Friday 30 September 2011

Why did the chicken cross the road? It was an adrenaline junkie.

Life, a bit like a cocktail, can be anything you make it to be. I choose the intensity of a Bloody Mary with Tabasco.  Just like the one above these letters.

In the pursuit of happiness, also known as getting a Master's degree in Media and Journalism, yours truly has ended up in Rotterdam. My experience of Rotterdam is on the other end of the spectrum compared to my experience with the host of my Bachelor's studies- UK.

Rotterdam makes me work hard and play hard. The reason why this is such a winning attitude is because it introduces an intensity, an intensity which reminds you that you're alive, that you're here and that you're the oldest you've ever been  but also that now is the youngest you'll be from now on. Until now, I've been avoiding buying a bowl for my kitchen or a nice hand towel, because I was constantly made aware that the house I lived in was temporary, that it was a house but not a home because at the end of the year, i'd have to move out. And indeed, I've been putting my life on hold, waiting for the moment I'd settle in for longer, craving this stability, even craving dulness, as long as I get to buy a nice item for my home and not have to think if it would fit in my suitcase when I move out.

Instead of worrying about the bowls, here in Rotterdam I use them on a daily basis, cooking with my housemate Andreea (also, she is born 4 days after me, to make the situation even more unique). I watch some TV, read some books. And, frankly, I thought I'd lost the enjoyment of reading for pleasure.

Not much has changed in my situation- I am in Rotterdam for a year. What has changed is my attitude. You know how people say that if you want something to change, you should change something? Yes, of course that is true. I moved from the UK to Holland. But this change of attitude was thrust upon me by the Erasmus University Rotterdam, who for a week give as so much homework, that it would have sufficed for a month back in the UK. The only way one gets alive out of that stress, you've guessed it, is by playing hard.

Come tuesday evening, when I have just submitted my homeworks for the week, all I want to do is dance, have a beer,  flirt with the bartender, talk to some strangers, and squeeze every bit of juice out of this life.

This intensity is the best thing that has happened to me. It certainly keeps me sane but it also plays with my head- and I love it. I feel that I've deserved my play, after studying so hard. And another thing- my grades seem to have gotten better. I am guessing, that it because of the higehr motivation- if I want to play hard, I must study. There is no way out of it. And, as well, the playing hard gets exhausting, so I am happy to switch activities and work hard. It is a cycle which recharges you simply by switching activities, but you have to give it your fullest for it to work for you.

And, after just having relaxed a little, I am going back to that Interview evaluation due next wednesday. And at 5 o'clock today, I have a train to catch to Brussels. On the train, I will work. In Brussels, I will play.