Rutger

My name is Rutger Driessen and I am a master student International Relations and International Organizations in Groningen, The Netherlands. I was born on the 29th of May 1984 in Leiden, and lived there for 18 years. I was my parent's first child (I later got a little brother, Theo, and a little sister, Corine) and had a wonderful childhood in Leiden's city centre. I played football, tennis, the piano, and chess. Going into my teenage years I developed new interests and quit playing chess and the piano. I focused more on tennis and in my second year in high school I decided to quit playing football to be able to play tennis for at least 4 times a week. Obliged to choose one out of four “directions” in the new Dutch school system (Tweede Fase) I chose for “Economics and Sociology” and added Biology and Sociology 2 to keep broad perspectives. I liked sociology, was internationally focused and participated in the European Youth Parliament, but after completing high school without much difficulties I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to study or become. The love for languages, going abroad, and the idea to do something useful made me decide to take a gap year and I went to Spain to study Spanish. After 9 months of Spanish lessons, making new friends, snowboarding and a lot of fun, I went back to Holland with a Spanish-language diploma and decided to study International Relations and International Organizations at the University of Groningen. Although I liked my study I was also interested in doing things next to it and so I decided to become member of student society “Albertus Magnus”. My first years in Groningen I was very active there. After three years of doing a lot at Albertus Magnus, and working at a bar at the same time, I found it was time to do something outside the student society and nightlife. Amongst other things I became a member of the AIESEC Make a Move team (to organize ao. a Career week), participated in TEIMUN (The European Model United Nations), went on a development internship with AIESEC in Indonesia (teaching English to orphans), did a field-work internship with the OAS (Organization of American States) in Colombia and was manager of a small company called “Stichting Homeservice Groningen” also known as “De Bavaria Bierkoerier”. My interest in International Relations and development aid brought me to the TNT Global Experience Programme. My location: Matagalpa, Nicaragua. I hope it will be the experience of a lifetime I expect it to be!