After all the preparation in finding the placement, approving the placement and arranging my living situation, I was finally ready to make my move to the Netherlands for my 3 months working in the Dutch capital Amsterdam! I had a mix of emotions stirring inside me, I was very excited to start, very nervous about adapting to the company and very curious about who I would be working with. My first day would be in Amsterdam's main library whilst the co-founders arrange a new office for us interns.
The interns I met on my first day seemed very friendly and welcoming. They showed me what they did for the company so far, showed me the starting points for my first day at Bookingpetz and introduced themselves to me. I was to be working in promoting Bookingpetz upcoming pet boarding platform, designed to be a database to easily find good pet sitters in the Netherlands whilst pet owners are away and need their pet dog or cat looking after. I was to conjure ideas in a team of interesting ways to promote Bookingpetz, looking at what has already been done and what more could be done. A wide range of draft ideas was completed before the co-founder Andreas (the one who interviewed me) arrived. It was good to discuss these ideas, seeing which ones would be good to bring to fruition and the when and wheres it could be done.
After the first day at work I used my time to get my bearings of my new home city Amsterdam. I have visited 4 times within the past 3 years so I had an ideas of good hotspots which I could take advantage of for future projects. With me living here for 3 months, I have a great opportunity to discover hidden gems about Amsterdam for both recreational and project purposes. Despite Amsterdam being one of the biggest tourist hotspots in Europe, the vibe around the Dutch capital seems peaceful and exciting at the same time so I have a good feeling the Netherlands will accommodate me nicely.
My accommodation itself was in Amsterdam-Noord; a nice and peaceful location with a fantastic view! It's the other side of the main Amsterdam river but with the city being fairly small, I don't feel overwhelmed by commuting to and from my home to work. It will take some time to fully adapt but I feel I can adjust well into this new environment.
I am positive I will have a good experience here in the Netherlands both in my work life and social life. It will be interesting to see what more I find out about the interns I work with and living amongst the Dutch.