Blog: Decorating the CreaTe tree

Setting up a Christmas tree is a lot like launching a new program: collaboration, adaptation and growth. Together we CreaTe!

Decorating the CreaTe tree

Over the past few weeks, we put up our Christmas tree at home. It wasn’t without challenges – we didn’t like all the ornaments anymore, the lights and baubles were in the wrong order, so we had to start over. And of course, we had to stretch just a little further to place the star on top. But in the midst of everything, we looked forward to Christmas and the new year, and in the end, decorating the tree became a fun activity between all the other things on our to-do list. And ultimately, we were quite happy with the result.

Setting up a Christmas tree is a bit like launching a new program. It’s an opportunity to make changes to the curriculum, but everything still has to fit within the overall vision. On top of that, everyone involved is juggling other responsibilities alongside setting up a new location, so it has to fit into our busy schedules.

Collaboration, adaptation and growing together

It’s incredible to see how every decision is connected and leads to the next. Now that we have a clearer picture of the first six months in both Twente and Amsterdam, we also know when students will be in Twente, which means we know when the cabins need to be available, when they need to be scheduled, when classrooms need to be arranged at both locations, and when and where we’ll need student assistants... and so on.

That’s what makes this project so exciting. Because what if there’s a hiccup somewhere in the chain? We’ll need a plan B. But we will make it work, and this tree will turn out just fine. Maybe not exactly as we initially imagined, but certainly a tree worthy of CreaTe.

A huge thank you to everyone making the extra effort to understand each other – it’s absolutely essential in this collaborative process. Wishing you all a wonderful end of the year and all the best for 2023.