‘TU Delft changed the nerd in me’

Rabih Al Zaher has lived in Holland for more than five years now and speaks Dutch fluently. He came here from Lebanon in 2001 with the aim of first learning the language, and then using his new verbal skills to study at the TU Delft.

Even though being so far from home was a tough challenge at first, Al Zaher admits that the process was made easier by the presence of his aunt, who lives near Rotterdam. Along with several other motivating factors, he says that his decision to come to Holland “was greatly motivated and influenced by my aunt and uncle, to whom I’m deeply grateful.”

When Al Zaher decided to come here, he had the good future prospects Holland offered firmly in mind. The instability in Lebanon is the main reason why most Lebanese students decide to leave home. Al Zaher believed that studying at TU Delft would open doors of opportunities for him, and so it has.

When he first arrived in Holland, however, he experienced his fair share of shocks and surprises. Al Zaher: “The first thing I noticed was the large number of foreigners, especially for example those wearing head scarves, which initially made this country seem not much like the Western world.”

He also found the Dutch to be “open yet closed”, friendly yet maintaining their individuality. “Also, girls here need to accept a guy’s good manners, not see them as offending,” he adds.

Since Lebanese culture is very showy, he also found Dutch modestly a notable difference. Al Zaher is however very satisfied with Holland’s social organization, the helpfulness of the people generally, and the environmental respect. “I don’t understand the Partij van de Dieren (Party for the Animals) though,” he concedes. “It’s for a good cause, but pointless when people are still struggling for their own rights.”

For Al Zaher, the most important social feature is that hard work is very much recognized in Holland, and good students or employees have the chance to advance and become the high achievers they deserve to be.
SoSalsa

Al Zaher is proud to be a TU Delft student. Although he could’ve gone to university in the United States, he has no regrets coming here instead. Al Zaher: “TU Delft has very good teachers, freedom of choice in terms of study scheduling, and a perfect combination between practical and theoretical study.”

He also appreciates that TU Delft offers opportunities for many other things in the student life besides academic work. “I’d always thought that university life was purely academic,” he says, “and that the fun student life was simply a make-believe Hollywood movie reality.”

His viewpoint changed drastically however after arriving in Delft, where he realized that the social aspect of university is an equally important part of the education. “TU Delft changed the nerd in me to becoming a much more social, practical and dynamic person,” he says.

The many chances for extracurricular activities made him realize his passions, one of which was salsa dancing. In fact Al Zaher is now such a good dancer that he has given several salsa workshops at events in Delft.

Last year he and five other students started the ‘SoSalsa’ fraternity, which has since proved to be a great success.

For a membership fee, ‘SoSalsa’ members enjoy dancing workshops, parties and other salsa-related activities. Interestingly enough, one of the partner founders of the ‘SoSalsa’ fraternity is from Israel, but this doesn’t influence the relationship the two have. “We’re friends, and we stay away from politics,” Al Zaher says, adding that their relationship is a fine example of the good will that can exist between students of different and even conflicting national backgrounds, as well as of the diversity of TU Delft student life.

Al Zaher also works part-time at the 3mE Faculty’s International Office, helping to organize events for foreign students.
Solar car

Al Zaher is ambitious, and besides working hard on his studies, he’s also involved in a very interesting project that will look great on his resume someday: He’s part of the prestigious NUON Solar Team, working on the Nuna 4 solar car.

Al Zaher: “This project is about working in a team with different students of different educational backgrounds to build in one year a solar-powered car that will beat the Americans, Japanese and Australians for the World Solar Challenge later this year.”

For Al Zaher and his Nuna solar car teammates, it’s a matter of great pride if they can achieve more than all the other universities around the world, especially the likes of MIT.

For the new Nuna car, Al Zaher is designing the suspension components and key components of the chassis. The project however requires him to sacrifice 15 months of his time to complete the project. But he says the sacrifice is worth it, “because it’s a unique opportunity and a great working experience from both the individual and team work perspectives. I believe that being involved in this project will make me much more attractive to future employers.”

After the Nuna project, Al Zaher plans to focus on finishing his Master’s degree. “Once that’s done, I’m still somewhat confused as to whether I’ll look for a possible PhD position or immediately start looking for a job,” he says. “It’s not an easy decision, because while the title ‘Dr. Al Zaher’ is very appealing, I’m just not sure more education is the best option right now.” In either case, Al Zaher has found a new home in Holland, where he is happy and hopes to stay.

