Welcome to this blog once more! This will be the first post (that remains) on my blog, so I’d like to share some overall view of my experiences in this program so far. I think it’s no exaggeration to say that EVERYONE is currently having to readjust to a world we’ve never experienced before and–a mere 9 months or so ago–never knew we’d have to. Obviously, every new stage in life comes with its unique set of events and experiences. So starting a Master’s program in Maastricht would’ve been full of surprising ups and downs either way. However, I think it’s safe to say that COVID-19 adds a whole new dimension (or five) to that.
Having said that, I have to admit that overall, my experiences the past month and a half have been wonderful. After a year of living at home with my–loving yet trying–family, I was dying to start something new. So getting to move to my own room in a new city was something I’d been looking forward to for almost a year.
Having done my Bachelor’s in the US, this was also my first time starting an academic program in The Netherlands, so there were certainly some nerves attached to all this excitement, which I think was only natural. Now, almost towards the end of our first semester, I have to admit that a lot of those nerves remain. I am able to keep up with the workload, which I find both challenging and interesting. But it’s taking some time to get used to these many different ways of being taught (lectures, in person tutorials, online tutorials, skills meetings) and there is definitely an intense sense of time-pressure.
However, like I said, I don’t think I’d be doing this right if I wasn’t at least a little nervous about getting things done in time (although already worrying about my thesis etc. might not be the most productive), and I’ve also had lots of relaxed and fun experiences here as well.
Once again, befriending new people and familiarizing yourself with a new city is an entirely different experience in the era of Corona, but I’ve accepted the fact that this will be an ongoing process of dealing with change, and have found some creative ways to create friendships and stay in touch with old ones. If anything, the restrictions COVID has put on our lives made me more appreciative of the moments I do get to share in person with close friends.
Overall, it’s already been an exhilarating ride, and we’ve barely even made it to the end of the first term yet. I am beyond excited (and anxious) to find out what the rest of the year holds in store for us!