A busy day in Den Haag, Netherlands

Tons of appointments, extra document work, immigration process everything came all together and kept my weeks busy like hell. At some point, I was so annoyed that I started canceling a few of my appointments regarding my therapies. Currently, I am seeing a few doctors and therapists regarding my neurological and psychological issues. I don't feel like seeing them every week but it's important, I have to see them regularly. Yesterday was my birthday, I did nothing special because I had to finish some paperwork. I tried hard to reschedule all of my appointments and wanted to keep that day free of schedules but I couldn't avoid the paperwork. As a result, somehow my day ended up with stress. Unfortunately, the paperwork still hasn't finished yet.

The immigration process and document work always seemed frustrating to me. I never liked all of the paperwork knowing that I have to do it no matter what. This year, extra paperwork was added that I had to deal with the Bangladesh Embassy for attestation. Taking an appointment and going to the embassy was easy but managing time to go to the embassy and preparing all the papers for the attestation was frustrating. For almost a month I have been working with all this paperwork and it feels like the entire process is a never-ending process. For me dealing with this extra stress was more than difficult, I was busy but somehow my stress level didn't reduce at all. I know legal paperwork is always stressful and for me who is in therapy and dealing with stress, this legal paperwork was like oil on fire.

In my mind, I had some plans for my birthday; I wanted to go somewhere, and I wanted to see something new but unfortunately, the plan failed. I was not sad actually but I was annoyed. Going out and celebrating my birthday is not a ritual and not mandatory. I wanted to do something nice as I was having very stressful weeks. People say age is just a number but nowadays my birthday scares me. As more days pass, my body is slowly realizing my age. If you are following my blogs especially where I write about my mental and physical conditions, you know I have been through a lot. I am still going through a lot and a lot of things are on my plate waiting for me to handle. I had a glimpse of the seriousness of my illness when I was in the Embassy, signing the papers. My therapist told me these symptoms are common among people who are suffering from traumatic events. I sometimes can't figure out the problems but when I see the symptoms, I know I am ill.

I was in Den Haag (The Hague) the day before yesterday. Bangladesh Embassy is located in a beautiful location called Stadhouderslaan. Many other Embassies are located there as well. I don't know if that area is known as a diplomatic zone or not but I would say I was expecting a location like this. I had taken a direct train from Almere to Den Haag Central station. After reaching the station, I took the tram to reach the Embassy. Well, it was early morning because my appointment was scheduled around 10.30 am. From my city, Den Haag is far away so I had to leave home early.

People outside of the Netherlands call Den Haag Royal City. I have never been to this part of the city, besides I have never a planned tour to Den Haag still now. So when I was on the tram, I was looking at the city through the blurred window. "Binnenhof", the complex of office buildings located near Hofvijver Lake grabbed my attention first. I saw it somewhere before, maybe in photos or the internet but never in person. It was early morning so some people were walking with their dogs, but I guess this part of the building was quiet.

Weather in the Netherlands is unpredictable, you will see the changes in the photos. When I was going to the Embassy, it was gloomy and rainy but when I left the Embassy, it was sunny.

To be honest, I was not in a good mood after leaving the embassy even though the attestation was done. Everything felt so heavy and stressful that I barely could focus on my surroundings. When I was in Ukraine, I also had a stressful time with document work but there was hope and faith. Currently, I don't find that hope or faith that's why sometimes I ask myself what I am doing.

I normally enjoy sunny spring weather in the Netherlands. Because it is the time of the year when daffodils and other flowers bloom and nature revives from winter sleep. This part of Den Haag is nice, and very calm during office hours. Tram station was not far from the location, 5 minutes walking distance.

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I took these random photos just to keep the area remembered because I know I have to be back here again if I stay in the Netherlands. This area is mostly packed with government offices, embassies, and residential areas. That's why I think tourists never visit this location unless it's needed...

P.S: I didn't take the embassy photos for security reasons.

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Love

Priyan...

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^{I am @priyanarc.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thoughts easily...}

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The author captures all images used...