Franziska Maier

Motivation to study physics in Kenya

February 2006

After passing my pre-diploma exams, I thought about spending some time abroad. It is not only my intention to improve my English in order to be able to express myself more fluently afterwards than I can now. I am also curious about the experience of getting to know a different culture, different structures of society, an unknown lifestyle, and of being alone that far away from home.

Making a decision about where to go was not easy:

I did not want to spend some time in the USA, GB, or Australia, because of their Western way of life which I already know, but I still wanted to visit an English speaking country. While waiting for a meeting with one of my lecturers, I investigated the notice boards outside his office. There I found a note promoting studying in Kenya with the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange. I curiously checked out their homepage and found exactly what I was looking for:

On the one hand, I would like to study at one of the biggest universities in Kenya, so I would be able to fulfil my curriculum without delay. If I take the courses my professor already mentioned (Quantum Mechanics, Laser Physics, etc.) I could immediately begin preparing for my diploma exams after my return. Furthermore, I want to do one of the research projects of the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange or one of the smaller research projects offered by the curriculum to get more used to do my own research projects. Additionally, I am curious about the way research is done in Kenya. Therefore, I would like to get a closer look at the research teams of the university, their topics and work. I do not think the university is able to spend that much money on research like German universities do, so I hope to learn much about how serious research can be done without having the latest equipment at one's disposal.

On the other hand, I am looking forward to living in a society, in which I am confronted with much more unexpected and strange situations than I would be in a more Western oriented one. In Germany live many minorities, and although I am an open-minded person, I can hardly imagine their perception of the German society. Therefore, I think a society in which the status of being a student, of being a woman, and of being white differ from the state I already know must hold surprises for me. In particular, the situation of being one of the few white people at the university must be special, so I think being member of a minority in Kenya must be an outstanding but hopefully good experience for me. This will surely not be the only cultural difference I will experience, but certainly one of the most impressive.

Another interesting aspect for me are Kenya's languages:

Although there exist more than 50 African languages, Kenya is bilingual. And because of its colonial roots the first official language is English. The second official language and widespread lingua franca is Kiswahili. I do not speak this Bantu language, so if everyday life is split by the usage of these languages, it would be interesting to discover my problems created by this language gap. For me it is important to understand the common languages of a country one is living in, so I would like to learn Kiswahili for having the opportunity to meet people everywhere without any language barriers.

Despite the fact that the university is not situated in the center, I am looking forward to living in a big city like Nairobi with its about 3 million inhabitants. My parents and I always lived in small towns, even my move to Constance with its 80,000 inhabitants did not change this very much. I hope that sometimes I will have spare time to spend a day in the center of Nairobi to witness the never ending melee of a big city and to see what "ordinary life" in a city like Nairobi means.

Although I want to go to Kenya to live and study there like a resident, I will not miss to discover its scenic, floral, and animal riches by travelling to the national parks. Doing some tours beyond the city surely will give me a more detailed image of Kenyan life outside the urban agglomerations, too. Besides, I hope I am allowed to do a hike around the Mt. Kenya massif after which Kenya is named.

All in all, I am convinced spending half a year in Kenya is the best I could do to enrich and forward myself by expanding my physical knowledge and my ability in dealing with foreign cultural and social aspects.