Ans.Red.

To brune: Fimke Frederika Pijfers

Ans.Red.
To brune:  Fimke Frederika Pijfers

To brune: Fimke Frederika Pijfers

For many of us, the name Fimke still rings a neon orange UKA-bell. This half Dutch-Molde girl has been at the heart of the Ås student society for almost six years now. But what is Fimke Frederika Pijfers really about? We brought two Coronas to Fimke's dorm in Pomona to figure it out.

Journalist: Elina Turbina

Photographer: Borghild S. Oterholdt and Margreta Brunborg


Photo: Borghild S. Oterholdt

Photo: Bordhild S. Oterholdt

Sponsored by Corona Extra  

Photo: Margreta Brunborg

"Oh, I actually have a story about Corona", Fimke says as we enter the living room, an eclectic space with decorations ranging from the beloved Collegium Alfa banner, UKA i Ås flag and a bar-cartel, to a cardboard cutout of Niall Horan. As I pick up yet another piece of décor to open our bottles, a wooden bottle opener in the shape of a dick, the host recalls going straight into quarantine during the first ever covid lockdown in Norway. "I just returned from the Netherlands, and all my roommates left for home. So, I just bought a bunch of Coronas and drank one every day of my quarantine". 

For better or worse, one of the main highlights of Fimke’s time here at Ås is inseparable from the pandemic. Being a veteran of UKA i Ås, first joining the volunteer squad in 2016 and later becoming the Kitchen KS for UKA 2018, the natural progression for this environmental physicist was becoming the Chief of UKA 2020. This, of course, was an unpredictable year that left UKEstyret in a position that they never expected to encounter. “Every time I walked outside, I was at work”, she notes while recalling daily emails with the Chief of Security at NMBU and frequent encounters with the Chief Physician of Ås. Despite the constant fear of shutdown, changes in restrictions and press-conference watch parties at Samfunnet, Fimke made sure UKA happened no matter what. “We knew how much it meant to the students; we knew it would be a light in a dark period”. 

Fellesskapet 

No matter which part of Fimke’s life we would talk about, whether it was her 11-year saxophone career in a school band, work at linjeforeningen Miljøfysikerne, being a part of Collegium Alfa, or volunteering at various organizations back in Molde and at Samfunnet – she always emphasized the people she met along the way. “I don’t see myself as a determined person, actually! I do things for the felleskap (the feeling of community, of belonging). In a music band, it isn’t about putting yourself forward – it’s about playing together, and every part is important for a good sound”. While we can argue on the degree of determination Fimke possesses, it is undeniable that meeting new people and working together has been one of the main sources of energy for Fimke. She firmly believes that people she has met here will be her friends for life, some of them she proudly calls her family.  


FIVE QUICK ONES: 

Favorite drink: Kyoto cocktail 

Favorite candy: Smågodt’s sour diamonds 

Favorite Beyoncé song: Flawless (the original version) 

Favorite show: Friends 

Favorite city: Berlin 


Someone has to be the boss 

The supportive and exciting environment around her has made Fimke realize that she can handle more than she previously thought. That is something she hopes everyone can realize for themselves as well. She has also been in a process of learning to ask for help from others, but also stand her ground and demand respect. As a woman, Fimke believes that finding that courage to do something that women would not usually do or would get stigmatized for is essential as it paves the way for others.  

“I actually have this weird story!”, she exclaims and begins telling us about the time she was considering joining the army. As she was going through a variety of tests, she noticed that one of the captains present at the site was acting sexist towards the other recruits. He would make fun of guys getting worse results than girls on physical tests, kept making remarks about the place girls would take up in the army. He was also Fimke’s interviewer. Her annoyance with him built up throughout the day, and when he dismissed her ambition of studying physics and renewable energy and told her to take night courses in the army for engineering, she realized that she did not want to put up with this kind of treatment. After she declined all his persuasions to join the army, the captain snapped and told her they could get better girls than her. When she stood up to shake his hand after the interview, he told her: “Maybe I’ll see you someday”, to which she replied: “Yeah, I’ll see you when I’m your boss!”. Needless to say, despite good results on the tests, she is officially unfit for service even in the case of war. 

Photo: Margreta Brunborg

Photo: Borghild S. Oterholdt

“Can’t we all just chill?” 

