Outgoing magazine Institute for Sport Studies Outgoing Magazine Work Document 2017 draft version | Page 40

Student Experiences
Ethiopia (2014) - Stijn Nooteboom

“It leaves you speechless, then turns you into a story teller.”
Going abroad is a unique experience I would recommend to everyone. I was lucky to have the op-
portunity to go on behalf of “Stichting Joni”, a foundation which is committed to enlarge the rights
of physically and mentally disabled children in Addis Abeba (Ethiopia). It was a unique and crazy
experience, one I’ll never forget.
Being in Ethiopia means living in a totally different world. It’s remarkable how much I learned about
different cultures and people, but especially about myself. For example the situation of organising a
sports event with deaf Ethiopian colleagues, in a culture that is hardly comparable with ours. Or ex-
pecting you are only visiting a judo project, but instead you are supposed to give a training - without
a judo mat, suits or preparation - to deaf children in the middle of Addis Abeba, while being watched
by men in suits.
The happiness and the awareness we created were absolutely indescribable. It really leaves you
speechless. Even me! And for those who know me, that’s hard to do. I met people who will be in my
heart for the rest of my life.
Doing voluntary work in Ethiopia made me eager to study,
work and travel around the globe. That’s why I also partici