The free spirit

Whenever you see Fabien Crescence Diffe Kamga, he almost always has a sketchpad with him. Painting is his passion, and he knows his craft extremely well. His pictures are rich in variety, intensely colorful, and very dynamic. He has already had the opportunity to exhibit them several times in Hamburg, Göttingen, and Bremen.

Mechanical engineering student with the soul of an artist

Fabien loves painting, so it’s surprising to find this artistic soul deciding to study mechanical engineering. Straight after graduating high school, he felt the desire to go to university. First, however, he worked for a while in an arts center in Cameroon. That’s where someone told him about the possibility of studying in Germany. He applied to TU Clausthal with help from the DAAD, the German Academic Exchange Service, and was accepted. Apart from a brief stay in Karlsruhe beforehand, the town in the Harz was his first contact with Germany. “Luckily, it was still September when I came to Clausthal,” Fabien reminisces.

Winter in Clausthal means snow

“I saw my first snow in November,” he adds with a laugh. Where he comes from, the average temperature is around 20°C. The weather was thus one of the biggest adjustments for Fabien. Less chilly is the atmosphere between him and his fellow students. The Cameroonian feels at home in Clausthal. Everyone gives him a positive reception and is very open. He likes the relaxed atmosphere. Of the program itself, he most values how closely it relates to practical applications. “Compared to Cameroon, it’s much more focused on our later jobs,” the student finds. “Apart from that, the facilities, for example the lab, are very well equipped. My friends at home are always wide-eyed when they see how we study here,” Fabien reports. In spite of these benefits though, he does also have to struggle somewhat.

Part-time jobs to fund his studies

As he is funding his studies entirely himself, Fabien is generally on the lookout for part-time jobs. “Unfortunately, money is tight right now at exam time. It is needed, but there’s no time to earn any,” he reports. In these cases, it helps if he can earn a little extra now and again through his art. When Fabien doesn’t happen to be painting or studying, you might find him playing football. His hobbies also include playing the trumpet and guitar. He has even learned to read music since coming here, so that his usually freestyle playing can become part of a team effort. In his heart of hearts, however, Fabien remains a free spirit. It’s noticeable when he talks about his future. He doesn’t know yet exactly what he wants to do; he’s a little restless and would like to travel the world. He has no favorite destination, however. Self-employment is probably the model he could most see himself pursuing. “I want to earn my living through the work that I do. If I could do that by selling paintings, that would of course be idyllic.” Alternatively, mechanical engineering as a career can also prove an outlet for creativity. We’ll keep our fingers crossed for him.

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