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“Logistics is so much more than just transport. I love how dynamic it is and that there’s no lack of jobs. I’m not motivated by repetitive jobs so logistics really is the perfect field for me and there’s no better place for logistics than the Netherlands. I chose NHL Stenden because of its practical setting and international environment, as well as the opportunities it offers to go abroad. I think the best part of the programme is the third year because you spend part of it at a company for your internship and part of it learning something different and studying abroad.”
“I decided to go on the Grand Tour because I love travelling and discovering new countries and cultures. I wanted to learn more about South Africa, learn new perspectives and gain more experiences. I haven’t travelled much outside Europe so Grand Tour gave me this possibility. And I’m studying Wildlife Management, what I think is one of the most unique minors offered at NHL Stenden. As soon as I found out about the minor, I knew I wanted to do it. Not only because it’s in South Africa, but also because of the way it’s organised and what you can learn from it. I got the chance to learn about wildlife, how to manage it, protect it and promote it. And all in a remote location, away from cities and surrounded by nature.”
Re-evaluating life
“After COVID-19, I felt like I lost touch with nature and living for 2 months in a remote location, surrounded by nature and animals felt like I was back to being one with nature. Being in a remote location could have been a limitation, however, we travelled each weekend and so I got to see other parts of South Africa too. It is a beautiful country and the people are extremely open. I learned a lot from the people I met here and I also saw the least fortunate reality, which made me reflect a lot. We take so many things for granted and I had moments in my life where I thought I was very unfortunate. My time in South Africa made me revaluate the way I see things and I am much more grateful for what I have. There is also something called load shedding in South Africa, which means that electricity is turned off for everyone on a daily basis. It could last 2 hours or 4, and it can happen multiple times a day. While we take electricity, our phones, hot water and many other things for granted, somewhere else this is completely the opposite.”
“I lived on a tent on the reserve, which is not something you experience often, but as it had everything, from wifi to electricity, it could be considered glamping. The view outside was beautiful, made extra special by the animals we could see, and the lessons were very interesting, varying from animal behaviour and poaching, to ecology, vegetation and conservation. Many things studied theoretically would be also shown in practice through practical activities. For example, we visited Addo National Park, but we also had game drives on the campus, including night drives, fence patrolling and animal counts. You learn everything related to animals and vegetation, but also how to conserve it and what a game reserve needs to deal with and consider when managing it.”
“What we call wildlife, is actually wildlife surrounded by fences. Which means someone needs to protect it”
“We were out in the wild most of the time and it was always very exciting. I saw an unimaginable amount of animals and one of the experiences I will remember forever, although not part of the minor, is standing just 10 meters away from a wild cheetah after 2 hours of trying to track it. The landscape and nature are simply breath-taking but it’s good to realise, and maybe surprising and sad, that although we call it wildlife, unfortunately, it is a wildlife surrounded by fences. This means that someone needs to manage it in order to protect it and this is the reality is South Africa. There are no animals that are moving freely and there is almost no land that it is left to nature. This is something that made me reflect a lot about the relationship between humans and nature.”
The importance of sustainability
“The minor was good for me on many levels. I feel recharged and more motivated about my future and I’ve re-discovered things about myself that I think I’d kind of lost. The minor has an educational purpose but it’s so much more than that. Apart from the personal development and the opportunity to see something completely different and unique, what stands out about this minor for me is the sustainability aspect. We lived in a place where the water we drank came from rain and nothing goes to waste. The meat we ate was ethically harvested from the reserve and therefore it is one of the most sustainable ways to eat meat without harming nature. We learned about sustainable ways of living and experienced it. Sustainability is a very sensitive matter, especially nowadays and this minor gave me not only more confirmation about its importance, but it also broadened my knowledge in regards to it. We are all aware of its urgency, but not everyone knows alternative ways of contributing to our environment.”
To find out more about the programme, check out the Logistics Management programme page or request the programme brochure. Or check out the different international opportunities NHL Stenden offers.
