Where to? Next stop Viçosa (MG, Brazil)

After a really difficult goodbye to family and friends the journey starts. Me and my mom spent the night before departure at Van Der Valk Hotel near Schiphol airport. This way we didn't risk to get stuck in traffic jam. At D-Day (Departure Day 😉) we had breakfast at the airport and again after a difficult goodbye we went to the customs. But time was short and the queue was really long, really... long... and we were the last in line. I figured we wouldn't make it in time to pass through the customs and board on time, short story we will miss our flight this way. (By "we" I mean Katinka and I, Katinka is a fellow student from the HAS who is also going to Brazil by Living Lab Biobased Brazil).  Sooo I asked an airport employee what to do, because our flight was already boarding and we have 30 minutes left. It was genius, we could skip the whole row and were directly at the customs turn. After the customs we hurried to the boarding gate and we were one of the last to b...

All this time I have such a surreal feeling. Me 24 weeks living in an abroad country and saying goodbye to people for half a year. This week lots of last goodbyes for the next six months.  Well I have good news, this weeks lots of things have happend. I have received my project description! I will do a research to the use off a biomass driven mechanical drying technique for drying fresh harvested coffee beans. Normally, the beans are sun dried and sometimes mechanically. There are some problems with a biomass driven drying technique. My job is to try solving these problems and/or suggest solutions.  Besides that there is a possibility I will help with a project which focusses on the reuse of process water which is used on the coffee plantations. Some more good news? YES! I have a place to stay in  Viçosa, a really good place! It is right in front of the UFV campus, an apartment on the fifth floor. The apartment is shared with two other students. I...