Goodbye Holland - The last post!

Well, this is it - my time in Holland has come to an end, as I fly back home to England tomorrow. In my last post, I want to make this as a more of a ''tribute'', and give you an inside to my Dutch life inside and outside of work.

When I applied for this 6 internship, I really wasn't expecting to be the person to actually go to Holland, and work out there for that duration. I was just expecting not to progress any further, and someone else would go to Holland ..... but oh boy, I was so wrong!!


My main reason why I decided to apply, and take the plunge was the inspiration of Mum who passed away from terminal cancer nearly 2 years ago now.
She has inspired me of certain things, such as to not be afraid of the small things that may hold some people back (this used to be me, and I would make any excuse to get out of anything new/out of my comfort zone), to enjoy every moment that you experience no matter how small it may be. But the most important thing that mum gives me inspiration for me is that life is too short. The phrase that I keep close to my heart is ''work hard, play hard''. I believe that if someone has an opportunity that is too good to turn down, then I believe that opportunity needs to be taken without hesitation!

Just please, don't doubt yourself, or worry about the small things that you may think that might hold you back. The only thing that you will achieve when turning down a opportunity is regret. Don't let regret take over - fill it instead with fantastic moments and experiences that you can treasure for the rest of your life.



When I first started working in Holland, I must admit, I did struggle, as the language difference was a problem. My first experience was shopping, and trying to ask for my receipt, which did take a few moments to try and describe what a receipt was, but I got there! As time went on, this eventually became one of my favourite experiences over the past 6 weeks. The Dutch are good at speaking English, but sometimes they could struggle. They would try and describe the word to me, as I would try and work it out.

As well as words, I was also asked to sing some English songs by some of the younger people, which included Old McDonald, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday!

I was very fortunate to work at 2 nurseries in Holland. Normally the internship is only based at 1 nursery. This really helped gain more knowledge with looking after plants on a big and small size in a nursery. As well as this, this has given me the opportunity to try and explore new methods within looking after plants as well.


I have been very well looked after within this duration as well, and have made plenty of new friends along the way. I have always been invited to go out, such as playing football, play pool, ride a moped, or even simply have a beer one evening. These have been great friends, that I will defiantly keep in contact with, and hopefully one day see them again.

My hosts where I have been staying as well have been very friendly and welcoming as well. I couldn't have asked for better hosts. Again, Henny and Louis have looked after me very well. Every time I get back in from work, Henny will have the kettle on for me ready for my cup of tea!

Getting up at 5:30 every morning for 6 weeks has been another fantastic experience. I have loved watching the sun rise as I cycle to work every morning. This has certainly been a healthy routine to get into. It will certainly get me in a routine of getting up more early when I go back to, but maybe not 5:30!
 


I have also learnt a lot about myself throughout my time in Holland, which has really opened my eyes and made me realise of certain aspects about myself, but luckily, most of these aspects are positive in many ways!


I am so glad that I went for this opportunity. I really couldn't have asked for so much of a great and perfect time in Holland. I would really recommend anyone who hasn't been abroad before (like me!) to go to Holland as your first experience abroad. It's only the small things that make Holland different to England, but oh my, what a beautiful country it is to visit! Everyone is so friendly towards you, and will make your stay very welcoming like I have witnessed for the past 6 weeks. But most of all is that Holland has striking landscapes, which should never be missed out if you are over there. Even if you are only outside for an hour, you'll defiantly witness fantastic scenery that you will not see in England, such as dikes, sunsets and peace and tranquil.


Finally, I just want to take this moment to thank some people who have personally helped/supported me throughout this process.

Dad and Beth: Thank you for giving the help I needed when I have struggled with the small things that looked possible to you, but not to me. I couldn't ask for a better family with your encouragement and support. No other words can describe you both - both of you are out of this world!!


