Humans of ISR – Tudor Stefan Cristea
“We are all different and we should celebrate that.â€
– Tudor Stefan Cristea, 22, Romanian, Vice-President of ISR –
“During my first two years in the Netherlands, I was still adapting, getting to know the place and the people. It is only since last year (my third year here) that I really felt at home. Now, I feel better here than in Romania, my home country – I have more friends and memories here, and  Rotterdam is a city I personally chose. I have to admit I didn’t have many struggles as an international student in the Netherlands, it is a very internationally-friendly country and even though there was a culture clash, it didn’t bother me that much.
The culture clash taught me a lot. I come from a homogeneous country. Here, in the Netherlands, it is very international and I meet a lot of people with different values, who have different perspectives on the same subject. You can see this in every aspect of life – different ways of speaking, thinking, and so on. I think that it is also the purpose of ISR – appeal to that common aspect, no matter the language or the place where they come from. We are all different and we should celebrate that.
An advice I have for international students is to get out and explore the city. At the beginning when you arrive and until you go out more, you feel like the city is huge and you might have the feeling that you are isolated. As you get to know the city, it gets familiar and it feels better. Of course you should do that with friends, and don’t hesitate to ask for help if needed!â€