The European University of the Atlantic is defined as an academic multicultural institution . Indeed it is. Students from all around the world are enrolled in our university. Today we interviewed Mamadou Traore and Adama Diabate from Mali , two students who are enrolled in the Undergraduate in Computer Engineering. They are native from Bamako, the capital of Mali, and it has only been a few weeks since they arrived in Spain. So far, they have experienced a great culture shock and they do not speak Spanish, they are adapting to their new life in Santander.
Their first impression is good,”it is a study city, small and very quiet to be able to work”, they commented. For them, this is a very favorable point, they live in a big city with high levels of noise pollution. “We can say that Mali is totally the opposite of Santander and, precisely for this reason, we were encouraged to come and study in this area of Spain”.
When asked about the differences found between the youth of Mali and Spain, the two students answered that the culture is different. “While in Santander people focus more on their tasks and issues, in Mali we care about knowing who you are, where you come from and what you do.”
When asked about what they did in their free time, they both agreed. The immediate objective is to learn Spanish, therefore, in addition to studying, they usually watch TV and movies in this language. In addition to that, as many students during their first year of career,they are learning to cook, for until now they have not had the need to do so.
Where is Mali?
The full name is Republic of Mali, a country located in West Africa that borders Algeria on the north, Niger on the east, Mauritania and Senegal on the west and Ivory Coast and Guinea and Burkina Faso on the south.