Slowly, but Surely

I was supposed to have contributed to this blog a few days ago... Everything was planned for it; I had even reserved time for blog writing in my agenda following the Dutch ways. Unfortunately, the Mexican in me prefers to leave things until the last moment and work under cardiac pressure! As we are one week away from the Christmas break, papers and projects have piled up. The last few days have been full with modelling exercises and research, but holiday is around the corner and I am finally ready.
Now, with more time and inspiration in my hands, I would like to tell you about my experience in the past four months as a student of the Master in Sustainable Development in Utrecht University. Coming from a developing country, it is easy to see the big challenges that lay in the near future for my generation. To mitigate and adapt to global environmental problems, a huge amount of resources are needed. Political agreements and poverty reduction is key, but more important perhaps is the need for knowledge sharing and common ground building. Receiving the Utrecht Excellence Scholarship and studying in one of best universities in Europe, translates in me becoming a link between the expertise and the opportunities.
The Netherlands is a great country full with fun and smart people. The first months in school were not easy. The grading system and the academic challenges are completely different from those in Mexico. It took some time for me to get adjusted to the language and the teaching style, but now I can say with confidence that I am happy and proud to be here. Life as a graduate student in a foreign country has developed my self-confidence and has pushed me to expand my own limits. Aside from the theoretical knowledge, I have learned to work with students from different backgrounds and with different abilities. I have met inspired people that have become great friends, and wise teachers that have become great mentors.
I am confident that the next months will be full of learning and enjoyment, and that by the end of this experience I will be successfully immersed in the field of sustainable development and ready to share the acquired knowledge with future students.
As we say in Mexico, slowly, but surely.