Writings

The ninth month of the year is coming to an end, and I feel like 2025 is flying by. I feel like it was a calmer month in comparison to the previous months, but maybe that’s a false impression. Let’s see.

The, already twice fallen, Dutch government is still trying to get their coalition plans moving forward. Part of the agreement was increasing the minimum period one needs to wait before being allowed to apply for naturalization, from 5 to 10 years.

Het wantrouwen in de politiek neemt toe, terwijl politiek een onderwerp blijft waarover veel mensen niet willen praten. Toen ik Waarom We Politiek Niet Alleen Aan Politici Kunnen Overlaten bij de boekenwinkel heb gezien, dacht ik: “oh, dat klinkt interessant”.

Three and a half months ago, I started a new job. I haven’t talked much about it yet on this website, except for a very brief note in my June’s “Recently” article. I’ve been wanting to write a little bit more about it, and I feel like now is the right moment.

Nos últimos meses, tenho tido um maior interesse na língua, quer seja ela a Língua Holandesa, a Língua Inglesa, ou a Língua Portuguesa. Já há tempos que sigo Marco Neves no Instagram, e os seus vídeos trazem sempre múltiplos fun facts sobre origens, mitos e outras pequenas coisas. Quando vi que tinha escrito este livro, pensei: tenho que o ler.

A few weeks ago, Chris decided to get his eyes checked and I noticed it had already been three years since I last got mine checked. Since that is quite some time, and I had strived for getting my eyes checked every other year, I decided to make an appointment for us both at Mr. Brown Beans & Specs here in Eindhoven, an optician-café combo.

After seeing the book Surrounded by Idiots virtually everywhere, I decided to check some reviews and what it was actually about: communication, and “how to understand those who cannot be understood” - the quote on quote “idiots”. The topic sounded interesting, so I decided to pick up this book and read it.

August is now coming to an end, and there is something in the air feeling more and more like the autumn. Days are becoming colder, darker, and the rain is showing up again. That’s good, considering The Netherlands has had one of the driest years so far. Let’s look back and see what I’ve been up to.

In my last monthly recap, I mentioned I started running again, after taking a few months break. I’m now three and a half weeks in the new program, and I felt a bit of an urge to write a bit about how it has been, what am I feeling, and whether or not I want to continue.

Recently, while reading issue 37 of the Standart magazine, I discovered the existence of naturally occurring low caffeine coffee. That immediately sparkled some interest in me, since I enjoy drinking coffee, but I don’t want to drink too much caffeine.

It is warm. Or, should I say, very hot? It is very hot 🔥! For the past few days, the maximum temperature outside has been hovering 30C in the south of the Netherlands. Here in Eindhoven we have, officially, a 80 to 100% chance of a heatwave. I think that’s a yes.

“Interacting with others is energizing”. That was a thought I had around a week ago, and it has been stuck with me ever since. It probably doesn’t come as a surprise to most - also not for me-, but I thought it’d be nice to expand a bit more on this thought.

When I started drinking more milk-based coffee beverages, I used to always be in awe when I got a cup with latte art on it. So it won’t come as any surprise that since I purchased my first espresso machine, I have been attempting at doing it myself. I must say: the journey has not been the easiest.

Vandaag wil ik een paar tips en hulpmiddelen met jullie delen die mij hebben geholpen bij het leren van Nederlands. Ik heb de afgelopen jaren hard gewerkt aan mijn Nederlands, en ik heb al een tijdje geleden mijn B2-diploma gehaald. Dus ik snap dat het niet altijd makkelijk is, en ik hoop dat dit artikel nuttig kan zijn.