PDF - Connect International

There is (Christmas) music in the air
December
Events
Page 4 & 5
Stamppot Recipe
Page 8
Southern Charm
Cupcakes
What would Christmas be without the sound of those
little boys’ voices sounding out the likes of “Once in
Royal David’s City” or “Away in a Manger”, particularly
for those hailing from the United Kingdom?
Well, there is a boys’choir here in our neck of the woods
that has been singing for nearly 30 years now and is
schooled on its British examples.
Page 10 & 11
How Connect
Helped Our Family
Page 12 & 13
Ice Sculptures
Festival
Page 14
Read more on page 6
Connecting
Worlds
Connect International serves the international
community in the provinces Groningen, Friesland,
Drenthe and Noord Holland.
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, and organize
events and activities to facilitate making further connections.
Join Us!
You can register to become a Connect
International member via our website. For
a small yearly fee, you can get the
Connections
e-magazine
newsletter
delivered directly to your email inbox, join
the Connect International community at
organized events, access the Connect
book library with many English books and
much more.
Visit: www.connect-int.org
Welcome New Members!
Connect International would like to
welcome
the
following
new
members: Shawn Laatsch, Tamanna
Zirak, Christine Muller, Sonia Stinus,
Mohamad Amr Zaini & Hala
Alhusaini, Tony Robertson and
Edward Jao & Elaine Yih.
UNDER
ONE ROOF
Connect International has a full membership
Connect’s Partners
Helping to welcome the world
Everything you need to make
yourself at home in the Netherlands
2 / Connections #45
PLATINUM:
GOLD:
Provincie Groningen
Provincie Friesland
Provincie Drenthe
N.V. NOM
GasTerra
SILVER:
ASSOCIATES:
ABN AMRO
Nijestee
Christmas
Gift Basket
Christmas gift basket giveaway
This year to celebrate Christmas,
Connect International is teaming up
with companies to put together a
Christmas gift basket full of lovely
prizes!
To enter into the giveaway simply visit
the Connect International Facebook
page and visit the “Giveaway” tab.
www.facebook.com/ConnectInternational
Sponsors
The giveaway is open to everyone, and will run until 8th December 2013. We will contact
the winner after this date so they can claim their prize before Christmas. The prize can
be collected from the Connect International Office in Groningen city centre, or
delivered within the Groningen city area.
Publication Team:
Contact:
Connect Head Office:
Herestraat 106, Room 1.06, 9711LM Groningen
Telephone: 050 7440087
Email: info@connect-int.org / connect@connect-int.org
Website: www.connect-int.org
https://www.facebook.co
m/ConnectInternational
https://twitter.com/@c
onnectintcwc
http://www.linkedin.com/
groups/Connect-International-3988542
Connect Noord Holland (Alkmaar Office):
Bovenweg 121, 1834CD Sint Pancras
Telephone: 06 25394234
Email: connectnoordholland@connect-int.org
https://www.facebook.com/
pages/ConnectNH/1852497
51488726
https://twitter.com/@Conne
ctNH
3 / Connections #45
Editor & Publication Design: Stephanie Fermor
Assistant Editor: Margaret Metsala
Contributers to this issue:
Stephanie Fermor, Karen Prowse, Margaret Metsala,
Alexandra van den Doel, Andrea Kullek, Isabella Boscaro,
Lori McKinney, Marie & Neil Wallace
Interested in advertising in Connections E-Magazine?
Advertising Rates per Issue (10 issues per year) :
1/4 Page (12.5 x 9.5 cm)
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http://www.linkedin.com/gr
oups/ConnectNH-2985733
Contact publications@connect-int.org for more details.
Events
Calendar
December 2013
Other December events
Stranger Things Have Happened,
English-language improv group
Date: 4 December 8pm
Location: Simplon, Groningen
More info: www.simplon.nl/ticket
The choir, orchestra and a-capella choir
of G.S.M.G. Bragi
Date: 13 December 8:15pm
Location: St. Jozefkerek, Groningen
More info: www.bragi.nl/concerts/
See the ‘Weekend Tips’ emails for more local events
happening through out the month.
