Our Faces!
Get to know the faces of the Tallinn Travellers!
Amber Lauwers
Political Sciences // Travel Report Committee // Culture Club
Tallinn isn't really a city Amber would visit herself really quickly. Though the other choices would have been amazing as well, Tallinn is less mainstream and therefore appealed to her way more. She is mostly looking forward to learn about Tallinn in general, a place she knows very little about. More specifically she would love to delve into its culture and how it was shaped by its history with Russia. Packing bags might be a bit difficult for Amber, as she is addicted to buying shoes. Even more challenging, she is so addicted that she is going to have to leave some space on our way there to bring back some new shoes as souvenirs!
Political Sciences // The New Sovjeties
Berglind Bernardsdóttir
International Bachelor in Psychology // Organizational + Food & Drinks Commitee // Estucation
Berglind's decision to go to Tallinn was entirely based on curiosity, as she had no knowledge about the city when choosing it. But now that she has done a little research, she hopes to learn more about the effect of digitalization on society, as well as the country's relationship with Russia and how that reflects the Estonian identity. However, most of all, she is looking forward to the food; her favourite thing in the world. She cannot wait to experience Tallinn through her stomach and connect with its culture. When Bergind was younger, she dreamed of being a mom of ten kids, but these goals have been slightly adjusted.
International Bachelor in Psychology // Activities Committee // I'm Bad
Caroline de Vries
International Bachelor in Psychology // Travel Report Committee // The New Sovjeties
Like Amber, Caroline chose Tallinn because she had never thought about going to Tallinn on her own, but also because of its rich history. She hopes to explore this history during our time there and actually seeing Tallinn after reading and hearing so much about it. Mostly though, she is looking forward to getting to know her fellow travellers and spending a great week with lovely people. Caroline is slightly obsessed with cleaning, but while this is only a benefit for us, she also has an intense fear of birds, which might become problematic as Estonia, with its 339 species of birds, is known as a good birdwatching destination...
Political Sciences // Travel Report Committee // Culture Club
Tallinn isn't really a city Amber would visit herself really quickly. Though the other choices would have been amazing as well, Tallinn is less mainstream and therefore appealed to her way more. She is mostly looking forward to learn about Tallinn in general, a place she knows very little about. More specifically she would love to delve into its culture and how it was shaped by its history with Russia. Packing bags might be a bit difficult for Amber, as she is addicted to buying shoes. Even more challenging, she is so addicted that she is going to have to leave some space on our way there to bring back some new shoes as souvenirs!
Anouk van Vliet
Political Sciences // The New Sovjeties
From the options we could choose from, Anouk was most interested in Tallinn as she always wanted to travel there once. The Sovjet tour is high on her list of promising activities, as she would love to learn more about the history of the Sovjet times. She is also looking forward to all the social informal activities while we are there. She loves listening to her record player, though she will probably have to do with a Spotify playlist during our time there...
Berglind Bernardsdóttir
International Bachelor in Psychology // Organizational + Food & Drinks Commitee // Estucation
Berglind's decision to go to Tallinn was entirely based on curiosity, as she had no knowledge about the city when choosing it. But now that she has done a little research, she hopes to learn more about the effect of digitalization on society, as well as the country's relationship with Russia and how that reflects the Estonian identity. However, most of all, she is looking forward to the food; her favourite thing in the world. She cannot wait to experience Tallinn through her stomach and connect with its culture. When Bergind was younger, she dreamed of being a mom of ten kids, but these goals have been slightly adjusted.
Carlos Colliers Valencia
International Bachelor in Psychology // Activities Committee // I'm Bad
If Tallinn was not an option for the Honours trip, Carlos probably wouldn't have been able to visit Tallinn in the near future. He is therefore really enthusiastic to learn about this city and the people living there, as well as their culture and how it differs from the rest of the world. As a lover of dance, we might see some of his salsa moves, or perhaps he is willing to try some Estonian folk dance as well?
Caroline de Vries
International Bachelor in Psychology // Travel Report Committee // The New Sovjeties
Like Amber, Caroline chose Tallinn because she had never thought about going to Tallinn on her own, but also because of its rich history. She hopes to explore this history during our time there and actually seeing Tallinn after reading and hearing so much about it. Mostly though, she is looking forward to getting to know her fellow travellers and spending a great week with lovely people. Caroline is slightly obsessed with cleaning, but while this is only a benefit for us, she also has an intense fear of birds, which might become problematic as Estonia, with its 339 species of birds, is known as a good birdwatching destination...
