We just slide, Through this thing called life

So it's been a while since I last gave some updates on life in Maastricht.

Having had more classes I've realized that I made the right decision studying European Law.

The program is amazing, it truly is a lot of work, but the sporadic class hours make up for that because I have a lot of time to work on the assignments I missed by coming in late and the ones they are passing out now.

The lifestyle does continue to be completely different than in Barcelona, whereas before I enjoyed the girly girl party scene, I now have no other choice than to join the what I like to call "down to earth binge drinking". It's not really like that, but the speed at which Dutch people can drink keeps on surprising me. (Not forgetting to mention I'm not a fan of beer.)

Whereas before the social code included wearing stiletto's and flattering dresses, any type of casual clothing is accepted here.

There is a lot to say about the liberal attitude of Holland, but having been here for 2 weeks I realize that they really are a very accepting country.

Because my apartment is located in the same area as most bars where students go (as a matter of fact theres 2 in my street) I love just sitting in my window late at night, smoking a cigarette observing students stumble home with their beer bottles in their hands, cheering songs laughing enjoying life.

I'm curious to know what life here will bring, and as I was told "never look back".

I'll take that with a grain of salt, because an important part of my life is still in Barcelona.

I guess the stripes on a tiger truly never change.

Missing It.

All Along the Watchtower

All along the watchtower
Princes kept the view

- Jimi Hendrix


A tiger never loses her stripes

My Way or The High Way

I realized it's been almost a week since my last post. Felipe told me he liked to keep his blog interesting by using different types of posts, and I actually quite liked that idea. However, because my life feels like a highway right now I'll write one long ordinary post, and then try to get creative ;)

I've attended my first class at uni (after walking into the wrong class about.. 2 times? due to a mistake on my schedule..)

The way I actually found my class by walking up to some guys that seemed to be my age and asking them what class they were going to; it turned out to be Legal English which is exactly the class I was heading for. The tutor (they don't say teacher anymore :( ) is rad, she's a lawyer from New York and now is a part time tutor / lawyer in Maastricht. After 30 min of class this guy came running in, and he brought chocolate for our teacher because he was late. I loved it how when she asked why he was late he simply said he spent the night in jail because he got arrested on the streets when he was drunk and didn't carry his ID with him. The tutor just burst out laughing and told him to go sit down..

The guy actually turned out to be in my group for an assignment and he made me realize that in every single class theres always that "one person"..

Besides school I've been setting up my apartment :) Its literally 200 meters away from my Faculty and I can walk anywhere I want to, It's my little palace.

I actually don't want to make this post too long simply because it'll get boring. Hence, a crappy post. sorry about that.

a tiger never loses her stripes.

with love,

Kathelijne.

tequiero

Last Minute Check-In

Packing you're entire life into only 2 suitcases each weighing no more than 10 kilos is a hard task.

Packing was absolute hell; I started off thinking "Ok, I'll bring only those things I truly will need and use in Holland", however, that sphere of thought lasted about 10 min. after that, I pretty much was determined to bring everything with you. Yes, that does include bikini's, summer dresses, summer shorts, tank tops, and shirts I hadn't worn in about 3 years, all this because "you never know when you might need it".

My last night in Barcelona was exactly the way I'd hoped for it to be, I went for dinner in my favorite area of Barcelona around the streets Santaló, Maria Cubí, and Muntaner. I'm not sure if it actually is my favorite area, but I've spend so much time there that I've learned to appreciate all the little restaurants and bars of the neighborhood. After dinner we strolled around for a couple of hours while talking about the the past, the present, and the future: chain-smoking. obviously.

The night ended at my house, and some tears were shed.

I'd gotten 2 hours of sleep when my mom actually came to wake me up, it was time to leave. Because I'm moving to Maastricht, a city in the Southern tip of holland we decided to fly from Girona and go straight there, rather than having to drive 2.5 hrs from Amsterdam to Maastricht.

We flew with Ryanair. As soon as we got there (I was still a bit sleepy) I was overwhelmed by the amount of people that were at the airport. People flying to Liverpool, Manchester and various other locations we're all stressing because most flights were at almost the same time and everyone was in a massive rush. Luckily our flight was called out to get a "Last Minute ChecK-In" so we avoided the queues. Sambo's theory about the usefulness of arriving fashionably late has once again been proved to be correct. ;)

Maastricht is a beautiful city. I didn't expect too much of it because I'd only been there twice before when I was a little girl, and barely remembered anything except for that the Maas River divides the city into 2 parts. The buildings are very nice, and the the city has a somewhat French flair to it. There are many café's, restaurants, shops, parks, and plaza's, and all have the same decadent style.

Firstly, I can't wait to get to know the city, find a place to live, start school, and most importantly meet new people.

Secondly, I can't wait to come back to Barcelona to visit <3>

A tiger never loses her stripes.

we'll be fine and dandy

"What's your road, man?--holyboy road, madman road, rainbow road, guppy road, any road. It's an anywhere road for anybody anyhow."

- Jack Kerouac, On the Road

In exactly one day I will take a different road. After many internal debates I've finally decided to step out of my comfort zone in Barcelona and go to university in Holland. Everything may actually turn out "fine and dandy"

I'm excited, nervous, but also sad. European Law is what I will be dedicating myself to for the next 4 years.

Ok, enough with the melodramatic notices. The climate here has changed, and as it did, I realized I'm never fully satisfied with the weather anyway. Mid-August I was one of the people whining saying it was "too hot". And now that it has finally cooled down I'm one of those saying that, "it is supposed to still be summer". Despite that, I realized that I've had really good times in both hot and cold weather so it truly doesn't really matter at all.

Before starting a blog I could have never imagined writing random thoughts down. I mean, lets be real: no one cares about how I feel about the weather.

The last couple of days, or weeks for that matter, have been very different. At times I feel like a mature female going through menopauze. Opinions, ideas, feelings, anything. It can change 180º within a split second.

Yesterday I went for dinner in CDLC, one of the best dinners I've had in a long time: sushi, wine, cigarette's, laughs, serious conversations, sparks, dancemoves, and coctails they were all present. I had a really good time, and it certainly will be these nights I'll miss most when I'm in Holland.

Today I ran across the city. I went to school to get my diploma, had a chat with some teachers, and said 'see you later' to Felipe, I'm sure I'll see him again soon so a goodbye wasn't necessary.

The rest of my afternoon was spent with several key people in my life. One in specific. Good times.

I'm excited for tomorrow-

My next blog entry will be more entertaining and not quite so random I reckon - I'll probably write it from Holland..

Remember though; a tiger never loses its stripes..