4 / Connections #45
December
Events
CONNECT
(Groningen, Friesland & Drenthe)
CONNECT Noord Holland
(Noord Holland)
Craft Club - Crochet Workshop
Date: 1 December 2013, 2:00 pm
Location: @ office Connect International,
Herestraat 106, Groningen
CNH Kids & Coffee
Date: 6 December 2013, 9:00 am
Location: At the home of Begoña,
Heemskerk
Craft Club - Felt Soap Making Special!
Date: 3 December 2013, 1:00 pm
Location: @ Stephanie's house in
Groningen
Coffee Connection (child-free zone)
Date: 9 December 2013,
Location: At the home of Jayne,
Barsingerhorn
Christmas Party
Date: 7 December 2013, 4:45 pm
CNH Goes To The Ballet!
Date: 12 December 2013, 7:30 pm
Location: Café De Kleine Waarheid,
around the corner from the cinema...
Writer's Circle
Date: 11 December 2013, 7:30 pm
Connect for Coffee
Date: 13 December 2013, 10:30 am
Location: @ La Place, V&D in Groningen
Connect Day Trippers:
Oldenburg Christmas Market
Date: 15 December 2013, 10:15 am
Location: @ Public Express stop in
Groningen, Central Station close to
Museumbridge
NH Adult Christmas Party
Date: 14 December 2013
Location: At Sue’s home Bergen
CNH Book Club Film Night
Date: 19 December 2013, 7:45 pm
Location: At the home of Federica,
Alkmaar
Connect for Coffee
Date: 20 December 2013, 10:30 am
Location: @ La Place, V&D in Groningen
5 / Connections #45
Places to go
Things to see
There is (Christmas) music in the air
(Continued from front page)
I spoke to the choir master of the
Roder Jongenskoor, Rintje te Wies,
about the boys and the choir.
This way of singing and training is
not known at all well in the
Netherlands and certainly not back
when the choir started up in the
eighties. The big advantage of this is
that Dutch people are surprised and
endeared when they see little boys
singing, and in English too (or
German or even Russian!).
The
disadvantage is that there is no
tradition of boys singing, let alone
them following an education in
singing or joining a choir, so finding
new boys as the older ones progress
to the men’s choir or progress to
other things can be a challenge.
The boys come to the choir either
through following the “From C to C”
(from cymbalist to chorister) course
written by Rintje at the choir school,
or
through
private
music
tuition/singing lessons.
The choir
performs on its own or with the
men’s
choir,
throughout
the
Netherlands, but also (of course) in
the UK and there have been other
trips abroad too.
According to
Rintje it is fantastic to watch the boys
gain in confidence and watch their
progress in the choir affect other
aspects of their lives in terms of
confidence
and
ability
to
concentrate for example. Also, the
choir wouldn’t be such a success
without the aid, encouragement
and support of the parents.
Currently the choir has boys with
Dutch, German, English, Belarus and
Asian roots.
Christmas performances Roder Jongenskoor
24 December
A Festival of Lessons and Carols.
Der Aa-Kerk, Groningen at 19.30.
6 / Connections #45
26 December
A Festival of Lessons and Carols.
Martinikerk, Groningen at 15.00.
Places to go
Things to see
Let’s not forget the girls! Originally
set up (in 2000) to give the sisters of
the boys something to do whilst
waiting for their brothers (!), Roden
Girl Choristers is now a proper choir
in its own right, led by South-African
born (and raised) Sonja de Vries.
Music specifically for girls’ choirs is
still hard to find, but getting better as
more and more girls in the UK are
now also joining choirs and choir
schools and Sonja spends many
hours in dusty British book stores
looking for suitable material. Their
motto is: “where friends commit to
quality” and that certainly radiates
from the girls when performing.
Whether for sentimental reasons or
just because you would like to hear
good music sung beautifully by
young girls or boys (ages 7-15), the
performances (throughout the year
– not just Christmas!) can be found
on their respective websites.
Alexandra van den Doel
Christmas performances Roden Girl Choristers
15 December
Christmas Concert in collaboration
Mastreechter Staar. Emmen,
Theater Muzeval at 15:00.
21 December
Christmas concert. Basiliek Heilige
Kruisverheffing, Raalte at 19.30.
22 December
Christmas concert.
Grote Kerk, Almelo at 15.30.
23 December
Festival of Lessons and Carols.