Celine Chaigneau
International Bachelor in Psychology // Travel Report Committee // Estucation
Celine chose to go to Tallinn because of the topic connected to this city: old vs new worlds. As she doesn't know much about this topic and neither about Tallinn, she is eager to explore this new field in this diverse city. She is looking most forward to travel with the others and to explore a wide range of topics with everyone. Also, she hopes to learn about the online education system in Estonia and how it impacts learning outcomes as well as why the Estonian government decided to pioneer in this field. (Don't share this further though: she actually mostly chose Tallinn so she can scratch Estonia off her scratch map...)
Christian Groeneveld
Astronomy + Physics // E-Residencents
Claudia Boer
Psychology // Financial Committee // The Historians
For Claudia the choice was easy, Tallinn seemed more fun than the other options, and she would probably never travel there by herself. So she really hopes to have enough time to do some sightseeingwhile spending time with the group. She would love to learn more about the history, culture and people of Estonia. She loves chocolate, but hates everything that has chocolate in it (e.g. chocolate milk, ice cream, etc.). Who knows, she might fall in love with Kamatahvel, Estonia's 'fake chocolate' that was invented when cocoa prices skyrocketed and chocolate became scarce in then-Soviet Estonia. 
Denise Soeterbroek
Psychology // Activities Committee // Take it E-Asy
Dominik Bachmann
International Bachelor in Psychology // The Historians
Tallinn was Dominik's choice as it is a place he'd never just go to. He is looking forward to exploring the ancient city center, including the architecture. Besides that, he is also really looking forward to learn more about his fellow travellers he hasn't met yet, as well as hanging out with his own Cohort for the last time. Pay attention during the Historians' presentation; Dominik hides something no one is supposed to notice in almost every presentation he gives to make it a bit more exciting to look forward to. See if you can spot it!
Hans SchoenmakersPsychology // Activities Committee // Take it E-Asy
Hans is really looking forward to walk around in Tallinn as he believes it is a beautiful town. He hopes to learn more about the digitalization in Estonia. If you need to bond with the locals, for example during your interviews, ask Hans if he can teach you to do a slav squat (he is an expert)!
Hinke Hoffstädt
International Bachelor in Psychology // Culture Club
To Hinke, Tallinn was a place that would never have crossed her mind when planning a holiday or city trip, and so this was the perfect opportunity to explore a new and unknown city. She hopes to learn more about its history, especially regarding the communist era, and what its consequencese were and are on the Estonians.
Jet Lageman
Psychology // Financial Committee // Culture ClubExploring something new, that is the main reason Jet chose to go to Tallinn. She has never been to Estonia before and is really excited to visit its musea and to explore the impact the Soviet period still has on everyday life during our time there. With her favorite colour being pink, I highly recommend she visit 'Vahvlihaldjad' a pink café in the heart of Tallinn with cake prices as cheap as 2 euros (and their panda macarons look pretty damn delicious too)!
Josephine Marschall
International Bachelor in Psychology // Food & Drinks Committee // Techy Madness
With a friend from Tallinn, Josephine was really curious to see where she comes from and experience her culture. She loves getting to know new perspectives, and she is also really excited to see her friend while we are there!
Kaitlan McKinney
International Bachelor in Psychology // Food & Drinks Committee // Techy MadnessKaitlan also has never been to Estonia before, and she loves visiting new places. Hence, Tallinn became her Honours destination. As a fully determined psychology student, she hopes to learn more about Estonia's psychiatric practices, while at the same time meeting interesting people. Hopefully there will be enough time left for her to explore her research topic thoroughly, as she really really loves to sleep.
Kashish Masood
International Bachelor in Psychology // Travel Report Committee // Take it E-Asy
Tallinn is a totally new city for Kashish and its the technological developments taking place there that she would like to explore during her time there. With an emphasis how Estonia's culture and history has shaped them in becoming so technologically advanced. Next to that she is all in for good food, good places and above all a good time with the cohort. Being roomies with Kashish can be challenging though, she is a real morning morning person who loves waking up at 6a.m. And yes, she's dead serious about this.
