African cohesion at 2iE

The day I traveled from Cameroon to Burkina Faso, I was very anxious. When I arrived at the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering, I wondered how people here lived, thought and acted. During my first few days here, I was very timid. I found it difficult to greet other people.

Soon after, things started changing. I began to empathize with the students from different nationalities. We would sit around after dinner and have discussions about the peculiarities of our native languages. Also, I started learning to ride a motorcycle through the instructions of a Burkinabe classmate.

I think the best way to relate to someone who is different is to relate to his or her culture. This is one of the basic lessons one gets from studying at 2iE. It is evident that we are able to live compatibly by respecting and tolerating each other, despite ethnic differences. Tolerance is a quality that is a must for engineers who have to manage many workers in the field.

Don’t forget, there will come a day when we, no matter what ethnic background, will have to combine our knowledge and experience in order to contribute to the development of our continent.