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Week 2 Manta: Staying in instead of going out is just as an important part of living your life when studying abroad!

Weekly Happenings:

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Monday was my first day of classes!! Let me tell ya, academia is taken VERY seriously here in the Netherlands. It’s quite refreshing to see so many people in the library taking their studies seriously.

Cycling is hard.

I had been struggling to encourage myself to go out and do things beyond my assigned schedule. I almost felt that because i had not gone out thus far , that it was “too late” to change that decision.

Im slowly working on silencing my anxiety and pushing myself to remember that I am the one in charge. So today, I decided to push myself to go out grocery shopping after class. On a day when you’re feeling down, even doing something small like deciding to do one more thing than you wouldn’t before is a BIG deal.

I was really proud of myself.

I even stopped at the Candy shop to treat myself ( :

Power in sanctifying your space.

On Tuesday I started to feel like my time here was already flying by. I was getting anxious and a bit sad because I know there is still so much I have yet to do. So, in order to remind myself to remain present, I decided to sanctify my space. In doing this, I always made a point to sanctify my time.

Thus setting my morning and evening goals to mindfully and intentionally read the Bible. Every morning I would read the days Epistle and the Gospel, and every evening, I would read 1-3 Psalms.

Part of my goal in doing this was to truly connect with the people who wrote the history of Christ Jesus’s life. In order to do that, it was essential to put down the phone, physically hold the Bible, visually see the words, and audibly say them aloud. –THIS has made the greatest impact on my relationship with Christ

Food of the week:

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Style

Weekly Takeaways:

Believing and TRUSTing in yourself helps you to GROW.

In the short time I’ve been here, I’ve realized that I am so comfortable being a follower, that being a leader with certain tasks scares me. I am learning to combat this habit by reaffirming myself in all things possible. Reaffirming that I am capable of completing a task entirely on my own reminds me of my untapped potential. —-Don’t allow fear or disbelief to discourage you from being a leader.

Sanctifying your space helps you remember that YOU are in control.

You are a creature of your environment. Nourish it, keep it clean and make it your own.

Staying in and keeping comfy does not make you a lazy person.

Theres nothing wrong with staying at home and lounging around. I made a rule for myself however that even if I plan on staying in all day. I have to 1. change from my pjs and 2. Brush teeth and wash face. Doing these two things makes any potential for leaving the house (if I wanted to) possible. & remember, it is seriously important to take days off from the daily tasks of life.

Find comfort in what works for you.

Part of enjoying time abroad is having a variety of experiences. Being able to combine exploring new places as well as finding comfort in staying indoors has been a really healthy medium for me.

Realizing that no two persons “study abroad” experience is the same has helped me appreciate what MY experience are and will be. I have my own method and following it will bring me the most joy and best possible outcome.

Thanks for following along on my journey! Hoping to post every Sunday 

All the best,

Stellanie X.