A long journey

An Unexpected Twist

My academic journey didn’t go quite as planned. I was placed in the first year of my new program when I should have started in the second year. After submitting a request for exemption to the examination board, it took a long time before I received a response. As a result, I could only move on to the second year in the second semester. This meant that I missed the entire first semester of the second year, making it impossible to accumulate enough credits to proceed to my third-year internship. I had to make up for these courses in the following year. Since I didn’t have any classes and didn’t have to take exams for any of my subjects, I had no reason to be physically present at school. So, I wondered, “I have no classes, and I don’t want to stay at home all the time, so what am I going to do during this half-year?”

One day, somewhere in the middle of the second semester, a friend invited me to an orientation meeting about internships in Malaysia. She was planning to do her internship there, but since I wasn’t going to do an internship anymore, I didn’t see the point. Her response was, “Why don’t you just come to Malaysia with us?” Why not? I replied enthusiastically.

To the Other Side of the World

It was decided. What had started as a joke was now becoming more serious. I was going abroad for six months! And not just anywhere abroad; no, it was 10,000 kilometers away on the other side of the world! On August 28, I, along with that friend and another friend who later joined, flew to Malaysia.

After an emergency landing in India and waiting for four hours, we finally arrived in Kuala Lumpur. It was already midnight, and we were exhausted when we reached our apartment. We naturally fell asleep immediately. “Ring Ring Ring!!!” “Huh? Is that my alarm clock?” “Jazz! Jazz!!! Get up! We have to go!” I heard. “What are you talking about?” I asked, surprised. “We have to go to the airport!” “Huh, why?” I asked again, bewildered. “It’s January 17, and we have to go home!” was the answer. How could that be? Time had passed so incredibly quickly that it felt like I had just arrived. I had seen and experienced so much, not only in Malaysia but also in neighboring countries. It had gone by so fast that I didn’t realize the time was up.

Back in the Netherlands

Once back in the Netherlands, I had to return to school and live with my housemates in Rotterdam. I saw many of my friends again and enjoyed doing fun things with them. I had already earned all my credits, which meant that I would have to go abroad again soon for my internship. For the rest of the school year, I wondered why I had to go abroad again so quickly. Even though time had passed quickly in Malaysia, and I had enjoyed it tremendously, I had missed the Netherlands. I also had a bit of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). I would miss out on cool festivals, parties, my friends, their birthdays, and even my own birthday. I was eager to continue building my life in Rotterdam, exploring the city, meeting new people, and so on. But what bothered me the most was that I now had a girlfriend, and I would have to miss her for six months!

From Uncertainty to Enthusiasm

August 29 arrived, and I headed to Malaga. This time, I was going to do an internship at JongLeren.es. Even though I was excited about this internship, it was a bit harder to get on the plane this time. I was going completely on my own! What if my housemates weren’t fun, or I didn’t like it there? Who could I rely on? Fortunately, I was a bit closer to the Netherlands this time. Now that I’ve been here for a month, I can say that I couldn’t have asked for better housemates. I really love Malaga as a city. My schedule is starting to fill up too. Beforehand, five months seemed like a long time, but my weekends are almost fully booked now. The first month has flown by, and the thought of “It’s so long” has changed to “It’s too short!” What seemed scary and long at first, once you’re in it, time flies by way too quickly! That’s how it was in Kuala Lumpur, and that’s how it will be in Malaga, 100%.

Life Lesson

In life, it’s often the unexpected twists that lead to the most exciting adventures. Even if things don’t go as planned, it’s important to be open to new opportunities and chances. So, a disappointment in my school journey ultimately led to an exciting international adventure, where I personally grew a lot.

The lesson I want to impart is this: even though it might not seem that way at first, time can fly by when you take on new challenges. So, cherish every moment of your life and enjoy it to the fullest, even if it initially seems scary or uncertain and you might not be very excited about it!

I, for one, am going to fully enjoy the time I have here, no matter how exciting it might still become! 😉