Last weekend brought us the Music on the Dommel festival. It was the fourth edition, actually. People might say the event was a success because of the weather, but the credits go to a team of strong, friendly and enthusiastic people, really: the volunteers (ranging from festival board members to guards).

This year Muziek op de Dommel had a lot of international volunteers, mostly alumni or current students of TU/e, and the fact brought a smile of satisfaction to my face. After four years of waiting and hoping all the efforts to unite foreigners and locals in Eindhoven would work, finally internationals were actually taking part in the city community.

What I mean is this: volunteering at the festival was not only a great input for one of the largest free cultural events in Eindhoven, but it also had a wonderful influence on the volunteers’ social circle. International people working on the festival grounds had a chance to mingle with the Dutch and meet many other nationalities, to make new friends and even enjoy the afterparty on Saturday night.

I hope to see even more international volunteers joining the great Music on the Dommel team of volunteers next year, and I expect more and more events like this will help us to unite people living together in this exciting area.