59 connections apr2015

Connect International serves the international community in the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe.

Attention Writers!Enjoy Writing?The Connections Newsletter is seeking volunteer writers who enjoy writing on a theme, informative articles, or opinions they want to share. Interested? Contact us [email protected]

2 Connections #59

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.

ConnectingWorlds

Connect International would like to welcome the following new members: Kinga Wudarska, Raffaella Bonigolo, Andrea Favero, Ana-Elena Moldovan, Marja Kuzmanic, Sunkung Choi, Tarek Bhija, Clare Wilde & James Oleson, Ana-Elena Moldovan, Richie & Jamie Gair, Denis Chantreau, Sandra Finkel, Marc Lacavalier, Annika Mueller, Michael Tripac and Diana Tripac, Sergi Guerrero Llobet, Franziska Kriegenburg, Mariska de Jong

Welcome New Members!Serv ices :

Jo in Us !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

● Immigration services● Home search & set-up● Social events, activities & clubs● Career services● Business events● Books & guides● Knowledge database

Connect International

Contact : Publ ica t ion Team:Connect International office:Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, GroningenPostbus 16, 9700 AA GroningenTelephone: 050 7440087Email: [email protected]: www.connect-int.org

Publisher: Stephanie Fermor-PoortmanAssistant Editor: Margaret MetsalaContributers to this issue: Stephanie Fermor-Poortman, Alexandra van den Doel, Karen Prowse, Susan Tredenick & Margaret Metsala

Interested in advertising in Connections E-Magazine?Advertising Rates per Issue (10 issues per year) : 1/4 Page (12.5 x 9.5 cm) €25,00 1/2 Page (12.5 x 19 cm) €50,00 1 Page (A4 - 21 x 29.7cm) €100,00

Contact [email protected] for more details.

Everything you need to make yourself at home in the Netherlands

UNDERONE ROOF

Connect International has a full membership

https://www.facebook.com/ConnectInternational

https://twitter.com/@connectintcwc

Connecting Worlds

3 Connections #59 Connect International

AprilCalendar

April 2015


Primary Education & Secondary Education SchoolsBasisonderwijs & Voortgezet onderwijs

Many schools will be closed Friday 3rd April and Monday 6 April for Easter. Some schools may also be closed Tuesday 7th April, so please check at your childs’ school.

In additional, most schools will be closed Monday 27th April to celebrate Koningsdag.

School Holiday Dates

AprilEvents

International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 17 April 2015 at 10:30 hrsLocation: @ La Place, V&D in Groningen

Het IK-BOEK Friday 17 April 2015 at 17:00 hrsLocation: TBA

Clay-pigeon ShootingSunday 19 April 2015 at 14:00 hrsLocation: Sportschietcentrum Delfzijl

Parents Coffee TimeTuesday 21 April 2015 at 00:00 hrsLocation: Het Paleis, Boterdiep 111, Groningen

Games NightThursday 23 April 2015 at 18:30 hrsLocation: Conference Room, Poelestraat 30, Groningen

Coffee in LeeuwardenFriday 24 April 2015 at 10:30 hrsLocation: Andere Koffie, Naauw 5, Leeuwarden


Upcoming Events in Groningen, Friesland & DrentheChocolate DessertsThursday 2 April 2015 at 11:00 hrsLocation: @ Adeline's house

International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 3 April 2015 at 10:30 hrsLocation: @ La Place, V&D in Groningen


Coffee in Leeuwarden Friday 10 April 2015 at 10:30 hrsLocation: Andere Koffie, Naauw 5, Leeuwarden

Meet + Greet BorrelFriday 10 April 2015 at 17:00 hrsLocation: O'Malley's Irish Pub, Oosterstraat, Groningen

Parents Coffee Time Tuesday 14 April 2015 at 10:00 hrsLocation: Het Paleis, Boterdiep 111, Groningen

Chocolate Gateau Thursday 16 April 2015 at 11:00 hrsLocation: @ Adeline's house5 Connections #59 Connect International

DutchCulture

King’s Day, or Koningsdag in Dutch is the biggest national event here in the Netherlands. The first Koningsdag (then called Koninginnendag, 'Queen’s day') was held in 1885 in honour of the birth of Queen Wilhemina. Now it is celebrated on 27 April (or 26 April if the 27th falls on a Sunday), the day King Willem-Alexander was born. It is one of the most cherished Dutch traditions.

Koningsdag as an Expat


by Stephanie Fermor-Poortman

Being British, I would liken the celebrations to something similar to the Royal wedding, or the Queens jubilee, a special day full of celebration and national pride. The best bit is that the Dutch celebrate this every year and with those many years of experience they have developed a truly unique and fun day.

