Cooking is helping me stay sane

I moved countries 4 months ago to pursue my masters. It's one of the best courses at one of the top universities with an acceptance rate of 3%. (Relevant later on).

I was working for 3 years before this and it was so peaceful, ofcourse there were stressful days but there was a steady income coming in every month, and I was saving a lot even after living comfortably.

I took out a loan to fund myself while I was here, and to be honest I'm not sure what I was expecting. I was just looking for a way to leave the country and settle elsewhere.

I was pleasantly surprised once I got here, the coursework exceeded all my expectations and I'm learning more than I have in all my years of education. However the course also is mostly self driven, and the more you immerse yourself, the more there is to do.

I feel extremely overwhelmed at this point. I had a set plan of what I'd be doing once I got here, and I think it's safe to say that it was too ambitious and i grossly overvalued my abilities. I'm getting a good reality check now, and I'm hoping this is a lesson for me. Going from being a full time professional to full time student, having savings vs taking a loan is hard. Winters are hard. Guilt is hard. I thought I was immune to homesickness but I'm not.

There's just so much growing and learning to do, and the only thing that's remained the same after this mammoth change in the past 6 months is - cooking.

Every time I cook, I feel composed. I arrange my thoughts while I'm chopping veggies, I think about my day when I'm stirring the pot.

I recently watched this documentary- you are what you eat. And I've been trying to eat healthier.

Here's a few of my recent cooks that have come out of feeling overwhelmed!