Mail from Hasselt by Matthias Mirau

Hasselt in Belgium is my home for a week. I get to know the city, our partner school and the other German and Belgian trainees in the field of industrial mechanics, but also the trainers in a completely new and personal way. During the day, we travel into the region’s past: I learn a lot about interesting ancient tools and construction methods in a Gallo-Roman museum. On a guided tour through an old, disused mine, I quickly realize how hard everyday life must have been here. In the evening, the other trainees and I end the day in the city, playing darts in the pub and, of course, eating Belgian fries. We also often play spikeball, which is a kind of volleyball where a ball has to be played onto a small, trampoline-like net. My personal highlight is visiting our Dutch teacher at home, where we all have a barbecue together in the garden. For me, this trip will remain the highlight of my training: a great community experience with the other trainees that strengthens our cohesion and friendship even more.

Trainee Matthias Mirau spent a week at the Belgian vocational school Katholiek Onderwijs Hasselt (HAST) through a German-Belgian cooperation as part of the EU project Leonardo at the beginning of June. The 26-year-old successfully completed his training as an industrial mechanic at Forschungszentrum Jülich in the summer and now works at ZEA-1.