personal growth
Van Frustratie Tot Vloeiend: Mijn Nederlands Leerreis
Soms kom ik mensen tegen die mij vragen: hoe heb jij Nederlands geleerd? De afgelopen jaren heb ik hier vaak over mijn Nederlands leeravontuur geschreven, maar ik heb nooit een samenvatting van het hele proces opgeschreven. Het ging altijd meer over updates of mijlpalen die ik had bereikt. Dus vandaag kom ik met het hele verhaal op een rijtje.
New Beginnings
Three and a half months ago, I started a new job. I haven't talked much about it yet on this website, except for a very brief note in my June's "Recently" article. I've been wanting to write a little bit more about it, and I feel like now is the right moment.
Surrounded by Idiots
After seeing the book Surrounded by Idiots virtually everywhere, I decided to check some reviews and what it was actually about: communication, and "how to understand those who cannot be understood" - the quote on quote "idiots". The topic sounded interesting, so I decided to pick up this book and read it.
The Winding Road to Eindhoven
In just about a few weeks, I will be able to commemorate - if I want - my 5th anniversary in The Netherlands. The Netherlands: the country where I came to study, and where I decided to continue my life. But how did I end up here?
5 Years and 153 Poems
This is something insane for me to admit, but it has been five years since I started my anthology. It currently stands at 153 poems, and has more or less documented my growth as a person. I was 14 when I started writing poetry on the 9th of February 2020, and as you know, there has been a lot of stuff happening in the meantime.
Ikigai
Yesterday, I finished reading Ikigai, a book by Héctor Garcia and Francesc Miralles, which dives into the Japanese concept of the same name, Ikigai (生き甲斐). The reasons for buying this book months ago were not exactly because I wanted to read it, but just because it looked and felt nice. But now that I have read it, I think it was a good purchase.
On Getting Older and Belonging
In a few weeks I will be turning 25 years old. That's an interesting number: it's a quarter of a century, and it also feels like a pivotal moment in one's life: the middle of one's third decade, now closer to the beginning of the fourth decade than the end of the second decade. Instead of having a mid-life crisis, I decided to reflect a bit on the idea of getting older, but more importantly belonging.
Achieved Dutch Language Level B2
Vandaag heb ik de uitslag van mijn Staatsexamen Nederlands als tweede taal ontvangen en ik ben geslaagd! Ik heb officieel Nederlands niveau B2. Volgens de ERK (Europees Referentiekader) ben ik nu een "onafhankelijke taalgebruiker".
A Decade of Blogging
Today is the 12th of July. For most people, this date doesn't say much, but it marks the anniversary of this website, counting from the first ever blog post I wrote here. And... that was ten years ago, in 2014. Yes, gentle reader, this website is now officially a decade old!
Thoughts After One Month Working On-site
Two months ago I announced I was leaving my previous job, a completely remote position, for a on-site position. This is my first on-site position, since my previous job was also my first and only job until now. It's been now a bit more than a month, and I have some thoughts I would like to share.
Leaving The InterPlanetary Journey
After almost 7 years working on projects surrounding IPFS, the InterPlanetary File System, I am now saying goodbye. It's been an incredible journey at Protocol Labs, and more recently at the Interplanetary Shipyard. However, I feel like it's finally time for a change for me.
When Does Abroad Stop Feeling Like Abroad?
The title of this post is just a question I added to my impossible list back in September 2022. It has been sitting there since. After making a little cleanup to the page today, I thought: I really want to develop this feeling a bit more, and explain it better, as well as how I feel in this moment regarding my plans for "living abroad".
Reflecting on What I Want To Learn Next
Due to all the restructuring that has been happening at work, I am supposedly going to be working at a different company from next Monday on. The team will still be working on the same projects, albeit with more to choose our own direction. This has also given me time to reflect and think about what I want to learn and do next.
Project Lifie: The Video
After collecting a daily selfie for the past 7 years, here is the final video.
Navigating My Dutch Learning Journey
Learning a new language is though. It is certainly easier for some than for others and there are countless of variables that will change your experience. For the past three years, I have been learning Dutch, which has been quite of a rollercoaster.
After Working Remotely Full Time for One Year
My first full year mark working full time just passed by, and so did my first year working full time remotely. Since this is my first actual job, I can't really compare it with working in-person. Nevertheless, I want to share my experience, as well as some of the things I think might be the pros and the cons.
The Culture Map
A few days ago I started reading this book by Erin Meyer, The Culture Map. And, today, I finished it. Considering I don't read many non-fiction books, I was quite surprised to see how much this book captivated my attention.