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The centerpiece of the entire year was without a doubt the internship.

I chose International Development Studies coming from a background in Humanistic. At the time I was looking to bridge the abstract ethics I had been trained in with more of a ‘real world’ focus. What appealed to me most about IDS was its global orientation and strong empirical grounding, favoring complexity and context sensitivity over generalizations. The multidisciplinary nature of development studies was reflected in both the course material and the various nationalities and backgrounds of my co students. This resulted in a particularly dynamic and inspiring programme. The centerpiece of the entire year was without a doubt the internship, which formed the ‘big event’ which everyone was working towards. This lead to a definite sense of shared excitement and anticipation during the classes as the days drew closer. 

I spent my internship researching social movements and land conflicts in Tanzania. I was supported by the Dutch NGO Agriterra, and MVIWATA, the country’s small-scale farmer network. It was a priceless experience, the type which you can only have by stepping outside your comfort zone. Collecting and conceptualizing data amidst the power shortages, language barriers and many other uncertainties was both extremely challenging and extremely rewarding.  Flexibility, confidence and reflexivity are some of the competencies which I developed during my time away. Since my graduation I have started working as a junior lecturer at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ and I will soon be starting my phd. This path is an extension of experiences I had at IDS and the love for research which I brought back from my fieldwork.