Raimo Dengeinge likes the liberal way of teaching and the individual attention he gets from the professors at Twente University. Together with 19 other teachers from his region he takes a tailor-made course in Education Improvement at the Faculty of Educational Science and Technology. The course was especially designed by the faculty to meet their needs. In carefully chosen words the Namibian student composes his narrative on the course. It has been a real eye-opener for him. 'In Namibia the teachers are usually just given the content of the lessons. Here we learned how important it is to involve teachers in the development of the curriculum and the design of the courses. That way they fully understand the reasons behind it and can better adapt to new education methods like ICT.'
Another thing Raimo got to know was the Dutch way of interacting. 'It was a little awkward. Back home people will actively approach others and have a little chat. You know, when you are together in a canteen or computer lab. I felt it was hard to approach people in Holland.' Observing the people around him, he found a probable reason for it. For most foreign students it will not be a surprising one: the Dutch appreciation of time. In other words: living with a time schedule in one hand, and a wristwatch on the other. Still, another eye-opener followed. 'Although Dutch seem to be a little reserved, it struck me that once you start to talk to people, they are quite open! So I have no hesitation to approach people to ask them to join me for lunch.' Raimo even took the large-scale approach and co-organised a multi-cultural diner for students and professors at the faculty.
Unfortunately his opened eyes were painfully opened further by a flaw in Dutch student culture: his bicycle was stolen. He is still filled with frustration over it. 'I just had a beer in the Vestingbar. When I wanted to go home: no bike! And during our stay since August, the same happened to 6 other colleagues of mine.' A cold comfort is that the Namibian student has only two more weeks to go in Twente University before going home. But those weeks Raimo will walk with bare feet in sandals from Campuslaan to the TO faculty everyday, and longing to be back in the Namibian sun. 'The education suits me perfectly here, but it is raining an awful lot. And when it's not raining it is windy. Nevertheless, if I could choose where to do my PhD I would for sure choose Holland.'
Raimo Dengeinge
