Messages from the Field

In 1992 I was selected to apply for the course of groundwater hydrology, but at that time my son was newborn and I refused the proposal, which held the next years. In 1995 I decided to apply for the course again after consultation with the family and psychologists. I had to make the decision to separate my self from my son and husband for 11 months.

The first step consisted in approving the minimal tests accomplished by the national institute to be able to apply for the course. The second and third steps were to be approved academically by the IHE and to obtain the scholarship offered by the Dutch Government. When I no longer expected it, I received the news that I had been accepted for the course at IHE.

And here, my history begins. It was the first time that I went out of the country. On the day of the flight to The Netherlands, the airline was overbooked and I could not fly with the rest of Cuban group. By chance two of us were in the same position, thus I was not left lonely. We travelled side by side to Holland through Santiago de Compostela. On arrival my colleague's baggage was mislaid and we had to stay overnight. I had to lend clothing to him and gave my winter clothes, these not being extremely feminine. Finally we got to Amsterdam where the IHE members waited for us to guide us to the IHE. They already knew of our delay.

I could have never forgotten how they welcomed us, the impeccable organization to accomplish all of the red tape at the start and the beautiful welcome. It was the first time that I faced another language, in Cuba we never talked in English. I remember that getting in touch was difficult, trying to understand what people meant. All students talked in English but each one with his own accent. Just in this one place, IHE, I encountered the whole world at once.

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