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Love story 4 min. Swaans Communicatie
Many loves have their origins on campus, though not all of them last. Some campus couples are still together to this day. Towards the university's 100th anniversary, we collect their love stories. A year ago, Lyn (21) signed up for TOP Week, unaware that she was about to meet her girlfriend Anna (23) there. Although everyone around them said they were in love, they continued to deny this for another six months. Lyn: “We were just having a great time.”
“Anna was my TOP mentor,” Lyn begins. “During TOP Week, we already had a very good time together. We naturally gravitated towards each other, but we mainly saw it as friendship. At the end of the week, our fellow group members asked if it wasn’t time for us to kiss. Both of us really thought: ‘Why? What's that supposed to mean?’ But it did happen, on the last evening.”
Choosing Tilburg
Lyn is from a village called Kinderdijk, near Rotterdam. She had already studied in Tilburg for a year at the teacher training college of Fontys University of Applied Sciences. “I think Brabant is very welcoming, and Tilburg is a nice place to live. It feels like a kind of big, vibrant village. So I stayed in Tilburg.” Anna is from Veghel, between Eindhoven and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. “I was ready for the next step in a different city. I knew that rents are lower here than in the west of the country. And I was admitted to the Psychology program here. So it was an easy decision.”
Everyone around us said we were in love with each other
In love or not?
The ladies did not think very much of their kiss during TOP Week. Lyn: “Not even when Anna kindly offered to let me stay at her place if it was convenient, because I had such a long commute. Not even when we texted each other constantly in the weekend after TOP Week. And neither of us is very keen on texting.” Anna adds: “The Monday after TOP Week, Lyn stayed for dinner. After that, all of a sudden she was kind of my pet: she was always there.”
In the months that followed, the two are inseparable. Lyn: “Everyone around us said we were in love with each other. We denied it. We thought we were too different and that it would never work. I found Anna chaotic, impulsive. Anna was also active in a student association, whereas I had already had a job and was ready to settle down.” Anna: “And I, on the contrary, thought that Lyn was too wild. For six months, we denied there was anything special between us and then we could no longer ignore it. It felt strange and exciting at the same time. But we have now been an item for six months. In retrospect, we can see that we found each other more than interesting right from the start.”
It wasn’t a grand coming-out: everyone around me is thrilled to bits
Lyn
The people around Lyn and Anna responded with enthusiasm and generally in the same vein: ‘We told you so, didn’t we!’ Lyn: “I had always had relationships with men, never before with a woman. Still, it wasn’t a grand coming-out: everyone around me is thrilled to bits.”
Up for anything
Lyn and Anna both live in quiet student accommodation, about five minutes apart. So they see each other almost every day. And the relationship is going really well. “Anna can be very chaotic – she often cannot find all sorts of things – but secretly I think that is ever so cute. I also like it that she is up for anything. For instance, she had never gone camping before and had never felt the urge either. We have recently been to Norway and Sweden, wild camping for three weeks. Quite a step for someone who has never slept in a tent,” Lyn says. Anna: “We don’t need anything to entertain us. We talk all the time and enjoy each other’s company tremendously. As a result, we sometimes forget our own appointments. Even though we see a lot of each other, we are never bored. Lyn is always cheerful and has the talent to infect other people with her good spirits.”
We have totally different opinions on some subjects but we talk about them. We learn so much from each other.
Future all mapped out
Anna is now in the middle of a Master of Clinical Psychology, Lyn is in the second year of her Psychology Bachelor’s. And there are future plans. Anna: “I will start an internship soon and I am considering taking another Master’s after this one.” Lyn: “After my Bachelor’s, I also want to start a Master’s program in Clinical Psychology. And then I think I’ll be done studying and will want to start working in the field.”
And they also have ideas about that. Anna: “The idea to start a practice together appeals to us.” Lyn: “Secretly, we have our future pretty much figured out: what we are going to do when it comes to work, what our home is going to look like – we only want smart lighting – and how we will bring up any children. I would like to continue living in Brabant.” Anna smiles: “Brabant is not on my wish list. We are definitely going to adopt a dachshund, though.” Lyn: “We do not quite see eye to eye on this subject: I do not really want a dog. But perhaps this reflects our relationship: at first we thought we were completely different, but we have learned that you grow closer to each other if you can add a little water to the wine. We have totally different opinions on some subjects but we talk about them. We learn so much from each other.”
Do you have a Tilburg University love story too?
Did you meet the love of your life at Tilburg University?Did sparks fly immediately?Or did it take a little longer for your feelings to grow?
Send an email to:magazine@tilburguniversity.edu
Let us know!
Also in Tilburg University Magazine
Date of publication: 27 September 2024
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