Start internship

After two weeks it was finally time to meet my new colleagues and start my internship. Luckily it is only a short walk to the embassy and with healthy nerves I started my very first day. While meeting the team it instantly became clear to me how lucky I am to work at an embassy where everyone gets along with each other so well. The roles at the embassy are very intertwined and therefore everyone is usually up to date on a general level about what is happening in other departments. Because of this, decisions are easily taken as well as ideas generated. For lunch we went to a vegetarian restaurant close to the embassy with the entire team. Every Monday the team has lunch at a restaurant which is very common in Finland. At the same time it is a great bonding activity and start of the new work week. During the first week I met with all of the colleagues to hear about their job and responsibilities at the embassy. Since the team is small, I get the chance to support every staff member when needed and get a good overview of all the work managed by the embassy.

What do I do at the embassy?

In the first few weeks I got to know more about the topics that the embassy works on. The embassy is committed to sustainable energy solutions, particularly offshore wind energy. Since the new government has cleared the way for more offshore wind parks the embassy has been examining how Dutch businesses can contribute to this. Besides this, hydrogen has emerged as a key player in the transition towards cleaner energy sources. Fortunately, my predecessor Thomas had already spent time during his internship writing a report on this, which has been incredibly helpful for me to get to know the Finnish hydrogen market.

During this month I also attended discussions on the Dutch-Finnish relations on economic affairs and how these may be strengthened. The Finnish-Dutch Chambre of Commerce is one of the parties I learned more about. They have a strong network of Dutch and Finnish parties and host interesting events for the business communities to interact and learn from each other.

Besides economic affairs and relations between Finland and the Netherlands, the embassy also supports Dutch people who perform something special in Finland. This month the deputy ambassador therefore invited Vera Paarhuis for coffee at the embassy to talk about her participation in the World Championship Ironman in Lahti.

One of my tasks during the internship is to research the influence of the populist right party, called the Finns party, on government policy. The Finns party is the second biggest party in parliament and form a coalition with the National Coalition party. During the summer the coalition had some bumps in the road due to controversies surrounding racism as well as disagreements within the coalition, which stirred protests in Finland. In February, the presidential elections will take place and all the parties have started to announce their candidate. It certainly is an interesting time to be following politics in Finland.

Night of the Arts

In the city of Helsinki everyone is celebrating the last warm summer days. In my very first week at the embassy the night of the arts took place, this is the start of Helsinki festival where the whole city of Helsinki is lightened up and events take place both outside and inside. I attended the opening of the World Press Photo exhibition where the deputy ambassador spoke about the importance of freedom of press. The World Press Photo contest originated in Amsterdam and travels to 60 cities, of which Helsinki is one. Afterwards, I attended a concert at the Esplanadi park where a Scottish band managed to get the whole Finnish crowd to sing along.

September is filled with exciting events where I will learn more about the work at the embassy as well as life in Helsinki. A visit to the parliament house, teambuilding day and various events at the residence are just a few activities in my calendar. Until next time!