December 2025 

This is already my third blog. Thanks to my colleagues and their guidance I now feel like a solid team member who can proactively support the work of the Embassy. Thanks to this I also have the feeling of being in a pressure cooker. So many things are happening at the same time that sometimes a week ago already feels like a month ago, in a good sense.  

Slushed during Slush 

From 19-21 November Slush took place. One of the biggest startup events in the world. With over 13.000 attendees, ranging from student startups to big venture capitalists, it was one of my highlights during this internship so far. My colleagues told me a few stories and revealed the tip of the iceberg, but I never expected it to be what it was. It exceeded my expectations - creating warmth - even during slushed weather.  Beforehand I prepared an analysis of the greater Helsinki startup ecosystem and wrote a two-pager with the most important information for my colleagues which I presented. In addition, I analyzed our incoming Dutch delegation and tried to remember what every company or ecosystem partner was doing. But with a delegation of 200 Dutchies that becomes quite hard – as you can imagine.  

The Dutch delegation stayed at the Valo hotel where we started with a 'Welcome to Helsinki' event. When I arrived, suddenly I heard conversations in Dutch and saw orange everywhere. As you can see on the picture, we all wore the same orange sweaters. Which makes us recognizable but also has a positive spill-over effect into public diplomacy. With over 200 Dutchies we colored Helsinki orange – literally and figuratively speaking.  When the Slush event started, I was the lounge manager of the NL Lounge which was the busiest lounge, showcasing the Dutch international image for doing business. My role was forging connections between NL and other companies, or ecosystem stakeholders. That is what economic diplomacy is all about. After two days of having inspiring conversations, matchmaking and delegation-members losing their voice - Slush ended with a bang. The conference space transitioned into a festival and KAJ, Bara Bada Bastu - you know the Eurovision song about Finnish Sauna's - guided us into the afterparty.  

Independence Day 

On 6 December 2025 Finland celebrated their 108th anniversary of independence, a day where Finland memorizes their past and the sacrifices that were made for its freedom. Which started with their independence in 1917 from Russia and having fought three separate wars during the Second world war. Together with some of the interns of other embassies we joined the student march which ended at the Senaattitori where the Finnish national anthem was song.  

Each year on this day the Finnish President, Alexander Stubb and his spouse Suzanne Innes-Stubb, host an Independence Day reception at the Presidential Palace. The guest list included distinguished individuals from various fields of society, as well as people the presidential couple have met during the year. The guest list included 1,800 invitees, with a significant share coming from the education sector as this year’s theme was “education and learning as the foundation.

Christmas 

On a personal note: the winter swimming in the sea is still going on, and although I expected it to be way colder the warmth is actually increasing. Although at some days it gets dark around 15:00. Luckily the Christmas lights compensate more than enough. During Christmas I will go back to the Netherlands to visit my family and friends. I am looking forward to that, but it also means that I am already over half of my internship. Which is unfortunate but also gives me a positive outlook on the last three months.