HvA students tackle urban problems with American student team

B’lyou and her classmates visited Tampa in September to mark the start of a collaboration with a team of American students. Their task? To investigate the quality of Dutch tap water.

‘You really need a car in Tampa,’ says B’lyou. ‘Uber made a lot of money from us.’ Asked to recount some of the cultural differences between the Dutch and American research teams she said: ‘Americans seem to do things more last minute. In Tampa, we did the entire assignment the night before the presentation, although it must be said this was partly because we were having such a good time and wanted to see the city. We became close friends with the students there.’

Coats

In Amsterdam, the Dutch-American team investigated urban problems such as drug use and prostitution. B’lyou and the Dutch students took care to prepare the Floridians for their visit: ‘They only know summer and walk around in shorts and sandals all year, so we warned them about the weather. We even collected coats for them so that they wouldn’t have to buy one just for the occasion.’ But the Floridians also did some preparation themselves: ‘Before they came, they posted a video of themselves on Facebook practicing how to use a bicycle.’