Akademische Quatsch.
In Holland, even the most terrible of days always seem to change in entirety just before the sun sets, as if dusk is reserved for the sole purpose of erasing the memories of the preceding hours and giving hope for the beautiful days in store. Days which sometimes never seem to come but that are always hoped for with the blind enthusiam of a child.
The year that I thought would never end is finally winding down, ironically, just as I have begun to see everything in a different light. The fourth term has started at uni and all the talk there seems to be centered around end of year parties, summer holidays, and semesters abroad next year. After weeks of deliberating and doubting, I have finally decided where I will be going. My choices are Greece (Athens), Spain (Madrid), and Austria (Graz). Athens would be the easiest, with all of my courses being given in English, Madrid a bit more difficult with all courses given in Spanish, and Graz the biggest challenge with the modules being taught in a mix of English and German. As my German is still practically non-existent, this would mean an almost obscene amount of work beforehand to get it up to par, but the fact that I speak Dutch helps a lot and I'm sure that if I put my mind to it, it wouldn't pose any serious problems. Ideally I'd like to travel to both Graz and Athens to get a feel for them before making any final decisions, but seeing as our election forms are due this week, that won't be an option. Of course, there's something to be said for saving all first impressions for when I arrive. In any case, I'm sure that I would love Athens and, as it lies in the south of Austria, the travel options in Graz are nearly endless. Then again, I've always thought it would be nice to write my dissertation in Spanish and going to Madrid for a semester would definitely would be useful, if for that reason alone. Furthermore, being in Madrid would mean that I'd be able to spend time with my amigo, compañero, and hermano español, Borja. It's been years since I've seen him and good times were never in small quantities when he was my flatmate in London. Decisions, decisions! I'm just going to submit the bloody form and see where I end up. No matter what the outcome, I know that the whole ordeal will be amazing.
This week I'm going to Brussels for 3 days with Simon, then next weekend back to Bonn to see his parents and celebrate his little sister's 18th birthday. The time away will be much needed, seeing as this term will, without a doubt, be the most (only?) difficult one of the year. I have an enormous amount of reading to do for my EU Politics, Marketing, and Intercultural Communication classes, not mention several presentations and a 20-page report to submit for Spanish. It always seems to be either feast or famine when it comes to work at uni. Speaking of which, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about my studies in general and what I want to do after I've graduated. There's a Master of European Law & Policy programme offered here in The Hague that I hadn't given much consideration to before, but seeing as it lasts just a year and my prospects for further education would be vastly improved if I have a Masters, I'm thinking I might just suck it up for one more year and do that. Four years in total really isn't as long as it sounds, especially considering how fast this year has gone by. After that, who knows where I'll end up. There are Master of Arts in International Relations programmes all over Europe- from Paris to London to Rome. The possibilies really are endless.
Alright, enough of that. Despite my preoccupation with school and huge courseload this term, I plan on writing here a lot more often than I have been (about non-academic related things, of course). I can't count the number of times I've been inspired to post something over the past few months and just haven't taken the time to do so. I won't start tonight, though. Nope, I am dedicating tonight to a cup of English and the Communist literature I picked up for a ridiculously cheap price at the book store today. Nerdy kicks and class struggles are what I'm all about.
The year that I thought would never end is finally winding down, ironically, just as I have begun to see everything in a different light. The fourth term has started at uni and all the talk there seems to be centered around end of year parties, summer holidays, and semesters abroad next year. After weeks of deliberating and doubting, I have finally decided where I will be going. My choices are Greece (Athens), Spain (Madrid), and Austria (Graz). Athens would be the easiest, with all of my courses being given in English, Madrid a bit more difficult with all courses given in Spanish, and Graz the biggest challenge with the modules being taught in a mix of English and German. As my German is still practically non-existent, this would mean an almost obscene amount of work beforehand to get it up to par, but the fact that I speak Dutch helps a lot and I'm sure that if I put my mind to it, it wouldn't pose any serious problems. Ideally I'd like to travel to both Graz and Athens to get a feel for them before making any final decisions, but seeing as our election forms are due this week, that won't be an option. Of course, there's something to be said for saving all first impressions for when I arrive. In any case, I'm sure that I would love Athens and, as it lies in the south of Austria, the travel options in Graz are nearly endless. Then again, I've always thought it would be nice to write my dissertation in Spanish and going to Madrid for a semester would definitely would be useful, if for that reason alone. Furthermore, being in Madrid would mean that I'd be able to spend time with my amigo, compañero, and hermano español, Borja. It's been years since I've seen him and good times were never in small quantities when he was my flatmate in London. Decisions, decisions! I'm just going to submit the bloody form and see where I end up. No matter what the outcome, I know that the whole ordeal will be amazing.
This week I'm going to Brussels for 3 days with Simon, then next weekend back to Bonn to see his parents and celebrate his little sister's 18th birthday. The time away will be much needed, seeing as this term will, without a doubt, be the most (only?) difficult one of the year. I have an enormous amount of reading to do for my EU Politics, Marketing, and Intercultural Communication classes, not mention several presentations and a 20-page report to submit for Spanish. It always seems to be either feast or famine when it comes to work at uni. Speaking of which, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about my studies in general and what I want to do after I've graduated. There's a Master of European Law & Policy programme offered here in The Hague that I hadn't given much consideration to before, but seeing as it lasts just a year and my prospects for further education would be vastly improved if I have a Masters, I'm thinking I might just suck it up for one more year and do that. Four years in total really isn't as long as it sounds, especially considering how fast this year has gone by. After that, who knows where I'll end up. There are Master of Arts in International Relations programmes all over Europe- from Paris to London to Rome. The possibilies really are endless.
Alright, enough of that. Despite my preoccupation with school and huge courseload this term, I plan on writing here a lot more often than I have been (about non-academic related things, of course). I can't count the number of times I've been inspired to post something over the past few months and just haven't taken the time to do so. I won't start tonight, though. Nope, I am dedicating tonight to a cup of English and the Communist literature I picked up for a ridiculously cheap price at the book store today. Nerdy kicks and class struggles are what I'm all about.