Tuesday 14.3.2017, Day # two

Dutch, sad stories and tulips

After breakfast we took the minibuses to Emmeloord. ROC Friese Poort college where we were taught the Dutch language. We were like the immigrants who came to a strange country with a strange language.

In the afternoon we met some of the refugees. A man from Syria told us his story: how he sold everything to get the money to be able to travel to Europe, how they were treated in Libya and how the boat sank and some of their friends drowned, and finally how nicely they where treated when they arrived to Italy.
He also told us how they are settled in Holland.

After the meeting it was time to look around. Our hosts had arragned us a little it of
cultural program and sightseeing in Emmeloord. First we were astonished how the city was built: they had dried a large area by making dykes around the city, actually we were a few meters below the sea surface!

Next stop was the tulip farm. The farmer showed us the steps of growing tulips. However there was this hairy girl who stole atleast my attention (among few other dog lovers): 

Photo by Anne Jennings

All the Finns were delighted to see that the Dutch farmers rely on good quality: VALTRA Valmet tractor!