Marit Bot, board member of InSpe and member of Musilon
I am Marit and I am studying Technical Medicine. I am in my master right now. I am a member of InSpe and Musilon since the beginning of my study. I am now the secretary of the board of InSpe for almost two years. Before these board years I was on the board of Musilon. There I was the president.
Photo is made by Laurens Westenberg
What can you tell me about your cultural background?
I sing as long as I can remember. Singing is my passion since I was very young. When I was about 8 years old I joined my first choir. Since that moment I have always been a member of a choir. At primary school I joined a musical for one year. Before I went to Enschede I looked up a choir to join, and that’s how I got to know Musilon. In one of the first rehearsals someone made promotion for the musical Jesus Christ Superstar from InSpe. That seemed like a lot of fun so I did an audition and joined the musical as well. I was really nervous for the audition. I was a first year student and I didn’t really know what to expect from it. I almost turned around when going to the audition, but I am glad I didn’t do so.
My parents do not really have a passion for singing. They sing along, but just for fun. My grandfather does like singing a lot, so I think I got his genes. From the age of 13 I started with singing lessons. At these lessons I could sing all out. I couldn’t do that home, because then you have your family to take into account.
What moment would you never forget about a cultural event?
In my first year at Musilon it was the lustrum year, so in the summer holiday we went to France. I thought it was really fun to have a holiday with people who all like singing. It was really special, mostly because these activities only happen during a lustrum year.
Another moment I would never forget is the Jesus Christ Superstar production from InSpe. The group of people was really nice and every Friday we went to the VB. After the performance we also went to the VB, and we stayed there until closing time. Everyone knew that at the moment you would go home the adventure was over. At that moment InSpe was just a onetime thing, and it was not yet known that there would be another production.
Both these moments happened during my first year in Enschede. I am really glad I met a lot of people at these associations with who I have a lot of fun with. It was a nice start for my study time.
What did you learn from culture/the cultural association?
I learned a lot from my board years. During my Musilon board year I was the president of the association. I chose that function, because I wanted to learn about that function. During that board year I mostly learned about being a team leader and public speaking. In the beginning I was really nervous about public speaking, but after a year I even liked to do it. Next to what you learn from a specific function I noticed that I also learned a lot from the group work we did as a board. I know from myself that I neglect conflicts, but at a certain point you have to discuss certain issues. During my board year at Musilon I learned more about how to handle this, which I couldn’t learn from just my study. This is also the reason why I joined the board of InSpe; I noticed that during a board year you learn other skills than you learn at your own study.
I was pretty excited about joining the InSpe board. Although I already had experience from my board year at Musilon, InSpe is so different. It is quite a new concept and the budget is a lot bigger. I had already joined the first two edition of InSpe, so from there you see stuff that you want to repeat or want to do better. At InSpe I am the secretary. I wanted to have more contact with members and the creatives, but I also wanted to have contact with people from the university itself. Doing this function has taught me a lot about communication with different kind of people.
I like doing these boards so much, that I think I will do something with a board later on in my life. I think I would like to stay active within associations or companies. But everywhere I come I will first watch from the sideline before stepping up.
Are you looking forward to the musical Fiddler on the Roof?
I am really looking forward to the performance. I am not nervous yet. When I feel prepared then I won’t be really nervous. We are practicing since October and the performances are upcoming September, so I have quite some time to practice and to get feedback from others. I am quite confident about my performance. I have a big role, bigger than when I joined Jesus Christ Superstar and West Side Story. I am mostly looking forward to being my own character at the stage, the way I want to be. During the rehearsals I have to find a balance in what I want to show the audience about my character. I am also quite exciting about my role as the board in this production. Normally I was just a member and did my part, but now I also have to make sure that everything goes find behind the stage. For example, we have to think about the presents. These should be ready before the end of the show. Maybe I will be that busy with my board role that I am not nervous about my role on the stage anymore.
What would you tell first years about Apollo/culture?
Just try! Especially during the Kick-In and the open lessons. The people I got to know are openminded and kind, and culture is quite small. That really helps when bonding with other people.
Do you still dream of something to achieve with culture?
I would like to be in the ensemble of the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The musical is based on the original story and different from Disney’s story. The music is really cool and I would like to sing the choir parts.
Do you still dream of something else to achieve?
I will see how everything goes. Technical Medicine is quite new, so it is hard to expect where I will work for example. I don’t know if I want to work at a hospital, or at a company. I hope I get a job that I like and is a bit challenging. It is very unsecure, but it can have impact on your life. However, I think everyone will eventually find something that fits the person.