Dear readers,

You might have heard my name before, but allow me to introduce myself again. I am Jona Haxhialiu, a 3rd year student at University college, who is pursuing a free minor and about to become the new writer of the Ucg blogs. Perhaps some of you might know particular aspects of my student’s life, for I have been doing a couple of UCG vlogs last year. Yes, I am the annoying girl who takes videos around Groningen  Nevertheless, you will now obtain a larger dosage of Jona at a weekly basis.  Alright in my first post, as a newbie that I am, I don’t want to share a boring story with you, well at least I hope it’s not. This is my last year at UCG, hence I want to have you as my traveling companion in my upcoming adventures. Don’t worry I am not going to start talking about my minor subjects, on the contrary, I will share with you only the most insightful experiences and the spicy stuff of my academic journey.

So here it begins.  I was always told to dream big,  try the things that I was afraid of doing, and so I did. This year kick-started in the best way possible. I delivered a speech during the opening of the new academic year, part of which were also the ucg students of class 2021.  It was fascinating seeing the face of the upcoming UCG ambassadors. I still get the chills when I think of it. Then, I ran the risk and decided to follow a business related minor offered at University of Groningen center of E’ship. Developing an Entrepreneurial project, working with a team for an entire semester and sharing stories that impact peoples’ lives, it sounded like a Jona thing. And here I am, a month later seeing myself starting a brand new chapter in my life. It might just be small steps, but to me they feel like a personal accomplishment. Besides focusing on my academic journey, I challenged myself to try something new, some kind of challenge which would push me outside of my comfortable zone. Horse riding, I thought, it’s meant to be horse riding. Encouraged by a close friend of mine, who also happens to study at UCG, I went to for a trial lesson at the student horse riding association Parafrid, and Lord, did I enjoy it. I had always loved horses, but standing next to them, synchronizing with their rhythm aka trotting, that entire experience had a cathartic effect on me. Sometimes you just feel that unique kind of excitement and you’ve to pay attention to it, for it can bring you genuine happiness. At least you can understand why I became a member of the association.

It has only been one month but I feel like time is passing so fast. With all the deadlines and exams lining up, I don’t have that much of a free time. Nevertheless, I do try to make some “Jona Time” to reflect every now and then and calm myself down, for stress is the last thing I would like to have as a companion during my studies. Perhaps you, reading these lines, recognize the situation I am talking about. Very often I catch myself overthinking about the future, for ex. What am I going to do after my studies? What requirements should I fulfil for my upcoming studies? Which city/country do I want to move in? What activities should I join etc etc. It’s always good to keep these thoughts in your mind, but I would say, it is even better to focus on them when the right time comes. In my view, it is simply not humanly possible to find all the right answers, regarding your future, within a day. The same applies to your personal goals. In order to accomplish those long term vision of yours you need to make one step at a time. Well, this is all theoretically very logical, but as the old saying goes, it’s much easier said than done. I happened to be at a similar position halfway through September and started to plan way ahead. And guess what? Plans did not really occur the way I wanted them to. Life happens, things change and it’s essential for all of us, especially the students, to know how unpredictable some outcomes can be. It might not be that pleasant seeing something you thought you would obtain slip away from you, or an opportunity being taken from someone else, but at the end you are the one who decides to move on or remain still. I dare say, you can even learn more about yourself from such situations.

So just to conclude, try to make your story a worthy one and enjoy it while doing so. Allow yourself some time to reflect, and “log out” of the questionnaire platform where the answers are not available yet. Just remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Avoid planning way in advance and try to be more cautious of the possible outcomes. Unfulfilled plans/goals, it’s all part of life and to be honest,it  puts you in a much better position, where you can see through the new, clearer kind of lenses.  Lastly, as cliché as it might sound, try avoiding stress when not necessary. Prioritize the things which matter the most to you and focus on them. The rest will follow and you don’t have to panic about them, even though you’re not doing your 100%.

I hope you guys enjoyed the first post, and hopefully it made you realize that “everything is going to be fine”. May your academic year be a pleasant one and filled with memories.

Please feel free to post your comments below and to share the post. I am already looking forward to the next blog. Wish you all a wonderful day (or evening).

Yours truly,

Jona. H