Day 4 we drove across the Netherlands about two hours from Amsterdam to the city of Enschede and the University of Twente. Once we arrived at the school, we took a guided tour of the campus and saw the education buildings and student housing. We then had a short lecture about water management in this area and a special system called Kristalbad, which we visited as well. We ended the day by meeting more engineering students and learning about student life at the University.
Twente left a very good impression on me even from just the first few hours here. It has a very similar campus feel to American universities and has a ton of student clubs (called associations) as well. The school also has a very strong sense of community, with the different living areas being much more tight knit and social than American dorms. Almost everyone is involved in some kind of club or activity in addition to their academics. Overall, the people at the university seem very happy and socially fulfilled.
An interesting sustainability takeaway from today was the Kristalbad. This is a project that involves lakes and canals to filter and control the water moving from Enschede to its sister city Hengelo. Because of the topography of the area Kristalbad helps prevent flooding and also through a series of reeds purifies water. Kristalbad is also an ecological safe haven for amphibians and birds, ensuring biodiversity is a pretty urban area is preserved. Kristalbad is an example of the expert Dutch water engineering and how they find sustainable solutions to modern problems.