Claudius Chapus

Motivation
(April 2001)

At the moment I sale cakes & bread in a French Bakery/Patisseri to make a living, and to have a contrast to the brainwork. I am member of a student-association. We organise excursions to various companies, as for example to power plants, in and sometimes outside of Germany. We also offer students support in many ways e.g. finding cheap rooms.

Because my father lives in Australia, I have had the chance to visit the country twice. Some people I met there, asked things like: "Is Adolf Hitler still alive?". Their knowledge about world history and related topics was very limited although most of them had European ancestors. I think they simply were not interested because it was not important to them.

But in a world where information travels with the speed of light, and wrong decisions can cost many lives, cultural exchange, development of interrelations between countries and world politics become more important.

Based on that experience my opinion is that actually everyone should spend some time in a foreign country, not as a tourist but experience the everyday life and see behind the curtain which is kept up by the media or by coloured brochures. So when would there be a better chance than while you are in school or at university ?

Now to relate to the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange Program, Antony Owinoh asked us at the recent information meeting, why do we think, this is a one way exchange program only. He told us that a major problem for the Kenyan students is the language. Maybe we, the exchange students, could offer a weekly discussion-round with interested Kenyan students about that program. As far as I can imagine most lectures at FUB could be held in English, by the Professors. If the FUB would offer this service it might be easier to convince students of the advantages an exchange with Europe
would bring them.

In Kenya I also plan to learn a bit of Kesuaheli if a language course is offered. Elmar Bergeler (a participant in 1998/99) told us that a few words of the native language "opens you a few more doors" and the Kenyan people appreciate your interest in their culture.

Actually I planned to go to Kenya with the exchange program two years ago, but the non existing financial support by the DAAD and the closure of the university because of student riots in that year, made me give up my plans. So why Nairobi / Kenya ? Because I think that in an African country like that will definitely be more exciting than a European or North American country. The daily life might be more improvised and creative because everything is not too much planed and organised, I could imagine.

Not to loose the actual reason for the exchange, I have listed courses I want to visit, and hope that they are a good addition to my present studies. I want to focus on Theoretical Physics, whereas Geophysics, my subsidiary subject is also offered.