Alberto and Gerard: Both of you really made my time at Batouwe and Holland really enjoyable. Thank you for letting me join in certain activities outside of work. It was great and touching to hear some of your stories that you shared with me - these will not be forgotten. I wish you all of the best with your futures.

Gerrit: Thank you keeping me in contact with information and answering my questions before I came to Holland. Thank you for also orgainsing my placements at Batouwe and Huverba. Thank you for inviting me to have a game of pool the first week I arrived, which was great fun!

Wyevale nurseries/Stephen Ashworth: I just really want to thank both of you for having the trust in me for this internship. This has certainly been a once in a life opportunity. Thank You Stephen for finding these 2 fantastic nurseries that I have worked in, and for keeping in contact with throughout. I really couldn't have asked for a much better time!!



Well, there you go folks! I hope that you have enjoyed reading my blogs for the past 6 weeks. It has been great sharing my news with everyone through this way. Below are a selection of pictures throughout my duration in Holland.

Bedankt iedereen en tot ziens, Josh :)

The penultimate post

Well, this is the penultimate part of my blog! As I express in most of my blogs about how my time in Holland seems to have flown by - this week was no different! But as the expression goes 'time flies when you're having fun' is something that I have strongly believed over the past 5 weeks.


This is going to be a short post for this week, as the beginning week didn't go according to plan by having Monday and Tuesday off work from being ill (majority of being tired). Luckily, I was much feeling better by Wednesday and ready to start work again.



The first job that needs to be completed in the morning is collecting orders ready to be dispatched to other nurseries across the UK and Europe. This task has really helped me gain more knowledge with plant identification, and learning the Botanical names of plants as well.



One of the jobs that I did this week was weeding Rosemary plants for about 3 hours, which afterwards made me smell like a roast lamb! The smell took ages to go as well!





Today, I had the chance to work on another part of the working site at Huverba. This was also again helping sort out orders to other nurseries, by loading the orders onto lorries, collecting final plants for orders, and labeling the orders as well. Some of the orders were going to Cheshire and Oxford.

Only 4 more days of work, which I still can't believe!

Enjoy your weekend everyone. God bless, Josh

Collecting orders today

Hello Huverba

I can't believe that there are only 2 weeks left with my time in Holland! It just continues to fly by, especially this week.

This week I started my new placement for 3 weeks with another nursery called 'Huverba'. The nursery is bigger than Batouwe, as they have working sites in Dodewaard and Opheusden. They also specialise in trees and shrubs, but are bigger in size. Batouwe also supply plants to and work closley with  Huverba, so it's been great to see how the small plants at Batouwe go on to be mature/bigger at Huverba.


I am working on the Huverba site at Opheusden, which is the next town to where I live (Dodewaard). This is a 20 minute bike ride, but it is also pleasant. Most of the people who work at Batouwe live in Opheusden, so I cycle pass and quickly say hello to some of the people who I have worked with before, which is a nice.


The working team on the site where I have been working this week is small, but again, it's been great fun to meet and talk to new people. I do pretty much the same tasks at Huverba that I did at Batouwe. I have been collecting orders for most of this week, with one order going to a nursery in London, which was exciting. I was amazed to learn how quick that the order would be in London once all of the plants were collected for the order (4 pm dispatch in Holland the same day, and arriving into the London nursery at 8 am the next day!)



I must admit that this week has been very tiring, but as always, it's been great fun. I am continuing to enjoy the Dutch life everyday. Rik (one of the people I have been working with this week) was trying to teach me how go count to 10 in Dutch, but my attempt was appalling (I did try!)!


I am planning on going to Nijmegen tomorrow. This is a city near Dodewaard, which is attracts lots of tourists. I am going to continue with the Dutch spirit inside of me by cycling to Nijmegen (about 17 km away). I also did a bit of research the other night, and discovered an Irish bar within the city.

A long and well deserved pint of Guinness may be on the cards!

