‘Do it big, or do it small. But do it!’

What brought you to Holland?

Being the son of a Dutch KLM manager Dad and a Caribbean (Curaao) Mom, I grew up in different countries. In August 1991 my father was diagnosed with cancer, so we decided to move to Holland for medical treatment – eventually to no avail.

Why TU Delft?

I wanted to study Architecture. I understood that the education in Delft was more conceptually focused and besides, Eindhoven was too far away.

Are there any notable differences between the TU and your home university, in terms of research or relationships?

I don’t really have a ‘home’ university. But compared to other Universities that I’ve been at (Barcelona, Venice and UCLA), there seems to be a strict division here between academic life and social life. At the same time, it’s one of the strongest information and network hubs in the world!

If there was one thing about the TU you could change, what would it be?

The entire ‘campus’. It requires a complete (re)integration of the academic (necessities) to social and recreational activities (desires) – they could learn something from the U.S. system. The Dutch structures like bureaucracy, education and social systems inhibit their own potentials to become an international contender.

How might TU Delft raise its standing in the international ranking of universities?

By preparing students intellectually as well as socially. We should be preparing them for ‘life’ after Delft. Studies across the globe have illustrated that E.Q. (Emotional Intelligence) is just as, if not more, important than I.Q.

Who (living or dead) would you like to meet and why?

Henri Lefebvre, whose writings about space and society have helped remove many blindfolds, but he’s dead and I don’t want things I can’t have. So, I’d say Nelson Mandela and George Bush, so that I can learn from Mandela and try to teach Bush.

Why did you decide to become an urbanist?

In my career I’m engaged with space and society. My first interest in this correlation came at age 13 when staying with the Masai tribe in the Masai Mara. At that time, local people had started to use corrugated iron sheets as roofing, which was more efficient than straw roofs. But this had not only created internal problems like excess heat but also external ones, like ruining the landscape with reflective sheets.

If you weren’t an urbanist, what profession would you like to have?

Psychologist, or a charter pilot for family trips throughout the Caribbean. ‘Do it big, or do it small, but do it.’ For me, that’s dealing with people and positively educating them.

What feature of Dutch society do you like the most? And like least?

I can appreciate their rationality, lucidity most. On the other hand, I miss the true passion in their way of doing.

Where do you consider your home country and what do you miss most about living there?

This is a question I used to ask myself quite often. Where do I belong? Who am I? Living in all these different countries…. When it comes down to it I’d say I feel like an African Antillean. And yes there are many things I miss: landscape, waterscape, streetscape, music & dance, colours, smell and especially the love and laughter experienced in everyday life.

What qualities or quality do you most admire in people?

The ability to have compassion towards others.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Right where I am, my track’s been set. And if there’s someone out there who doesn’t think that he/she is in the right place, I’d say, ‘Do something about it!’

What’s your favourite food and drink?

I love ‘Giambo’ (Okra Soup). It’s a Curaaoan soup brought over from West African slaves and is a mixture of everything: pork, fish, sea food and several vegetables. But it’s the okra that makes it special.

Is there one book that changed your life in some way?

Mainly, I could easily say the Bible, and later ‘The Production of Space’ by Henri Lefebvre made a deep impact on me.

How would you like to die?

Conscious, smiling (for what I’ve had) and crying (for what I’ll miss), but especially… knowing that I made a difference.

What brought you to Holland?

Being the son of a Dutch KLM manager Dad and a Caribbean (Curaao) Mom, I grew up in different countries. In August 1991 my father was diagnosed with cancer, so we decided to move to Holland for medical treatment – eventually to no avail.

Why TU Delft?

I wanted to study Architecture. I understood that the education in Delft was more conceptually focused and besides, Eindhoven was too far away.

Are there any notable differences between the TU and your home university, in terms of research or relationships?

I don’t really have a ‘home’ university. But compared to other Universities that I’ve been at (Barcelona, Venice and UCLA), there seems to be a strict division here between academic life and social life. At the same time, it’s one of the strongest information and network hubs in the world!

If there was one thing about the TU you could change, what would it be?

The entire ‘campus’. It requires a complete (re)integration of the academic (necessities) to social and recreational activities (desires) – they could learn something from the U.S. system. The Dutch structures like bureaucracy, education and social systems inhibit their own potentials to become an international contender.

How might TU Delft raise its standing in the international ranking of universities?

By preparing students intellectually as well as socially. We should be preparing them for ‘life’ after Delft. Studies across the globe have illustrated that E.Q. (Emotional Intelligence) is just as, if not more, important than I.Q.

Who (living or dead) would you like to meet and why?

Henri Lefebvre, whose writings about space and society have helped remove many blindfolds, but he’s dead and I don’t want things I can’t have. So, I’d say Nelson Mandela and George Bush, so that I can learn from Mandela and try to teach Bush.

Why did you decide to become an urbanist?

In my career I’m engaged with space and society. My first interest in this correlation came at age 13 when staying with the Masai tribe in the Masai Mara. At that time, local people had started to use corrugated iron sheets as roofing, which was more efficient than straw roofs. But this had not only created internal problems like excess heat but also external ones, like ruining the landscape with reflective sheets.

If you weren’t an urbanist, what profession would you like to have?

Psychologist, or a charter pilot for family trips throughout the Caribbean. ‘Do it big, or do it small, but do it.’ For me, that’s dealing with people and positively educating them.

What feature of Dutch society do you like the most? And like least?

I can appreciate their rationality, lucidity most. On the other hand, I miss the true passion in their way of doing.

Where do you consider your home country and what do you miss most about living there?

This is a question I used to ask myself quite often. Where do I belong? Who am I? Living in all these different countries…. When it comes down to it I’d say I feel like an African Antillean. And yes there are many things I miss: landscape, waterscape, streetscape, music & dance, colours, smell and especially the love and laughter experienced in everyday life.

What qualities or quality do you most admire in people?

The ability to have compassion towards others.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Right where I am, my track’s been set. And if there’s someone out there who doesn’t think that he/she is in the right place, I’d say, ‘Do something about it!’

What’s your favourite food and drink?

I love ‘Giambo’ (Okra Soup). It’s a Curaaoan soup brought over from West African slaves and is a mixture of everything: pork, fish, sea food and several vegetables. But it’s the okra that makes it special.

Is there one book that changed your life in some way?

Mainly, I could easily say the Bible, and later ‘The Production of Space’ by Henri Lefebvre made a deep impact on me.

How would you like to die?

Conscious, smiling (for what I’ve had) and crying (for what I’ll miss), but especially… knowing that I made a difference.