Week 6

My final week in the Netherlands started off like usual: two pepperoni focaccias and an energy drink as I walked through the back alleys of Leeuwarden to get to work. Unfortunately, I had started to feel a bit sick after catching something from Riku.

This week I only worked three days, as the office was closed on Thursday due to a Christian holiday. During those days, I focused on refining the homepage, writing documentation, and preparing for a visit from my teacher and his assistant, Joni and Jarno. I showed them what I had worked on during my internship, and they also had a discussion with some of the higher-ups from the development team.

On Wednesday, we went to a tapas restaurant called La Cubanita with Arttu, Riku, Joni, Jarno, Mr. van Leersum, and one of his colleagues. The place was really nice, and the food was great. We had everything from ribs to tacos. It felt like a proper send-off for the trip and for Joni and Jarno, who were leaving the next morning.

If you're interested in their journey in Friesland, you can check it out here.

On Thursday, with the day off, I wandered around Leeuwarden exploring local spots, from hole-in-the-wall vintage shops to canal-side restaurants. Unfortunately, by Friday I was feeling worse and had to rest. Still, Arttu, Riku, and I had to bike 12 kilometers to Drachten to return our bikes. Surprisingly, the ride took only about 30 to 35 minutes. The rest of the evening was spent packing and cleaning.

On the day of departure, I woke up around 7:30 to take a quick shower. After that, I checked the apartment to make sure everything was cleaned and nothing had been left behind. There wasn’t much to do, but we managed to get it all done. We had to check out by 10, and just barely made it after struggling to fit all our bags into Mr. van Leersum’s car.

We spent a couple of hours in Leeuwarden before our train departed around 13 o'clock. Due to delays and roadworks, the commute took longer than expected, but we still made it to the airport ahead of schedule. The rest of the time was spent browsing the shops at Schiphol. After some delays, our flight finally took off around 19:00 local time.

A few hours later, we arrived back in Finland. I ended the night and the trip at a friend’s place, relaxing in a sauna and watching Eurovision, truly a calm and fitting end to a packed trip.