We decided to meet up with these Chinese professionals to find out what they expect from their stay at the University of Twente. 'It is a great chance to broaden our horizons. Coming to the Netherlands for a few months is kind of an adventure,' says AndyHuabing Zhang.
Individual goals
Baosteel is a very large group operating all over the world and each one of the five trainees works in a different department - John is a researcher, Andy is an engineer and Eddy, Vincent and Helen are involved in management. For this reason, all of them have a different goal of what they want to achieve during their stay in Enschede. They each picked which courses to follow and which specific subjects to focus on.
A great place to learn about innovation
Baosteel offers their employees a chance to apply for several different programs and trainings abroad. Was there a special reason why members of this group chose UT?
'I heard that UT is a famous Dutch university and a good place to learn about management. Enschede also seemed as a quiet and suitable place to study,' says EddyBaolong Liu.
His colleague VincentZongwang Fang, whopreferred UT to a popular American university, agrees and adds: 'It is a great place to learn about innovation, which Dutch people are very good at.'
'It will of course help us professionally,' says JohnHaijun Shen. ´We learn a lot about technical and business innovation and management, and not to forget about the local culture.´
Local culture
The whole group, indeed, seems very eager to learn about the Dutch (and overall European) culture. In their own words, they take every opportunity to talk to their coaches and ask questions about life in the Netherlands.
Did they experience any cultural shock after their arrival to Europe? 'We received training about cultural shock before we came to Enschede, so we were prepared for the stay,' answers John. 'Some of us also travelled to Europe before, so there were no unpleasant surprises,' explains HelenFan Zhang, who is truly enjoying living in the Netherlands. 'It is such a nice and peaceful country! Everybody is very friendly and respectful,' she says.