Lena Damber
International Bachelor in Pscyhology // Travel Report Committee // Techy MadnessWithout any pre-set expectations, Lena is really excited to visit a place she would not have visited otherwise. She is looking forward to exploring the city center and try the local food, while learning more about Tallinn in general. Of course she is also excited about her research question, and the research they are going to do while they're there. For anyone who is a bit nervous about travelling, you can always go to Lena for advise: last year she travelled to 10 countries!
Lisa Stange
International Bachelor in Psychology // Organizational + Food & Drinks Committee // Take it E-Asy
Lisa really wants to explore Tallinn, because it is not a place she would usually visit and because honestly she doesn't know much about it. This is for her the perfect opportunity to get to know this city better. She especially wants to explore the old part of town to explore the history of Tallinn, especially with the old Soviet Union. Also interested in the technological developments, she hopes to be able to dive into this wide range of topics while having a good time with the other travellers. Hopefully her research group schedules some free time in between all their appoinments, as Lisa sometimes has up to three naps a day...Lisa Straetmans
International Bachelor in Psychology // Food & Drinks Committee // Estucation
Estonia was Lisa's first choice of destination because it is really high on her bucket list, and so she is really looking forward to exploring the city and culture. By doing her research into Estonian education, she hopes to learn about how the digitalization of education affects the child and his/her motivation to learn. But be aware when travelling with Lisa: she has no sense of direction whatsoever, so she will probably get lost multiple times.
Psychology // Logistics Committee // E-Residencents
Manon Schipper
Psychology // Travel Report Committee // The New Sovjeties
Manon has chosen Tallinn as it is unlikely for her to travel here on her own, but the rich history, the beautiful city and new cultures really intrigued her. She is excited to take a look at the stunning architecture and other art in the city as well as learning about how Estonia's culture is (still) influenced by the USSR. She is looking forward to a fun time with the group as well and with her aspirations to become a researcher, her geeky side might come in handy for her research group!
Mariël de Groote
Marc Cleiren
Deputy Coordinator Honours College 'Science and Society', Leiden University
Marc did not really get to choose where to go, he is going to Tallinn, because we chose to go there. As our coordinator, he is in charge of making sure we are all on track with our research and committee work. However, besides that, he is also looking forward to all the experiences he is going to share with the students while also meeting some old friends while we are there. His main goal in Tallinn is to learn everyone's name by heart! He also loves Estonian choir music, so don't feel too bad for him about not being able to choose his destination :)
Psychology + Law // Organizational + Activities + Financial Committee // I'm Bad
Milou Bonewit
Political Sciences + Law // Orgainzational + Activities Committee // I'm Bad
Tallinn's interesting USSR history is why Milou chose this city as her destination. She hopes to learn more about Estonian politics, especially regarding Russian relations, during our time there, and she is also looking forward to bonding with her fellow Honours students.
Nina Beekman
Noortje Diks
Psychology // Organizational + Financial Committee // E-Residencents
Due to Tallinn's small scale and nice atmosphere Noortje chose to join the Honours trip to this not-so-typical or mainstream city. As a real concert-fanatic, it might be a good idea to check out what gigs are going on while we are there!
If he is being really honest, René chose to go to Tallinn because of his lack of knowledge about the city and country, and because he would probably not travel there himself so it was the perfect opportunity to explore an unknown destination. Plus, when googling, he thought it looked quite pretty. He hopes to learn more about the Estonian educational system, and why the country performs so well in the PISA rankings in combination with the digitalization of the system. But of course, he mostly looks forward to spending time with his lovely fellow buddies while getting to know the city (though he will miss the beautiful FSW building). All you need to know about René: lives off coffee, red-green colour blind, afraid of birds, has the best facial expressions, and eats mountains of salt (maybe the Food & Drinks committe should consider Restaurant Salt in Tallinn?)
Sammy Wals
Psychology // Logistics Committee // E-Residencents
Sammy picked Tallinn for his Honours trip due to his interest in the digitalization of our society, and with Estonia being one of Europe's pioneers in this field, he definitely made a good choice. He hopes to learn more about how such a big chance in digitalization can be realized, and how you can be a digital citizen and/or entrepeneur. And he just wants to make sure before we leave that every single one of us knows: gingers do have souls!
