Create a Bucket List and Get it Done!

Hi everyone! It is Makayla from the University of Florida checking in with my last blog for my semester at Maastricht University. Again, COVID19 cut my semester short after almost being in the Netherlands for exactly 58 days. I have been back in Florida for almost 2 months now and in a way, it has been a blessing (not because I was homesick or missed my family but because it gave me the time to reflect on what I really wanted to get out of my education, future career, and life post-graduation.)

At the time of writing this, it was the week of my 21st birthday. I had hoped to spend it at a nice dinner after class with the friends I made while studying abroad but instead, I spent it in quarantine BUT it was just as fun. My family held a nice dinner for me and I got a lot of kind notes and birthday wishes. Just because something doesn’t go as planned doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it!

For this month’s blog, I would like to talk about Dutch culture and exploring the Netherlands! I know a lot of non-European students come to Maastricht because it is more accessible to travel to other countries, but the Netherlands is also worth seeing! Firstly, the ISN hosts a weekend trip in February where you can visit 4 cities: Delft, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Volendam. I 100% recommend that you either pay for the package when you arrive in Maastricht at the ISN Office or buy it online.

Dutch Facts I have learned

• National color is orange because of William of the Orange. Here is a nice funny video explaining how the Dutch flag and how they came to have orange as their national color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFLcaYUPphY&feature=youtu.be
• The King of the Netherlands is a pilot for KLM! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLY7mpG3Adc
• There is a motorway over the sea here! https://youtu.be/6r6zcMl2Xmw 

Though my semester in the Netherlands was cut short, I enjoyed my time in such a beautiful country. In fact before I started my semester in Maastricht, I made bucket lists of things I wanted to do, eat, or places I wanted to see during those five and a half months. So here are some of my recommendations for your semester in Maastricht!

Dutch Cities and Places You Should Visit
• The Hague
• Eindhoven
• Haarlem
• Alkmaar
• Leiden
• Gouda
• Giethoorn
• Roermond
• Sittard
• Ambrass Brewery – Zittesje Sjnaak beer
• Thorn
• Wessem
• Stevensweert
• Valkenburg
• Municipal Cave (Gemeentegroot)
• Velvet Cave (Fluwelengroot)
• De Valkenier
• Schin op Geul
• Schaloen Castle
• Castle Gardens of Oud Valkenburg
• Genhoes Castle
• Brunssummerheide
• De Meinweg
• Vaalserberg and the Tripoint
• Wilhelminatoren
• Keukenhof
• Zuiderzeemuseum
• Alkmaar
• Giethoorn
• Kinderdijk
• De Haar Castle
• Brunssummerheide
• The Castle Gardens of Arcen
• Heusden
• Thorn
• De Biesbosch
• Valkenburg
• Texel
• The Dunes of Loon and Drunen
• Neeltje Jans
• Den Bosch
• Het Loo Palace

Dutch Foods You Should Try

• Stroopwafel – dessert with caramel (MUST HAVE)
• Poffertjes – small fluffy pancakes with butter, powdered sugar and assorted toppings (MUST HAVE)
• Raw Herring – served with onions
• French Fries with Mayonnaise and Ketchup
• Bitterballen
• Edam cheese
• Gouda cheese
• Kibbeling
• Stamppot
• Vlaai
• Jenever
• Oliebel
• Honeycake
• Bosschebol
• Maasdam
• Beerenburg
• Rookwurst
• Zeewsebolus
• Pannenkoek
• Pepernoot
• Kaassouffle
• Kapsalun
• Boerenkaas
• Soused Herring
• Leerdamer
• Frikandel

Maastricht is a gorgeous city and there are so many foods and shopping options so you should not get bored! Some of my favorite restaurants that I was able to visit before the shut down include McDoner box (SOOOOOOOO INEXPENSIVE AND LARGE PORTIONS AND AMAZING FRIENDLY WONDERFUL STAFF AND DELICIOUS FOOD, PLEASE GO SUPPORT THEIR BUSINESS I MISS THEM SO MUCH!!!!), Flencious (breakfast that is oh SO good, they have a special deal when you can get breakfast for 5 euros if you go before 11am or something during the week), Restaurant Bim & Bap (Korean food, a must-have, gotta love that lunch menu!), and La Barraca (tapas!!! the shrimp is finger-licking good lol).

