Ice Skating Lesson Proves a Hit with Wittenborg Students

23.03.2022

Skating Activity Offered to Wittenborg Amsterdam Students

A group of 11 Wittenborg Amsterdam EBA and MBA students participated in a fun and laughter-filled ice skating group lesson at the Jaap Eden skating rink, in Amsterdam, on 28 February. The facility is the largest outdoor skating rink in the Netherlands and was named after the famous Dutch skater, Jaap Eden.

During the activity organised by senior lecturer Amy Abdou, students learned to skate with the help of a metal frame that allowed them to maintain balance and glide across the ice. Afterwards, many of the participants exchanged photos and phone numbers, and some even expressed interest in going skating again before the season is over.

Abdou explained that she was inspired to organise the lesson because skating is a quintessential part of Dutch culture and a great way to get to know more about the Netherlands and its people. The senior lecturer added that, coming from warm countries such as Indonesia, Nigeria, India and Kuwait, none of the students had ever had the opportunity to ice skate.

“The activity proved to be challenging and immensely rewarding once the students were up and running, and the event was a great success. Students were cheering each other on, laughing and generally enjoying a day out in the sun doing something completely new. It helped the group to get closer and created connections between the EBA and MBA programmes,” Abdou said.

Sri Lankan student Mohamed Ibrahim, pursuing an EBA degree in Entrepreneurship & Small Business, described the activity as a fun and entirely new experience for most of the participants. “We had the opportunity to socialise and get to know each other, and also experienced Dutch culture in a fun way. Most of us got the hang of skating on ice, even though it was our first time, and I definitely would like to go for another round sometime soon.”

Oche Onoja, a Nigerian MBA student specialising in Data Analytics, said that he was glad to participate in the event and highlighted that he took the chance to make new friends. “I hope that Wittenborg organises more recreational activities like this, where students can get to know each other and pick up interesting hobbies like ice skating.”