Some thousand students from abroad have arrived at Hanze University. What are they looking for in Groningen and what are there first impressions?
Simbarashe Lloyd Masukusa (19), Zimbabwe
‘I arrived in here yesterday. It was cold, but not too cold. Groningen is an extremely beautiful city. I also liked the sophisticated public transport system that brought me to Groningen. I knew Dutch people cycle a lot, but I was still surprised to see a parking area crammed with bikes at Schiphol Airport.
‘I have never been abroad for a long time. This is my first visit to Europe, I wanted to go out of my comfort zone, to be exposed to the world outside Zimbabwe. Dutch mechanical engineers have a good reputation and Hanze offers English programmes in that field, I found out on the website. So that’s why I’m here. So far I have not felt alone. I came here with a cousin of mine who will study Chemical Engineering at RUG. When I enrolled I was told that finding a room might be challenging. So I started house hunting in June and got a nice room in the centre.’
