THE MAGIC OF BEING YOUNG

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On Thursday 12 March, I was invited by TU Delft and ITB (Bandung Institute of Technology) to be part of the experts' panel on the campus of TU Delft. Both universities have cooperation called Shared Heritage Lab with two case studies: the city of Bandung and Semarang.

Students from both universities presented their ideas on how to deal with Semarang, the capital of Central Java which is working hard to save its old part and coping with new development plus environmental problems. Together with other panel members, we listened to marathon presentations of the students. Methods, approaches, technics, ideas, values, and hopes were shared and convinced.

What fascinating me was the spirits and enthusiasm of the students. They are young and innocents, not afraid of lateral thinking, and out of the box approaches. These qualities are infectious and positive for a veteran like me who has been following the heritage dynamics of the city for more than 20 years. I have new hope for Semarang. That was exactly what I was looking for from the event.

Well, keep the spirits high all the students and don't let anything you down when you go to the real world.


                                                                  (Picture: Mo Smit)








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