Today we traveled to the second part of our trip, at the university of Twente in Enschede. U of Twente is a public Dutch technical university known for its interdisciplinary education. We first received a tour of the university which was a fun and insightful window into how the Dutch university experience compares and contrasts to our American one. One thing that stood out to me was how rather than our typical 4-year undergraduate schools, students  at Twente typically study for 5 to 7 years in a combined bachelors-masters program. It is not uncommon for students to take a year off as well to travel, work for the boards of student associations, and overall enjoy student life. Throughout the tour I was amazed by the campus’s impressive infrastructure of modern architecture, beautiful gardens, and the many bike paths. In fact, biking is such a common method of transportation that many residents automatically measure distance by how long it takes by bike. 

We then received a presentation on Kristalbad, a region that serves as a natural water buffer between the cities of Hangelo and Enchende. Kristilbad is more than just a reservoir as it serves as a natural water re-purification system for treated water from Enschede. Its biodiverse environment full of animals and plants renders treated water chemically balanced by removing phosphates and other toxic chemicals.  It is also a natural barrier that prevents flooding  in Hangelo during periods of heavy rainfall. After the presentation we were taken on a tour to visit Kristalbald. For me, the highlight was climbing the spiral watch tower to get a birds eye view of the landscape and water treatment processes. It was interesting to see the practices we learned in action. The experience deepened my understanding while being a really fun opportunity to spend time outside and enjoy the nature of Enschende. 

After, the Civil engineering study association hosted us to play trivia at their student owned pub. I had a great time meeting some engineering students at Twente and learning about the vibrant student culture.