{"id":88044,"date":"2018-06-19T16:07:13","date_gmt":"2018-06-19T14:07:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=88044"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:23:01","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:23:01","slug":"dit-ben-ik-catherine-maine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2018\/06\/19\/dit-ben-ik-catherine-maine\/","title":{"rendered":"This is me: Catherine Maine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In pursuit of change and knowledge.<\/strong> \u201cI was born and raised in central Kenya, in a town called Nyeri, located about 150 km from Nairobi, the capital. I arrived in October last year, looking for a change of scenery and eager to explore Europe. I applied for international scholarships and got one here in the Netherlands. I felt that Urban Management and Development would be a coherent addition to my previous education and the job I was doing back home. In Kenya, I did a Bachelor in Environmental studies, with a social focus on community development. Afterwards, I worked at a hospital for HIV and AIDS patients, under the US PEPFAR (the President\u2019s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief) programme, where I dealt with environmental impact assessments. So this Master programme \u2013 ultimately focused on making cities more sustainable and liveable \u2013 encompasses both social and environmental aspects, allowing me to work in whichever field I want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Dance.<\/strong> \u201cWhen I arrived, I was looking for hobbies to pick up here in the Netherlands, as I wanted to do something else besides studying. I\u2019ve always loved dancing, so I joined Erasmus Dance Society at the beginning of the year. I tried out different dance styles and found I liked kizomba the most. It is a very sensual and relaxed dance, involving a lot of hip movement. The music originates from a mix of African and Haitian genres and when you hear it for the first time, it resembles those slow and chilled island rhythms. I didn\u2019t do classes in Kenya. It wasn\u2019t necessary, as dance is such an inherent part of the culture. We\u2019re just used to expressing love for music and dance during parties, whether in a nightclub or at someone\u2019s house. But I also enjoy partying here in Rotterdam. I\u2019ve met a lot of great friends and together we go to bars, arrange house parties, barbecues and dinners. One thing I had to get used to was that bars here close around 2 or 3 a.m. In Kenya, this is the time when people go to clubs and live it up till 7-8 in the morning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reading and travel. \u201c<\/strong>When I\u2019m not doing all the crazy stuff, I love to just sit and read. I prefer reading to watching a film in my leisure time. Let me say, since I arrived here, I mostly read academic literature or anything that relates to my career, but I can also read something completely different, for example a fictional book, a blog or a magazine article. I\u2019ve also travelled around Europe to explore as much as possible before I leave. France left a special impression on me. But a round trip in Italy was also unforgettable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Future.<\/strong> \u201cI\u2019m comfortable working in any country and really open to diverse opportunities.\u00a0I like my experience in Europe though, and feel there\u2019s much more to explore. Besides, my credentials will speak for themselves here, while in Kenya getting a job without any connections is very difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

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