rebecca

It appears World War 3 has just hit my bedroom; strewn about are boxes, papers, suitcases, plastic bags, and—a dead body? Nope, that’s just me, sprawled on the ground, trying to ignore all responsibilities. Another academic year is over, and I again find myself in a weird limbo, a permanent temporary situation in which I’m floatin...

Most girls and women know this; going clothes shopping can be frustrating as hell. Should I have one jacket for all weather conditions or different jackets for different conditions? What if I’m wearing my felt winter coat and it starts raining? I love that pretty cocktail dress but I will never have an opportunity to wear it in Maastricht. Fi...

I don’t think I will ever understand how people think newborn babies are beautiful. Sure, the miracle of life is beautiful, but honestly, they’re tiny, weirdly-proportioned humans that have just spent nine months in a bag of fluid inside of another human.  My preferred adjectives to describe the squashed little alien are ‘ter...

I generally judge the content of books by their covers. The more interesting they look, the more I want them, and the more likely I am to read them. Admit it, you do too. Of course this is a completely ridiculous thought, but ugly books with good content make me feel slightly uncomfortable. I just love having books, especially pretty ones. The wor...

Learning in university is fun because you finally get to choose what you want to study. For me, that means no more algebra and trigonometry, and for others, no more memorizing World War II battles or analyzing symbolism in Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls. That’s the beauty of learning. Yet another day has passed and I was able to do...

Just last week, I had the pleasure of taking two twelve-hour bus trips. To all the German and Dutch students, whose parents live only a few hours by car or train, you are either very lucky, or missing out in life’s great bus adventures! After all, a train can’t get lost—it’s on rails, right? I spontaneously decided to visit...

Growing up bilingually has its obvious perks, but there is a messy, chaotic side to it most people don’t know about. Being multilingual myself, I’m not even sure which language is my “mother tongue” anymore. Some side effects can also include beginning a conversation in one language and ending in another, randomly inserting ...

At last, spring has sprung—a whole deal later than usual, but just in time for a new period spent studying in the stuffy library. How great! At least it’s safe to assume that we no longer have to cycle to our classes in the snow wearing fifty layers of winter clothing. In Serbia there is a saying, “from boots to sandals” an...

In my life, things just have to be done the right way, or not at all. I find it difficult to explain my reasoning to people sometimes, but then I realise—there isn’t much to explain. Call it puritanism if you will. I hate it when foods ‘contaminate’ each other on a plate. I cringe when I have to reuse a glass from which I dr...

Every year I have this thing where I go on some kind –insert random hobby—trip. Back in high school, I was obsessed with making my own natural DIY beauty products, such as sugar wax, facial masks, scrubs, and even my own shampoo. I was under the scrutiny of my suspicious mother, who was wondering a) where on earth her basic kitchen supp...

So while Italy is undergoing a severe political crisis, a blizzard in Hungary has left hundreds of people stranded in the middle of the highway for a day, China has elected a new Chairman…never mind that! We have a new Pope, and that’s all that matters—at least, according to social media sites and most major news agencies. It com...

My life at the moment feels a lot like an episode of Tom & Jerry, only without a cat and a lot less violence—as of yet. These little critters may be cute up close, but they wreak havoc in the kitchen, destroying our trashbags, defecating everywhere, and causing psychological terror with their scratching sounds and squeaks. Not to mention ...

For the first time in my life, I tried my hands at a főzelék, a Hungarian dish. It is something between a soup and a stew, made with any kind of vegetable and typically some cream—after all, no Hungarian meal is complete without some kind of cream. Though főzelék is a typical comfort food, I had never thought of making it until I thought long...

If I had one wish, I would go back in time, to precisely the 15th of November 2012, and relive my life since then. Everything would be the same, the only exception being that I would already know everything that was going to happen. I have come to this conclusion after realizing that it was precisely on that fateful day that I walked down the path ...

You know you’re European when you can easily travel through four countries in a day, are never further than a few hours’ drive from Paris and, most importantly, the weather is absolutely dreadful everywhere. That pretty much summarizes my Carnival break, in which I spent a few days in France, the Netherlands, and Germany, in a desperate...

