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Dawit
Refugees

“ My name is Dawit Tesfay.

I’m from Eritrea: a small country in the horn of Africa. I studied Archaeology at the university of Asmara; the only university in the country. After completing my studies, I was assigned to the second only museum of this country as a curator and field archaeologist. Archaeology brings different experts of the field from different parts of the world together to explore the mystery of human past. Therefore I already had a chance to think about the approach and style of education that the young archaeologists and interns coming from places like United Kingdom, United States and Italy had in comparison with our educational process. Although I found out that the essence of learning is the same, the approach and method of performance is different. In Eritrea education is free, but that does not mean it is high standard. We still lack practical experiments in many fields because of ill-equipped laboratories and technicians, which some of the causes could be lack of funds and brain-drain.
My story might be compared with stories of previous generations of Dutch society in which education was considered a privilege and the big extended families could only afford to send one or two children to school. This would then compel me to think about many places in the world where education is still regarded as a luxury, especially for women.
I only have one dream for now, though it is wise to have a spare somewhere in the closet. I would like to join a master program in conservation and restoration of cultural heritage. If I could become a certified conservator and restorer I would be the happiest person.
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.” ”