Hello there,
For a while now things have been a bit dark here on the blog. So I have decided it is time to speak about the bright in all of this, the people that despite all that has happened around me the last few years have been strong and kind enough to be there when I needed them the most.
As many of you know few things can break me or push me down, just the loss of those I love will do that. At the same time it is the very same feelings that brings me back on my feet. Certainly there have and still are challenges in my life which can lead to me sometimes feeling powerless and insignificant. Big dreams and big expectations are good at times and at times they can be a curse.
When I first came here in 2011 I knew very few people in the Netherlands and despite what many people think I can be very shy in such a situation where I do not know anyone. I felt pretty much like Bambi on ice and for about a year it was mainly work and my relationship at the time that had all my attention. Yet slowly I started approaching people as I was learning Dutch and finding new areas of interest in this new community I had become a part of.
One of the places I met people was of course at work. My first kind and good friend was Esther and soon after I got to know Michael who for whatever reason was very kind and seemed to read my mind at times. Esther helped me when things went south and I had difficulty asking for help and understanding from any other person. I found it strange how warm and open she was to me, when she met me my self-esteem was still so low and I often caught myself wondering what she could possibly see in me that made her feel I was worth her time. But she did and she treated me as her equal and with respect and kindness. And thanks to her I grew stronger and better at speaking my mind.
After I met these 2 lovely people I started finding online communities such as couch-surfing where expats would make events and meet up to share experiences, culture and food from their countries. This is how I met Patty, Adrienne and Robert and found myself suddenly doing what I had been doing in the UK and Norway when I lived there...being social again! For me friends are important not just because of kindness and support, but it helps to feel like once in a while you are also helping and supporting someone back. I owe them for all the times they joined me for a wine or coffee to laugh about the stressful and hard things in life. They definitely kept me positive together with other friends I met as life happened in good and bad ways.
Google (2016)
At the moment I am lucky to have many good friends around me, but the golden medals really go to my flatmate Noelia, Jessie and also Jo. Seriously these lovely people inspire me to want to be better, I really take my hat off for them. They are just being the best friends a girl could ask for. We have laughed, we have conspired and we have been each others shoulders to lean on. Advices have never been far away and honesty as well when I needed to hear the truth straight from the liver (a saying we use in Norway for when you need to hear the hard truth). It might sound like I am exaggerating but for me kindness and respect are important things and the good friends I have kept over the years that haven´t stopped keeping in touch, well they have these important qualities deep rooted in their hearts. I do not and have never taken this for granted. I feel really lucky to have met them.
There are enough people that come and go on our journeys, and I have definitely learned to tell the difference between someone who are just a funny acquaintance or need something from you from those who really actually give a crap :) I am happy with the people I have around me these days and even many of those who are not mentioned in this post has meant and means a lot to me ( do not think I am forgetting you!)
There is kindness everywhere, but if you are like me then you might have to give shy self a little kick in the behind and push yourself to get to know people.
Everyday is a new opportunity to spend with those who matter and to meet new kind people that could change your perspective of yourself.
<3 Viking
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