PDF - Connect International

Connecting Worlds
Connect International serves
the international community in
the provinces of Groningen,
Friesland and Drenthe.
Supported by an international staff and Board of Directors, we provide quality
relocation services and practical information to help familiarize international
residents with all aspects of living, working or studying in the Northern
Netherlands, as well as organizing events and activities to make connections.
Services:
Join Us!
● Immigration services
● Home search & set-up
● Career services
● Social events, activities & clubs
● Business events
● Personal support & assistance
● “Buddy” -system
● Free access to books & guides
● Knowledge database
You can register to become a
Connect International member via
our website. For a small yearly fee,
you receive the Connections
e-magazine newsletter delivered
directly to your email inbox, you have
access to the Connect International
community
through
organized
events, you can ask us any
questions you may have and much
more.
Visit: www.connect-int.org
Welcome New Members!
Connect International would like to welcome the following new members:
Marcel Vergolts, Pilar Perez, Guillermo Perez, Chiara Lisciandra, Bahati
Mpazi and Laura Corbett
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Event Review
Connect Sinterklaas Party
Past Event Review
On Friday, 4 December, about 50
people of many nationalities joined
together to celebrate during a
Sinterklaas Party for adults at the
Pakhuis in Groningen. While waiting
for the arrival of Sinterklaas, we
gathered into teams for a very
difficult quiz about Sinterklaas and
members of the winning team each
got a potlikker, a very Dutch kitchen
item that is used to get every last bit
of good out of a jar of mayonnaise,
ketchup, peanut butter, etc. When
Sinterklaas arrived with his Pieten,
we were all very good and sang a
traditional song to welcome him and
he gave each of us a present.
experience
tradition.
this
typical
Dutch
The party continued after Sint and
Piets' departure with everyone going
home knowing how to celebrate
Sinterklaas the next day for real at
home with their friends and family!
Written by Margaret Metsala
The good Sint also read a poem he
and his Pieten had crafted, about the
lives of internationals in the
Netherlands, so that we could also
Connect International Office:
Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, Groningen
Postbus 16, 9700 AA Groningen
Telephone: 050 7440087
Email: info@connect-int.org
Website: www.connect-int.org
Editorial
Editor: Stephanie Fermor
Assistant Editor: Margaret Metsala
Writers: Stephanie Fermor, Karen
Prowse, Milena Stanojevic, Maria
Kuznetsova, Margaret Metsala and
Rachel Heller
Editorial and advertising in Connections is based
on material, written and verbal, provided by
contributors and advertisers. No responsibility is
taken for errors or omissions and opinions
expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the
publisher. All material in Connections is subject to
copyright provisions. No part of this publication
Send all letters and submissions to:
publications@connect-int.org
may be reproduced without written permission by
the publisher.
Connections #66
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What’s on January 2016
CONNECT EVENTS
Highlighted Events this month
14 Jan
20 Jan
28 Jan
Colour me
amazing
Cheese Tasting
Culinary Connect
High Tea
Connect Beauty Club invites
you to join the "Colour me
amazing"
workshop. This
colour analysis workshop will
give you a whole new
confidence boost!
During the Cheese & Wine
Tasting you will be offered 5
different types of wine (or
beer)
accompanied
by
different cheeses and snacks.
Join Connect International for
a “High Tea” Workshop, hosted
at Adeline’s.
