Parvis Soltan-Panahi

Motivation
January 2002

One and a half years ago after an information talk with the co-ordinators of the Berlin-Nairobi Physics Student Exchange at the Physics Department of the Freie Universität (FU) Berlin,  I told my father that there was a students exchange with Kenya I was very interested in. He was quite upset and asked me if it would not be better for me to go to a country which he considered to be more advanced in research. I replied that in this upcoming part of my study-life it might be the best opportunity to go so far abroad. After telling him that anyhow I couldn’t go to a foreign country before having passed the Vordiplom exam he finally calmed down. 

Let me try to explain the reason for telling this little story. I was really surprised by my father’s doubts and fears about the exchange. I know what you think: "Everybody’s mum and dad would have such a feeling if you told them that you would like to go studying for one year in a developing country so far away" – Yes, but I expected my father to react in a way a bit "cooler" because he himself actually comes from a foreign country, from Iran which might be closer to Kenya than to Germany in terms of cultural habits and mentality. 

What I have learned from this was that in general Africa – respectively "Black"-Africa - leaves a question-mark in our minds (and not only in Europe!!!), so it would be an outstanding experience to live for one year in this part of the world.

The next thing I heard was my neighbour (from Cameroon) telling me (quoting):

"But if you like to go to Africa, why then do you want to do a study-exchange with the 'show-piece' of East-Africa and not with a 'real' developing country like Cameroon?"  

On the one hand,  I think Kenya is one of the best compromises to combine a good physics education with a great variety of new impressions and the experience of dealing with a quite different culture. On the other hand,  you shouldn’t forget it’s called "study"-exchange, so I will spend a lot of time at my studies at university and not only doing safari tours (but do not think anybody could keep me off taking the opportunity to discover such an exciting region called "The cradle of mankind"). Another reason to participate in this exchange is the fact that the University of Nairobi is said to be "the best university in Sub-Sahara-Africa (Excluding South Africa)". 

According to the information I got from FU Berlin physics students who have already participated in this exchange programme and studied in Nairobi, the University of Nairobi will offer quite different conditions (including the fact that all the lectures are held in English). Therefore, it might be a new way of doing my "job" there, which in my opinion will be very instructive and useful for my subsequent study-life in Germany. When I heard of the small classes at the University of Nairobi (some lectures are held for only a couple of people), I was enthusiastic about getting to know this new and probably more personal way of teaching. I’ve also been told about the different attitude students have towards university life (more solidarity between each other), which will be worth experiencing.  

Besides studying and attending lectures, I also hope to improve my social skills. By way of illustration I would like to tell this little anecdote: 

The first time I had the opportunity to experience cultural life which I consider to be quite different from the way of living in the European influenced part of the world was my trip to Iran.

When my parents and I arrived at the airport of Tehran, I was astonished to see nearly twenty relatives of mine who had come to welcome us. Neither will I forget my first impression of this country I caught when we went by car to my uncle’s house. It was a real adventure to be part of Persian streets. There seemed to be no traffic rules at all! I told my uncle about my feelings and he surprised me with his amused reply that there really was a system within this "chaos" which might not be seen by people who aren’t used to it.  

After a certain time I got an idea in my head of what was going on there but I didn’t feel confident yet to drive by myself. But this is actually the meaning of a stay abroad – learning to "drive" on roads you are not familiar with. 

This exchange offers the chance to really experience a foreign country by living there for a longer time without neglecting one’s professional carrier. I imagine it to be a very useful experience for myself to find my way through this totally new environment in terms of dealing with unknown cultural habits and a different language. So I’m excited about seeing and living real Kenyan life instead of accepting the "European version" which can be seen on TV or in highly polished tourism brochures. Moreover, I’ve been told that many of the students at the University of Nairobi actually don’t come from Nairobi but also from rural parts all over the country. Therefore, living at the campus will mean living in the city itself and also being part of the countryside of Kenya. 

Finally, I’d like to say that this study abroad will surely be challenging in many ways, but this is actually what you can profit from and what makes you develop and move forward.

So besides attending lectures where I’ll meet people who are also interested in physics/maths, I hope to find new friends with whom I can share my interest in leisure activities like sports, etc. and therefore have the opportunity to experience Kenyan lifestyle.

Parvis Soltan-Panahi, January 2002