Have a great weekend everyone. God Bless, Josh

Panoramic picture of Huverba before starting work 

Rosemary within the nursery 

Getting the order ready for London

Goodbye Batouwe Nurseries

Well, today was my last day at Batouwe Nurseries. It only felt like yesterday that I started working here! What's even more crazy, is that I am also halfway through my time in Holland. So far it has been one of the best and biggest experiences that I have ever encountered.
I am so glad that I encouraged myself to do this, as I have no regrets what so ever!!  



This week, I have been working in the tree department at the nursery. This has helped me gain more knowledge and experience working with trees. Most of the trees at Batouwe are in pots, as these are small in size (also known as whips). I have mostly been helping out with giving the trees some support with bamboo canes. This involved cutting back the side branches, tying the trunk to the bamboo cane, and then finally securing the new growth with a max tapener (a handy tool when it wants to work!). We normally get about 500 trees done in a day.

As working in a new department this week, I have also been getting to know more people as well, which is great as always. I have been continuing to teach people some English words that they haven't heard before. I have also liked the challenge with trying work out an English word, which they only know in Dutch (no help with Google translate!). It has also been great to listen to other peoples stories everyday, and understand the Dutch culture even more.



On Wednesday evening, me and some people that I have worked with at Batouwe decided to drive around the area on some scooters! The scenery was fantastic, as was the weather! I have never driven a scooter before, so I was kind of nervous with the fear of falling off! Well, yes, you guessed it, I did fall off, but luckily I wasn't going fast and just lost my balance. Just a couple of grazes, which were sorted out quickly. I would defiantly do it again (not falling off!).

Today, Dad arrived in Holland ready to spend the weekend with me. It was great, as I managed to show him around Batouwe. He was amazed by the whole production of the nursery. Dad also joined in with the Friday tradition of having a beer, whilst getting to now the people that I have word with.


I just want to thank everyone again at Batouwe nurseries for these past 3 weeks, by making me feel welcomed, and also the knowledge and experience that I have gained. It has been the best!!

 I have also  visited​ the other nursery (Huverba) that I will be working at for the last 3 weeks, which I am looking forward to.

Have a good weekend everyone, God bless, Josh

'The scooter gang of Batouwe' (Photo credit to Alberto) 

So many trees!!

Great scenery from scooter riding 

Week 2 at Batouwe

Hello everyone. This week seems to have flown by, but in a good way! I have now really settled in, with being at Holland and working. It still feels a bit crazy from time to time that I am living and working abroad. It sometimes makes me also feel regretful for the times that Mum wanted to go abroad for a holiday, but with me refusing not to go!


This week I have been working at another Nursery, which is located at Huissen (not too far from Arnhem). This also belongs to Batouwe, which they took over a year ago. Tasks included, cleaning areas, preparing plants ready for delivery, weeding and pruning.

One of the biggest tasks of the week was getting all of the trees at the nursery in Huissen ready for delivery (roughly about 320 trees). This included cleaning the surface, by weeding and cleaning off the moss. A quick prune was also required if any tress developed any side branches.
Once this was completed, the tress were then put onto pallets and secured ready for delivery. Even though this was a big task, I really enjoyed it.

The only downside when you are working in a glasshouse is the heat from outside. On Wednesday it reached about 30 degrees outside, so it is much warmer inside a glasshouse! The good news is that all of the plants inside the glasshouses are watered by sprinklers, so I would purposelessly walk below them to cool down!!




I had some very exciting news on Wednesday evening. Dad is flying over to Holland next Friday to spend the weekend with me for his holiday! He is also staying at the same place as I am! It will be great to show him around where I am staying, as well as spending some quality time together. Really looking forward to it!!



Everyone in Holland continues to be great and kind as always. I have promised Louis and Henny (owners of where I am staying) that I will make them a traditional English meal tomorrow, which they are both looking forward to!

Have a great weekend everyone, God Bless Josh.

Weeding at 7 am is the best feeling!!

