BHUMIKA (3rd year)

"I am back home in India right now, and I have been since June. It is fun, but my life has completely changed compared to last year. There are both good and bad sides. Something I love is the fact that I don’t have 9am classes anymore due to the time difference. This means that I can sleep in almost every day! I get to spend time with my family and my friends as well, which is also a lot of fun. I haven’t spent this much time with them since I lived at home. Sometimes it does feel like I am back in high school, since my mom cooks my food, and does my laundry. Also whenever I’m relaxing on the couch my mom asks me if I shouldn’t start studying soon. The strange thing is that when I’m in the Hague I miss my high school friends, but now that I’m back home I miss my university friends. Especially because I was on the BASIS board last year. Being back home feels like a completely different life. I can’t go cycle to the beach or hang out with my friends, go to parties and dinners. The board was like a family: we used to spend so much time together and that just disappeared with COVID. I also love spending time with my family back home, but it is a big difference. I used to be so busy as the BASIS treasurer, and right now I have so much more free time.

I also feel that for most international students there is a lot of uncertainty right now. Will I be able to attend my graduation? Will I see my university friends again? I didn’t anticipate this at all, and who knows what will happen in the future. But I am very grateful for the time I spent in the Hague. I hope to come back there again because I haven’t been able to properly say goodbye yet."

Location: Delhi