IEE Newsletter No. 25

MADM: Highlights from the Bochum Summer School Programme

Ojonwa Deborah Miachi, current MADM student in the Cape Town intake, reports on the first MADM Summer School of intake in Bochum.

The Summer school programme was an interesting experience for me. Having started the Cape Town MADM programme in May with just seven classmates who were already like a family, we finally got to meet our 25 other classmates from the Bochum group. During the Bochum Summer School opening ceremony, we were welcomed and informed of the overview of the programme, and both of what to expect and what is expected of us. It was wonderful to note that altogether, we are from 19 countries including Mexico, Kenya, Syria, Ethiopia, Czech Republic, Nigeria, Ghana, Germany, Indonesia and many more.

Berlin!

One highlight of the programme was the trip to Berlin. It was amazing! After an approximately 7-hour long trip, we got to see the Bundesrat and Bundestag. We also learned more about the parliamentary system of Germany and how decision making is made in a democratic manner. It was also great to learn about the efforts of the government to ensure inclusiveness for women and persons with disabilities. The trip was also insightful because I got to see Germany from a different perspective. It is commendable to note that Germany has preserved its history in an exceptional manner, including the preservation of the graffiti by soldiers after WW II. Also, being exposed to a more detailed history of Germany has made me realize that Germany has overcome many challenges - war, bad governance, amongst others to become a great country with one of the highest development indices in all spheres (social, economic, etc) in the world. This gives hope to other developing countries who maybe going through similar challenges at the moment.

Intercultural Seminar

For the intercultural seminar in Rüthen, we were able to roll up our sleeves and have some fun. We got to open up to each other and know ourselves a little much better. This was easier with the golden rule- what happens in Rüthen, stays in Rüthen - which I will apply as well.
MADM SummSch3 klein
During an interactive session at the Intercultural Seminar (photo: Machalkova)

Statistics, Statistics, Statistics!!!

Despite the trips and activities lined up for the summer school, we still had the almighty statistics lectures to attend and the respective exam to write. Although it was not an enjoyable feeling, it reminded us of the fact that responsibilities will always stare at us in the face and we will have to prioritize and find a balance between having fun and working towards achieving our academic and professional goals.
See you in South Africa!!!
Although there were difficult challenges sometimes, I had a wonderful time during the summer school. Having started my internship, I miss all my classmates. They have made me know more about the beauty in diversity, learning from different cultural, social and economic perspectives on cross-cutting development issues and finding innovative solutions to these development challenges in unity. I am looking forward to joining them in January for the Cape Town Summer School programme!

By Ojonwa Deborah Miachi



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