All Connect Events this month
Movie Club: “Still Alice”
Monday 11 January, 13:30 hrs
@ Pathe Bioscoop Groningen
Easy Dutch Café: Transport & Travel in
the Netherlands
Friday 22 January, 11:00 hrs
Book Club
Monday 11 January, 20:00 hrs
@ Alexandra’s house
Pub Night
Friday 22 January, 18:00 hrs
O’Malley’s Irish Pub (Groningen)
“Colour me amazing” workshop
Thursday 14 January, 13:30 hrs
Easy Dutch Café: Transport & Travel in
the Netherlands
Tuesday 26 January, 19:00 hrs
International Coffee Morning
Friday 15 January, 10:30 hrs
@ V&D’s La Place (Groningen)
Writer’s Circle
Tuesday 19 January
Cheese Tasting
Wednesday 20 January, 19:30 hrs
@ De Kaaskop (Groningen)
“The Vision Board 2016” workshop
Thursday 21 January, 13:00 hrs
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Culinary Connect: “High Tea”
workshop
Thursday 28 January, 13:00 hrs
@ Adeline’s house (Winsum)
International Coffee Morning
Friday 29 January, 10:30 hrs
@ V&D’s La Place (Groningen)
“Colour for Men & Women” workshop
Saturday 30 January, 12:00 hrs
@ StyleSense (Westerbroek)
What’s on January 2016
SCHOOL HOLIDAY DATES
Christmas Vacation Times
Primary Education & Secondary Education Schools
Basisonderwijs & Voortgezet onderwijs
North Netherlands
Mid-Netherlands
South Netherlands
19 December 2015 - 3 January 2016
19 December 2015 - 3 January 2016
19 December 2015 - 3 January 2016
Week 52 - 1
Week 52 - 1
Week 52 - 1
OTHER EVENTS
Events in Groningen, Friesland & Drenthe
NNO New Year's Concert
5 January - Drachten
6 January - Leeuwarden
7 January - Groningen
8 January - Stadskanaal
9 January - Winschoten
12 January - Hoogeveen
13 January - Emmen
www.nno.nu
Eurosonic Noorderslag
13 January - 16 January, Groningen
www.eurosonic-noorderslag.nl/en/
Frisian Proms
15 January, Leeuwarden
www.friesianproms.nl
Vrijdagweek
18 - 24 January, Groningen
http://bijvrijdag.nl/
MotorEXPO Assen
22 January - 24 January, Assen
www.motorexpo-assen.nl
Ice Sculpture Festival
24 Dec - 24 Jan 2015, Zwolle
www.ijsbeelden.nl
Ice Skating
Keep an eye out for when
temperatures drop for ice skating
rinks.
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Life Experience
DIY, WHERE TO START?
Guide to DIY stores
Since buying a house almost two
years ago we have done a lot of work
on it. From stripping every room of
wallpaper and decorating, putting in
new flooring, new toilet and having
an extension built for a new kitchen,
there has been a lot of learning and
hunting for the best prices and deals.
My dad was a big DIY man, doing
most of the jobs around my parents’
home himself and it rubbed off on
me. So when we bought our home I
was looking for a place that needed
some work on it so that we could get
it for a good price and make it our
own. The house we bought certainly
fitted into that category, having been
previously owned for the last 50
years by a now 80 year old couple.
We started off by investing in a
wallpaper steamer as we had a lot of
wallpaper to remove. We purchased
one from Kwantum for just €30, but
they are also available to hire from
other DIY stores like Praxis and
Gamma.
Next was the flooring. In some rooms
we laid laminate flooring ourselves,
an easy and cheap option. But we
also had some carpet in the bedroom
and had that laid by Carpet Right.
We found that if you waited a little bit
and planned you could get a nice
deal on things. We bought the
laminate from Praxis with 20% off
vouchers, and the carpet we got on
sale too with free underlay.
Before
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Life Experience
After
I did all the painting and decorating myself.
Having never decorated before anyway, figuring
out which type of paint we wanted was a
challenge, plus then the translation issue. Here
are some of the common types of paint and their
translations.
Muurverf – Wall paint, you have mat (mat) or silk
(zijdemat)
Lak – Gloss paint, you will need to apply a primer
(grondverf) first and then either silk (zijdeglans) or
high gloss (hoogglans)
When the time came to build our
kitchen extension we contacted a
few builders to get quotes. Some
builders were rude once they knew
we were getting more than one
quote, but we didn’t let that stop us
and got 4 quotes total. If possible it is
also good to get references or see if
a friend can recommend someone to
you; generally the same precautions
you would take in your home country.
Communicating with builders can be
difficult; none of the builders we
spoke with knew much English, so I
was grateful that my husband is
Dutch. So if you do have a large
project it may be worth finding a
project manager who speaks English
and Dutch to help organise
everything. They can also help you
source materials, I particularly
wanted PVC windows and doors
(kunststof ramen en deuren) and had
to go to the builder’s material
supplier to pick out what I wanted.
If you have some DIY projects for the
new year planned, here are some of
the larger DIY stores where you can
find supplies and advice.
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Life Experience
DIY Stores
Praxis - www.praxis.nl
Often have coupons for 20% off, will
also honour coupons from other DIY
stores.
Gamma - www.gamma.nl
Great selection of painting supplies,
including affordable mixed paints.
Fixet - www.fixet.nl
Offer a ‘voordeelpas’ for 5% discount
on everything.
