Hi all. I haven’t been around in a few days and am not too motivated to write. However, I don’t want to abandon this blog altogether, so I’m participating in the Wednesday HodgePodge for today. Here goes.
1. Thursday (Oct 13) is National Train Your Brain Day. What do you do to keep your brain in tip top shape? Is it helping?
Does reading and writing in English, which is my second language, count? Other than that, not very much. I used to love a word game called 7 Little Words, but it’s not as accessible now as it used to be.
Is it helping? I’m afraid not. I feel like I’ve been slowly deteriorating over the past fifteen years.
2. You can sit with anyone in the world and “pick their brain”…whom do you choose? Tell us why?
Anton Došen, a former professor of psychiatry of intellectual disability here in the Netherlands and the first one (if I’m correct) to describe the discrepancy between cognitive and emotional development.
3. What’s something happening in the world (or your corner of it) right now that you have trouble “wrapping your brain around”?
Too many things to count… Politics, the economy, the war in Ukraine, my staff’s expectations of me… God’s love… etc.
4. On a scale of 1-10 where do you fall in the pumpkin fanclub? (1=blech, 10=make it all pumpkin all the time) Tell us something delicious you’ve tasted recently that had some pumpkin in it somewhere.
Hmmm, I don’t really care for pumpkin that much, unless it’s mixed in with other vegetables in some kind of stew or something. I’ve never had pumpkin spiced anything either.
5. Share a favorite song, book, or movie with an autumn title, setting, or vibe.
I have absolutely no idea.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I am struggling. For one thing, fall is the hardest season for me. For another, settling into my new home is really difficult. Thankfully, I’m getting to know my staff a little and trying to let them know how I feel. This is hard, as I don’t want to be seen as too demanding. I am pretty sure some staff see me as such anyway.
A Multitude of Musings 
Wow! I am in awe of the fact that English is your second language; I’ve always wanted to be fluent in more than one language (and yet at the same time realize I am not determined enough to actually make myself sit and learn and put in the work to do it). I am so sorry you’re struggling this season.
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I take you being in awe of the fact that English is my second language as a compliment, so thank you. Here in the Netherlands, English is mandatory during all of secondary school and nowadays most of elementary school too (back in my day it was just the final year). I took German and French too, but forgot all of that after graduation from high school.
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I am sure this transition has come with challenges but I hope things settle soon and you feel comfortable and at home in your new surroundings. Also a second language definitely counts as brain training! I am so in awe of people who are bi or multi lingual! Take care.
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Thanks so much for stopping by. I really do hope settling in will go better soon.
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Hope your transition smooths out well and that you will enjoy your new surroundings! Happy Hodgepodge to you.
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Thank you. My surroundings are truly beautiful indeed.
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I think using English too read and write your blog in is awesome. Anything that pushes your mind is good for it. I hope settling in gets easier with time. Hugs.
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Thank you. Honestly, writing most of my blog posts in English isn’t very difficult, but sometimes I need to look up words, which I do love.
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You’re welcome! I think it’s a great asset to know a second language.
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I’m sorry to read that things are tough for you right now. I hope it gets better soon and you can get more adjusted to things and your staff.
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I really hope so too. Thanks for your kind words.
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Change is always hard and takes time. I hope the transition gets easier for you and the staff understands your needs.
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Thank you. On Saturday, I happened to have a staff who didn’t understand or seem to care about my needs and I pretty quickly drew the conclusion that this was how things are going here. It turned out this staff isn’t a regular here, but, not having known that, I was shattered. Thankfully, things have improved some since.
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Good
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I’ve been thinking of you Astrid. This time of year is hard and even harder when going through a big change. The early days are the hardest so
I hope you do settle in and they get to know you. I used to love “Brain Training” games on the Nintendo DS. They were good fun, but I gave mine away. You do so well reading and writing regularly in your second language. I’d say that’s definitely good for your brain. I live in Wales and many people are bilingual here. I have learnt my second language but I’m no way near fluent. Well done! xxx
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Thanks so much for your kind words. Oh, Welsh does sound beautiful but it also appears to me to be very hard to learn.
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Reading and writing in a second language sure counts, even if you’re fluent and it doesn’t feel like much effort it still makes your brain work harder than with your first language.
So sorry you’re struggling a lot. Settling in anywhere sucks, and it’s obviously not like you’ve just changed places but all the people around you as well. I guess in a way that’s brain training too, haha, ’cause you’re getting used to a new environment. I hope it won’t be too long before things start to feel better and you and your staff will understand and get to know each other better.
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Thank you so much. Yeah, well, on Saturday I had a staff who didn’t understand or seem to care about my needs at all. She thankfully isn’t a regular here, but, because I didn’t know that, I was tempted to give up on this place altogether. Thankfully, things are improving now.
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Good to hear that. 🙂
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So sorry you are not motivated to write. I hope things are better for you soon.
I had no idea English was your 2nd language but it does make sense with you being from the Netherlands.
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Thanks for your kind words. I am hoping my writing mojo returns to a higher level soon.
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I’m all about random … Thinking about finishing the 31 day challenge, thinking about how much I like autumn and how it energizes me – I’m sorry fall is hard for you 😦 – I just made a bunch of scarves and my family all chose one they liked and it was one of the best experiences of my life … and I’m looking forward to National Novel Writing Month! Blessings!
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Congrats on making all the scarves! I am so happy that fall energizes you. Thanks so much for stopping by my blog as well.
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