This is my first day back at my lab. It feels as if I lived a whole, and fully different, life in the last two months. Being home means that I now have to look back at everything and try to summarize it.
I have spent two months at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Netherlands (the country fighting the seas to stay afloat), completing my secondment. My INCLUE colleague Andrea, welcomed me in an amazing manner, as did the entire university.
I learned, I discussed, I met a thousand new people, I did some things a hundred times, and the others I did for the first time.
I rediscovered what a treasure it is being at a university again and meeting phenomenal people every day.
Everyone I met was friendly, funny, and genuinely kind. We cooked, played boardgames, discussed books and music.
I cycled everywhere no matter the weather and I grew to love it (I had no choice).
I got out of my regular routine for two months and I created a completely new one.
And labwork was equally great. I had the chance to learn first hand how my colleague performs THP — the thermal hydrolysis process used to treat sludge. He walked me through the laboratory setup, demonstrated the workflow, all while exchanging music and discovering each other’s favourite tracks, which made the technical work all that more fun.
The country is very picturesque, even though very flat. What made the experience even richer was Delft itself. The city feels like something out of a painting – long canals, brick streets, bicycles everywhere, and on a sunny day, it makes you feel like a part of a fairy tale. It’s small enough to feel cozy but dynamic enough to keep me occupied.
Between the friendliness of the people and the charm of Delft, I felt at home within a week. And it will still feel like home when I return.
