It's only fitting that I write a blog post while I'm the busiest I have been since arriving in the Netherlands. I will never learn. Procrastination (or as I prefer to call it: multitasking) has always been my style. What does a day in my life look like? Quite different than Uganda and Korea.
7 am-- Usually wake up. This wake up time is plus or minus an hour depending on: 1. the average time the sun gets up (which is sadly getting later and later) 2. How much work I have to do since I'm still incapable of working late at night and will always prefer waking up at the crack of dawn rather than staying up until the crack of dawn. What this tendency spells for my future wake up times I don't like to think about.
Depending on the day between 8:30-10:30 usually bike the 10 minute ride to campus in a variety of weather. Sometimes it's so windy that even when I'm peddling as hard as I can I am just at a standstill and usually when it's super windy it's also lashing rain (think rain pelting you in the face--delightful). Other days it's sunny and cool and I feel ridiculously happy and thankful for everything on my ride to campus. Mostly, it's just overcast and coolish. I'm slowly learning to appreciate and savor every minute of sunshine. Luckily, with my giant apartment windows I can detect the slightest hint of sunshine and usually drop all activity, throw on my running shoes and dash out the door to take advantage of the glimpse of the sun. I've even had a professor hint at skipping his lab because it was nice weather.
3:30-5:30 pm--either stay on campus and study or head home or head to frisbee or football (soccer for the Americans reading this) practice. This is the least productive time of day for me. If I don't have practice to attend I generally spend this time of day eating my pre dinner meal.
Fridays--for this quarter (which is about to end) I have no class on Fridays, therefore it's the best day of the week. I wake up early, go running, pick up my weekly bag of fresh organic fruits and veggies (a delightful surprise every week), run errands, and catch up on everything else I neglected during the week.
Evening--time to get creative in the kitchen (my only creative time), eat, then commence studying or social hours. The Dutch take their social time seriously, bordering on social time being more important than studying (probably why it takes them on average five years to complete a bachelor's degree that should be completed in three).
What's been an adjustment from undergrad is the absence of daily 8 am classes (my theory is that the nerdier your field of study the earlier the classes begin), the absence of homework assignments, and the borderline excessive amount of group work that my degree involves (note to future self: choose your groups wisely). What hasn't changed from undergrad: I still don't know how to say no. When I first arrived I told myself to chill out and not follow my instincts and sign up for everything. While, I think I've improved slightly from my Valpo days, I suddenly found myself in two sports, taking Dutch classes, leading a project in Cameroon, and currently contemplating training for a marathon in April; while still trying to take advantage of the many speakers, events, and social life that this university has to offer. Whoops! I still think I've improved dramatically but in spite of my seeming lack of involvement compared to Valpo I find myself wanting to get more involved.
Since I really do need to get back to work and this post is simply rambling on with no purpose I'll leave you with a photo to prove that I do in have friends here. Note: this was my first (and probably last) time playing paintball. My dislike for guns hasn't changed. Also, these are only a portion of my classmates and five nationalities are represented here (far less that than actual representation in my class).
7 am-- Usually wake up. This wake up time is plus or minus an hour depending on: 1. the average time the sun gets up (which is sadly getting later and later) 2. How much work I have to do since I'm still incapable of working late at night and will always prefer waking up at the crack of dawn rather than staying up until the crack of dawn. What this tendency spells for my future wake up times I don't like to think about.
Depending on the day between 8:30-10:30 usually bike the 10 minute ride to campus in a variety of weather. Sometimes it's so windy that even when I'm peddling as hard as I can I am just at a standstill and usually when it's super windy it's also lashing rain (think rain pelting you in the face--delightful). Other days it's sunny and cool and I feel ridiculously happy and thankful for everything on my ride to campus. Mostly, it's just overcast and coolish. I'm slowly learning to appreciate and savor every minute of sunshine. Luckily, with my giant apartment windows I can detect the slightest hint of sunshine and usually drop all activity, throw on my running shoes and dash out the door to take advantage of the glimpse of the sun. I've even had a professor hint at skipping his lab because it was nice weather.
3:30-5:30 pm--either stay on campus and study or head home or head to frisbee or football (soccer for the Americans reading this) practice. This is the least productive time of day for me. If I don't have practice to attend I generally spend this time of day eating my pre dinner meal.
Fridays--for this quarter (which is about to end) I have no class on Fridays, therefore it's the best day of the week. I wake up early, go running, pick up my weekly bag of fresh organic fruits and veggies (a delightful surprise every week), run errands, and catch up on everything else I neglected during the week.
Evening--time to get creative in the kitchen (my only creative time), eat, then commence studying or social hours. The Dutch take their social time seriously, bordering on social time being more important than studying (probably why it takes them on average five years to complete a bachelor's degree that should be completed in three).
What's been an adjustment from undergrad is the absence of daily 8 am classes (my theory is that the nerdier your field of study the earlier the classes begin), the absence of homework assignments, and the borderline excessive amount of group work that my degree involves (note to future self: choose your groups wisely). What hasn't changed from undergrad: I still don't know how to say no. When I first arrived I told myself to chill out and not follow my instincts and sign up for everything. While, I think I've improved slightly from my Valpo days, I suddenly found myself in two sports, taking Dutch classes, leading a project in Cameroon, and currently contemplating training for a marathon in April; while still trying to take advantage of the many speakers, events, and social life that this university has to offer. Whoops! I still think I've improved dramatically but in spite of my seeming lack of involvement compared to Valpo I find myself wanting to get more involved.
Since I really do need to get back to work and this post is simply rambling on with no purpose I'll leave you with a photo to prove that I do in have friends here. Note: this was my first (and probably last) time playing paintball. My dislike for guns hasn't changed. Also, these are only a portion of my classmates and five nationalities are represented here (far less that than actual representation in my class).
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