No, it isn’t his first time in the Netherlands, Gabriel Lugthart from Brazil says during the INKOM welcome market on Monday afternoon. During his youth, he already lived in The Hague for a year and a half; his father is Dutch. "For my studies, I wanted to return. It is a central location to explore Europe. Besides, it's safe here and you have the freedom to go wherever you want. Here the buses just run on a schedule, they don't arrive at a random time," he says with a laugh.
His study choice fell on the Bachelor of Computer Science. "I like sitting in front of a computer screen anyway; I play a lot of computer games. And I also like maths." Maastricht appealed to him because the education is in English. "That is also the language you use while programming, so it is convenient to be taught in English as well."
For the same reason, he also did not want to study in Germany, despite being fluent in that language. "In Brazil, I was in a German-speaking school. My father wanted me to go to a Dutch school, but you didn't have those in our area. According to him, this was a good alternative." That language knowledge comes in handy now anyway, he notes. "I have already come across many German students with whom I could have a chat." And how is his Dutch? "Despite my previous stay, I don't speak it great. But I’m planning to take a language course."