There are some parts of life that are similar among people. Factors that shape what we do belong to most people’s realities. One of them is quite high on the list of human necessities: money. Now, don’t be afraid. I will not dare to devote a whole text to analysing the meaning of money and finances. I’d be dead already if I did, and even before that, I would have begged you to stop reading.
But I would also lie if I said that money isn’t important. Not because it adds meaning to someone’s life but because it inevitably creates a safe space where one can exist – and ultimately flourish. I am not suggesting that this applies to every corner of the earth and every culture, and thus, I will focus on a tiny scale: Wageningen University.
Speaking from the perspective of a student in this small town, I dare say that money can be a significant factor in our lives; in its quality, tranquillity and evolution. From being able to afford a decent place to live, with conditions that make us feel happy, all the way to simple pleasures of enjoying a beer with a friend, money is most of the time a determinant factor. Determinant for our material but also mental stability.
People who have financial difficulties but still manage to get a degree, are serious warriors
I read somewhere the sentence that “money trauma is real”, and I couldn’t agree more. The stress and shortage of energy it can bring upon the body and mind can be very shocking. This applies even more to those of us who come from very different places and cultures; the intersection of struggling for money while being in a place that is not your home can be twice as scary.
So, fellow internationals, a big cheer for your strength and resilience.
Thinking, for example, about my journey, one shared by many, having a job was sometimes not an option but a condition to afford to study, along with others who cannot afford a trip with friends or one that would complement their studies; to all of us brave souls that somehow manage to function even with less than 5€ in our bank account.
All of that is a cloud of worry that hovers over us daily, fogging the mind from being able to relax and enjoy all those things that are indeed present. But also (adding some irony to the situation) affecting the clarity with which we can do that very thing that we fundamentally came here t for: to study.
For all these reasons and many more, which I will not analyse (yet) because I would risk becoming too political, I will say that people who have financial difficulties but still manage to find a balance between having a life and getting a degree, are serious warriors. They do not just survive but usually thrive despite the adverse conditions they have to navigate through, and whoever you are, you’re not alone!
Nefeli Nisioti (26) is a second-year master’s student in Forest and Nature Conservation. She loves considering things from many different perspectives until she gets lost in the process, but she loves that too.
