Planet Delft

br />So let me start by saying Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Bon Giorno, Guten tag, Yia sou, Shalom, Ni hao, Marhabah, Zdravstvuite, Salam and Hoi in some of the different languages we speak around TU Delft. Welcome to my new column in Delta.
All this talk about different nationalities and languages started when I was 14 and moved from Iran to Holland, because of my dad’s new job at the UN. Of course you all know how it feels to leave your friends behind and move to a new country and make a whole new life. My new life started at a British international school, where I met kids from 68 different nationalities. That’s when I first started asking my classmates things like how they say ‘Hi’ in Russian or what kind of food they eat in Ethiopia or how kids party in Spain…. That’s where it all started: my passion for cultures and exchanging customs grew and I became a true international girl. So there I was, a 14-year-old girl deciding I was gonna make this world a smaller place.
A few years passed and then I packed my bags again, moving to our beloved Delft. When I first heard about Delft I thought, ‘Well, another Dutch town’, so no more exchanging cultures for me. But little did I know that this little Dutch town can sometimes feel like a tiny planet. A friend of mine once called it ‘Planet Delft’ when referring to a photo he’d made of a little planet covered with Delft buildings – and you can see that ‘foreign eye’ photo elsewhere on this page! I thought the name ‘Planet Delft’ was the perfect way of capturing my experiences at TU Delft, where I’ve met friends from all over the world.
I started studying BSc computer engineering in a completely Dutch environment, but that didn’t stop me from discovering that there was a whole ‘underground’ international scene here at TU Delft, and of course I just had to be part of it! After finishing my BSc I discovered a small MSc program at the TPM faculty called ‘MOT: Management of Technology’, where 50% of students were international.
I must also say though that my years at TU Delft have not been without frustrations. Being familiar with both the Dutch and international scenes, I couldn’t stop wondering why these communities are so separated and why international students couldn’t also enjoy the vibrant TU Delft student life. I did see a change when I started my MSc program however. The program seemed to be one big happy family, the Dutch and international students were integrated and did all kinds of activities together. That’s where I saw hope that my dreams of the little ‘Planet Delft’ could actually come true and we could all experience both the Dutch and international identity of TU Delft.
Well, I was at the right place at the right time, because I was asked to be the first international student to run in the university’s Student Council elections as a member of the Oras student party. That’s where Delta readers first read about me and my plans for helping change the TU into a university where all students enjoy a very active, vibrant and integrated student life.
My election promises were to push for the creation of an International Student Center and an international campus where we can all live, learn, study, sport and party together! Well, last year’s election went great and I was elected with lots of votes, which showed that the TU’s international community really does want in on the action!
Now this year I have the responsibility and opportunity to bridge the gap between ‘Dutch TU Delft’ and ‘International Student TU Delft’. As a student council member, my focus is internationalization. I’m working hard to get international students’ opinions on the map and, together with you, to build ‘Planet Delft’ brick by brick.
Do you think we can build ‘Planet Delft’? Do you think we can live on an international campus? My future columns will address the international community’s issues and concerns. Write to me, get your voice heard, and help me add another brick to our ‘Planet Delft’ construction.

Yumm…. I’m eating my favorite Dutch thing as I write. I just bought a bag of hot stroopwafels down the street. What’s your favorite Dutch thing? Or better yet, what’s your favorite TU Delft thing? Mine is meeting lots of new friends from different nationalities at the start of each new academic year and then asking them how to say words in their languages.
So let me start by saying Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Bon Giorno, Guten tag, Yia sou, Shalom, Ni hao, Marhabah, Zdravstvuite, Salam and Hoi in some of the different languages we speak around TU Delft. Welcome to my new column in Delta.
All this talk about different nationalities and languages started when I was 14 and moved from Iran to Holland, because of my dad’s new job at the UN. Of course you all know how it feels to leave your friends behind and move to a new country and make a whole new life. My new life started at a British international school, where I met kids from 68 different nationalities. That’s when I first started asking my classmates things like how they say ‘Hi’ in Russian or what kind of food they eat in Ethiopia or how kids party in Spain…. That’s where it all started: my passion for cultures and exchanging customs grew and I became a true international girl. So there I was, a 14-year-old girl deciding I was gonna make this world a smaller place.
A few years passed and then I packed my bags again, moving to our beloved Delft. When I first heard about Delft I thought, ‘Well, another Dutch town’, so no more exchanging cultures for me. But little did I know that this little Dutch town can sometimes feel like a tiny planet. A friend of mine once called it ‘Planet Delft’ when referring to a photo he’d made of a little planet covered with Delft buildings – and you can see that ‘foreign eye’ photo elsewhere on this page! I thought the name ‘Planet Delft’ was the perfect way of capturing my experiences at TU Delft, where I’ve met friends from all over the world.
I started studying BSc computer engineering in a completely Dutch environment, but that didn’t stop me from discovering that there was a whole ‘underground’ international scene here at TU Delft, and of course I just had to be part of it! After finishing my BSc I discovered a small MSc program at the TPM faculty called ‘MOT: Management of Technology’, where 50% of students were international.
I must also say though that my years at TU Delft have not been without frustrations. Being familiar with both the Dutch and international scenes, I couldn’t stop wondering why these communities are so separated and why international students couldn’t also enjoy the vibrant TU Delft student life. I did see a change when I started my MSc program however. The program seemed to be one big happy family, the Dutch and international students were integrated and did all kinds of activities together. That’s where I saw hope that my dreams of the little ‘Planet Delft’ could actually come true and we could all experience both the Dutch and international identity of TU Delft.
Well, I was at the right place at the right time, because I was asked to be the first international student to run in the university’s Student Council elections as a member of the Oras student party. That’s where Delta readers first read about me and my plans for helping change the TU into a university where all students enjoy a very active, vibrant and integrated student life.
My election promises were to push for the creation of an International Student Center and an international campus where we can all live, learn, study, sport and party together! Well, last year’s election went great and I was elected with lots of votes, which showed that the TU’s international community really does want in on the action!
Now this year I have the responsibility and opportunity to bridge the gap between ‘Dutch TU Delft’ and ‘International Student TU Delft’. As a student council member, my focus is internationalization. I’m working hard to get international students’ opinions on the map and, together with you, to build ‘Planet Delft’ brick by brick.
Do you think we can build ‘Planet Delft’? Do you think we can live on an international campus? My future columns will address the international community’s issues and concerns. Write to me, get your voice heard, and help me add another brick to our ‘Planet Delft’ construction.

Rose Manouchehri is a member of TU Delft’s University Student Council and responsible for issues relating to internationalization. If you have any questions or comments for her, email her at R.Manouchehri@tudelft.nl