Nowadays, Fimke is trying to enjoy her last year of studies in a calmer way. She is still actively engaged in Samfunnet-related things as well as Collegium; however, her main priority is enjoying the student life. “We often say that there is a difference between being a student and being a studying student. I think I’ve been a student for four years and a studying student for around a year and a half. I hope my professors don’t read this”. She is trying to chill more, even though she calls herself a “master procrastinator since day one”. “What’s the worst thing that’s gonna happen? You fail a subject. Okay! You take it again!” 

Slowing down is something Fimke finds very important in the academic environment. "I chose to take an extra year even though I could've written my thesis after UKA. I wanted to have a student experience and I'm so glad I chose this". Now that her time at NMBU is coming to an end, Fimke has already been thinking of some plans that include life both inside and outside of Norway, as well as humanitarian work, and, hopefully, more music. 

Who run the world? 

Speaking of music, one cannot mention the love Fimke has for Beyoncé. “When I went to see her concert during Formation World tour, I waited for three hours in a queue. And when we got into the venue and saw the stage I started crying”. Beyoncé is for Fimke a source of inspiration, an embodiment of a talented woman who has gone through a lot, and still kept putting in a lot of work to get to where she is, despite all the criticism along the way. Ironically, Fimke is, in many ways, like her favorite musician: a young woman who gives her all to the community by working hard no matter the obstacles and loving what she does.  


Greetings to Fimke

You care for your friends and are always kind, 

and at parties, sometimes lose your mind. 

We find it you look the best in gold 

and it doesn’t hurt if you’re loaded 

Lyxfellan with you are only good memories 

better than these, we will not find. 

Student life with you was pure joy and pleasure, 

in our solid friendship we always feel secure 

Even if the core was just the five of us, 

Lyxfellan was always open for all of Collegium Alfa 

Now the world is at your feet, 

but remember us, and your roots 

Even if our ways separate as we grow, 

our love for you will always glow. 

Hugs, 

Lyxfellan 23B; Elise, Agnes, Trude, Guro   

Fimke Frederika Pijfers, what a woman! 

She always made the room shine 

The fellowship in Lyxfellan was the best 

she was the glue of Lyxfellan, everyday a fest(ivity) 

Within the golden walls of Lyxfellan, 

all worries and stress were put away 

Ever so sharp in speech, 

but none of us fancied the drama 

We were each other’s vents, 

because always smiling can be intense 

The born leader, 

Who gladly accepts any praise 

Annoyingly smart at school, 

but also lining up in the Collegium Alfa dress 

Passionate about it all, a true feminist, 

and a prosperous saxophonist. 

Multitasking was always your thing, 

but nobody ever doubted you would get the master’s ring   

Your ambitions and qualities spark, 

and nobody would be surprised if you end up as prime minister 

Fimke Frederika Pijfers, or rather, “I, Fimke”, for who else could it be? The girl who doesn’t like to be called boss, but was the supreme leader of UKA, at least ours. We know it hasn’t always been easy to keep track of us in the UKE-board, when everyone throws opinions and wishes all around. Luckily, you managed to be a strict, but also a super kind and lol boss. We are so lucky to know you, maybe in particular when a certain doctor calls in on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, all of UKA. You are always there for us, with open arms and listening ears, no matter what the case may be. We have no doubt that everyone in the organization has felt looked after by you, to some extent. Not so hard, perhaps, with your 187cm ;-)  

 Thanks for being an “alle tiders” UKEsjef. 

 Hugs, UKEstyret 2020 

Heiaa Fimmmi <33 Vi synes du er en sykt kul, morsom og pen dame som er sykt gøy å henge med: Enten det er for å drikke deeeeilig hjemmelaget kaffelatte, styrte nedpå no` 6l flaske med dompa eller le/gråte av søte hunder med flagrende ører. Du er en real stå-på-dame som ikke gir seg, uansett hva som står i din vei. Du viser stor omsorg for de rundt deg, og får en regntung dag til å fylles med sol, regnbuer og sommerfugler. Som storesøster og storesvoger har det vært godt å ha en storelillesvigersøster i Ås som har lært oss alt om bodega- og UKElivet. Det blir et savn når du ikke skal være på Ås lengre, men om voksenlivet blir kjedelig har du alltid et alibi til å komme på besøk til oss og Bodegaen for kaffe og øl.  

  «i e i Å i»