mijn scriptie is af...

De scriptie is klaar, het werk zit er op. Na maandenlang hard werken ben ik vandaag officieel werkeloos. Een weinig bejubelende titel moet ik toegeven.
In mijn scriptie is een dankwoord te vinden waarin ik bovenal familie en vrienden bedank voor de hulp, steun en toeverlaat die jullie waren tijdens mijn onderzoek en schrijven. Hoewel deze woorden - evenals de rest van mijn scriptie - in het Engels geschreven zijn, wil ik ze jullie niet onthouden. Daarom post ik ze bij deze op mijn blog:



“Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul.”
Rebecca West

Rebecca West gives this beautiful description of life. The past seven months of my life can be characterized as a struggle. My thesis dominated my everyday rituals for over half a year. Nevertheless it was noble in essence and definitely fertilized my
soul. Writing a thesis, even though it was a fight now and then, enriched me as a person, as did the ESST master in general. But above all it was a struggle. The efforts I made to write this thesis could not be made without certain people.
To start with my family: my father, who probably is the most enthusiast listener when I talk about my thesis, sat down and listened captivated to the stories I told. My mother, who was always there to talk to. The many long phone calls we made one-to-one and heart-to-heart were consoling and encouraging. My brother Siebrand, who wrote a thesis at the same time, was the critical listener who kept me sharp and keen. Above all he was in the same boat as I was and understood the
troubles that came with the writing. My brother Tomas brought joy and laughter when I was in the midst of writing. The weekend he came over was a real break, which gave me new energy and courage. The hug my brother Guus gave me when I
visited the Netherlands was heartening and gave me the spirits to work on the last bits. Thank you all!
I also want to thank my fellow students from the first semester in Maastricht with whom I had a great time, but more important, they formed an inspiring group to work with.
I want to thank my two fellow students from the second semester in Denmark, Benjamin and John, in particular. Together we moved to Sweden where we lived in our so-called guESST-house. ‘Broad education’ was the motto in this inspirational and pleasant environment, and thus I learned a lot. Thank you guys for being part of this enlightening atmosphere, for listening to my annoying complaints, and for the countless smoothies you spoiled me with.
Many thanks I owe my friends Linda, Judith, and Niels who visited me in Sweden and made me realize that a break now and then was necessary. But also the many other friends who kept an eye on me and my thesis work from a distance deserve a word of thanks. In particular Chris and Anouk.
My special thanks go to Mieke who critically read my thesis correcting spelling and grammar mistakes and gave me advise about the last theoretical concerns I had.
But most of all I want to thank this beautiful butterfly, which now and then landed on my desk. As a little miracle it always fluttered towards me in the midst of the most miserable situations to sit on my desk for a while, or to leave after some innocent frolics taking along my worries with him. The encouraging visits of an innocent butterfly and the support of all other people mentioned above made the writing of my thesis into a tough, but beautiful and enlightening struggle.


Deze woorden schreef ik tussen een en vier uur 's nachts, op het randje van de deadline. Het kon dan ook gebeuren dat ik een iemand in het bijzonder vergeten ben te bedanken. Anne, bij deze wil ik jou nogmaals bedanken voor de overlevingspakketten die je eerst naar Denemarken en vervolgens naar Zweden stuurde... eindeloos lekker!