To fulfill the last alliterated part of my title, my apologies for the extended silence.
The next big adventure has come around. It's been a year and almost two months now since I came to the crazy cold and rainy place generally referred to as Europe. In all honesty I didn't begin to imagine the scope of funny weather that would meet me here. It is the end of March and there has been random boughts of snow after there was beautiful (notice how low I have sunken to call this beautiful) weather of 11 to 15 degrees. For a while I was pretty sad about it and then I realized that if I let the weather bring me down I would be sad 80% of the year. The other 20% of my year is spent in Jordan.
My writing in this blog thingie has been highly irregular. In fact I believe it's been almost a year since I did write, and the only reason I am writing now is because I am procrastinating for my exams next week. I have three final exams coming up starting Monday and have now found one million other things that really need to be done. Writing my blog being one of my last ditch efforts to do something constructive rather than just sitting and watching the Cosby Show. So in the form of a brief update, I like it here, when it's not February. Februarys are not so cool for some reason. The people here are lovely. My church is quite funny and has lots of little critters running around making you randomly spill your tea. The courses at the UCM are mostly awesome. I'm going to make an exception for the Modeling Nature and Research methods courses, setting up and identifying methodology isn't quite my thing it seems. My course of study has taken a curious twist in the direction of sustainable development and saving the planet.
The engagement wave has struck again. I believe it actually started with my best friend -from now on referred to as the Bestie- this time. A cute little Australian chic with a mind of her own that I've known since 3rd grade. (Right you say, who are you to call anyone else little, but this is my one source of pride! I beat The Bestie in height!
This after many years of her scoffing at my punitive height in primary school. Revenge is sweet!) The only problem with the Bestie getting engaged -besides the jealousy because I've been together longer with The Boy- is that she lives at quite literally the end of the world without being in Antarctica. That's right; Australia. Thankfully I was aware that this wedding was likely to come up int he near future and started saving for a ticket to be able to afford to come to the Land of the Kangaroo. This is when the ingenious idea struck.
I wasn't planning on going on exchange to anywhere. The idea of having to save up for first of all The Bestie's wedding and simultaneously trying to save up to see The Boy at least twice a year had me all tied up for funds until I realized several things all at once. First off that I wanted to save the environment and the city where the Bestie lives has awesome environmental courses, second, that I could spend the entire half a year before her wedding with the Bestie, and thirdly that there was a vague chance that the Boy could study in the same city. so the night before the applications were due for Semester's abroad I did the research picked a bunch of Unis and grabbed an application form a few hours before it was due and wrote an application essay while watching the Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Extended Edition. Not my most relaxed moment. Then the waiting began.
Everything always takes forever for the UCM. Always. They say the maximum amount of days students should have to wait for results on exams and assignments is 10 working days. It has never. ever. been the minimum. Finally shortly before I went home (Jordan) for Christmas I got the allocation to Australia. Now the extensive application process has started and is in the works meaning that might next adventure might take me down under! For an entire half a year!
I still miss home. Particularly when I see pictures of my sisters laughing in the sun in places I used to be. It makes me very homesick.
However, last time I was home I could feel it that I didn't really belong any more. It sucked. Big time. But it was somehow a relief as well. It meant that I was moving on. I don't know if that means I've moved on to Maastricht. I certainly don't think so, as I still feel like a stranger here, but I am slowly becoming patriotic about it and feeling a pride in it. I don't think I want to stay here. I still pray the reverse to my German friends. Please please don't make me stay here. I also feel like home has shifted to less of a place and to people. Most specifically and importantly the Boy has become what feel like home. Even skyping with him makes me feel more grounded. It also means I miss him more but hey. Everything comes at a price. Then again there is that quote that said something about not attaching yourself to people or places. Well you know what.. balderdash! We are humans. I believe it's in our nature to form attachments. Of course you shouldn't make the possession or proximity of these people or places determine your happiness but where would we end up if we actually decided not to attach ourselves to people or places? We identify ourselves by our attachments or lack thereof, whether we know it or not. The Bestie and the Other Bestie are also part of home for me and for some very strange reason possibly going to Australia next semester feels almost like a step closer to home rather than away from it and i blame the Bestie and the fact that I've been there before and loved it!
That was my musings for this year. Thought I hope I'll write more frequently now that my next adventure is getting started.
Write again in my next exam season! ;)
The next big adventure has come around. It's been a year and almost two months now since I came to the crazy cold and rainy place generally referred to as Europe. In all honesty I didn't begin to imagine the scope of funny weather that would meet me here. It is the end of March and there has been random boughts of snow after there was beautiful (notice how low I have sunken to call this beautiful) weather of 11 to 15 degrees. For a while I was pretty sad about it and then I realized that if I let the weather bring me down I would be sad 80% of the year. The other 20% of my year is spent in Jordan.
My writing in this blog thingie has been highly irregular. In fact I believe it's been almost a year since I did write, and the only reason I am writing now is because I am procrastinating for my exams next week. I have three final exams coming up starting Monday and have now found one million other things that really need to be done. Writing my blog being one of my last ditch efforts to do something constructive rather than just sitting and watching the Cosby Show. So in the form of a brief update, I like it here, when it's not February. Februarys are not so cool for some reason. The people here are lovely. My church is quite funny and has lots of little critters running around making you randomly spill your tea. The courses at the UCM are mostly awesome. I'm going to make an exception for the Modeling Nature and Research methods courses, setting up and identifying methodology isn't quite my thing it seems. My course of study has taken a curious twist in the direction of sustainable development and saving the planet.
The engagement wave has struck again. I believe it actually started with my best friend -from now on referred to as the Bestie- this time. A cute little Australian chic with a mind of her own that I've known since 3rd grade. (Right you say, who are you to call anyone else little, but this is my one source of pride! I beat The Bestie in height!
I wasn't planning on going on exchange to anywhere. The idea of having to save up for first of all The Bestie's wedding and simultaneously trying to save up to see The Boy at least twice a year had me all tied up for funds until I realized several things all at once. First off that I wanted to save the environment and the city where the Bestie lives has awesome environmental courses, second, that I could spend the entire half a year before her wedding with the Bestie, and thirdly that there was a vague chance that the Boy could study in the same city. so the night before the applications were due for Semester's abroad I did the research picked a bunch of Unis and grabbed an application form a few hours before it was due and wrote an application essay while watching the Lord of the Rings The Two Towers Extended Edition. Not my most relaxed moment. Then the waiting began.
 |
| My last visit there was lovely! |
Everything always takes forever for the UCM. Always. They say the maximum amount of days students should have to wait for results on exams and assignments is 10 working days. It has never. ever. been the minimum. Finally shortly before I went home (Jordan) for Christmas I got the allocation to Australia. Now the extensive application process has started and is in the works meaning that might next adventure might take me down under! For an entire half a year!
I still miss home. Particularly when I see pictures of my sisters laughing in the sun in places I used to be. It makes me very homesick.
That was my musings for this year. Thought I hope I'll write more frequently now that my next adventure is getting started.
Write again in my next exam season! ;)