Luuk Snijder
Psychology // Logistics Committee // E-Residencents
For Luuk, Tallinn wasn't a difficult choice due to his interest in innovation and digitalization, which he hopes to explore during our time there with our awesome group. If he is going to be in charge of our music playlist though, just be prepared to hear 'Unwritten' by Natasha Bedingfield on constant repeat, as according to Luuk, this is the best song ever written.
Manon Schipper
Psychology // Travel Report Committee // The New SovjetiesManon has chosen Tallinn as it is unlikely for her to travel here on her own, but the rich history, the beautiful city and new cultures really intrigued her. She is excited to take a look at the stunning architecture and other art in the city as well as learning about how Estonia's culture is (still) influenced by the USSR. She is looking forward to a fun time with the group as well and with her aspirations to become a researcher, her geeky side might come in handy for her research group!
Mariël de Groote
Child Studies // Food & Drinks Committee // Culture Club
As Tallinn, or Estonia, had never been a destination for Mariël before, she chose to join this trip, and she cannot wait to explore the sights and culture of the city!
Marc Cleiren
Deputy Coordinator Honours College 'Science and Society', Leiden UniversityMarc did not really get to choose where to go, he is going to Tallinn, because we chose to go there. As our coordinator, he is in charge of making sure we are all on track with our research and committee work. However, besides that, he is also looking forward to all the experiences he is going to share with the students while also meeting some old friends while we are there. His main goal in Tallinn is to learn everyone's name by heart! He also loves Estonian choir music, so don't feel too bad for him about not being able to choose his destination :)
Marise Kok
Psychology + Law // Organizational + Activities + Financial Committee // I'm Bad
For Marise the choice was clear, Tallinn was her top choice in comparison with the other options. During our stay there, she is really looking forward to the cultural activities to explore Estonian culture. And she is very lucky with her choice. Marise's secret love is cheese, and according to culturecheesemag.com Estonia is number 5 of cheesy countries (though it's mostly cheese curd...)
Milou BonewitPolitical Sciences + Law // Orgainzational + Activities Committee // I'm Bad
Tallinn's interesting USSR history is why Milou chose this city as her destination. She hopes to learn more about Estonian politics, especially regarding Russian relations, during our time there, and she is also looking forward to bonding with her fellow Honours students.
Nina Beekman
Political Sciences // Organizational + Activities Committee // The New Sovjeties
Nina chose to go to Tallinn due to her interest in post-communist countries and because of Tallinn's beauty. During our stay there, she really hopes to learn more about the Soviet influences on Estonia's society.
Noortje DiksPsychology // Organizational + Financial Committee // E-Residencents
Due to Tallinn's small scale and nice atmosphere Noortje chose to join the Honours trip to this not-so-typical or mainstream city. As a real concert-fanatic, it might be a good idea to check out what gigs are going on while we are there!
René Neumann
International Bachelor in Psychology // Organizational + Food & Drinks Committee // Estucation
If he is being really honest, René chose to go to Tallinn because of his lack of knowledge about the city and country, and because he would probably not travel there himself so it was the perfect opportunity to explore an unknown destination. Plus, when googling, he thought it looked quite pretty. He hopes to learn more about the Estonian educational system, and why the country performs so well in the PISA rankings in combination with the digitalization of the system. But of course, he mostly looks forward to spending time with his lovely fellow buddies while getting to know the city (though he will miss the beautiful FSW building). All you need to know about René: lives off coffee, red-green colour blind, afraid of birds, has the best facial expressions, and eats mountains of salt (maybe the Food & Drinks committe should consider Restaurant Salt in Tallinn?) Sammy Wals
Psychology // Logistics Committee // E-ResidencentsSammy picked Tallinn for his Honours trip due to his interest in the digitalization of our society, and with Estonia being one of Europe's pioneers in this field, he definitely made a good choice. He hopes to learn more about how such a big chance in digitalization can be realized, and how you can be a digital citizen and/or entrepeneur. And he just wants to make sure before we leave that every single one of us knows: gingers do have souls!