Kwantum - www.kwantum.nl
Has a range of lower priced flooring,
wallpaper, and other decorating
supplies.
Formido - www.formido.nl
Good all round selection.
Carpet Right - www.carpetright.nl
Good range of flooring materials and
will lay for a reasonable price. Also
offer a measuring service.
Hornbach - www.hornbach.nl
Large collection, but often located
out of town.
Ikea - www.ikea.nl
Has a range of laminate flooring and
plinths.
Karwei - www.karwei.nl
Good selection of all DIY products,
power tools and some furniture.
Written by Stephanie Fermor
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Upcoming Workshop
CONFIDENCE BOOST
THROUGH COLOUR IN 2016
Upcoming Connect International Workshop
The New Year is a perfect time to
look at yourself from a new
perspective, to re-evaluate different
areas of your life and to introduce
big- or small-scale changes. In this
light,
Connect
Beauty
Club
organizes two style workshops with
colour as a central focus.
We organize two workshops in an
attempt to create an equal
opportunity for everyone to attend
one of them. To help you orientate
and make the right choice, here is
the short description of both of them.
“Colour me amazing” workshop will
take place Thursday, January 14, in
the afternoon and will be given by
Karlijn Buist from KIEK. During this
workshop you will get a chance to
learn
why
certain
shades
compliment your look more than
others; how to best wear the colours
you already have in your wardrobe
and
to
create
easy
colour
combinations; and how your “power
colour” can boost your confidence.
This workshop will be available for 8
to 10 people.
“Colour for men and women”
workshop will be given by a Style
Coach
Babette Aquino
from
StyleSense on Saturday, January
30th. After a brief explanation of the
colour
theory,
each
of
the
participants
will
undergo
an
individual colour analysis. In a fun
and interactive way you will learn
how
colours
influence
your
appearance and perception by
others. In the end of the workshop
you will have a much clearer idea
about the colours that flatter you the
most and how to combine them with
each other. This workshop will be
available for 4 to 6 people, and each
participant will get a Personal Colour
Disk with their own best colour
combination data.
And for those of you who will not be
able to be present for a personal
advice, we have prepared an article
highlighting the basics of the Colour
Theory.
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Upcoming Workshop
THE COLOUR THEORY
Colour is an important element when
choosing the right wardrobe and an
important part when it comes to
making a first impression. According
to colour theory, every colour sends
different messages. Also, most
people process colour interpretation
faster than other aspects of your
look; therefore if you are aiming for a
certain message, wearing a specific
colour is a must. Colours can also
affect your mood and your energy, so
it will impact how others view you. By
wearing the colours that best suit
you, you will not only appear
healthier, younger, more alert and
energetic but most of all it is your
personal touch that will stand out.
Wearing too many colours will only
detract attention and just a few
colours will make you look boring. So
it all comes down to making the right
colour combination.
The Colour Wheel
The colour wheel is a logical and
useful way to make a colour
combination.
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Primary Colours
Red, yellow and blue are the 3
primary colours that can not be
mixed or formed by any combination
of other colors. All other colours are
derived from these 3 hues.
Secondary Colours
Green, orange and purple are the
colours formed by mixing the primary
colors.
Tertiary Colours
Yellow-orange,
red-orange,
red-purple, blue-purple, blue-green
& yellow-green are the colours
formed by mixing a primary and a
secondary color.
Upcoming Workshop
Warm Colours
Warm colours are made with orange,
red and yellow. Skins with warm
undertone will look great with gold.
By adding blue, a colour will be
cooler.
Analogous Colours
These (related) colours are adjacent
to each other on the colour wheel
such as blue & green, red-orange,
red/pink, fuchsia, lime, lemon and
orange. This so called ton-sur-ton
will make you look harmonious.
Cool Colours
Cool colours are made with blue,
green and purple. A pale skin with
silver will look great. By adding
yellow, a colour will be warmer.
How To Make
Combination?
A
Colour
Complementary Colours
On the 3 primary colour mixing
wheel,
complementary
colours
always sit opposite each other. Use a
primary colour as a base in your
outfit and wear its complement in the
accessories.
To make a colour combination that is
interesting and pleasing to the eye,
you need to follow some guidelines.
Monotone (A)chromatic
Monotone chromatic is a colour
scheme that consists only of one hue
and its variations in terms of tints,
shades
and
saturation. And
monotone achromatic is only neutral
colours. Both will make you look
good but they have the risk of looking
boring. Combining with a bright or
highlight colour will create an
effective look.