If this will be your first Koningsdag, then here are a few tips and things to expect to get you through it!

ORANGE!!Hopefully you don't have a fear of the colour orange as it will be everywhere.

DutchCulture


You will see people dressed in orange, draped in Dutch flags, painted faces and funky wigs, orange bunting and decorations everywhere; the whole country gets overtaken with orange on Koningsdag (and of course during large sporting events).

You will also find that many of your typical Dutch treats like tompoucen, donuts and soesjes will have been given an orange facelift.

Live Music & EventsIf you live in a larger city, you will certainly find many celebrations taking place all around. From live music,

entertainment, flea markets, there is just a lot going on everywhere and it doesn't matter what the weather will decide to do; people will be out celebrating come rain or shine.

It is also not just on Monday: the night before, there is a large music event in Groningen city center called 'Nacht van Oranje' (meaning night of orange). More info about what is going on around Groningen can be found here: http://www.oranjegroningen.nl/

Flea MarketsThe Dutch love a good deal, and Koningsdag is a chance to get one!

DutchCulture


Depending on the size of the town or city you live in there will be a number of flea markets around. Groningen has quite a few, but the main one is on the Ubbo Emmiussingel, Praediniussingel, Ganzevoortsingel and Coehoornsingel streets (near the city center) and starts at 9:00 hrs (get there early if you want to pick up the best stuff!). If you are interested in selling? Then turn up with your stuff an hour or more before the start, find a space along the street and get set up, but be prepared for people to haggle over the prices!

Dutch Royal FamilyWell it is called Koningsdag for a reason! This year, King Willem-Alexander and The Dutch royal family will be on parade in Dordrecht (a city in the south of the Netherlands, close to Rotterdam). The event will be shown on TV if you want to see it.

Performing ChildrenDon't be surprised when you see children (of all ages) out on the street performing for change. From singing, playing musical instruments, juggling, or what ever talents they may have!

So get out that Dutch agenda (the one where you note down coffee appointments) and mark down Monday 27 April, because you don't want to miss out on this great Dutch cultural experience.

Upcoming Workshop


Information Center


In the Netherlands, if you need medical attention, your first port of call is not as in some countries the hospital, but your “huisarts” (general practitioner). This is for all non-emergencies.

[If you require an ambulance (heart attack, road traffic accident, etc.), please phone the emergency number 112 and ask for an ambulance clearly stating the address of your location, the nature of the emergency and the age and gender of the patient.]

Going to the Doctor’s

But back to the “huisarts”. The literal translation is house physician and this is what he or she should be. Someone to whom you can entrust the medical well-being of your family throughout the years. So how does it work?

1. Find a huisartsIdeally, you need to find a huisarts as close to you as possible. This is important as you may need them to

by Alexandra van den Doel & Karen Prowse

make a home visit and you want to minimize your own travel time when you or your kids are sick. Look in the telephone book/on-line, ask your neighbours or ask the gemeente. Ring the practice (most huisartsen operate in a practice with 2-3 doctors sharing) and try to get accepted. Practices can refuse you if they are oversubscribed, if you are not in the right post code, if you are too far away etc., so you may need to ring more than one. If you prefer to be treated by a female doctor, please make sure to ask if the practice has one. Most doctors (especially the younger ones) will speak English to a good level, but check! Also note that many people (and especially women) work part-time in the Netherlands, so you will not always be able to see your preferred doctor. Which brings me neatly to the next segment.

2. Making an appointmentFirst you will be connected with the receptionist. This is often a woman and appears to be a fierce defender of the doctor whose mantra is: “you shall not bother the doctor/waste their time and I am not here to provide a service”. Be prepared to explain your medical symptoms to this non-doctor and plead for an appointment. Make sure you

Information Center


keep this person on your side as he/she will determine whether you get an appointment that day/week. Note that in true Dutch style these people will take coffee breaks and lunch breaks at times convenient to them. Note that at weekends/holidays/other times the practice is closed, you can ring your local “huisartsenpost” to see if they are willing to see you. Be prepared for them to ask you to wait to see your own huisarts when they reopen if they do not feel your situation is sufficiently urgent.

3. Turning up for the appointmenta. Turn up on time. You will invariably have to wait. However, do not keep the doctor waiting. It is the rule!

b. When entering the waiting room make sure to call out

Goedemorgen/Goedemiddag and expect to have to return this greeting when new patients come into the waiting room.

c. Some doctors require you to register with the receptionist; some just to take a seat. You will figure it out soon enough.

