Almost exactly two years ago, I applied to be a columnist for Maastricht University’s very own Observant. In this role, I would write two columns per semester, reflecting on any topic that caught my interest. I didn’t get the job. This was because instead, I was offered another position: blogger. Meaning, I got to write more regularly. In the end, I have written one blog every week during University over the past 2 years. I have, not I am, because this will be my last one.
After summer, I will start a Masters in Public International Law at Utrecht University – an exciting new chapter I feel honoured to be able to start. But while these weeks are defined by looking forward, reaching from looking for a new place to stay, moving out, and thinking about what to do in Utrecht (volunteer work again? sports?), I want to take the space of this blog to pause, reflect, and be thankful.
Because in Maastricht, I have so incredibly much to be thankful for. Sometimes, I think back to first-semester-Jesler, studying from 8am to 10pm (partly because the internet was too bad to Netflix), uncomfortable in a big group with new people, and confused about the world and her place in it. It is only in retrospect, having studied in three different countries, having made friends from all over the world, and having been thrown into situations that seemed oh-so-daunting at first, that I realise how much I have changed. Or, maybe changed is not the right word. I think over the past years, I have become more aware of who I am, what I want, and what I stand for. And I have you all to thank for that.
Thank you to UCM, for teaching me not only everything I desired, but also to be comfortable in my own skin, to lead, and to know when it’s time to follow instead. Thank you to all the friends I made on the way, who taught me how they see the world, making me understand how I do, and how I want to see it. Thank you to the Observant team, for having given me all the space and trust in the world to grow as a writer and to reflect on my time in Freiburg, Maastricht, and Madrid.
And above all, thank you to the city of Maastricht. Thank you for letting me ride through your streets, singing to myself. Thank you for the walks through your streets that cheered me up even when I was down. Thank you for having houses filled with friends, role models, and what now feels like family.
Thank you for everything.
Jesler van Houdt