There are so many colour
combinations, especially those that
reflect your personality. But it starts
with understanding the basics of the
colours and most important of all this
is to have fun with it!
Written by
StyleSense
Babette
Aquino
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Netherlands and beyond
DRIVING COSTA BLANCA
Some Advice
If you’re ever in the Costa Blanca in
Spain, here’s what I’d recommend:
get away from the coast! Yes, you
can enjoy the beaches and party till
the wee hours in the coastal towns,
but there’s far more to see inland.
The drive I did the other day, for
example, was absolutely lovely.
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Leaving from Parcent, a small village
halfway between Valencia and
Alicante, where my in-laws lived for
more than 20 years, in a small rented
car, I drove along minor routes
through the mountains toward the
city of Alcoy.
My excuse for going there was to
Netherlands and beyond
visit the Refugio de Cervantes, an air
raid shelter from the Spanish Civil
War.
But this post isn’t about that; it’s
about the drive. It turned out that this
trip was worth the time just for the
drive itself. The distance is less than
60 kilometers, but, if you do it, the
drive will take at least two
hours—more if you want to stop and
take pictures and enjoy the scenery.
The roads in this region, however,
are not for the faint-hearted. Narrow,
without an inch of space on either
side, they twist and turn as they
climb up and down mountains.
In many places, despite the fact that
a line has been painted down the
middle, there isn’t really quite
enough room for two cars to pass. I
am not exaggerating when I say that
you are taking your life in your hands
on every turn, since you can’t see
around the corner.
Locals, it seems, don’t mind taking
that risk, preferring to drive fast and
then slam on the brakes as needed. I
was fortunate to be about one
second away from taking a left-hand
turn uphill around a blind curve. A
cement mixer was headed downhill
and took its right-hand turn too fast,
veering halfway into my lane. Given
that my side of the road was lined
with large concrete blocks edging a
cliff, it was very nearly a disaster.
But don’t let any of this scare you
away from driving in this region. It
really is lovely. The villages are
generally perched on the smaller
hills: tightly-packed clusters of stone
or stucco houses surrounding a
church with a tall square tower. The
land between the villages is either
mountainous—rocky, scrubby, with
scattered olive orchards on the lower
slopes, bare rock on the heights—or
the
valleys
between
those
mountains, again either scrubland or
orchards: olive, citrus or almond.
Some things to keep in mind
if you decide to drive in the
Costa Blanca
1. Slow down before every turn,
which really means: go slow pretty
much all the time. If someone comes
at you just as you reach a turn, you
may have to brake suddenly, so it
helps if you’re not going fast to begin
with. Remember, there’s nowhere to
swerve out of the way.
2. Stay to the right, especially on the
turns. If you can see around the next
turn, as is sometimes possible, and
you’re sure that no one’s coming the
other way, you can be a little more
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Netherlands and beyond
expansive in your driving and go
over the center line. Otherwise, just
don’t!
3. Slow down to a crawl when you do
need to pass someone coming the
other way, or you’re liable to lose a
side mirror.
4. …Which is why when you rent a
car you should get the full coverage,
so if you do end up with scratches or
damage a side mirror, you’ll be
covered.
5. Stop only where there’s space off
the road. Unfortunately, on this route,
there are very few of these spots.
You can risk stopping in the middle of
the road, but only do that where you
can see a long way in both
directions, so you can hop in and get
moving if a car comes along.
6. Don’t look at the scenery if you’re
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driving. It’s just too risky. Take turns
driving, switching whenever you find
one of those pull-over areas. That
way each of you will get to enjoy the
scenery for part of the journey.
7. In some places, the roadway is
painted with arrows indicating that a
passing zone is ending and you
should move back into your own
lane. Please don’t take this to mean
that it’s ever okay to pass! Anyone
who passes other cars on these
roads must have a death wish!
Despite all these warnings, I’d highly
recommend taking a drive around
the Costa Blanca countryside. It’s
too pretty to miss!
Written by Rachel Heller.
Rachel Heller lives in Groningen and
writes about travel, expat life and
other topics at http://rachelheller.org.
Your Career
SUCCESSFUL NETWORKING
The First Step To Finding A Job In The Netherlands
Networking is the way to find a job in
the Netherlands, but networking can
be seen as an art or a science most
people need to learn about and
practice regularly. Networking to find
a job in the Netherlands can be
especially challenging for those
coming from abroad and struggling
to find their way in a foreign
application culture. Professional
career support is very common in the
Netherlands; it varies from group
workshops providing more general
information to in-depth individual
trainings and coaching.