“Should I study at Maastricht University? What classes should I take?”

Loaded question. Maastricht University is difficult. As the University of Florida is the #7 Public University in the USA but Maastricht University is much harder than my business classes back home. So much reading. I thought they were joking when they said you had a lot to read. If you want a more relaxed and careful exchange semester, maybe expand your options to other Dutch universities or maybe someplace in the UK, Spain, Portugal, or Italy. There are times I regret going to UM because of just how much I have to read, especially now that we are in quarantine and have to stare at the laptop screen for 10+ hours a day. Think about what your values, requirements, preferences, and goals are. If you think you can handle the work, then go for it. Maastricht was amazing!

P.S: I took Customer-centric Supply Chain Management, Human Resource Management, Entrepreneurship and Small Business Management. At first, CCSCM was hard because I had to get used to the readings and the different class structures. I ended up doing very well. HRM has to be one of the most frustrating classes I have ever taken because we had to read like 80 pages worth of articles for each tutorial (about 4 twenty-page articles). ESBM was pretty fun and I would recommend taking it!

But that’s it from me! Again, this is Makayla and if you have any questions you can follow me on Instagram @makaylamaybe! I love talking about my study abroad experiences and though I had to come back home, Maastricht will always have space in my heart. Thank you so much for having me Maastricht University!

How to Survive Online Classes

Hi everyone! It’s Makayla again! I know I said last month that my previous post could be my last but we are gonna make this work! I am no longer in Maastricht so I can’t really talk about what life is like in Maastricht anymore unless it’s based on nostalgia. You could say that I’m a bit of an expert with online classes, but I do NOT like them!

Building a Schedule

The first step to surviving online classes is to make a schedule for yourself. Back at the University of Florida, business students take most of their classes online. Now that COVID-19 has moved everything online, we students have to adapt! There are 24 hours a day and with social distancing and quarantine, it feels like a day is a week and a week is a day.

One way to combat this is to make a schedule! I had some print outs from my freshman year where I was struggling with time management and never used. The first step is to find one that has times that work for you. As you can see from my schedule below, I am using the times that classes are held from my home university (University of Florida) so the times vary from the class blocks that Maastricht University uses. Make sure to print or create one that works on your specific class schedule. The next step is to get a bunch of different color markers(preferably, or highlighters) or pens. On a sticky note, or an index card, or the notepad for your phone, write down all the times you have class and all the different activities you intend to do daily (eating, studying, relaxing, sleeping, etc.) My activities are wash day (if you have natural hair/curly hair like me it takes a LONG time and routine), Church, studying, sleeping, language studies that I hope to do but I know that I won’t, eating, and class. I separate my classes based on color because I know I will get confused between what class I have to “go” to.

The next step is to first plot down your classes. Why? “Student first” aka it’s easier to build a schedule when your foundation is your classes, the one thing that is generally within a time limit. I started with Monday to Friday as that’s when I have classes and from there I went into lunch, studying, language studying, dinner, and sleeping time. All the yellow space on my schedule is for miscellaneous activities such as when I have meetings for my clubs/organizations, watching anime, or anything else I could possibly do. It took me less than an hour to build my schedule.

Maintaining a Routine

Use a planner or bullet journal. I have my classes on my Google calendar on my phone and written into my bullet journal because I might forget. With everything being online now, time could pass you by and you might miss your class. Combat that by using the alarms and reminders on your phone! Set them for 15, 10, and/or 5 minutes before your class or meeting would start. If your class has a set link, you can even attach it to your digital calendar/event or reminder. Technology hurts us a lot with making procrastination TOO easy. But technology was created to make our lives simpler, so use it.

