The poor be creative.

As a student, I live in a room 11m² big. That indeed is quite small. The kitchen and sanitary rooms are shared with 12 other housemates, and there are two floors under and above me, with also 13 students each.

A long time ago, I thought a room had to meet a few demands to deserve the name 'room': bed, desk, clothing closets, couch and perhaps a tv. Eventhough my room was only 11m², I had a couch. Because it had to be that way. Because a room is not livable if there is no couch. The couch was for free, so it's not like I spent a lot of money to meet my imaginary demands, but I only used it for storing clothes.
Using a couch for storing your worn-but-not-yet-dirty-clothes is not very efficient, I found out (everything got lost and the pile somehow never got any smaller).

After doing that for a year, I felt I was ready to cut the crap, so I put the couch on the streets to be removed. BUT: I still felt that a room needs some place to sit and relax to be livable. For some reason, I've always liked to sit on the floor. Maybe it's because I feel 'earthed' when sitting on the ground, or walking barefooted (what I also do). So, why not combine these things? A place to sit, and sitting on the floor (comfortably).

I decided to sew these awesome pillows. They are now on the floor, don't take any space, can be put aside easily, are totally free and have a story!

I got the pillow-stuff material for free at a 'give-away-shop'. That is indeed what it sounds like: everything in that shop is for free, under the conditions that you take no more than 5 items at a time.

The flags have a special story. Let me take you back a few years ago, in my studentest studentlife, when I were an active member of an international organisation: IFMSA > International Federation of Medical Students' Association (www.ifmsa.org). We represent every single medical student in the world (about 1,2 million), and we are the official med. student voice at the United Nations and the World Health Organization (the big guys).

I attended several international meetings, to discuss and improve my workfield: reproductive health (sexuality education, HIV/ AIDS prevention, maternal health, women's rights, anti-homophobia etc). About a thousand med. students attend those meetings, and it is amazing how passionate everybody is about their 'subject'. We work from 8:30 am to 03:00 to achieve our goals, and still it gives so much energy! We party till 06:00, and then start at 8:30 again. Some people do sleep. It is a tradition to bring your flags to the meeting, to represent your country, and it's an even bigger tradition to steal eachothers flags. 

So, that's where the flags come from! International meetings with a passionate goal. A true traveller would only use flags from the countries he/she has visited, but in this manner, the flags have memories on their own.

A totally cheap, creative solution for sitting comfortably in a way too small room! Can you list the countries of the flags on the pic? ;-)

When introducing yourself to somebody, you'd start with something like 'hi' or 'hello' or maybe even 'nice to meet you'.

Since I don't know whether I'm talking to a two-person audience, or a two million-person audience, saying anything of the above feels kinda weird!

Anyhoo, I'd like to introduce myself to the internet and to the world of blogging, by just telling a little bit about myself. Not too much. There must be something left to talk about when you meet me in real life.

First of all, I'm Dutch. That means I'm from the country 'The Netherlands'. Not from Holland or Dutchland or Germany, nor am I from Amsterdam. Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands, not the other way round. The Netherlans is not even a part of Germany! I also don't feel 'European', I feel Dutch. Proud Dutchie here ;-)

That being said (don't get me wrong, I love stereotypes), I'm a medical student. I'm female. I like a lot of things. Please find me a job where I can practice everything I like, help society and develop myself even more? Since such jobs do not exist as far I have seen and since days are only as long as they are, I keep myself busy with studying most of the time. Med school is tough.

Happily there is enough time and power left to do a few favourite hobbies: salsa dancing (for free), sewing my wardrobe and home interior (not so free but cheaper than buying stuff) and aerial acrobatics (as cheap as possible). You probably don't know what aerial acrobatics is. That's ok. Try googling it, that helps. 

Oh, I also enjoy writing. Making up enjoyable stories about the simplest struggles of life.

So far so good, I salute you, unknown audience!