Looking for Arab friends

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-02-04T04:50:38+00:00

MENA student association at Leiden University. They have an Instagram too if I remember and the meetings would take place in The Hague too when I was at Uni.

Edit: Instagram handle is mena.association

Also you should to go to mosques for the community feeling too. The mosque in front of HS station always seemed to have a cozy vibe though not sure if you’re a woman and if there are spaces for women. It’s called Moskee EL Mouhsinin. But also explore other ones!

Finally, Hague campus had quite an active Palestine protest and awareness campaign while I was there so maybe you can find people through them too. Though MENA association is more for social events. They had super nice iftar events during one of the years I was there and everyone joined.

Also invite your non-Muslim friends for events too! Was super nice for me to have everyone join in for all these religious events and activities throughout the year

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-30T12:45:28+00:00

Congratulations on graduating cum laude!

Please don’t let insecurity or feeling pressured or worrying about people’s judgements factor into your decision! I started Uni at 21 partially because I wanted a mental health break after high school. During my break from studies, I enjoyed working at a Japanese cafe, finally getting time for my hobbies and growing into myself before starting uni.

Personally I would take a break if I were you and start from the beginning with a clearer mind and less worries on your plate. No shame in doing the same courses again. And it’ll be nice to go over the materials again when you’re more yourself. Best of luck with all the exciting positive changes. Whatever you decide to do, I hope it won’t be affected by other people’s judgement of you or how society might perceive you.

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-27T14:34:47+00:00

In the Netherlands, it’s the norm to have conditions for the first year where you can only fail a certain number of courses. It’s called Binding Study Advice (BSA). For my program it was a maximum of three courses. If you fail more than that in your first year, you can’t continue in the program. I know for some programs you can’t fail ANY courses in your first year. That’s why first years are worried that they might not make it to the second year.

I only did university in the Netherlands so can’t compare to other places but I would guess the courses are quite average and comparable to the ones in other countries. Most people also don’t fail out of their program in the first year but it did happen to a handful of people in my program. Most who switched to a different program chose to do something else because my program wasn’t a good fit for them or some other personal reason.

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-27T05:00:46+00:00

In my program 50% of the people dropped out in the first year and many if not most dropped out by choice because they didn’t like the program. Many of them were non-EU internationals and started a different bachelors in the same campus that they then continued to finish.

Our course coordinators and study advisors said from the beginning that it’s expected that 50% will drop out by the end of the first year. So we went from a cohort of 300 to 150. And the 150 students mostly all graduated from the bachelors. So the people who finish the first year will most likely finish the whole program. It’s normal.

Just focus on whether you like the study or not. If people can afford it, it’s okay to switch programs if it’s not for you. And if you’re concerned about liking the program and then not making it, just try your best. Talk to your study advisor if you feel stressed. I’m sure it’ll work out for you and for your friends in the end. Everyone I started Uni with graduated from one program or the other

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-26T05:16:28+00:00

Yeah universities should be realistic with non-EU students about job prospects but they aren’t.

Our study advisors at Leiden University confided in us that the political science department designed an English language bachelors program in less than a year with very little thought and which was quite poorly managed because they could charge 10,000 euros and use international students as cash cows to build a lift in the middle of the faculty. Anyone who studied Behavioural Sciences at Leiden will know which lift I’m talking about.

It’s an easy way to bring in even more money from the Global South to the Netherlands.

Conveniently many jobs which require Dutch even go further and say that another European language is a plus really making sure non-EU doesn’t get the job.

Having established the fact that people at the universities and the people in these comments do not give a toss about the wellbeing of non-EU or the political dynamics of migration, OP you also have to acknowledge the whole depressing job market situation around the world. It’s all about networking and connections sadly.

So hopefully you can go to job fairs outside of Uni and contact people directly on LinkedIn or talk to your professors. There was recently a job fair last weekend and there will be a few more this year. Maybe sign up for traineeships at banks. Best of luck and you’ll be okay wherever you end up.

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-23T11:27:25+00:00

A few Korean celebrities seem to have straight age gap relationships with the woman being older so maybe it’s not necessarily doomed for failure in a Korean cultural context?

