Motivation
February 2003
When I read about The Berlin-Nairobi Physics student exchange
for the first time, I immediately knew that it could be the programme I have
been looking for. The more time I spent in investigating its motivation and
its background, the more I wanted to be a part of this interesting and unique
project.
Africa has been fascinating to me all my life starting when I was a little
kid. At the beginning, I think due to the magnificent landscapes and extraordinary
animal diversity, which Kenya is especially known for. Later, I learnt that
there is a lot more to it than just that. I started to become interested
in the political and social aspects and I am very captured by them.
A four-week journey to Egypt with my girlfriend last September inflamed me
with more passion for Africa. Although there are lots of differences between
Egypt in North Africa and Kenya which belongs to Black Africa there are also
some similarities. Both Egypt and Kenya belong to the Third World and depend
on mass-tourism. However, I wanted to gain a deeper insight of Egypt far
away from the large hotels of the travel organizers, but I rarely succeeded.
Wherever I went, everything was oriented towards tourism. Nevertheless, I
got to know some Egyptians who not only looked for a good business opportunity
but also were very hospitable. They invited us to a meal, even though they
own hardly anything, and treated us like a part of their own family. We compared
notes and discussed, often with our hands and feet, politics, religion and
ways of living. Some of these people, I can now happily call friends
although I might not see them again. The journey was impressive and sometimes
depressing at the same time - on the one hand the hospitality and warmness
of the people and on the other hand the poverty and hunger (and for example
the missing equal rights for women). But in any case it was a time that has
broadened my horizons. I am sure that the exchange with Nairobi would be
an even more informative experience for me that would open a whole new and
very different culture to me. Kenyas culture has been influenced by immigrants
from all over Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe and is therefore multifaceted.
I would like to learn more about the culture of the tribes, for example,
about their belief in magic. I am also looking forward to learning some Kiswahili.
In my opinion the most interesting aspect of Kenya are its people. Kenyans
are supposed to be a lot more open and spontaneous than the Germans. The
people are able to enjoy the little things in life, such as a smile or a
conversation. Things that people sometimes do not always appreciate in our
world. In our world, almost nothing can give us deep and long-term fulfilment.
The desire for new and more eccentric kinds of entertainment grows faster
and faster while our modern life is getting more and more superficial and
anonymous. This is why I want to study at the University of Nairobi, where
the teaching is supposed to be more personal and therefore maybe more effective
and motivating. Moreover, I hope to be able to get to know many different
people and their way of living and dealing with situations. Hopefully I will
also make new friends and get an insight towards their mentality and perspective
of life. I would also like to get a different view on my personal values
and my character, because I believe living in a very different society can
make me more open and will teach me to respect things that I have taken for
granted.
Next to the unique experiences one can make during the time abroad, I see
many advantages for my academic and therefore scientific development. As
a physicist one has to think of different ways and explore new aspects to
be able to develop new strategies for solving a problem. These technical
challenges in physics are comparable to the challenges one would be exposed
to while on an exchange.
I would also like to take the chance to realize an individual scientific
project at the University of Nairobi. This would bring me a step closer to
the kind of scientific work I have to deal with later. To me the student
exchange also means an exchange of ideas. Maybe the local students have a
completely different view on physics than I do. I am eager to give them an
impression of what it is like to study and to live in Germany. Moreover I
would like to follow the footsteps of my predecessors and try to evoke the
Kenyan students´ will to study in Germany. Because where there is a
will there will be a way.
A one-year stay in Kenya would be a very important step in my personal development.
The new surroundings and environment would require personal involvement along
with independent and responsible behaviour. Furthermore, the exchange students
represent not only the Freie Universität Berlin, but also the exchange
programme and to some extent also Germany. Hence, it is not only personal
responsibility that an exchange student is facing but also that his or her
abilities, knowledge and behaviour form the picture that local students will
have of Germany. I am aware of this responsibility and it motivates me to
give my best and to be open for a new experience in my life.
It is the combination of a high quality physics education and the possibility
to get to know a different culture with its long standing traditions and
values that makes me sure the Berlin-Nairobi Physics student exchange is
the right decision for me.
I would like to thank you in advance for offering this opportunity to me
and I would be very grateful if it would be possible for me to go to Kenya.
Falko Ueckerdt, February
2003