Katholieke Kerk Veenhuizen at
20.00.
Additional information about joining the choirs and performance
dates can be found on their respective websites.
Roder Jongenskoor Website: www.roderjongenskoor.nl
Roden Girl Choristers Website: www.rodengirlchoristers.nl
7 / Connections #45
Dutch
Recipe
Stamppot - traditional Dutch winter fare
The temperatures are starting to fall, there were even a few flakes of snow
at the end of November. As the winter season starts, the Dutch pull out their
big pots and their "stampers" and they make stamppot!
There are so many different recipes
for stamppot, but the basics is that
you boil up some potatoes, mash
them up, add some boerenkool
(kale), endives etc. and serve it up
with something meaty like a
rookworst or meatballs. In the cold
months it is a very warming and
hearty dish, and also budget
friendly.
1. Peel and dice the potatoes and onion.
2. Clean, trim and chop up the boerenkool.
3. In a large pan, add the potatoes and just
enough water to cover them.
4. Cover and boil gently for about 25 mins.
5. Drain the potatoes (reserving the water)
and return to the pot with 350ml of the
reserved water.
Ingredients
500g Potatoes
150g Boerenkool (kale)
100g Diced thick bacon
1 Onions
250g Rookworst
40ml Milk
10g Butter
6. Add the boerenkool on top along with the
rookworst (keep it in the original
vacuum-sealed package), cover and return to boil until the kale has
been steamed until soft and turns a dark green color (5-7 mins).
7. Meanwhile brown the bacon and onions in a pan until just browned but
not crisp.
8. Remove the pan of potatoes and boerenkool from the stove, remove
the rookworst and add the bacon mixture, milk, butter, add salt and
pepper to taste and mash.
9. Slice the rookworst and serve aside or on top of the mashed
vegetables. Add a “well” of gravy if you like too.
8 / Connections #45
9 / Connections #45
Entrepreneur
Feature
Southern Charm Cupcakes
My passion for cooking and baking started at a
young age, thanks to the encouragement of my
parents and grandmothers. That passion was
fueled at the age of 12 when I won not only first
place, but a special spotlight award for the best
overall cake at our county fair. For many, that
may not have been a big deal, but for a 12 yearr
old, competing against all adults, I thought I’d
won the lottery.
Over the years I continued to bake
for family and friends for special
occasions. In the Deep South, food
is love; so sharing something I’d
created from scratch was a labor of
love. I believe that when you create
something with love, that it tastes
better.
In 2002, I landed in the Netherlands
to begin a life with the man who
eventually became my husband.
Over time (and adjustment to
different ingredients and measuring
system), my passion resurfaced and
I found myself baking and sharing
American treats with my Dutch
10 / Connections #45
family, plus my expat and Dutch
friends. They insisted that I should
take my passion for baking and
cooking to the next level, and after
much research and consideration, I
thought, why not?
So
it
was
through
the
encouragement, support and love
from family and friends, that
Southern Charm Cupcakes was
born.
I wanted a name that
captured the essence not only of
my southern roots, but embodied
who I am as a person, and the name
does exactly that.
Entrepreneur
Feature
I wasn’t sure how the Dutch outside
of my social circle would respond,
but the experience has been
extremely positive. When I see the
smile spread across someone’s face
when they taste one of my
creations, or receive an email after
an event where someone shares
how much everyone enjoyed what I
had created, that’s when I know
I’ve accomplished exactly what I set
out to do, which is create a product
that my clients not only enjoy, but
love.
Cesar Chavez says, “The people
who give you their food give you
their heart.” That’s how I feel every
time I walk into the cupcake kitchen
to create something for a client, or
experiment with new products and
techniques. This is my passion, to
make someone’s day a little brighter
by creating something delicious and
beautiful with the highest quality
ingredients available. Every item
that leaves my kitchen isn’t ‘just’ a
delicious cupcake, cake, brownie or
other treat; it’s a little piece of my
heart.
As for what the future holds- I’m
open to all possibilities, including the
dream of expanding into a tea
room and possibly even catering.
