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Europe, the dream of change

by Anas Zyadin

dream_of_change.jpgI still remember very well, in early 1990s, when I scratched a European capital on the wall of my room and wrote boldly and colorfully my degree in forest sciences.My dad used to laugh and pat on my shoulder and said: Son, I admire your motivation, but for such a dream, you have to strive for.Well, nothing is impossible if you have the persistence. Frankly, being in Europe changed a lot of my personality and especially my behaviors; to be punctual, committed to your deadlines, and studies, and surely to experience liberties and human rights and societal prosperity. It made me optimistic about the future and believes that this also can happen in my own country. Studying in Europe made me equipped with skills and knowledge to understand whats going on around but also opened many doors for better future. Nothing like having dinner with Spanish people, partying with the Dutch and Belgium, Sauna and ice-swimming with the Finns, wine tasting with the French, rock and roll with Germans and many other Europeans that have astonishing cultures to be explored all the time. The non-Europeanshave made every gathering more interesting; South Americans have their own lovely way in socializing, this cultural harmony made Europe a unique place for networking and exploring other cultures, norms, and traditions God bless Europe.

Sign up for personal updatesI came home, and kept telling these, sometimes unbelievable stories, to my old school friends and young motivated students whom I meet every once in a while. I could feel the shock in their eyes, maybe because they want to escape the harsh reality or because they want to live and work in Europe for better life. Most of them have had a tough childhood - being a member of a large family. But they are smart and strive for knowledge and science. Remarkably, their performance at high school and university level foretells the future of science if equal opportunities are provided for them. Above all, their perceptions of life in Europe tears eyes and sometimes make you laugh; it refers to the degree of freedom (such as a woman driving a public bus, or the president of Finland attending public event and shaking hands with people, or a couple walking in national park and sometimes kissing). Their rights for better life and freedom can be felt in the street riots (Arab spring) that became like a tsunami approaching almost every Arab country. In the same time, the old-fashioned mentality has no space anymore in their mind; this globalized world featured by advanced technologies for communication and relatively affordable internet access has given young people the tool to persistently defend their endeavor to science and better life. However, science is developing everyday and the train of science will not wait any longer the people how are late for departure.

I have kept asking myself, why so many Indians could manage to find their way to study in Europe, Chinese, Bangladeshi and more and more of Africans.Simply, they put forward a plan and a dream to seek going abroad. Since Europe is full of such opportunities, it is no longer difficult to find a place for an Arabic guy. The problem remains where and how. I kept providing some advices on how to find suitable country and, for instance, scholarship opportunities in Europe. Erasmus Mundus, a high class and prestigious programme offers over 150 international master programmes around Europe.It is indeed one of the most fantastic European initiatives to promote the European higher education. The application procedure might be complicated sometimes and visa acquisition requires overwhelming work and requirements. But its worth it.

Unfortunately, the number of Arab participants remains modest. The reason is that they simply do not know about it and they do not know what to do. There is a sincere lack of promotions and campaigns around the Arab world. Universities do not offer a platform for information dissemination and guidance for students to ease the application procedure. EMA (Erasmus Mundus Association) is a remarkable voluntary-based initiative to promote Erasmus Mundus programmes but unfortunately it has not yet successfully reached the higher education institutes in the Arab world to select elite students who may contribute to science and promoting European higher education. In Europe, gender equality is a basic human right and Europe is the leading when it comes to females equal opportunities. Arab girls still feel insecure and scared to go abroad although they would like to feel freedom of choices. Providing study opportunities for Arab girls will enhances the womens participation in societal development and will equip them with strength to be influential in steering development and protecting the future generations from the side-effects of poverty.

Acting on the organizational level and cooperating between European Commissions and educational institutions in Arab countries would promote Europe as a destination for excellent higher education and enhancing cultural exchange.The long term outcomes will be a new generations that can communicate with other cultures and other people from different origins. We will create a harmony in the world we live in and all together we can develop our societies and ease the suffering of our environment.

Thanks to Europe and thanks a lot to every beautiful European country I have been in. Europe is the dream of change and wide culture to explore.

So, are you ready to explore?

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Do you want to learn more about studying in Europe? Have a look at "Why study in Europe?" or the numerous other articles on the STeXX website. Besides, the following websites can help you to find your study programme in Europe.

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The author

Anas

Anas Zyadin

studied at Jordan University of Science and Technology and is currently doing his PhD in Forest Sciences at the University of Eastern Finland