Here you can read the story about the first experiences of our Master TDM student Jesus Cazares Juarez from Mexico.

A few months ago I was just the typical almost-graduated bachelor asking myself the question: “what’s next?”. After hours of looking for future career options in tourism (literally EVERYWHERE in the internet) I made the crucial decision that would be the foundation of my future: to enter the Master Tourism Destination Management program at NHTV.  As of today, I’m happy I made that decision.

Even though I have been here for a little more than a month, Breda feels like a home already. I have to admit I was a little scared when I first set foot here, knowing that in a few days I would start the Introduction Course at NHTV and I had to “install” myself to the life in Breda, while also being the first time I would stay abroad for such a long time.

Amazingly, I finally got used to biking!!! And ended up loving it.

I still remember the Introduction week like if it had been yesterday. I remember looking at the faces of all my classmates during the initial meeting at the main hall, all with the same expression: “how is this going to be from now on?”. The fact that most of us came from different countries and had different backgrounds would add the key ingredient for the recipe of a perfect and diverse experience, one we all had been waiting for.

I immediately started feeling pressure when I had the chance to look at my student handbook and see all the things I had to learn in just 5 months. Even though I had been taking a look at the subjects for some weeks before arriving to Breda, I could feel the deadlines already coming close. Of course, all this then channeled into happiness and energy thanks to the wonderful work made by Ms. Put, our program coordinator; I did not take me long to feel I belong here, at NHTV. As a non-European student, I had been doing paperwork for the last 3 months in order to get here, and thanks to this introduction I could see that it was all worth it.

With pretty much all doubts erased regarding how the program was structured, I became eager and looking forward for the Teambuilding Experience at the Belgian Ardennes. I never looked this as a chance to travel to Belgium, but as a way to get to know my classmates better and get more acquainted with what being a TDM’r means; an adventurer with career ambitions.

So far, I believe we all had a great time in Belgium. We even had the chance to celebrate a birthday!!! I think the purpose of this experience was to learn how to overcome our fears in order to surpass future challenges, while at the same time, to develop trust in both ourselves and our teammates. This would be the foundation for our future months that we will spend together both in Breda and Asia, and I believe up to this point they are all working just perfectly.

After returning from Belgium, I focused on the next cornerstone of my new experience: classes were starting. I couldn’t have hoped for a better start; my professors are incredible, my group amazing and my courses challenging.  I can say this was exactly (and more) what I had wished for, and I reassure myself that I made the right choice when I decided to come to this program.

Ever since I started reading (and I still read…a lot…) for the first assignments, I remember the words from one of the previous TDM students that we met during the Introduction Week: “enjoy the program”. The first deadlines are getting close, but I cannot feel anything but excitement to be tested by my incredible lecturers. Every consultancy and workshop feels like a chance to enrich myself with the experience of some of the best professionals in tourism in the world. As of now, grades are not my priority; I want to learn as much as I can during this phase in order to be able to realize myself as a future professional in this field, and NHTV has provided me with exactly what I need for that.

Of course, not all has been just about the school. The people I have met thanks to this choice have made this experience wonderful. They are not a new class or new friends: they are my new TDM family!