Lori McKinney
t
Connec
nal
Internatio ive
s rece
member
iscount.
a 10% d
ention
Please m ing.
der
when or
Website: http://www.southerncharmcupcakes.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/southerncharmcupcakes
11 / Connections #45
Life
Experience
How Connect International helped our family
transition into life in the Netherlands
In 2010 Marie & Neil were planning on coming to the Netherlands. Before
making the move they were in contact with Connect International.
All the paperwork and forms
Before
we
arrived
in
the
Netherlands, Connect helped us get
the important forms sorted out for
our residency cards. Once in the
Netherlands, Connect then took us
through the numerous steps to
obtain Dutch residency cards and
acted as our representative at the
Immigration Office. As Marie’s card
would expire at the end of her first
year, they explained to us the steps
we’d need to take in order for her to
renew it.
When it came to setting up our bank
accounts they gave very helpful
advice in finding a bank that would
accept us as clients, even without a
Dutch banking history. They helped
with all the complicated Dutch
paperwork, and in transferring funds
from Canada to our accounts here
in the Netherlands.
Connect gave us instructions as to
the process of obtaining Dutch
driving licenses and in obtaining OV
chip cards to be used on the NS
train system. Almost everything is of
course in Dutch, having Connect
there to help made things so much
easier.
12 / Connections #45
Finding a home in the Netherlands
When we came to the Netherlands
we needed to find a place to live.
Connect International acted as our
representative when we viewed
possible
rental
properties
in
Noord-Holland province. When we
found the home we wanted to
move into they helped negotiate
and draft our Dutch rental
agreement. An English translation of
the rental agreement was supplied
to us so that we felt comfortable
understanding what we were
signing.
Our rights as Dutch tenants were
also outlined. This was very helpful
when we encountered some issues
in our rented home.
Life
Experience
When problems arose...
Sometime after we had settled into
life in the Netherlands it became
apparent that there was a billing
and meter issue with our electricity
provider. It was difficult for us to deal
directly with the company. We
struggled to get through to a
customer service representative
because of the very complicated
Dutch menu phone system, which
was
voice-activated.
We
contacted Connect Noord Holland
who relayed the layers of problems
with respect to the electricity issues
in Dutch. This really helped in
resolving the issue quickly.
It has been a real comfort knowing that we have SOMEONE that can
competently & professionally represent us if we cannot work out an issue in
the Netherlands due to the language barrier or our lack of understanding
of the processes/ laws/ culture.
We have been dealing with Connect International for 3 years now & our
experiences have been nothing but positive. We highly recommend them
to any company or individual who chooses to take on an Expat assignment
in the Netherlands.
Marie Wallace is a member of Connect Noord Holland.
13 / Connections #45
Places to go
Things to see
Ice sculptures festival in Zwolle
After giving shape to the renowned Brothers Grimm’s fairy tales characters
in the last edition, this year, the Ice Sculptures Festival in Zwolle is dedicated
to the bicentenary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands .
You can relive the fascinating history
of the Netherlands through the
accurate reproduction of those
events and personalities that made
this small country big, starting in 1813
with the King Willem I, until the
abdication of Queen Beatrix and
the subsequent coronation of King
Willem-Alexander in 2013.
The sculptures, real works of art, are
made by 500,000 pounds of snow
and ice, and are the result of the
effort of dozens of specialized artists
from all over the world, who worked
hard in extreme conditions for two
weeks.
Image source: http://www.ijsbeelden.nl/fotos/
After viewing the sculputres you can
get warm in the “Winter pavilion”
with a cup of hot chocolate or
mulled wine (glühwein); together
with excellent winter recipes or
performing stunts on the ice skating
rink just outside.
This enchanting world of snow and
ice, which takes place under a tent
of 2,000 m², is open for visitors every
day from Saturday 7 December,
2013 until Sunday 26 January, 2014.
For more information visit the
website www.ijsbeelden.nl
Image source: http://www.ijsbeelden.nl/fotos/
The
temperature
inside
the
exhibition
space
is
artificially
maintained at 8 degrees below zero
so it is advisable to wear warm
clothes, gloves and boots.
14 / Connections #45
The festival is also a nice opportunity
to visit the historic center of Zwolle,
capital of the province of Overijssel,
and take a walk inside the walls and
canals that surround it in a magical
Christmas atmosphere.
Isabella Boscaro
Places to
Visit
15 / Connections #45