Robert Bierkandt

My motivation to study physics in Kenya

February 2006

Why do I want to study Physics in Kenya and why especially with the Berlin-Nairobi-Exchange? This is the question I want to answer in the following text. I will mention different arguments and reasons to go abroad and will apply them to the special country Kenya. The text will show in an analytical way why it is so important for me to go to Kenya.

Why setting out?

There are two very important reasons to go somewhere else to study. On the one hand, the place provides you better conditions to study and on the other hand you can change your environment completely. On the first point, it is obviously why people are looking for better places to study. Provided that somebody has chosen a profession he or she loves, then that person tries to do it in the best way possible. That includes the attempt to find the highest quality of teaching and teaching facilities. The only reason which could prevent somebody from that way despite financial or national impediments is the flexibility to change his environment. But the changing of environment itself can be a reason for people to go abroad. This argument can be even more important to some students than the quality of their studies, like the majority of Erasmus students in Spain show us. But why would students go to other countries to be placed in a completely different way of living when at the same time this issue is preventing some to get better education? It is a question of personality. There are people who are interested in a stable, planable situation. Mostly circumstances, like a relationship or a family situation play a major role. On the other hand there are people who are searching for the difference.

To sum it up, in general we can reduce the motivation to study abroad to two major reasons:

The prioritization and weighting depends strongly on the individual character. But I wanted to show why it is for me so important to go to Kenya, so I should start to apply my personality on the two motives.

Applying my personality

After studying four semesters of physics at the Technical University of Berlin I know that nothing better could happen in my life than starting this enthralling field of knowledge. It became my passion and I want to take any chance to improve my education. Due to the study in the heavily indebted town Berlin I became aware of the issue of deteriorating teaching. Going to Kenya is, of course, not a consequence of the conditions in Berlin. With that statement I rather follow up two intentions, firstly that my education is very important to me and there have to be good arguments to endure disadvantages and secondly I am acquainted to the connection between less money and teaching quality. That should be also a relevant topic in Kenya. Having covered the first motive, I will continue with my personal attitude towards the search for difference in life.

A High School year in the USA showed me how a stay in a different part of the world is able to affect my life tremendously. It enabled me to see things completely different and supported me in all kinds of situations in life. So it was always a rhetorical question to me whether to do an exchange year. On the other hand, it produced the demand to observe more than the Western culture. I started to feel an ardent desire for the different traditions and religions all over the world. With books and reports especially about Africa, I satisfied my curiosity. But I was always convinced that I will experience those places personally. So to study Physics in Kenya would be a great opportunity to place my studies in an exotic country.

How should the perfect country be?

We know now the two major motives and my personal preferences. Now it is still open to find the right country, which satisfies my preferences.

To satisfy motive number one an American university would make more sense than one in Africa. Besides language and visa problems, which don't apply in my case, there are huge financial barriers. But which country could satisfy my personal preferences? In the previous paragraph I already mentioned that I have a fondness for an exotic country, for example in the third world. But also in the choice for an exotic country it has to be taken into account several barriers. First of all there has to be the possibility to study physics. Furthermore financial reasons, exotic languages and political instability can make an exchange impossible.

What Kenya offers

At first sight it is obvious to find a worse quality of teaching at the University of Nairobi in Kenya's capital compared to a university in Germany. In fact among the best 500 university of the world are only four placed in Africa, all in South Africa (Academic Ranking of World Universities - 2005). So that studying in Nairobi clearly means to level down my teaching quality. What makes it worth to go to Kenya when it is not satisfying the first motive? This question I will answer after giving more details about Kenya according to the second motive.

Kenya is able to represent the other, non-privileged part of the world. 50% of the population lives below the poverty line (estimate for 2000) and with a GDP of $1100 per head it is placed on 208th out of 232 listed countries (estimate for 2004). Nairobi accommodates the biggest slum in Africa, called Kibera slum and the North of Kenya is frequently draught-ridden, causing terrible famines. All major religions are distributed among the 45 different tribes. 18% still carry out traditional African religions. Due to the big number off tribes with 55 distinguishable languages and the colonial history English is now the official language. Nevertheless this melting pot of cultures and religions presents a political heavyweight in Africa concerning stability (Auswärtige Amt, foreign ministry).

Why Kenya?

The central issue is still the question what makes it worth to study in Kenya despite all disadvantages? Recapitulating the last paragraph, I can state two major advantages, the English speaking university and a comparable stable country. Before stating more, I want to reduce the loss in studying in Kenya.

Several factors are able to reduce the quality gap. First of all, to go abroad in the fifth semester means to take the earliest possibility. The lectures are more general than in advanced semesters and the probability for basic education in third world countries is higher than for specified knowhow. Secondly, the improvement depends on the attitude. Everybody, who does not feel challenged, is still able to have contact to his or her home university. Assuming motivation exists, it is easy to download assignment sheets. Furthermore, the Berlin-Nairobi Exchange provides a little physics library and the university library is supposed to offer the major standard books and has wonderful opening hours. After all there are very good conditions for autodidactical learning. Nevertheless this university in Kenya's capital is according to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities among the top ten universities in black Africa, excluding South Africa. Not many universities in the third world teach in English, are placed in a political stable country and exempt tuition fees.

Why with the Berlin-Nairobi-Exchange?

In addition, one major factor plays an important role in the selection of a country. And that are the opportunities in life. In my special case it was the Berlin-Nairobi-Exchange. At this point we come to the question mentioned in the introduction: Why going with the Berlin-Nairobi-Exchange? When I saw the exchange offer in the mailing list of the Technical University of Berlin I had no doubt that this was the greatest chance to study physics in an exotic country which provides all requirements mentioned above. One great merit is the possibility of studying without tuition fees. Due to the small size and the collected experiences, this organisation provides a professional, individual and personal service to the participants. To sum it up, going with such an organisation and using their experience would make me profiting in any case.

What hopes do I have of going to Nairobi?

In the previous paragraph, I was able to show how Kenya is fitting the boundary conditions. I also reduced the disadvantages of the quality difference. But I don't want to give the impression of overweighting the second motive and making compromises concerning the first motive to be at a nice "holiday place". There are several good reasons to attend a third world university. I am expecting answers to many questions. For example, how does a university try under the shadow of the developed world to catch up under worse financial conditions? Under what attitude takes the teaching of almost entirely Western achievements place? How destructive is the brain drain? How successful is the research effort and how does it improve the development of Kenya? The fact that in this exchange an African university teaches representatives of the first world is an incredible application. It enables me to see the different ways of practising physics. Many questions require a settled and integrated participation in the daily university life, which an exchange stay offers.

Not forgetting that several Attac conferences, in regards to globalization, made me sensitive to various problems of the would-be underdeveloped world. I have great hopes of enhancing my knowledge and my experiences in seeing effects of neoliberalism.

Physics in Kenya is an enhancement!

I have no doubt that this stage of my life will be one of the greatest experiences I will ever have. This essay is of course heavily influenced by the fact that it is produced in Kenya. My present situation shows me that spending one year in this extraordinary place, provides only benefits. I am surrounded by lovely people, who present an interesting, religious influenced mentality. There is a great variety of classes to choose from and very small classes, down to 6 people, which produce a nice atmosphere. The integration of us in the African life is outstanding compared to all Western internationals in Nairobi.

Of course, firstly this exchange program is a scientific exchange and all intentions follow the objective to improve the academic situation in Africa. I would like to give an outlook at this point connected to my own personality. Nobody knows what the future provides, but at this point I am able to envision myself in a later research exchange, assuming that I follow my inclination for an academic career. Giving back only a small part of all amazing benefits I am receiving in Kenya.