Stageblog - Irene Walinga - October 2023

Tervetuloa! Welcome to this blog where I take you along for six months in my internship at the Embassy of the Netherlands in Helsinki and my experiences in Finland. I am Irene and am currently studying International Relations MA at the University of Groningen. I did a minor at Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Helsinki in 2019 and enjoyed it so much that I am eager to spend another six months in Finland.

Teambuilding 

© Irene Walinga

The month of September started out great with a teambuilding day with the whole embassy team. During this day we visited a mosque in Helsinki, where we learned more about the position of Muslims in Finland and the difficulties they face. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant and did an escape room outside through the city of Helsinki. At the end of our day we participated in a cooking class at a restaurant where we learned how to make our own pasta. Afterwards, we plated our own dishes and enjoyed the dinner together.





 

Design Diplomacy event

During Helsinki Design Week the embassy hosted a Design Diplomacy event at the residence. The residence is the house where the ambassador lives and where we host different kinds of events. The residence is a wooden villa called Villa Kleineh and it is on the protected monument list of Museovirasto, the Finnish heritage agency. For the Design Diplomacy event a Dutch and a Finnish designer were invited to play a card game in front of the guests. During the game they asked each other questions about their profession, their dreams, visions, and professional experience. Afterwards the guests could enjoy the art and design of the residence.

Honorary Consuls

© Irene Walinga

The ambassador held a honorary consul meeting at the residence. Honorary consuls are people who are located in different regions of Finland and represent the Netherlands in these regions. They have good networks in the region, are part of the business community and academia and follow the regional developments. They are kind of the eyes and ears of the embassy and stay in close contact with the embassy team regarding new developments and opportunities for the Netherlands. In this annual meeting the embassy team presented the achievements and priorities of the embassy, to give an idea of what the embassy is working on and is interested in. The meeting was followed with a dinner where I learned more about the Finnish regions and received many great recommendations for my time in Finland from the consuls. Later this year the honorary consuls will visit the Netherlands and meet up with other honorary consuls from all over the world. There they will even have the unique opportunity to meet King Willem-Alexander.

Life in Helsinki

© Irene Walinga
It feels as if the summer has been extended for another month in Helsinki, which gives great opportunities to explore the city. After work I enjoy spending time in one of the many parks or cafes of Helsinki. One of the highlights was a visit to Suomenlinna, an island fortress that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is only a short ferry ride way from Helsinki’s market square away and it is a great place to go for a picnic or spend a day looking at the ships coming by. It still surprises me how close nature is to the city here in Helsinki. Finns love their nature and it is always only a short walk away.

I do look forward to a bit more autumn-like weather. October is -and has been- a very busy month, with various trade missions coming in as well as an inspection taking place. Many opportunities for me to learn more about the work of the embassy and share them with you. Will write more about that in the next blog. Until next time!