Dr. Mastewal Yami Degefa

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Mastewal Yami Degefa studierte Institutionen und nachhaltiges Management von „common pool resources“. Drei Jahre lang lebte sie in Wien und absolvierte an der BOKU ein PhD-Programm. Nun arbeitet die 31-jährige Äthiopierin in Addis Abeba als Sozialwissenschaftlerin am International Water Management Institute.

Interview

1. What is different in the country in your home country than in Austria? What did you miss from your home country when you were in Austria?
   People are more friendly and religious in my home country, and we have poorer infrastructure than in Austria. I missed the spicy food in Ethiopia.
2. Why did you decide to go to work/study in another country?
   Because I wanted to pursue my education and I won the scholarship.
3. How well have you accustomed yourself to the new surroundings? Have you many social contacts? Has something got really grown on you?
   I was accustomed to the well organized system in Austria. Sure, I spent unforgettable time with my colleagues at the centre for development research. Yeah, I become more punctual than before. Not really, going back home and adjusting myself was easier for me.
4. What was different in your working and private life in Austria? Maybe there were rituals and habits you would never do at home?
   I had a very busy schedule in Austria. Eating alone and eating on my way is a taboo in Ethiopia.
5. Do you think that the experience abroad has broadened your horizon? Have you got to know other perspectives and attitudes? For example?
   Yes, I have learnt to respect different religious views and attitudes.
6. Would you advise to go abroad (to work or study)? Which adjectives should one bring with? What should one expect respectively which expectations are realistic?
   Yes, I advise to go abroad and develop one’s experience. I think a person travelling abroad should be ready to accept others and be open minded to the new setting.

Dr. Mamadou Traore

Kontakt: mamadou.traore@alumni.boku.wien

Mamadou Traore aus Burkina Faso studierte dreieinhalb Jahre lang an der BOKU mit Fokus auf Bodenkunde. Nun arbeitet der 40-Jährige an der Polytechnic University of Bobo Dioulasso als Lektor und Forschungsassistent, weiters ist er für eine private Firma als Experte für die Integration von „Jatropha curcas“ in das existierende Agro-System tätig.

Interview

1. What is different in the country in your home country than in Austria? What did you miss from your home country when you were in Austria?
   Everything was different people, language, habits but I took it positively. Someone with whom I could discuss and chair my concerns since the beginning of my stay in Austria was very challenging because of many barriers (language). I also missed my family.
2. Why did you decide to go to work/study in another country?
   I decided to study out of my country and especially in Austria because I had the opportunity to get a scholarship from OAD on one hand and on the other hand I wanted to do something different from the other colleagues who used to study in France.
3. How well have you accustomed yourself to the new surroundings? Have you many social contacts? Has something got really grown on you? And then was it hard to accustom yourself back home?
   Six months after I came to Austria I was familiar to the life and the way of this country. I met people from Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Uganda with whom I built very strong friendship. After 3.5 years of staying in Austria, my way of thinking become different from when I was in Burkina Faso. And when I went back home my first problem was with administration because most of my documents were in German. Concerning personal relations I become less talkative.
4. What was different in your working and private life in Austria? Maybe there were rituals and habits you would never do at home?
   In the working life I found that in Austria people are more focused on their work. There is weak interaction between colleagues even in the same office. This is not the case in Burkina Faso where colleagues become like members of the same family.
5. Do you think that the experience abroad has broadened your horizon? Have you got to know other perspectives and attitudes? For example?
   Yes, my experience in Austria has been constructive for my person. The fact that I learnt Eng-lish has been a great benefit for my carrier.
6. Would you advise to go abroad (to work or study)? Which adjectives should one bring with? What should one expect respectively which expectations are realistic?
   The advice that I can give to someone who wants to work/study is to be open minded and never give up even when everything seems to be lost.

Dr. Benedict Mutua, Egerton

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Benedict Mutua (45) aus Kenia, der seinen Master in Australien und seinen Doktor an der BOKU machte, hat als Fachgebiet Wasserressourcen und Umwelttechnik. 2005 kehrte er nach Kenia zurück, wo er nun eine Reihe von Tätigkeiten ausführt – als Lektor und Dekan an der Universität in Egerton, Mitglied in Komitees, Leiter von Forschungsprojekten etc.

Dr. Richard Onwonga, Nairobi

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Der 41-jährige Kenianer Richard Onwonga hielt sich in den Jahren von 2002 bis 2005 immer wieder mal zu Studienzwecken in Österreich auf. Er ist promovierter Landwirt und beschäftigt sich mit nachhaltigen Maßnahmen zur Erhaltung der Bodenfruchtbarkeit. Derzeit forscht und lehrt er als Lektor an der Universität in Nairobi.

Benedito Cunguara, PhD

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Benedito Cunguara aus Mozambique studierte Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften mit dem Fokus auf Strategien zur Armutsbekämpfung in seinem Land. Von 2008 bis Sommer 2011 absolvierte der 32-jährige ein Doktorat an der BOKU, nun forscht und lehrt er als Mitarbeiter der Michigan State University mit Basis in Maputo in Mozambique.

Dr. Helen N. Nakimbugwe

Kontakt: alumni@boku.ac.at

Die 47-jährige Helen Nakimbugwe aus Uganda lebte und studierte acht Jahre lang in Österreich, ihr Fach ist Landwirtschaft mit Schwerpunkt Viehzucht. Ende 1998 kehrte sie in ihr Land zurück und nun leitet sie im „national animal genetic resources centre and databank“ in Entebbe das Department für Aufzucht und Fortpflanzung.