Winter is coming!

Hi everyone,

This is my first update. D-day is over, the stress is gone and I have settled in a place that marks the beginning of a new chapter in my life. It has been a stressful period the last few weeks; saying goodbye to everyone, handling the paperwork, contacting several people, a checklist requiring attention etc. Most of all though I slowly started realizing that I would l have to leave behind the secure surroundings that have always had my back in the past. A nervous feeling started to creep up every passing hour, as in my mind the countdown towards departure had started.

On the 11th of January (yesterday) I departed from Amsterdam, destination Helsinki. I had been following the local weather reports in my last week in the Netherlands and was shocked by the extremely low temperatures that had been appearing on my screens, an average of -15 is not the daily situation we Dutch know how to handle. Anyways, at six in the morning we left for Schiphol Airport and to be honest I had not been able to catch a lot of sleep, so a long day was awaiting. Over the days I had said goodbye to many people, but now it was time to say goodbye to the ones most precious to me, my parents and Carlyn. Although I might have been able to hide it, on the inside I was hurting badly as I passed security.

Oke, sorry to put it so harsh but that was the emotional part, now we're one to the facts. Ofcourse, as always the first flight from Amsterdam towards Copenhagen was delayed, sometimes it feels like travelling with the Dutch railroad company when flying. (kind of a Dutch joke) Especially, since my flight from Copenhagen to Helsinki seemed to have to deal with the same problem. But once I arrived in Finland all was forgotten, as the beauty of a snowy scenery showed why I had chosen this specific country. Although the cold might be hard to deal with at times, until now the city has made up for it big time.

On to the next point of interest, my room(mates)! Right now, I feel like I could not have been luckier with both. The room is very spacious, public transport is optimal and my roommates seem to be great guys. Furthermore, the surrounding apartments seem to house a lot of nice people as well, many different cultures and a lot of great characters. Over the past few days I have met a lot of them during small evening gatherings, I won'the lie, alcohol was involved as well. As it was my birthday on the 12th we have organised a party as well, which was a great way to introduce myself to the other exchangers.

Finally,  yes I have endured the first encounters with Hanken School of Economics, which is situated in a cosy smaller building in the centre of the city. The openness and friendliness of the staff and tutors (regular students) give one a comfortable feeling, taking away any nervousness I had when leaving. The first week is very much focused on getting to know the university, the people and the city. We have had a first get2gether, organized by the tutors, to well simply get to know them and the other students and get familiar with the student union to some extent.

I guess that was it for now. Simply put, I'm still in my settling-stage, knowing that my first encounters have felt very pleasant, a great start to this new adventure!

Greetings from a very cold and snowy Helsinki!

(Ik probeer z.s.m. een Nederlandse vertaling te posten)