So I thought it would be fun to also write some more blogs about my life and what I’ve been up to. Therefore, I will be posting a blog post once a month, possibly on the last Friday of every month about my ‘happy moments’. I want to keep this positive and focus on the things that stood out to me in a good way throughout the month. Not because my life is a constant high, but because I think it is good to focus on the things that you enjoy rather than the things you don’t, I want to focus on that. Here we go!
Fall sunrises, sunsets & rainbows
I am not much liking the amount of rain we’ve been getting (I am typing this as it is pouring down), I am loving the cool side effects of the weather we’ve been having. On nice days, the sunrises and sunsets have been stunning. Case in point: the picture at the top of this blog post. Yes that is a sunset that I saw from my own balcony. We’ve also been getting some rainbows and I was treated to a rainbow early on a Sunday morning as I was getting ready to go workout. Love it!
Attending all the concerts…
Or at least I am about to. I have been planning some live concerts and I have something set at least once a month until February. I used to attend concerts nearly every week, but stopped when I started working out more. I definitely didn’t go to a lot of live shows for a few years and mainly focused on festivals. Mainly because I had seen so many bands live that a lot of concerts coming my way were artists I had seen. But now there is a lot of new, exciting music out, I definitely wanted to buy some tickets. I went to see Sports Team in September and that was a great taste of all that is to come.
Looking forward to my NYC trip…
In October I will be traveling for fall break. I decided not to go on vacation during the summer this year as NYC in the summer is just a bit too hot. I have done it before but with hot summer temperatures that rendered me nearly immobile I felt that I should see the city that never sleeps in a season I hadn’t been there yet. So I booked the trip for the fall time. It will only be 6 days, but I am planning to make the most of it. I just booked tickets to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, so I know it will be a great trip.
Starting dance classes again
September means the start of dance season! I went to one social already and am now taking Slowbal classes. Can’t wait to be learning a new swing dance and further commit to the lindy and swing scene here in Rotterdam.
Having a proper workout routine again
Hand in hand with dance classes, I have been building up a workout routine again. Back in my previous town, I worked out 4 – 5 times a week without breaking a sweat. After my move, I found it difficult to build up a routine. I needed time to get used to my new surroundings and took up dance classes first. This summer, I decided to commit and build up a routine. By now I am doing 3 workouts a week and I am loving it.
Teaching classes again
Yup school has started again and were us teachers already start in August, our students do not come in until September. I am teaching courses in all years and I just love how it is when you set foot in a classroom again that you are reminded of why you started doing this job. I’ve been loving meeting all the new first years, but also working with pumped up second and third years.
Bingewatching American Gods
Media wise I didn’t consume much as I have been working out more, so I am now out most evenings of the week. That leaves less time for Netflix and reading. I did manage to binge all of American Gods on Amazon Prime this month. The series is very different from the book but it feels very deliberate and purposeful. Where the book meanders a lot at first, the series never does. I watched both seasons and can’t wait for season 3 due out next year. That said, I am now in limbo a bit and not sure what to watch. Will it be Downton Abbey or Peaky Blinders?
Reading a book in Dutch
September was also the month in which I read a book in Dutch for the first time since highschool. Since I am Dutch you may expect me to read Dutch books, but I studied English for a reason! My Dutch teacher in highschool is the no. 1 reason I stopped reading for fun, so Dutch books always had that negative connotation for me. English books reminded me how much fun reading is and it helped me develop my language skills at the same time. But then I heard colleagues and press raving about a newly published Dutch book and I just had to try it. I bought it over the summer and read it this month. It was definitely different for me, but it was good to find myself thoroughly enjoying a Dutch book for the first time in forever.
2 responses to “Happy Moments #1”
Wow you sure are busy, that’s awesome! I think it’s cool how fluent you are in both languages and your English is perfect. For September I reached my blogging goals and chipped away at a few others, so I’m glad about that… just lacking a bit in the fun department. I hope you have a great time in NY!
I usually am! I like to keep busy 😁