My first visit to TU Eindhoven

TU/e Main Building, originally uploaded by gniezen.

I had to get up at 05h00 this morning to make the early morning commute to Eindhoven in order to be there at 08h30 for Central Introduction Day, which gave me the opportunity to meet some fellow PhD students and learn more about Eindhoven and the university. In our goodie bags they handed out for free was a copy of the "Holland Handbook" (a very interesting book on living in the Netherlands - how to arrange housing, pay taxes, health care etc.) and a book called "The Thinking Pill" written by TU/e professors on how they think technology will change our lives.

The other students in the group are really from all over the world, including Italy, Venezuela, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Spain, China and Taiwan. I met two people (one from Turkey and one from the Ukraine) who was familiar with and have actually tasted South African wine. Oh, and of course everybody knows about the 2010 World Cup! :P

The building in the picture above is the TU/e main building, which houses the Industrial Design department, as well as a few other departments and administration. There's even a hairdresser and the "Beeldbank" inside. The Beeldbank is a gallery where you may (as a member of TU/e staff) select a graphic/painting and borrow it for a year, after which you must return it and get another one.

At the sports centre you pay about 70 euros per year for a sports card, which you can then use for access to all the sports/activities they offer (with the exception of the sauna and sunbeds). So I'll be able to play squash, gym and swim (in the only indoor university swimming pool in the Netherlands) all for a one-time fee. Yay! :) Funnily enough, you'll have to prove to them that you know how to use gym equipment (after which you are certified with a sticker on your sport card), or you will have to attend an introductory course in fitness before using the gym.