First blog

Being a buddy was something
I didn’t know would be in my future for the year 2020. I’m going in for a recap
real fast on why I wanted to become a buddy in the first place. I was supposed
to be going on an Erasmus myself. This ultimately didn’t happen because I
didn’t pass a certain subject. The only problem with this wasn’t that I wasn’t
allowed to go, but I was to miss out on a whole international experience.

The solution for this was of
course to look for a new international experience. I found this experience
through being a buddy, not only being a buddy, but also part of ESN as a buddy coordinator
and Local Representative.

I’m not experienced with
having a buddy or being a buddy as this is my first time. My expectations are
mostly that I can make a student feel welcome and at home in Mechelen and
Thomas More, but also that I get to know new people quite well and build a good
friendship.

I hope that
I get to experience different cultures through these International students and
really get to know them and their culture. I hope to meet great people and
share experiences. The buddies that I got assigned to are students that are in
the teacher training as well. Therefore I hope to not only get to know their cultures
but also the working of their education system.

---

Coronabuddies

Being a buddy during Corona is a whole other experience ofcourse. You don’t get to have direct contact with your buddies. My 3 buddies went home so a lot of the planned stuff fell away. 

The main concern was their workload with the measurements and the stress that it brings. A whole experience that suddenly gets turned inside out. 2 of my buddies were from Spain where the situation was far from ideal in the beginning of the pandemic. They had an extra stress factor with a lot of missing information.

I had to catch this up with providing information and assistance for their situation and the work they had. I tried to answer their questions and help them as often as possible. They are safe and happy to be able to sit this hard time out with their family. The online tools were new for all of us, but it was a way that they still could do their lessons. 

The most help that needed to be given after the original spread was support with the work and questions. They had a lot of assignments suddenly. The role of buddy here shines bright though. The form of support changes a bit as from that point on moral support was the most important form.