At the end of the ITC Opening of the Academic year yesterday, they bubbled with gratitude, took photographs and a few tasted their first Grolsch beer at a reception held at the Muziekcentrum in Enschede.
You have been in the Netherlands for only 19 days now. What do you expect of your 18-month study period in a new country?
“I held a professional position in geo-information for the Ministry of Land Reform and Management in Nepal and came here to learn more in this field of study and develop my knowledge on new geo-information systems. Later I hope to bring this knowledge back to my country. When I finish my degree and return to Nepal, I’m required to work for three years for our national government. I am just feeling grateful to the Dutch Government for providing a scholarship and having this opportunity to study at the ITC.
The opening lecture by Professor Pontius helped me to consider proper time management and guidelines for my study period. I have to learn so many things about Dutch society next to my normal study schedule. As new students, we have a chance to fulfill our dreams at the ITC. So far, I can only say about the Dutch that they seem to accept a broad range of cultures. I have to learn more about the Dutch as time goes by. It’s hard to have an impression yet of the Netherlands. ” Umesh Kumar, 32, Nepal
What do you think about the Netherlands after two weeks and of the lecture you just heard?
“Indonesian has a topical climate and I’m still adjusting to the Dutch weather. People told me that this summer was one of the coldest summers in history. It’s a new experience to be on another continent. I have to get used to the bicycles and a smaller country. We have 230 million people who mainly use cars to get around to places. As a consequence, we have lots of traffic jams in Jakarta. Already I noticed the difference, it’s much quieter here and well-organized.
From a technical perspective, our first lecture by Professor Pontius opened our eyes about GIS models in a completely different way. It wasn’t a typical welcome speech but from a different angle and much more interesting than I’d expected. He knows exactly what he’s talking about.” Mulya Utami, 30, Jakata, Indonesia