Rabih Al Zaher (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)

Rabih Al Zaher has lived in Holland for more than five years now and speaks Dutch fluently. He came here from Lebanon in 2001 with the aim of first learning the language, and then using his new verbal skills to study at the TU Delft.

Even though being so far from home was a tough challenge at first, Al Zaher admits that the process was made easier by the presence of his aunt, who lives near Rotterdam. Along with several other motivating factors, he says that his decision to come to Holland “was greatly motivated and influenced by my aunt and uncle, to whom I’m deeply grateful.”

When Al Zaher decided to come here, he had the good future prospects Holland offered firmly in mind. The instability in Lebanon is the main reason why most Lebanese students decide to leave home. Al Zaher believed that studying at TU Delft would open doors of opportunities for him, and so it has.

When he first arrived in Holland, however, he experienced his fair share of shocks and surprises. Al Zaher: “The first thing I noticed was the large number of foreigners, especially for example those wearing head scarves, which initially made this country seem not much like the Western world.”

He also found the Dutch to be “open yet closed”, friendly yet maintaining their individuality. “Also, girls here need to accept a guy’s good manners, not see them as offending,” he adds.

Since Lebanese culture is very showy, he also found Dutch modestly a notable difference. Al Zaher is however very satisfied with Holland’s social organization, the helpfulness of the people generally, and the environmental respect. “I don’t understand the Partij van de Dieren (Party for the Animals) though,” he concedes. “It’s for a good cause, but pointless when people are still struggling for their own rights.”

For Al Zaher, the most important social feature is that hard work is very much recognized in Holland, and good students or employees have the chance to advance and become the high achievers they deserve to be.
SoSalsa

Al Zaher is proud to be a TU Delft student. Although he could’ve gone to university in the United States, he has no regrets coming here instead. Al Zaher: “TU Delft has very good teachers, freedom of choice in terms of study scheduling, and a perfect combination between practical and theoretical study.”

He also appreciates that TU Delft offers opportunities for many other things in the student life besides academic work. “I’d always thought that university life was purely academic,” he says, “and that the fun student life was simply a make-believe Hollywood movie reality.”

His viewpoint changed drastically however after arriving in Delft, where he realized that the social aspect of university is an equally important part of the education. “TU Delft changed the nerd in me to becoming a much more social, practical and dynamic person,” he says.

The many chances for extracurricular activities made him realize his passions, one of which was salsa dancing. In fact Al Zaher is now such a good dancer that he has given several salsa workshops at events in Delft.

Last year he and five other students started the ‘SoSalsa’ fraternity, which has since proved to be a great success.

For a membership fee, ‘SoSalsa’ members enjoy dancing workshops, parties and other salsa-related activities. Interestingly enough, one of the partner founders of the ‘SoSalsa’ fraternity is from Israel, but this doesn’t influence the relationship the two have. “We’re friends, and we stay away from politics,” Al Zaher says, adding that their relationship is a fine example of the good will that can exist between students of different and even conflicting national backgrounds, as well as of the diversity of TU Delft student life.

Al Zaher also works part-time at the 3mE Faculty’s International Office, helping to organize events for foreign students.
Solar car

Al Zaher is ambitious, and besides working hard on his studies, he’s also involved in a very interesting project that will look great on his resume someday: He’s part of the prestigious NUON Solar Team, working on the Nuna 4 solar car.

Al Zaher: “This project is about working in a team with different students of different educational backgrounds to build in one year a solar-powered car that will beat the Americans, Japanese and Australians for the World Solar Challenge later this year.”

For Al Zaher and his Nuna solar car teammates, it’s a matter of great pride if they can achieve more than all the other universities around the world, especially the likes of MIT.

For the new Nuna car, Al Zaher is designing the suspension components and key components of the chassis. The project however requires him to sacrifice 15 months of his time to complete the project. But he says the sacrifice is worth it, “because it’s a unique opportunity and a great working experience from both the individual and team work perspectives. I believe that being involved in this project will make me much more attractive to future employers.”

After the Nuna project, Al Zaher plans to focus on finishing his Master’s degree. “Once that’s done, I’m still somewhat confused as to whether I’ll look for a possible PhD position or immediately start looking for a job,” he says. “It’s not an easy decision, because while the title ‘Dr. Al Zaher’ is very appealing, I’m just not sure more education is the best option right now.” In either case, Al Zaher has found a new home in Holland, where he is happy and hopes to stay.

Rabih Al Zaher (Photo: Sam Rentmeester/FMAX)