{"id":123597,"date":"2021-02-26T12:30:23","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T11:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=123597"},"modified":"2026-01-16T16:33:43","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T15:33:43","slug":"this-student-taught-herself-to-play-the-guitar-and-sticks-to-a-tight-schedule-to-stay-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2021\/02\/26\/this-student-taught-herself-to-play-the-guitar-and-sticks-to-a-tight-schedule-to-stay-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"This student taught herself to play the guitar and sticks to a tight schedule to stay healthy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mayra had only just moved to Rotterdam when the whole city closed down. Which makes it hard to get to know new people. To give her day-to-day life a bit more structure and stability, she has drawn up a schedule that she strictly adheres to. One recurring activity: playing the guitar \u2013 because she has taken the lockdown as an opportunity to acquire this skill.<\/p>\n

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Mayra in her room<\/span><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure>\t

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Student: Mayra Nassef (18, first-year IBCoM student)
\nLockdown activity: Playing the guitar<\/p>\n\n\t<\/div>\n

Mayra is Egyptian by birth but has lived in Dubai her whole life. \u201cAnd since August, I\u2019ve been living in Rotterdam,\u201d she says. \u201cIt all started off quite strange though. At the very first, everything was still open, so fortunately I was able to explore Rotterdam a bit \u2013 however slightly. But then in October, all the bars and restaurants closed. That really changed the whole vibe. Particularly when you\u2019ve just moved somewhere, bars are an ideal place to meet up with people and get to know them. Talking over a quick cup of coffee is out of the question right now. And generally, you don\u2019t invite people over who you don\u2019t know that well yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Messed-up rhythm<\/h2>

\u201cSo that was quite a setback. And of course, I can\u2019t go to any lectures either, so I don\u2019t really meet people that way. Our lectures are all at home and online. That took some getting used to in the beginning. Suddenly your whole life is turned upside down. I\u2019ve heard that many students are sleeping in a lot more. They only get out of bed when they have an online lecture, and after that they go straight back to bed or spend the rest of the day on their phone. While that\u2019s a very tempting prospect, it completely messes up your circadian rhythm. I really want to avoid that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schedule on the wall<\/h2>
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\u201cIt\u2019s very important to me to have structure. That also helps me to stay healthy, mentally speaking. Everyone has been hit pretty hard by the curfew. It didn\u2019t take long before I decided to draw up a schedule for the whole day. It outlines what I can do from one hour to the next. I make sure to take enough breaks and find time to relax, but I\u2019m also taking my study programme very seriously. I put this schedule up on the wall over my desk, and I check it quite often. It really gives you something to hold on to. And I keep setting my alarm too. Not super early, but still: 9 a.m. A good time to start on the day, and I wake up nice and rested.\u201d<\/p>\n

Writes own songs<\/h2>

In her \u2018spare time\u2019 \u2013 when she can take a break from her study programme and doesn\u2019t have any online lectures to attend \u2013 Mayra plays music. \u201cI bought a guitar online and I\u2019ve been teaching myself to play, using videos on YouTube. A few simple chords at first, but it\u2019s steadily getting more complicated. It keeps me going. I also sing along when I\u2019m playing, and I\u2019m writing my own songs. I\u2019m basically playing every day \u2013 in the afternoon, when my schedule gives me \u2018time off\u2019. Oh yeah, and I\u2019m learning Dutch \u2013 once again online. I originally planned to start on that in the summer, but with so much extra time I might as well go ahead and do it now. It\u2019s going quite well actually. When I go to the Albert Heijn, I can already understand what people are saying to me. So I\u2019m getting there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mayra does meet up with friends occasionally. These are small-scale get-togethers though: \u201cCooking a nice dinner for someone at home, or drinking tea together. Not in a bar though, unfortunately. Hopefully this will all be possible again soon. And that\u2019s when my life in Rotterdam really<\/em> starts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t

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Read more in this series<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t