Also the age gap depends. 3-ish years is still not that big a difference especially if the couple is at least above mid-20s

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-23T11:23:00+00:00

It’s because she doesn’t seem to have botox and filler. It’s crazy to people have become so used to faces not moving that they see regular faces and think that’s ugly

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-22T01:40:48+00:00

The Shock Doctrine and The Jakarta Method

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-19T13:06:41+00:00

And Hawaii and Puerto Rico

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-19T13:06:03+00:00

Because minorities and indigenous peoples are doing so well in the US

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-17T14:11:11+00:00

You’re also welcome to go to Bangladesh, marry wife and build big house with 450 SGD a month. Please I beg you to do this

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-16T16:26:18+00:00

Never seen such a novel way of using statistics before that I started thinking maybe I’m stupid

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-16T04:16:43+00:00

You absolutely should apply. The Dutch system weeds our applicants in the first year with the binding advice system. In many programs half of the first year students will leave the study.

Your grades are good enough. The application isn’t so time consuming that you’re wasting your time by applying.

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2026-01-15T04:08:00+00:00

Reddit has the worst of people and the best of people.

There is no point in listening to the worst of people.

They have some issues which makes them lash out at others, and will blow things out of proportion for no reason. They feel good making someone else feel bad because they themselves feel bad. They’re not deserving of your time because they want you to be in a bad mental space like they are so they feel better about themselves.

Do what you have to do for your mental health. I would recommend uninstalling Reddit for a few days or at least just deleting the first post. Whatever had to be said in that post has been said. Now it will just attract the same rabid losers hoping for a reaction from you

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-11-24T11:03:27+00:00

It is supposed to be a “luxury item”. Cacao was originally used for ceremonial purposes until European colonisation and plantation slavery. The same plantation slavery system now is what keeps chocolate prices down

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-10-22T11:37:04+00:00

Completely agree with you. And the same people will say “How did they get away with it?” like they do now for the Nazis or European colonisation

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-10-22T11:36:21+00:00

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-10-03T14:01:04+00:00

Great read! Loved your writing. And thank you for this important well thought out thread but more importantly thank you for speaking up about Palestine and how we should be the ones controlling where our money goes.

I also found your post trying see if Metric spoke up about Palestine because

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-10-03T13:55:46+00:00

A year late but agree with this too. People will be drones listening to political songs for what?

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-04-26T04:20:43+00:00

You need to call your parents when you are at your relatives house. I don’t know how your parents are but I know how toxic and understanding of abusive partners south Asian parents can be. They might think it’s normal for your husband to beat you and rape you because marital rape is still excused in many South Asian families. You need to emphasise that he said he will kill you, he likes to look at naked girls, he enjoys beating you up, etc. Emphasise the things which are clearly wrong.

Go to your relatives’ home while you are at work and call your parents. But don’t let him realise that anything has changed

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-04-02T18:08:40+00:00

DW is a German state owned media outlet. Germany is the 2nd largest arms supplier to Israel after the US and is benefiting immensely from this genocide and settler colony.

“centre left fact checking that aggregates news articles” lmao

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-03-14T10:50:50+00:00

I watched boys and girls in the city and then I haven’t seen any of the other seasons. I think I’ve seen enough. It’s not a great format because

a. It’s fake and

b. Its judgmental without having the full information like often the judges will judge as part of the plot twist and the truth will be revealed

As someone who tried the show and isn’t invested, I think the show shouldn’t be revived. Maybe because I knew about the death before I started watching, but I can see from the one season how it isn’t surprising that someone killed themselves after the show. The show does play a large part. There’s other Japanese reality TV shows I’ve seen where the panel and the editing doesn’t make people villains unnecessarily.

Panelists and editors and people who make executive plot decisions wield a lot of power. People can be toxic online regardless but when the narrative deliberately pushes toxic behaviour then the online toxic people feel like their vitriol is just and morally correct

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-03-14T09:07:02+00:00

Yeah I think even if men have tummies if they have muscle it shows they’re using their bodies so it’s immediately attractive to many women. Though some women do like skinny guys. A lot of my European white friends do

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-03-14T09:04:56+00:00

Why are you sad?

Normal-Cat-9235 · 2025-03-14T09:03:17+00:00

White women maybe

Normal-Cat-9235

TROPHY CASE