Op De Fiets!

It wasn't long after arriving (by plane, train,bus and taxi) in Groningen, the Netherlands, that the NSCC students on the first exchange of the Canada-EU Energy Efficiency in the Built Environment program, were off and running with their work and their projects. The NSCC group (consisting of 5 students and 1 factulty from the School of Trades and Technology) are being hosted by the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen and are joined by students and faculty from Holland College in PEI and the Institute of Technology Carlow in Ireland.

Over the first couple of days the group of Canadians were shown around the canal-lined city and rented bicycles as their main means of transportation. It wasn't long before the group felt comfortable biking along the cobble-stoned streets and all seemed to adapt quite well to the language and the culture. One of their first activities in their project groups was to take photos during and architectural tour of the old part of the city. Each student (Canadian, Irish and Dutch) picked two photos that caught their eye and then presented these photos to the rest of the group. It was an interesting activity for all as it forced the students to look at unique aspects of the architecture and to think creatively about the purpose of the structures.

Over the next couple of weeks the students will continue to participate in classes, lectures, site visits and work on their main project in their groups around finding energy efficient solutions to construction, engineering and architecture. In their spare time the group has taken the opportunity to explore the city and learn more about Dutch culture through food, music and entertainment!

As a special treat, we will have each NSCC student and faculty share a short blog post about their experience in Groningen and at the Hanze University of Applied Sciences! Stay tuned!! - Kellie McMullin, NSCC International