Frank van Rossum, bachelor’s student of Economics and Policy
‘In January, I will leave for Quito, Ecuador, to teach at a school that is run by nuns. A friend I met during my Erasmus exchange in Finland had done this, and his stories really enthused me. I’m leaving for Ecuador for the same reason I went to Finland: I want to submerge in a different culture and environment, increase my flexibility and get used to new customs. I did not get to do that when I was in Finland due to the “Erasmus bubble” I was in, but I hope I will be able to achieve it this time.
Beside this experience, my primary reason to go is because I want to contribute to my surroundings: I could have gone packing as a tourist, but in doing so, I would remain in another bubble, one in which i would mainly consume. I will join a local project that fights indirect child labour, something I find really awesome. Besides, I always wanted to learn a Romance language. It was really boring at school, but I finally see the added value: it helps to understand the world and can offer advantages in life and in a carreer later on.
Terrifying
In a way, my approaching departure terrifies me, especially because I will teach Spanish and really want to do that properly. Nevertheless, I trust everything will be fine. I think this is a personal trait of mine: no matter how much I pressure myself, I always remain positive.
In the free time in between teaching, I would like to read several economic and philophical classics. They should give me a even more critical view on my field and put it in a broader context. And I would obviously like to see as much of Ecuador as possible in my free time: it is an incredibly diverse country, in which I want to fully submerge.’
In this series:
2018 will be my year because… I will retire
2017 was my year because…