Welcome Back!

Hello everyone and welcome to the academic year of 2021/2022!

I think we can say for sure that it will be by far more exciting than the last one! The universities
opened their doors again and we finally see our fellow students in real life. We might miss our
cherished pyjamas at some point. We might become tired of actually having to leave the house
every single day. And, which is definitely the worst, excuses such as
“My-microphone-is-not-working” or “My-connection-is-bad” do not really do their job anymore.
Trust me, I’ve tried it. According to the teacher, the only connection problem I had was between
my synapses. But all of that doesn’t matter because socializing came into vogue. If you just walk
around on campus or in the city, it’s easy to see how happy and excited all of us are about simply
seeing other people. We sadly still can’t say that the pandemic is over. But at least the “dark days
of isolation and blackboard” are. And as great as every single post of our beloved ESN blog was
in the past, let’s hope that there won’t be another one on “How to survive the next lockdown?”!
To be fair, some moments in the rediscovered social world are still rather awkward. Sometimes it
feels like we forgot a little how to be social. How we interact offside the digital world. Or how
the hell one can cycle in the city center without being run over by anyone. Unfortunately, I can’t
provide you with any advice on the latter. My last accident is less than a week ago.
But to get you ready for an amazing academic year full of friends, fun, and freedom, we want to
share some tips with you.

1. Be yourself. It might sound a bit cliché but is so important. There’s zero gain in
pretending. It is purely exhausting and if you’re not by any chance the next Tom Hanks
or Julia Roberts, people will notice. Be honest about and to yourself. This way, you’ll
find yourself among people appreciating you exactly the way you are!

2. Be nice! Also a very classy one, but again, very true. Smile and be kind. It can make
someone very happy and they will remember it.

3. Try not to overthink. Just go for it. Thinking about saying something in class? Do it.
Thinking about randomly talking to someone? Do it. Thinking about meeting someone
you just know from uni? Do it. It is not always easy but mostly worth it and can lead to
awesome experiences. Or as we would have posted it on our social media a few years
ago: Great things never came from comfort zones.

4. Going somewhere alone is totally fine! There are so many associations out there with
awesome introduction events. Don’t be afraid to show up alone. The point is to meet
people and everyone is there for the same reason. It might cost some convincing, but is
totally worth it! Why don’t you visit some of the upcoming ESN events?

5. Give everyone a chance. Diversity is too precious to be judged. So try to be open to
everyone, no matter what they look like, where they come from, or whatever.

6. If you really struggle with your self-confidence, try to wear an outfit that makes you feel
your best! Sounds so easy, helps so much!

7. Lastly, remember that we are all in the same boat. We all somehow survived the last 1.5
years and are all looking forward to making new friends and memories.

We hope that these few tips are a bit of help and you can go out there to enjoy your social
revival!

 

Written by: Elli Winetsdorfer

Photo: Yoeri Bonarius Jager