Drops of Jupiter

All of February seemed to be dusted with the iridescent sparkle of new beginnings. This sweet month embraced me with my greatest European dream: Venice. Tying my hair in a blue headscarf and soaking up the sun-rays (with which I haven’t felt in eons) made it very difficult NOT to romanticize the experience. I wish I could’ve whispered to Little Mermaid-crazed toddler Katia that one day she would be able to see Ariel’s kingdom for herself. Aren’t we all just trying to make our little selves proud? I think 5-year-old me would be upset that I didn’t buy a pink masquerade mask for the Venice carnival, though! Can’t win them all…

After Italy, windy Utrecht silently reminded me that a new set of classes had begun. Unlike my Instagram portrays, I am still very much in school! As new semester students began to trickle in, my roommates and I made it a point to meet our neighbors this time, since last quarter we did not. Eagerly we knocked on many doors, trying not to seem overly desperate for friends haha. I think it was successful, and we have since had a few game nights together and bonded over broken washing machines. One of my favorite beginnings this month was the creation of “Coding Foundations Netherlands” with my best friends Grainne and Andi. Each week, we meet to work towards a Harvard accredited computer science certification (CS50) and chow on cheap snacks. Entertaining lectures with a looming rubber duck in the background (seriously, look it up) make this seemingly nerdy pursuit so much fun! I call my fellow coders my “millionaire mentors” and I vow to forever be their biggest cheerleader on LinkedIn.

On a less nerdy note, Galentine’s was another highlight of sweet February. Bright pink roses and famous Dutch tulips adorned our kitchen, and I went so far as to dye a strip of my hair HOT pink to celebrate. My roommate, Nina, was quite the professional hair stylist, and I was ecstatic with how it turned out (although my family was not). The pink makes me feel like a Polly Pocket, and I love tying it in a high ponytail: little Katia would definitely be proud of this decision! Valentine’s Day seems to be more special in the Netherlands than it does in the US, where it seems like a Hallmark pyramid scheme. Grocery stores sold little pots of flowers and pastries instead of red balloons and chocolate hearts, and seeing people bike with tulips in their baskets warmed my heart.

By far my favorite experience these past four weeks was when I traveled to the top of the world, in the most gorgeous land of Iceland! The view of the frosty mountains (which looked like white moon cheese) from the airplane was the most breathtaking scene I have perceived. My friend, Annie, and I took full advantage of our Northern voyage and went whale watching, played mermaids in the Sky Lagoon, and chased the Northern Lights. Being on the whale yacht with the piercing wind made me feel like Jack Dawson from Titanic, and I wish I could’ve screamed, “I’m king of the world!!” with the same immense glee. Unlike any of the European cities I have been to, Reykjavik felt like I was on a remote glacier with colorful homes and magical mountain ranges. I like to imagine that National Geographic hired me to take samples of their glacial debris and aurora rays: a girl can dream! Even staying overnight at the airport for ten hours was worth it because it meant I could stay just a little bit longer, although eventually the delirium took over. I could write about Iceland until my hands go numb (which they did very quickly in the -5 C weather), so instead I’ll include an excerpt from my journal so you can experience a glimpse of the magic we did.

This morning I had my whale watching yacht tour and it illuminated my soul. The mountain range slurped up the little clouds and the gatorade blue water rippled in the perfect way. I listened to Noah Kahan and skipped EVERYWHERE, so hecking giddy and feeling so blessed to be on this side of earth.

Happy Leap Year,

Katia