We first started by having a city tour of Enschede. We learned that they strive to prevent flooding by creating shallow dips in the ground that are covered with green space. These areas capture the water runoff because they sit at a lower elevation. The water can then be stored in the soil for the plants. This system is called a wadi and the Dutch are actually the first to pioneer this. We saw this a couple of times on our tour and I found it to be a unique way of water management that also encouraged green space. When looking more into the sustainability of Enschede I found that they hope to reach climate neutrality by 2050. The wadis are apart of this plan as they add to the cities water resilience and urban greening. Other factors they are looking into are preventing coal and natural gas usage and renovating bike lanes to support the sustainable transport the Netherlands has built in.
After our tour we were able to explore more of the city. We first looked around the open air market. This included desserts, produce, meals from different cultures, decorations, jewelry, and much more! It was a great place to get lunch and chill out after the tour. After the market, I decided to go back to the University of Twente to watch the racers of Batavierenrace finish. This relay race is 175 kilometers, divided into 25 stages. It includes around 8,000 to 8,500 students coming from all around the Netherlands. As we watched I saw the finishers typically carrying a flag or wearing a costume to celebrate the ending. The atmostphere was so exciting as many people showed up to cheer them on. The day then ended with the Batavierenfest which included 2 raves that over 10,000 students usually attend.
What I found most interesting was the amount of people set up in tents around the Twente campus. These tents are for the racers to rest or get ready for their leg of the race, and students who don’t go to Twente that are camped for the festival. Every time we passed the tents, we saw the community connect by playing different games and eating together. This really seemed to add to the liveliness of the race and festival. Overall, this day seemed to be a big part of Dutch culture because of the amount of people attending and talking about it. It was a great time, and I would love to see it again!
