Started in 2011-2012 with the purpose of having a meaningful and engaging December break for students on travel support, the UWC Red Cross Nordic Winter Programme has really gained momentum. Naza Dos Santos, a first-year student from East Timor said “It was the most amazing break that I have ever experienced in my life.”

The programme involved twenty-five enthusiastic students, two energetic volunteers

[Ged Pornthip from Thailand and Andrew Nkumbi from Tanzania], and our two committed teachers Ashok and Madhulika Singh with their family. Ashok and Madhulika led us all into not only an in-depth Nordic experience but also to a rewarding understanding of Western European societies.

Student Daniel Akinbote from Nigeria said,

“In no time, I discovered a new family, the whole experience made me feel at home. This was the first winter holiday spent away from home and this escapade created a home away from home amidst my new found family”

Before setting off to Maastricht the group participated in the official opening of the Dalsfjord Bridge in Dale, and were treated to dinner at Rektor Larry’s House as well as a visit to Oslo and Copenhagen.

InMaastricht

Made it to Maastricht!

At the all-new UWC campus in Maastricht, Senior House Mentor Satyadeep Srivastava was waiting for us with some of his students. Rektor Peter Howe, in his welcome speech, simply reassured us all by saying “We are one big family” which was wonderful to hear!

During our time in Maastricht we enjoyed several activities: exploring the city, doing some Christmas shopping – with little money, riding bikes and taking long walks to places like St. Pietersburg and the City Wall. The whole group had Christmas dinner and our New Year’s celebrations at a McDonalds and a Pizzeria! Most of us went to the Maastricht Bridge to witness the New Year fireworks.

An early morning walk to the Maastricht central train station was the start of our journey to Denmark. With a night in Hamburg en route to Copenhagen, we were headed for the fourth country of our trip. To Pedro Domingos from Angola it was a dream come true, “The winter break programme was a fantastic experience in my life, because I could get to know a little about four different countries (Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium and Denmark) in less than one month.”

Thank you to all who made this special Winter Break possible!

Robert Okello & Abril Sofia Rojas-Montoya (RCN 13-15)