Children of the sea, their ventures deep inland to find their favorite food (cocunuts) have led them to develop lungs, thereby banishing them from the place they once called home. The interesting thing though is that, while it is now a land based animal, its larvae still grow in water. For 4 weeks, these creatures can move in water and can go settle on distant islands. (For more information, Wikipedia is always there).

I think that the parallel with people are threefold: firstly that you, like the adult coconut crab, can also not breathe underwater. The second is that we are all able to move until we find a tropical island to settle on and finally that most of our travelling and exploring is done in the earlier phases of our lives.

Should I turn into a crab or keep swimming for a while?

The reason why this is relevant to me is that sometimes you only have a limited time to make a decision or you risk, like the coconut crab, ending up stranded on an island. This is probably the main cause of people’s struggle for not knowing what to do after their studies. Any choice they make will have far-reaching impact.

In my case the question of what I want to do after my bachelor is becoming increasingly relevant for me and asked by others. The choice that I have to make is not only one of education but also one of location. Should I stay in the Netherlands or should I go? Should I turn into a crab or should I keep swimming around for a while?

The Netherlands do seem like a pleasant if not a tropical place to be stranded in. But the grass is always greener and the coconuts tastier on the other side.