A Meal Away From Home

The most exciting things about moving abroad are making new friends and turning a foreign city into a second home. But making new connections isn’t always easy, especially during the rainy autumn months. How do you move past small talk and make real, lasting connections? How do you find your place far away from the familiar? And how can you make the most of your time in Groningen?

Over a warm bowl of soup and an array of snacks, anthropologist Rafael Coelho introduces you to Commensality: the practice of building connections by sharing food. After dinner, sociologist Başak Bilecen will talk about how moving abroad can impact your life, and explain how these moments of connection can help you combat homesickness and loneliness. Hanze Student Support will close the evening with tips and tricks on how to feel at home in a foreign city and where to go if you need help.

José Rafael Medeiros Coelho is a PhD candidate in Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Groningen, where he teaches at BA and MA levels on the MENA, including Culture and Soft Power in the Middle East and Foodways in the Middle East: Heritage, Culture and Memory. His interdisciplinary research explores culture, identity, heritage, migration, and transnational connections, with his doctoral research focusing on Arab migration to Latin America and diasporic communities.

Başak Bilecen is a Professor of Sociology at the University of Groningen and since September 2025 she is the head of the Sociology Department. Her research focuses on international migration and social networks with particular attention to international students and inequalities in access to transnational social protection. Her work combines relational and comparative perspectives to understand how family, community and institutional contexts shape loneliness and well-being. 
 

The soup we will be serving is a traditional Arabian Harira. Allergens: gluten, wheat, celery. Are you allergic? Please send an email to usva@rug.nl and we will discuss an alternative together.

In collaboration with Usva, Hanze Student Support and study association Siduri.