Sandra Martens
Public Administration + Economics and Business Economics // The New Sovjeties
Tallinn is an interesting city to explore and research for Sandra, due to the combination of the Soviet past and its current orientation towards the EU. She really hopes she can visit the KGB Prison Cells as it is not only very valuable for her specific research, but also provides a more general illustration of Estonia's past. She hopes to find out how the Soviet history and EU-oriented present are intertwined with each other, and she is really excited about the trip now that it is coming closer even though she had never thought about visiting Tallinn.
Selena Rodriguez
International Bachelor in Psychology // Organizational + Food and Drinks Committee // Estucation
Selena decided for Tallinn as it is a city she wouldn't get the chance to go to too often. She is really looking forward to learning about the digitalization in all the different areas of the Estonian society, as well as whether it would be possible to implement this in other places, or whether there are negative consequences to such an online system. Her research group is focusing on the digitalization in the area of education, so she is mostly looking forward to exploring this topic. And who knows, you might hear Selena's pretty singing voice once or twice while in Tallinn!
Psychology // Organizational + Food and Drinks Committee // Culture Club
Tesse Albers
Political Sciences // Culture Club
For Tesse, visiting Tallinn means broadening her European horizon. She has visisted a few of the Western and Southern European countries, but this trip provides her with a great opportunity to explore the capital city of one of the Baltic states. She is excited to visit Vanalinn, the old city center of Tallinn, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and hopes to learn a lot about the city, Estonian culture, the local people and customs. Tallinn's Soviet past and the effects it has on contemporary Tallinn are also big interest points for her, and she really hopes to have fun while learning about it.
Psychology // Travel Report Committee // The Historians
Victoria Doig Alba
International Bachelor in Psychology // Travel Report Committee // Estucation
Victoria did not choose Tallinn because of the city. She chose it because all of her friends were going and she just wanted to hang out with them (thanks for your honesty). Though with a bit of a rough start, she is now really looking forward to explore Tallinn's historical city centre with the group, as well as learning about Estonia's history, especially about what it was like during and after the fall of the USSR. Luckily, Victoria knows what it is like to be in different places: she moved around a lot when she was young and grew up in four different countries: Peru, Germany, the USA and Cuba.
Setia Kati Sowitzki
Psychology // Organizational + Food and Drinks Committee // Culture Club
Setia, but please call her Tia, chose Tallinn as it was a more alternative option to her, she would not necessarily have visited Estonia otherwise. She always had wanted to check out the Baltic countries, so this was the perfect opportunity. Only later did she discover that Tallinn was actually pretty modern and tech! She really wants to soak up all the impressions while we're there, and experience the culture this 'exotic' destination has to offer. Hopefully both the hostel and food and drinks committee are well-prepared, because not only does Tia eat chocolate for breakfast, she also eats whenever she gets nervous.
Tesse Albers
Political Sciences // Culture Club
For Tesse, visiting Tallinn means broadening her European horizon. She has visisted a few of the Western and Southern European countries, but this trip provides her with a great opportunity to explore the capital city of one of the Baltic states. She is excited to visit Vanalinn, the old city center of Tallinn, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and hopes to learn a lot about the city, Estonian culture, the local people and customs. Tallinn's Soviet past and the effects it has on contemporary Tallinn are also big interest points for her, and she really hopes to have fun while learning about it.
Valentina Gabaret
Psychology // Travel Report Committee // The Historians
This city had never even crossed Valentina's mind when she thought about potential places to visit. She loves travelling to amazing places though and always wants to see new places, so Tallinn was the perfect destination. She is all in for sightseeing when we are there, while at the same time exploring some of the history of Tallinn. If we end up having a movie night showing the Lion King, get your tissues out, because Valentina still lets a tear when Simba's dad dies.
Victoria Doig Alba
International Bachelor in Psychology // Travel Report Committee // Estucation
Victoria did not choose Tallinn because of the city. She chose it because all of her friends were going and she just wanted to hang out with them (thanks for your honesty). Though with a bit of a rough start, she is now really looking forward to explore Tallinn's historical city centre with the group, as well as learning about Estonia's history, especially about what it was like during and after the fall of the USSR. Luckily, Victoria knows what it is like to be in different places: she moved around a lot when she was young and grew up in four different countries: Peru, Germany, the USA and Cuba.
