Monday, December 3, 2007
Selfreflection
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It is autumn. The sparse trees around my house have dropped their wildly colored leaves. I sit at home by myself and I have not had human contact in over 24 hours. My computer is playing music that would make fairies cry. A perfect timing for some public reflection on the self. |
| About one and a half year ago I decided to move my life for a job in Boston. I arrived here about 8 months ago, leaving something behind in Rotterdam. Great friends, a love, a house, a job. The pressure on myself to make this work has been high from the beginning. My new job started out in a great way. Smart colleagues, lots of data, lots of opportunity. But now the honeymoon period is over and I also see the negative parts of the high profile postdoc life. Hard work, little appreciation, unclear prospects are a big part of it. I have to confess that I have been checking Dutch job websites lately, and this is not a good sign. Fortunately I have not seen anything that fits me and I am not planning to leave Boston any time soon. |
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| The social aspect of living here has been challenging at times. The first few months living on a room with no furniture, sleeping on an air mattress, were no fun. Even though I had great roommates. My own apartment (video online at http://huis.virtuon.nl, password available on request) improved things a lot. It takes time to meet the right people and fortunately I met some. |  |
| I am starting to think that a relation is something that other people have, yet at the same time I miss the security and stability of having one girl in your life. Is it worthwhile to date non-Dutch girls as I will likely return to the Netherlands eventually? Difficult. Not the coming period, I think. So to round up: all is not perfect here and sometimes I regret or have serious doubts. Perhaps I am too impatient, but I think wasting time is useless. Let me promise to write another self reflection blog in six months and see where I am then. |
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Posted by roelv |
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:22 pm
he zorgenpietje, doe mij dat paswoord maar
December 5th, 2007 at 1:31 am
You too, huh? Let’s just chalk it up to “ex-pat syndrome,” eh? You can do what I do: go and drink a pint of Guinness and enjoy your new friends and cheer up! (Seriously, feel better! No more sad-fairy music, either. I think I know the music you’re talking about…) HUGS!
December 6th, 2007 at 7:23 am
Life is tough, and nothing is permanent, you are going to leave at some point…only when you’ve been in the deepest valley, you know how magnificent it is to reach the highest peak, my climber friend…!!! That means. enjoy what’s left of this academic year and the future will tell….cheerio
December 11th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
They are great words Inigo it is tru about the valleys and the mountains and the more amazing experiences also make your lows feel lower than they should;-)…but at the same time… Roel my Brother, I hear you oh too well!!
December 11th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
oops..Hi R..that was Juz