Getting the order ready of 320 trees                    Taking cuttings of Jasminum officinale

First week of working completed!

Where to begin?! I have just finished my first week at Batouwe Nurseries! It's certainly been hard work, but I have enjoyed every moment, by gaining new techniques and experiences that we in England may not know about, weather if it's working in a Nursery, or not.

When I first arrived at Batouwe, I must admit that I did find it hard, as the environment was different to other Nurseries that I have worked in at England. Also the difference in language was another problem. Luckily this wasn't too much of a problem, as members of Batouwe Nurseries speak English.


As I explained in the last post of my blog, I have made some friends. Gerard and Alberto have been fantastic, as they speak very good English, and have also been very welcoming by inviting me to play football Wednesday evening, which they kindly gave me a spare football kit. Gerard will mostly be working with me for my time at Batouwe Nurseries, as again, if I have any problems with understanding instructions, he can easily translate for me!
It's been fun to help Gerard and Alberto learn some new English words, such words as wheelbarrow, broom/brush and sweeping.
I have also been learning some basic Dutch words, which I am trying to use more often, so that I can speak to more people who can't speak English.



One of the different things that Holland do that England doesn't when working, is that shoes must be taken off when entering the staff room at all times. I think that England should apply these rules to their staff members as well.


I am really enjoying the food in Holland! I have been trying some new food this week. I tried some bitter balls (Bitterballen) after playing football. The best way to describe them is they look like small Scotch eggs, with the centre being like raw dough. They contain beef/veal, beef broth, butter, flour, parsley, salt and pepper as well.
There are some English comfort foods out in Holland, but slightly different. I found Percy pig sweets in a supermarket, but instead of pigs, they are clown faces (Clowns hoofdjdes) - scary looking, but nice!!


A Friday tradition at Batowe Nurseries is that we have chips for lunch. They are slightly different in England, but still taste great. Another tradition at the Nursery is after work, beer is brought in to celebrate a weeks completed at work. We also play table football as well, which is great fun!



I am going out later this evening with Gerrit (who picked me up and gave me the tour of the Nursery on Monday) for a game of pool. The Dutch are very hospitable, and it's an honour to be staying in their country for the next five weeks!

Have a good weekend everyone, God Bless, Josh

Here we go!!

Well, I'm outside of the U.K for the first time in my life! The whole flight experience was better than I thought it was going to be, with the only down-side being that the flight was delayed an hour, but again, it helps with the experience.


When me and Dad (again, Dad kindly came on the same flight as me, to make sure I arrived safely) got to Amsterdam, we got on a train to Rhenen, with the train like a double-decker bus, as it had seat above the ground floor! Along the journey, we both got a bit excited seeing our first windmill in Holland!! After arriving in Rhenen, we dropped our bags off where we were staying for the night, and went out for a bite to eat, and trying out some Dutch beer.


Today I got picked up by an employer of Batouwe (one of the Nurseries that I will be working for 3 weeks). Gerrit took me to the place that I will be staying for the 6 weeks, which  is a small bed and breakfast. The owners are really nice and accommodating as well. I have a small room to myself, which has a double bed and desk!


After dropping off my luggage, we drove to Batouwe (pronounced: bat-ow-er) ready to start my first day at work. I had a tour around the Nursery, which is very impressive. After my tour, I went straight into work by helping take cuttings from Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' plants.

In the afternoon, I helped get an order ready for being taken to another Nursery in Holland, where these plants will be raised, which when they are mature will be shipped to garden centres in the UK.


I have made a couple of friends already, who have kindly invited me to play football this Wednesday evening, followed by a beer, as it's their last game of the season. I have also been invited to mountain biking one weekend as well!


I should also be getting a bike tomorrow, so that I can cycle to work everyday (starting to feel more Dutch!)
I am working 5 days a week- starting from 7:00 am - 4:15 pm.

God bless, Josh :)