our way of consuming.Continue Reading
By Catalina Hurtado In an elementary school setting in Singapore, I witnessed many talent shows and guest speakers. Despite taking place almost 6 years ago, a one-liner delivered by a History teacher has managed to stick in my mind to this very day – “You were given two ears andContinue Reading