4. The appointmentDo not be surprised if certain procedures (suture removal, PAP smear, blood pressure checks, for example) are carried out by the receptionist\nurse and not by the doctor. If you do see the doctor, don’t forget to shake their hand!

Note that you will only have 10 minutes for your entire appointment. It is therefore important to be prepared, concise and to the point. Do not be surprised if the doctor sends you away with the message: “this will solve itself, if you are in pain take some paracetemol”. Doctors in the Netherlands are wary of (over) prescribing antibiotics and believe in the body healing itself. If you have a condition that does need further treatment the huisarts can refer you to a specialist (usually located at a hospital) or for blood tests for example. These are usually taken at a different location with different opening times to your huisarts practice. You will not be able to get a blood test, or see a specialist without a referral from the

Information Center


huisarts. By the way, you do not need a referral to see a physiotherapist, but consider going to your huisarts first for them to determine whether physiotherapy is a safe option for you.

5. ScreeningYou may be used to having regular health checks and screenings in your own country. This is not the Dutch way. There are screenings for people who fall into risk categories due to age, genetic or medical history and you will automatically get called up for the age-related ones, but general health screenings are not considered necessary and even counter-productive.

All this may sound barbaric, basic or a great luxury to you depending on your personal or cultural experiences to date. But not to worry. Proper health care is there when you need it and the costs are generally taken care of by your insurance (which is mandatory, but financial assistance can be available to pay this insurance). Also, the matter of fact approach to colds and other viruses (which really cannot be cured by antibiotics you know) soon becomes a way of life and some even come to appreciate it.

If you cannot get used to the Dutch system, help may be at hand soon.

About 400,000 “internationals” live and work in the Netherlands, and 1/10 of

them live and work in the northern three provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe. A health care survey of 500 of these internationals, representing all nationalities, age groups, and regions of the Netherlands was conducted by International Health Services.

The results of this survey indicate that 77% are dissatisfied with one or more aspects of the Dutch first-line health care experience and only 32% have confidence in their general practitioner. In addition, 37% feel that their experiences with health care are a reason to want to leave the country. However, 64% would stay longer if health care would align with their expectations. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, internationals are important for the economic development of the Netherlands, bringing special skills with them and filling in gaps left in the Dutch labor market. Therefore, keeping the Netherlands attractive so these internationals come to and stay in the country is important.

In the survey, internationals indicated that they would like to see the following: • Investment in knowledge about other health care cultures; • Development of multicultural communication skills in first-line health care; • Interaction with and treatment of individual internationals taking into account health care backgrounds;

Information Center


• eHealth applications in multiple languages and translations of health and illness information; • Information in multiple languages about the health care system in general in the Netherlands, the important role of the general practitioner and the successful system of health education and the restrained interference policy of the Dutch; • Development of care tailored to the specific problems of internationals; • Increased duration of consultations, if necessary, to improve trust levels. Since internationals go to their general practitioner less often than Dutch people, longer consultations but less of them would equal out on average.

In response to this survey, an initiative is underway by the Ministry of

Economic Affairs to address these sources of dissatisfaction by engaging health care insurance companies to work with them on the above solutions. In addition, one could imagine that insurance packages could be developed specifically suited to the needs of internationals, or that international health care centers could be set up keeping in mind the multicultural and multilingual backgrounds of the internationals.

So, for any international who has expressed reservations about the Dutch health care system, the Dutch government has heard you and is taking your experiences seriously. As with any change, it won’t happen overnight but at least the wheels of change have been set in motion.

Your Stories


Whether living temporarily or permanently overseas the daily challenges can be similar for everyone. Over the coming months I will chat with expats all over Europe about how they found themselves living in Europe and, most importantly, tips to help any newcomer survive.

Interview with an Expatby Susan Tredenick

France for 9 months and then to Belgium in 1999 where I have been for the last 16 years.

What was your initial reason for coming to Europe?My only reason for uprooting my life in Australia and moving overseas was to come with my Belgium boyfriend. I love living overseas and experiencing the life that Europe has to offer.

Can you tell us a bit about your life in Europe?I came to Europe as you know for a man and during our 21 years here we have been married and will be celebrating 18 years in April. I enjoyed our time during our first four years in Amsterdam as it is such a diverse city and we met a lot of interesting

Helena has lived abroad in Europe for over 20 years. Leaving Australia in 1994 to make the long trek to Europe, she is certainly well qualified to give us some tips on how to make the transition a little smoother. Mother of three and wife, to an often-absent travelling husband, I caught up with Helena to chat about how she found herself in this situation and how life has panned out over the past 20 years:

How long have you lived overseas?I have lived overseas now for 21 years. Holland was my first country and I arrived in 1994. I lived in Amsterdam for 4 years and following on from that,

Your Stories


wonderful people. One important social connection for us was joining an English speaking expat group where we met other couples, of varying nationalities, that were experiencing similar circumstances as us.