If you’re anything like me, I struggle with waking up in the morning (which is why I try to avoid morning classes as much as possible.) But now that I’m back in Florida, my classes that would have been at 4 pm while in Maastricht are now at 10 am. So best believe I have to set multiple alarms for those mornings where my mind is saying yes, but my body is saying no. I also set my alarms much earlier than when a typical person would wake for so that I have time to read my Bible and do my morning devotionals and spend way too much time on social media for no good reason other than procrastinating.

Part of my typical school routine is to pick out a cute outfit and wear in. But all I’m wearing these days in my pajamas and my bonnet. So to help me get a similar feeling of excitement for class, I try to put together cute and comfy outfits for my zoom classes (torso up cause listen, I’m still in my pajamas.) If after class you like to have a pastry and coffee, buy some instant coffee or premade pastries or dough and make your own! Yes, it will take more time but that’s part of your relaxation and reward system, as well as your routine. Don’t start slacking just because you could easily make the decision to sleep or procrastinate.

Okay so here’s when I mention how to adapt your study style to this new format of learning. We all struggling! But Youtube and Pinterest got your back!!! Figure out what type of learner you are and try some new study habits. Pomodoro method, using color, diagrams, watching related videos, making a study group, etc.

Budgeting in Some Relaxation, Getting and Staying Motivated, and Rewarding Yourself

Budget in some relaxation time in your schedule! Do it. Whether it be 5 mins after every 60 mins of studying or it is 1-2 hours at the end of each day. Whatever you find to be best suited to your needs, make sure you relax. I find it hard to relax when I have to study but I don’t want to but if I don’t I’m gonna get behind and if I get behind then I could mess up and fail. So I combat that by forming mini-goals. “If I do this, then I’ll do this.”

Since we can’t go outside and take in the sunlight, take Vitamin D supplements and eat lots of fruits! When I study and take my notes, I like to listen to music, especially bouncy and upbeat music. Yes, it slows me down because I like to dance, but by making studying somewhat fun, I’m actually more productive than if I just treated it as a boring task. You might be the complete opposite. But this method has been working for me since I started college.

Back to why you should have fruits and Vitamin D. Even though my desk is right in front of a window so I get plenty of sun and light, it’s nothing like the actual thing. (Listen I know I live in the sunshine state and we have ample sun too many days of the year but it’s not even summer and it is in the 90s aka 30-degree celsius weather, I am NOT going outside!!!) Having vitamin D helps with your bone and immune health but also your mental health, giving you energy boosts. All my folks with S.A.D aka seasonal depression aka seasonal affective disorder say wassup!!! (We’ll be okay)

Treat yourself! When I complete something big like a paper or a presentation or even a long day of notes, I like to have ice cream. (But if I’m being honest I eat ice cream all the time even if all I did all day was wake up and look at dog photos, but that’s beside the point, trust me!) I also like to bake chocolate chip cookies (from the premade dough because I have not the time nor energy.) It gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. Maybe reward yourself with a jog or a mini dance party where you just jam out loud to some of your favorite songs, or play with your pets, or do whatever makes you happy! Use your hobbies as rewards, whether it be reading a chapter of a book for every chapter of notes you complete or exercising!

Now, what about social interactions? I like to have long phone calls with my friends once in a while and I text them TikToks or animal pictures so that they know I’m thinking of them. Maybe have a Zoom dinner or Zoom party? If people are using Zoom to go on dates, why don’t do the same for your friends?

So that’s it from me for this month. Listen, this isn’t perfect. I’m no developmental or educational psychologist but I’ve been to a lot of wellness coaching and workshops to know enough to share my knowledge. Not to mention UF business students primarily have fully online classes, so this is normal for us.

If you found this helpful and you’ve been making desserts, please send me some I keep eating all my quarantine snacks (I wish I was joking.) I’m joking! Work hard, set your intentions, and you will succeed! See you next month. And also please tell your pets I love them, I haven’t physically seen a dog in much too long and I’m having withdrawals.