- Student
- 18/12/2015
How do you turn a gas station (tankstation in Dutch) into a cozy student residence?
Arne den Otter (21), third-year student of Innovation Sciences: “I was searching for a place to live when I heard the Berkman gas station shop that belongs to my uncle had been vacant for a while.” He and 21-year old fellow student of Innovation Sciences Olivier Swinkels renovated the gas station, where drivers can still pump gas 24/7. After a while, the duo was joined by 20-year old Kay Tuip, another third-year student of, yes, Innovation Sciences. The three of them built three bedrooms.
Recipe: Cabbage and satay sauce
Olivier is in charge of preparing the dish on two sub-par electric burners and an oven. There's canned tomato soup by a former ice-skating sponsor as an entrée.
Bring 500 grams of cabbage to the boil until kind of cooked. In the meantime, fry 500 grams of pork steak in butter and bake 300 grams of potato wafers in a preheated oven. Don't forget to heat the satay sauce as well (500 grams).
What's so special about this place?
“It's a central and vibrant spot, located close to the city center, and there's an Asian restaurant and a huge Asian supermarket at our doorstep”, Kay sums up. “ In summer, we can play soccer in front of our house, and we recently threw a party in the carwash next door”, Olivier adds. Arne continues to point out there are still functional security cameras set up in their kitchen, as well as store displays, and they pay little rent as they live there through an anti-squat construction. “A shower in the kitchen is something you don't see everyday, either. You know, I'll be cooking and Arne or Kay walk past stark naked. We've gotten used to it, though”, says Olivier.
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