To our wonderful joy in 2001 our first daughter was born, followed in 2002 by our son and in 2003 another daughter. I have had part-time jobs over the years, but this was never a priority for me as I always intended to be a “stay-at-home” mother. Learning the language was also very important and I am happy to say that I can now speak fluent French and Dutch (Flemish).

What are some of your challenges?I think that the language barrier is one of the hardest challenges, as well as just the finer differences between cultures. You can make a lot of friends but they don’t always have a similar life plan; New Zealanders and Australians are people who will travel and experience a world at the age of 18 where I find here it is more geared towards, going directly to study, getting married and settling down. Conversation can also be a challenge and I find that it is sometimes very limited as often our thoughts and life style patterns are very different.

For me also the weather is difficult, coming from a country that is known for its sunshine and beautiful weather it can become depressing after months

and months of dark days and rain and snow.

What tips would you give to a newcomer to help them settle earlier?If you are in the situation of working, try to mix socially with your work colleagues on a Friday evening if the chance arises. For mothers of young children, stand at the school gate and start to mingle with the other mothers and asking children to come over and play often helps break barriers. Birthday parties are also a good way to invite children and their parents over.

Learning the language of course is very important and trying to continue to speak the language even when someone tries to talk to you in English. This often happens when people can hear your English accent behind the Dutch.

Try and join a group that will enable you to mix with other English-speaking (or your own language) people as they will appreciate your humour and I found not having to repeat myself continuously made me feel a little more human.

Last words?Just try to take a positive frame of mind and be willing to accept and try new things. Life is good but also has its moments and I think whether you live in your own country or a foreign country you have the same daily challenges.

Places to go Things to see

Liberation of Groningen

On the weekend of 10 - 12 April, Groningen celebrates the 70th anniversary of the city’s liberation in World War II in a big way with large-scale battle re-enactments complete with tanks, army vehicles, and approximately 300 actors.

Paterswoldseweg will be the scene of battle on 10 April and on 12 April; the battle continues on the Vismarkt. According to Battlefield Tours, the Herman Colleniusbrug will also be a location. http://goo.gl/NjyDHN

The Groninger Internet Courant (GIC) reports that, during the liberation in 1945, 100 citizens lost their lives along with 43 Canadians and an estimated 300 German soldiers and Belgian and

Dutch collaborators. Much of the city center was destroyed in the last days of the war. Among the planned events, at the Stadspark there will be a World War II camp and there will be a dance with the proceeds going to War Child. The Scheepsvaart Museum will have an exhibition about the war and liberation of Groningen.

More about the events will be posted on the Facebook page of Stichting Liberation of Groningen. Scrolling down to 3 September 2014, you will find the moving story of Canadian soldier Stanley Butterworth (mostly in English) returning to visit Paterswoldseweg 188 where his brother Fred was killed in a tank.

Notifications of events and updates will also be posted at the Battlefield Tours website: http://goo.gl/SxdelY


by Margaret Metsala

Food for Thought


Places to go Things to see

It's spring and time for the 1st Diezijn leuk! handmade market of the year. Like previous markets, it will again be on the Vismarkt in Groningen, hopefully with some spring warmth and over 100 stalls selling creative crafts, designs, vintage and retro items and also various craft materials, craft goodies and much more.

Diezijn leuk! Handmade Marketby Stephanie Fermor-Poortman

Between 10 and 12, you can come and enjoy a breakfast served by Eetclub de Kale Kip and is 100% vegan with no fish, no meat and no eggs.

In the afternoon the market is lightened up by the lively tunes of the Flageolettes. Music from a by gone era with a hefty dose of humour, tango and jazz, Netherlands to South America and back again via Russia, mambo, swing, disco and rock 'n roll.

And of course the traditional Diezijn Leuk!-fun of stalls filled with small business owners and hobbyists from around the country. Including Handmade Cuddles with colourful children’s decorations and Unyk Accessories, who will be giving a demonstration on glass bead making.

This will be the 10th time the Diezijn Leuk! market has been held, and it is extra special as it falls over the Easter weekend. They are celebrating this anniversary edition with a traditional Dutch 'Paasontbijt' (Easter breakfast).


Documents

59 connections apr2015