After another very.. very long time.
Hi everyone!
I realize it has been quite some time since my last blog, sorry about that! I’ve been busy with a lot of different things lately. School, mostly is the culprit of my loss for time. You see, last term I followed three courses instead of the recommended two. The reason I decided to do this, is because this was a course I really wanted to follow. Now, we do have a lot of flexibility in our school schedules, so why not follow it next year? Well, the answer to that is also immediately the second reason I haven’t had much time to blog: next year I’ll be going on an exchange program.
This means I get to spend two semesters at another university, anywhere in the world. Those of you who know me personally will already know what my preference was. For those of you who don’t: I have always wanted to go to the UK. I’ve been there once when I was sixteen, many years ago (god, realizing that that was 5 years ago really makes me feel old..). I love the culture, the language, the way things are different from the Netherlands where I live. So now, I have the amazing opportunity to go and study at the Manchester University!
The reason I want to go on exchange is to gain more independence. I have a comfortable life at home here, with my mom and stepdad. It’s way too comfortable sometimes, it’s too easy to go back to my comfy room and snug up behind my computer, or downstairs on the couch with my stepdad and mom, and watch some TV with them. When in another country, this is a little more impossible, although I know, luckily, that they will visit often enough. My mom already booked the week of my birthday so she could be with me then. I’m happy about this, it makes me feel very lucky. I realized I have been with my mom on my birthday for 21 years already, and this isn’t going to change just because I’m moving somewhere else, even if it’s just temporarily.
That’s even more comforting, a safe feeling. Knowing that, no matter how far you stray from home, some things will never change. I know this now more than ever, and I could not be more grateful for all the things in my life. My beautiful and amazing friends, my mom, my stepdad and so much more. There was once a time when I thought life sucked, that it would never get better. But I realize now that it has gotten infinitely better. I’ve got plenty of people in my life, my family might not be as big as it once used to be, but that’s all right. Friends are the family you choose, and I have found mine. Psychologists say that once a friendship lasts 7 years, it’s a friendship for life. With some of my friends, I recently passed that line, with other, newer friends, this is a goal I am looking forward to.
Speaking of goals.. I have started up going to the gym again, and I am going to be using this blog more often. About the latter I’ll explain more later, but first the first thing. If you have ever just started going back to the gym, this is going to feel so familiar to you: those tiny struggles that, if you make it, you feel amazing. I’ve taken up several group lessons (three of them for now) a week. On Monday there is Body Combat.. and oh-my-god. That is heavy. I used to do karate when I was a kid, but the first time, I could hardly make those kicks! It annoyed me a lot more than I thought.. so I tried harder the second time. And it still won’t help me much in a fight, but I definitely feel more strong, more secure already. Knowing that I know how to defend myself, even if it is from “just a group class”, helps a lot. On Wednesdays there is a wonderful dance workout. No explanations, just the music. If you can keep up, great, if not, take a step back and try again next time. Then, lastly, on Friday I follow a class of abs attack. This lasts only twenty minutes.. but.. well. Try it sometime. You don’t need more than twenty minutes of that workout, trust me.
But now, the more fun bit: I will be using this blog more often. Once a week, I will try to upload a story, article or book review. Some weeks more than others, depending on how high I have set the bar of difficulty for myself that week. I’ll be using this blog as a way to build my portfolio, to show the world what I am capable of. And maybe, one day, I’ll upload small bits of one the stories I am currently writing, if they ever get finished.
But for now, goodbye and hopefully, until next week.
- Until we read again -
Brooke