From April 12 untill May 2 four students from the Vissy Odborna Skola in Most will stay in Meppel. Jana Zandová and Tereza Nedvedová will do an internship in De Berghorst nursinghome in Staphorst. Aneta Pletichová and Anna Morstainová will do an internship at the municipality of Meppel. The internship started with a welcome dinner in restaurant De Tipbrug.

click on every photo to enlarge

Jana Zandová and Tereza Nedvedová had their internship in the Berghorst:

Aneta Pletichová and Anna Morstainová had their internship at the townhall:

The foundation Towntwinng Most-Meppel provided a leisure program for the students.

Vlog
Students made a vlog about their stay in Meppel. Click here to watch this vlog.

Presentation

On May 1 the students gave a very good presentation in the townhall of Meppel. After that they got their certificates, handed over by deputy-mayor mr. Peterson.
Click here for the presentation in Powerpoint. (Link opens in new page)

Personal evaluations

Aneta Pletichová

I would have never thought that I would get such an opportunity in my life. Even now, I still can’t fully believe it, although I am writing this evaluation from the Netherlands, counting down my last hours before going back home. Not everyone has or had the chance to spend three beautiful weeks (with good weather as well) in the country of tulips, and at the same time gain practical experience related to their field of study. But I did, and I am very grateful for it.

Firstly, I had mixed feelings about my internship at the town hall. I felt happy, but also scared and nervous. Everything was new—different people, a different language, and a different environment. However, these negative feelings were unnecessary, because everyone welcomed us warmly and with a smile. During the whole internship, I never felt like I was a burden to anyone. Everything went smoothly, also thanks to Najib, who took great care of us. Together with my classmate, we attended several meetings, visited interesting places, and made some interviews with employees. Despite the language barrier, everything was possible.

In our free time, we traveled around the beautiful parts of the Netherlands. We went to Haarlem to see the cathedral, to The Hague where we could also dip our fingers into the North Sea, we took a boat trip in Giethoorn, and visited the Open Air Museum and Palace Het Loo. A bonus for us was attending Decoration Day and experiencing King’s Day, when everything turns orange and everyone celebrates the king. Of course, I also had to wear something orange!

The accommodation was the same as in previous year. We were at MyHotel where everything is clean, modern, and more than sufficient for three weeks. There was still no microwave, but we didn’t really miss it. A small oven would have been more useful, but when we wanted fries, we could just go to McDonald’s. Shops and the town hall were within walking distance from the hotel, so the location was great.

I would like to give a big thank you to the foundation and everyone involved for this opportunity and all the wonderful memories. Without them, none of this would have happened, and I wouldn’t have anything to share with my family and close friends. I would also like to specifically thank Bart, who helped us feel welcome here during our stay.

Anna Morstainová

I am very grateful for the opportunity to take part in the Erasmus program and gain this valuable experience.

During my stay, we were living in a hotel that was nice, clean, and well-equipped. The only thing I slightly missed was an oven, but it’s not that big problem. The bed was comfortable, although it was a bit wobbly. 

In our free time, we went on many nice trips – for example, we visited The Hague, Haarlem, Giethoorn, the Open Air Museum, Palace Het Loo, and Zwolle. We also had the opportunity to attend the Royal Decoration Ceremony, and on King’s Day we were guests of the mayor, which was a very interesting experience for us.

I completed my internship at the town hall, where it was beneficial for me to see how public administration works in another country. Najib also took us to several meetings, which gave us a better understanding of their daily work.

In conclusion, I would like to thank the whole foundation. Special thanks belongs Bart, Janet, Taeke, Wim, Robert, Petra, Hetty, Mieke, Mannes, and Harm Jan – because they did their best to make our stay as pleasant as possible, and they truly succeeded.

Thank you 🙂

Tereza Nedvedová

During my stay in the Netherlands in the town of Meppel, I spent there 3 weeks that I will remember for a long time. I really enjoyed the whole experience, and I am very grateful that I had the opportunity to take part in it.

I did my internship in Staphorst at the Berghorst, where everyone was very kind, helpful, and friendly. Thanks to that, I felt comfortable there and quickly adapted to the new environment. I also feel that I improved my English a lot during the stay, as I used it every day.

During the stay we also travelled a lot and explored new places. We visited cities such as Haarlem, Den Haag, Zwolle and Giethoorn. All the trips were amazing, and I really enjoyed them. Each place had its own charm, and it was very interesting to experience a new culture, traditions, and way of life.

Overall, I consider this stay an amazing experience that gave me not only new knowledge and skills but also many wonderful memories. I am grateful that I was selected, and I would definitely recommend this experience to others.

Jana Zandová

Hi everyone, this is Jana, who had the opportunity to go to the Netherlands for a three-week work internship as part of the Erasmus program.

I am very grateful for this life experience, and I wish everyone could experience what I did here. We went on many trips, for example to the cities of Haarlem and The Hague, visited Palace Het Loo, Giethoorn, and many other places. The town of Meppel, where we stayed, was beautiful, and everyone was very welcoming and kind. We felt truly welcome there, which was amazing.

I made new friends and met many inspiring people. Working at the Berghorst facility was very beneficial, and it allowed me to compare the differences between the Czech Republic and the Netherlands in the field of nursing care, while also collaborating with a great team of staff.

I also significantly improved my independence and my ability to communicate in English.

If a program like this interests you, don’t miss this opportunity and enjoy it just like I did.