Why Energy and Environmental Sciences.

During my bachelor's I studied a subject called environmental engineering this subject was really interesting and caught my attention; the course is related to environment, natural resources and how utilizing these renewable resources such as solar and wind would positively help to mitigate the climate change and reduce the emission of Greenhouse Gases GHG produced by the burning of the enormous amount of fossil fuels. Although I was and still interested in mechanical engineering as my main major of study, I found myself enjoying subjects related to renewable energy and environmental sciences more and thus altered my plan and started to read and focus more on these subjects. I even developed a solar still directly connected with parabolic. This device can desalinate water using solar energy and published its result as a scientific paper. You can see my publication from this link (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352484721002572). Overall, I decided to follow graduate study in this field that I am passionate about. In addition, global change has become a big issue and has caught the global attention. This can be seen in the Paris Agreement 2015 or the legally binding international treaty on climate change which intends to limit global warming to well below 2 Celsius, compared to pre-industrial levels.

How is it to live and study in the Netherlands

I have been to many countries including Sudan, Ethiopia, Indonesia but moving to the Netherlands was different. Before I flew to the Netherlands one of my friends advised me to wear a very heavy jacket; he told me the temperature is below 5 degrees Celsius, to be blunt I did not like it and I was really pessimistic about living in a cold weather. This was my first impression about the Netherlands. Yemen or the other countries that I used to live in have a mild to hot climate during the year, for example in Yemen the sun shines around 300 days a year. Nevertheless, I moved to Groningen one year ago and I really like it and used to the weather in Groningen; I can truly say the city has become my second home and leaving it would be difficult for me. Another advantage of living in the Netherlands is the transportation, the country has convenient public transportation. You can easily take the train, buses, or trams to move between cities. I used to rely on buses and private cars when I was in Yemen but here cycling has become my favorite. The country is flat and the cycle paths are everywhere which makes cycling a perfect choice. Finally, the education system here is great and really advanced with a different system I used in Yemen where the semester system is used instead of a quarter. Although I struggled at the beginning of my study here in Groningen,  it takes a little time to adjust and get into the groove of things. 

What Next

Going back to Yemen after my Master’s is not an option because of the current war crisis therefore I have plan B which is finding an opportunity to grow and be promoted in an organization or institution which has a direct link to my areas of studies which in turn help me in developing my skills. Nevertheless, it would be competitive to find such an opportunity here in the Netherlands due to the highly qualified graduates. A Dutch friend of mine told me, “If you want to work or follow a PHD in the Netherlands, Dutch language is the key”, I am motivated to take the language where I already registered for an intensive Dutch summer course at the University of Groningen at the language center. To conclude, I believe Dutch language besides obtaining a Master’s Degree from a prestigious and well-known university such as the University of Groningen will push me closer to accomplishing my ultimate goal of becoming a well-known scholar in the field of renewable energies and environmental sciences but also will help me to promote the practice of such clean energy in the Arab world and my home country.