The room of third-year Psychology bachelor’s student Anne Gehde (22) is a mix of IKEA furniture, personal belongings and a special guestbook hanging on the wall, already filled with plenty of signatures.
Room: A 14-square-metre room on Witbreuksweg. She pays €402 a month, including gas, water and electricity. She shares the bathroom and kitchen with five housemates.
How long have you lived here?
‘I’ve been living here since July last year. Before that, I shared a place with a friend in Gronau, who now also lives in Enschede. I didn’t necessarily have to leave, but I really wanted to. I replied to about fifty different room listings and happened to get this one. It’s a bit unusual because I’m German, while everyone else in the house is Dutch.’
Do you speak English together, then?
‘Because German and Dutch are quite similar, they just speak Dutch. I understand most of it. I’m taking Dutch lessons to improve my speaking skills. I’m lucky that my housemates were so open to it. I know not many other students are that fortunate.’
Nice! And where did you get most of your furniture?
‘My bed came from my old place in Gronau, and the desk belonged to the previous tenant. The other furniture is from IKEA. The only exception is a bedside table on wheels, which I got from my grandmother.’
Are you more of a neat freak or a messy person?
‘Things pile up from time to time, but I do try to keep everything tidy. I clean at least once a week. It’s easier to keep this room in order because the place is relatively small. In Gronau, I had a room of around twenty square metres, so it took some getting used to.’
What makes your room special?
‘I have a sort of guestbook that I started back in Gronau. Everyone who visits signs it. At first, it was just my housemates and me, but by now, lots of other people have signed it too. I think it’s a nice keepsake.’
Do you have a funny story about your room?
‘When I was still painting the walls, a few of my friends came over to help. I still remember how surprised we were when we discovered a huge sweat stain on the wall left by the previous tenant. It was really funny and great to fix up the room together, but also pretty disgusting.’
