Achieving your New Year’s Resolutions in Groningen
It’s been about 2 months since the New Year’s Eve, time flies by so quickly. Many people around this time of the year tend to forget about the so called “New year’s resolutions”
Every December I tell myself, this year I will be healthy, I will start studying, I will learn a new language … February comes around and I am already eating junk food and watching Netflix instead of studying. In this article you will find advice on how you can achieve your goals in the city of Groningen.
1. Sport. My goal this year was to start eating healthy and participating in sports more regularly and more intensively. This does require lot of motivation especially during these cold wintry evenings however there are a few places in Groningen which can help. Firstly ACLO, is a great place to start. You can sign up for many courses such as tennis, climbing or gymnastics. If, however you are more of a gym fan, you will be glad to hear ACLO also has a great gym membership for students, there are also many other gyms such as Train more which offer discounts for students. If you are looking to just try a few different sports, the ESN sports committee organises many activities throughout the year, just have a look on Facebook. Remember healthy body, healthy mind!
2. Studying. We are almost half way through the new semester, this means exams are coming soon. Groningen library can be very crowded around exam season but right now it is still quite empty, leaving you a lot of time to study now so when exams come around you can be ready to face those new challenge.
However, remember that studying is not everything, creating a balanced timetable is essential, you do need socialize as well. Kokomo or Twister parties on Wednesdays are a great way to take a break. Keep it balanced!
3. Travelling. I know this is always a goal for me. When new year comes around I always want to travel more, visit more places but this is often tough, because living as a student is expensive and often I just don’t have time to travel. This is why one of the good ways to travel inexpensively is with the ESN excursion committee. This committee organises many trips throughout the year, to both Dutch and international cities. For example, a few weeks ago, there was a trip to Strasbourg, France. There are many more trips to come so keep an eye on Facebook.
A good idea is to also check out flights from Groningen, rather than Amsterdam. More connections have been added and some destinations are much cheaper, if you consider the expensive train tickets to Amsterdam or Eindhoven.
4. Languages. Learning a new language is on many people’s new year’s resolution list. There is no better place to do it then in Groningen. The university of Groningen language center offers many great language courses, ranging from Japanese to Dutch, or Spanish. Dutch language lessons are free for students of RUG.
Participating in ESN activities is also a great way to practise your newly developed language skills. There are so many internationals in Groningen, I’m sure you can meet so many people speaking the language you are learning. Just pop into one of the ESN parties or activities and you will meet tons of people to practise. ESN Intercambio project is a great opportunity for you to practise another language with another student. Check out the ESN Groningen website for more info.
I hope 2018 will be the best year it can possibly be. Focus on your strengths, stay resilient and remember to have fun!
Let us know in the comments what your New Year’s Resolutions are and how you are doing on achieving those.
Written by Dominika Dabrowska – PR & Graphics Committee