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Powered
by
this
knowledge,
Connect
International
and
International Welcome Center North
(IWCN)
have
offered
the
“Networking to Work in the
Netherlands” workshop exclusively
to Connect members. On 4
November 2015, 17 people gathered
at the IWCN for this workshop given
by career professional Annette
Rauh. Annette’s company, Annette
Rauh Coaching & Consult, is one of
the Service Partners of the IWCN.
The participants represented 13
different nationalities and many
Your Career
different professional backgrounds,
ranging from fashion to travel, real
estate,
engineering,
research,
accounting, HR, etc. Some were
graduating
Master’s
or
PhD
students, others were “trailing
spouses” or people looking to start a
new venture in the Netherlands. It
was a truly diverse and talented
international group!
During
this
informative
and
interactive workshop, participants
learned how to assemble an
effective “elevator pitch” concerning
their key talents and competencies,
their added value and their call to
action point, and then put the theory
into practice. Once the pitch was
set, Annette discussed the
different types of networking and
when they should be used, how to
go about achieving a networking
talk with someone (as a
successful and specifically Dutch
way of getting a job), and finally
discussed
some
cultural
differences in business etiquette
and networking. With this training,
participants were far better
prepared to effectively engage in
the
labor
market
in
the
Netherlands.
Bedrijfsleven Noord-Nederland, a
company
showcase
at
the
Martiniplaza, to try out their newly
acquired networking skills during the
exposition. Annette was on hand to
encourage them and give a bit of
advice when necessary. The goal
was for each person to come away
with at least one new “warm” contact,
which is the starting point for building
a successful network, and we’re
pleased to say that everyone
achieved or exceeded that goal. All
in all, this workshop turned out to be
a useful and successful event and a
worthy investment in one’s own
career opportunities.
Written by Karen Prowse
As an added bonus, at the end of
the workshop, participants were
given entry tickets to visit the
Promotiedagen
van
het
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Taste of Dutch
DUTCH APPLE TART
Traditional Dutch Recipe
You may have had this traditional
Dutch apple tart at a birthday
party, or work celebration, and
they can be purchased at
supermarkets. But as with most
treats, a homemade version
tastes so much better!
Dough
Here is a recipe to make your
own apple tart; you can opt to
leave out the walnuts or raisins if
you don’t like them.
Apple Mix
Make the dough by hand for best
results. In a medium bowl, whisk
together the flour, sugar, zest
and salt.
Using your fingers, work the
butter into the dry ingredients
until it resembles yellow corn
meal mixed with bean sized bits
of butter. (If the flour/butter
mixture gets warm, refrigerate it
for
10
minutes
before
proceeding.)
Add one egg yolk and stir the
dough together with a fork or by
hand in the bowl.
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175gr cold cubed butter (Roomboter)
150gr caster sugar (Witte basterdsuiker)
300gr self-raising flour
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 egg yolks
pinch of salt
1-1,5kg cooking apples, e.g.
Goudrenetten or Jonagolds, peeled,
cored and each cut into eight wedges
50gr raisins
50gr walnuts
2tbsp ground cinnamon
4tbsp sugar
Taste of Dutch
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and
refrigerate until thoroughly chilled: at
least 1 hour.
For the filling, mix the apples with the
raisins, walnuts, cinnamon and
sugar. Leave aside.
Take the dough out of the fridge.
Keep one quarter for the top.
Sprinkle your work surface with a
little flour and using a rollingpin, roll
out the dough to a 26-30cm circle,
3-5mm thick. As you roll out the
dough, check to make sure it isn't
sticking to your work surface. If and
when it starts to stick, gently lift it up
and sprinkle a little more flour on the
work surface or on the dough to keep
it from sticking.
Fill in with the apple mixture. Roll the
remaining dough into long strings (8
total) and lay them across the top in
a lattice format.
Whisk another egg yolk and brush it
over the top.
Bake for one hour in a pre-heated
oven at 180 degrees.
Serve the apple tart warm or cold
with a little cream on the side, or may
be some ice cream!
Written by Milena Stanojevic
Gently place the rolled out dough
into a 24cm round deep cake tin.
Press down to line the bottom and
sides with the dough, push in into the
corners.
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