One of my favorite actresses, Helena Bonham Carter, once said something in a movie that really stuck with me: “The illusion of effortlessness requires a great effort indeed.” Now, I may not epitomize ladylike charm or grace (they say that there has never been a true lady in my family tree) but I certainly feel like I am world champion a...

The rent is too high, the heaters don’t heat properly, the landlord never seems to do anything and worst of all, the housemates are frustrating to say the least—these are all good signs that you should probably move out. That is what I finally did after I realized I don’t want to be the only one cleaning anything and that I prefer...

Sometimes I wonder what aliens would think of humans if they ever landed on earth. Most likely they would be very confused about strange things people do. Scratch that—I sometimes think of my own culture and wonder how weird it is. Especially when I explain to foreigners things like why we cook pork fat until it’s crunchy and then put i...

While messaging a friend recently, I accidentally invented a new word. I wanted to say that I felt happy and sad at the same time, but then I made a typo and wrote “saddy”. From then on, we established that ‘saddy’ is that emotion you feel when you ought to be happy about the outcome of events but are also a little bit disap...

After talking about it for weeks, three friends and I had finally succeeded in going away for the weekend. My diet for the two days consisted of chocolate, candy, fries, waffles, pancakes, tea, hot chocolate and seafood—that’s right, I spent the weekend in exotic Belgium, gorging myself on these delicacies in Bruges and Oostende. Thankf...

December in the Netherlands means Sinterklaas, the proliferation of Christmas markets, and way too many calories in all the different baked goods. It also means cheesy, unbearable Christmas music played on repeat and excessive shopping and consumerism, just like everywhere. But despite all that, December is still my favorite month because of Adven...

Riding your bike in winter has got to be the most excruciating activity on earth. I’m not sure which part is worse; forcing yourself to get outside and ride to the other side of the river while curled up in the warmth of your room; or being drenched in the cold wind and rain while completely wrapped up in a tangle of scarves, gloves, hats, an...

All is fun and games until the exam results are published. It’s always interesting to watch people walk around beaming from ear to ear, while other, less fortunate souls are reduced to a pile of nervous wrecks. Well, maybe that is a little exaggerated, but that is how I picture it in my mind. Until that day, we are all stuck in a weird limbo ...

It has come to my attention that there is a inexplicably high amount of vegetarians among the student population. It could be the result of frugality, laziness, or lack of culinary skills. However, it seems to be a phenomenon; upon arriving in Maastricht, students stick to a ‘casual’ vegetarian regime. Many don’t even consider the...

Last week, I almost made an unintentional trip to Denmark. I had every intention of flying to Vienna but somehow something went wrong, and I found myself accidentally walking into the wrong gate. I tried to find a seat, just to notice something odd—everyone around me was speaking Danish. I looked up at the screen and saw the flight name with ...

Sundays have now been officially declared “Pancake Sunday” by me. I wasn’t sure if this should become a real thing, but since it happens to coincidentally take place every week, I decided, ‘why not?’ After all, everyone needs a little routine in their life. So far, one of my friends has already joined me to commemorate...

Suddenly it is midnight, your room is squeaky clean, your laundry neatly folded away and your bookshelf and/or wardrobe is perfectly organized by colour. However, you haven’t actually achieved anything substantial for the day. How did time fly so fast? Since exam week is coming up, procrastination measures are at a maximum. Most students pri...

There is no denying it anymore—we have finally reached mid-autumn. This stirs up mixed feelings; to some, it means colourful leaves, pumpkin soup, TV show premieres, and curling up in bed with hot chocolate and a good book. Or rather, hundreds of pages about EU policy processes. It’s not like students at Maastricht University actually h...

Recently, I’ve taken up a new hobby—the banjo. My friends and family have given me quizzical looks or smiling nods, hardly surprised at my eccentricities. I’m okay with that though, because next to sitting in the library for hours reading about the supremacy of EU law over national law and such, I need something entirely different...