While good wishes should naturally be welcomed any time, there is a long tradition to extend well wishes and good will at the end of the year. Today the ‘Happy Holidays’ wish appears most common, replacing the ‘Merry Christmas’ wish, which has a long historical pedigree in the West. Still, ‘Happy Holidays’ derives etymologically from the old English haliday, which means holy day.* In Christianity the holy days refer to the period of Advent, four Sundays leading up to Christmas day and also include Epiphany on 6 January. In a diverse and secularizing world, not only language is changing but also the wording of wishes is subject to diversification. For some, the ‘War on Christmas’ wishes can sometimes become intense.

I always heard that the Netherlands is famous for its unpredictable and unfavorable weather, and this summer proved that to be true. Nonetheless, the moment it started to get better, the summer vacation ended, and the new academic year started. Other students and I who spent their vacation in the Netherlands, were upset about this fact.

Maxime Schut tells everything about her internship, which culminated in a podcast on Cabo Verdean Oral History, now available on Spotify.

It’s been a demanding last three weeks. Suddenly, within one weekend, our university moved to interacting online. Meetings, classes, social gatherings, it’s all via a screen.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in North America here.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in Latin America here.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in Russia and Eurasia here.

Read the stories of our alumni specialized in Russia and Eurasia here.

Summer has finally arrived in the northern hemisphere and it's definitely giving us an energy boost!