See Why on 43 Things

See Why's Life List

1. Learn Dutch
8 entries . 4 cheers 545 people
2. be financially independent
1 entry . 5 cheers 1,489 people
3. move out
4 cheers 2,903 people
4. Study more
1 entry . 2 cheers 1,274 people
5. get better grades
1 entry . 1 cheer 1,021 people
6. Dress better
1 entry . 4 cheers 1,181 people
7. never look back
2 cheers 43 people
8. finish my degree
7 cheers 2,483 people
9. Finish what I start
8 cheers 3,721 people
10. improve my english
1 entry . 9 cheers 1,819 people
11. improve my writing
1 cheer 436 people
12. learn to drive
1 entry . 1 cheer 5,886 people
13. read faster
199 people
14. learn to swim
1 entry . 1 cheer 2,817 people
15. decide what the hell I would like to do with the rest of my life
2 cheers 6,848 people
16. study abroad
4 cheers 2,297 people
17. take a creative writing course
4 cheers 32 people
18. expand my vocabulary
1 entry . 1 cheer 2,537 people
19. wear skirts more often
6 cheers 291 people
20. Learn to apply makeup
1 cheer 348 people
21. Learn Kendo
1 entry 154 people
22. learn to belly dance
3 cheers 2,250 people
23. Take more pictures
3 cheers 13,986 people
24. Write down my stories
1 cheer 65 people
25. learn to draw
3 cheers 1,919 people
26. be a better singer
1 cheer 67 people
27. learn french
1 entry 10,112 people
28. Learn to Salsa
1 cheer 1,317 people
29. learn to dance
3 cheers 6,235 people
30. learn about politics
100 people
31. learn how to do my hair
112 people
32. write my autobiography
2 entries 546 people
33. get married
3 cheers 17,868 people
34. install ubuntu
2 cheers 32 people
35. finish Final Fantasy X
3 cheers 31 people
36. travel the world
5 cheers 17,809 people
37. Go on an archaeological dig
3 cheers 129 people
38. wear hijab
2 entries . 2 cheers 17 people

How I did it

How to join a writing group

It took me

3 years

It made me

excited but troubled

How I did it: I joined a writing group at the university, but I have only been able to attend to two of the meetings, since the times clash with my studying schedule. Read how I did it…

Oct 29, 09:04AM PDT | 0 comments

Recent entries

be financially independent

I'm on my way 8 months ago

I have no debts so far and I hope it stays like this.

My salary is nothing to be proud of, but it’s allowed me to take the first step: pay my own university costs for this year.

Now it’s the house (and all costs included) there and the health insurance.

Oct 29, 08:54AM PDT | 1 cheer | 1 comment

lose weight (read all 149 entries…)

An article I saw and thought was interesting 8 months ago

For all you extra dieting, extra working out fans out there.

http://www.shapefit.com/overtraining-exercising-too-much.html

Oct 29, 08:49AM PDT | 1 comment

Learn Dutch (read all 8 entries…)

Imburgeringsexamen 10 months ago

So yesterday I did my imburgeringsexamen. The part where you have to read was quite easy, the part of kenis samen leving or something like that was awfully hilarious!

One of the questions was that if my neighbors put a huge statue of the virgin Mary if I should sneak up at night and tear it down, I had a laugh. Oh and if I should forbid my daughter to kiss a guy because he kissed her or hit her. I was having such a laugh I thought everyone was thinking that the stupid questions were hilarious. That was until I came out of the room and I saw an old granny who had taken the test with me crying: one of her questions had been what to do if she saw homosexual men in the street and the right answer was to wave. She was saying that the answer should not have been to wave because if everyone had a right to do and think what they wanted, she should be allowed to think how she wanted as long as she didn’t insult anyone. I felt sorry for her, because she seemed quite perturbed by the video shown at the test. Honestly, someone that old can’t change the way they’ve been taught to behave.

I think the Dutch should put more effort into teaching the younger generations of immigrants and the sons of the original immigrants to be open-minded. There’s not much you can do with people who have already a firm set of beliefs. A Farsi girl and I were talking that the sons of immigrants here are sometimes more old-fashioned than the people in those countries themselves. She said it was probably the discrimination that pushes them into the most extremist sides of their culture.

In any case, I don’t think I passed on the spoken test. Not that I mind much, I got a letter from the gemeente 2 days ago (when I had already paid for the tests) saying that my Dutch and my knowledge of the Dutch society was good enough not to do the imburgeringsexamen. And now they come with that!

EDIT: oh, as a side note. I found a job and guess what? it’s all in Dutch because I’m selling bread at C’est Du Pain. For some reason I speak to all my workmates in Dutch (most of them are immigrant or Dutch from a second generation of immigrants) but I can’t help it. I always end up speaking in English to my boss, though. It’s because he’s more fun when we speak in that language ^^. I guess I’m getting a bit more fluent, at least with saying numbers and “wilt u cacao op uw cappuccino?” -laughs.

Aug 19, 2008, 02:30AM PDT | 2 cheers | 1 comment

Home:	’s Gravenhage, Zuid-Holland
Member since:	Aug 15, 2007

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