Canadian Update

Here we go,  post number two..


A lot has happened since I blogged last! I have navigated my way to two new places in NL using the train system. (Travelling somewhere on your own is a very cool experience. If you haven't I really recommend it.) Halloween, Thanksgiving number two, badminton competitions, new friends and more..

As I said, we celebrated Halloween.. kind of. Rather than trick or treating we had a costume party in the campus bar. It was sooo fun! (I was a referee, made the costume myself.)

We are currently in the middle of exams here at CAH. (Pieter, my dutch classmate took it upon himself to call it Sparta Week!! Although it really isn't a week it's two.) I have already written three exams and I have one more on Monday. Exams here remind me of what we would call "major tests" back home in Canada. Usually we have to stay in the exam room for a minimum or 1.5h but here that is the MAX amount of time given to write the exam. "Wow that's awesome Kayla, cool, you're so lucky, I wish I could write those exams instead of mine, you must just ACE all of your exams..!" no. 
Again, unlike in Canada.. professors don't provide an exam outline. Instead it's. "Okay, here's the textbook and every power point we went over in class. Good Luck!" what? 
However, somehow we did it. 3 down and one to go! 

Here on the international campus we, the Canadians, find that we are getting along really well with the French students. Last night we had a small party to take our minds off the first half of Sparta Week. It's really nice to be surrounded by another culture and still feel like you belong. Sometimes it's funny to see their reactions when they remember that we understand french. 

My house on campus is so awesome, we all get along really well. This makes a huge difference when I start to feel homesick. For Halloween we decorated the windows in our kitchen and the front door with ghosts, pumpkins bats and ghouls. Very fun! There is always a good time to be had in the, "Crazy House." 

Another quote that I absolutely love right now is,
“You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.”
This is by Dr. Seuss from his book, "Oh the Places You'll Go." This quote is so neat. Basically, it says yes, you'll face some obstacles along the way and yeah you might fail. But this is why you have to pay attention and work hard to succeed! More important, it says, Life is a balancing act. I love this because it is so true! Right now I am balancing school with a social life, diabetes with badminton, and a beer on the corner of my laptop!

Big news! I finally booked my flight to France for Christmas. I am more than excited to be able to see my family that lives there and experience ANOTHER new country. I will be travelling again, on Christmas day. This should be interesting!

I guess I should get back to studying for that last exam, thanks again to everyone supporting me from home. I love you guys! :)
Wens me succes..

Sincerely, 

K. 

First Blog Post!

Woohoo! Here I am, writing my first blog post from the Netherlands. I can't promise you guys anything special but hopefully you'll enjoy:

It's October 23rd: Maybe it's the laundry on the floor or maybe it's the way there is always people laughing and sharing stories in my kitchen but  I am finally feeling like this old campus residence is a home. 

My house mates and I are totally getting along and I could not have asked for a better family away from home. I share a kitchen/dining room, bathroom, shower and laundry room with a French girl, 2 Dutch boys and an Italian boy and girl. 

School, so far, has been mostly review. Since the program is so new the professors are still working on figuring out what exactly each school has covered in the first year of study. It's not so bad, I am really looking forward to Dutch lessons starting in November!

Recently, I have gone through some changes in my life, as I am sure you are all aware of. It has been one of the toughest changes to overcome and I can't say I have yet.

Thing I know:
1. I have the BEST support team
2. This is for the best right NOW
3. It WILL get better

Things I don't know:
1. What's going to happen next 
2. When I will be fully healed
3. What the hell is in Dutch kroketten and bitterballen... (google it) 

This means that I have a lot of work to do. School is definitely number one right now, then badminton and who knows what else can happen here on an international campus?! 

Referring to the "support team" mentioned above, I have received some amazing advice! I've started a collection of quotes and inspirational sayings on my wall. This includes, " Replace the word but with AND" and "Opportunity is nowhere now here."
I want to share with you guys a story that a member of my awesome support team shared with me:

 Two men worked for a shoe company. Their boss sent them to a developing country to sell their product. The first man got off of the plane and noticed that no one there wore shoes. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" he said and got back on the plane. The next man got off of the plane and saw the exact same thing and said, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" But instead of getting back on the plane he saw opportunity: He knew that he was in a country where everyone there could use his product! 

This story is so neat! It really shows the reader that it's all about perspective. 

A bit about the title of my blog:
 "Insulin Pump and a Passport" I absolutely love this title because with these two things I can pretty much go anywhere!  The title, Insulin Pump and a Passport touches on my diabetes as well as the fact that I am living in Europe; this might be the best cultural experience of my entire life!

Speaking of my diabetes, I have a plastic organizer packed FULL of diabetes supplies. So no one has to worry about that! 

Places I've been so far:
1. Amsterdam x2
2. Zwolle
3. Weesp 


I have this week off for Autumn Break and Exams are in 2 weeks. I have a PINK bike here and that's pretty much how everyone gets around. It's tire is broken right now but I bought a new one today and hopefully it will be back on the road by this evening!

More pictures and stories to come!

Best wishes,

K.