60 connections may2015

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 #60

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: Vladimir Bobrov Fiona McGowan Michael Thorndyke Yvonne Knevelbaard Stacia Gorden

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

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Everything you need to make yourself at home in the Netherlands

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3 Connections #60 Connect International

MayCalendar

May 2015


Primary Education & Secondary Education SchoolsBasisonderwijs & Voortgezet onderwijs

Most schools will be closed for May vacation from 2nd May until 10th May (week 19). Note: ISG is closed from 24th April until 10th May.

In addition most schools will also be closed: 14-05-15 to 17-05-15 - Ascension Day (Hemelvaartsverlof) 25-05-15 - Whit Monday (Tweede Pinksterdag)

School Holiday Dates

MayEvents

Parents Coffee TimeTuesday 19 May 2015 at 10:00 hrs

Book ClubTuesday 19 May 2015 at 19:30 hrs@ Rachel's house

Coffee in LeeuwardenFriday 22 May 2015 at 10:30 hrs

Upcoming Events in Groningen, Friesland & DrentheInternational Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 1 May 2015 at 10:30 hrs@ La Place, V&D in Groningen

Coffee in LeeuwardenFriday 8 May 2015 at 10:30 hrs@ Andere Koffie, Naauw 5, Leeuwarden


Wednesday 13 May 2015 at 19:30 hrs@ Rachel's house

International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 15 May 2015 at 10:30 hrs@ La Place, V&D in Groningen


@ Andere Koffie, Naauw 5, Leeuwarden


International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 29 May 2015 at 10:25 hrs

Pub Night Meet & Greet BorrelFriday 8 May 2015 at 17:00 hrs@ O'Malley's Irish Pub, Oosterstraat, Groningen


Writer's Circle

Places to go Things to see

Den Haag is an international city, the seat of government, and royalty. The city played a role in the story of how The Netherlands came to be, a part which was touched on in the recent movie, Michiel de Ruyter. If you go see the movie and you’re interested in the history of those days, your trip to Den Haag must include the Gevangenpoort where the brothers deWitt met their end in 1672. The movie will be coming out in English in North America entitled Admiral.

Den Haag


by Margaret Metsala

The King was receiving guests whilst I walked past and the front of the palace was roped off and guarded. I could catch only a glimpse of the brass band playing behind the gate. Until the guests entered, nobody would be allowed past. An hour later, I passed by again and saw two horsedrawn carriages from the palace approach accompanied by police escorts. They came right past me and I could admire the ornate carriages and wonder who could be inside - perhaps it was a princess and her friends? Whoever they were, it was just another day in Den Haag, with police holding up traffic for horse-drawn carriages from the palace as people walked along

nonchalantly or patiently waited to go on their way. I’d never seen anything like it and enjoyed the serendipity.

Besides its impressive city attractions, Den Haag is blessed with gorgeous nearby beaches, parks, walking and biking trails. It is a

Places to go Things to see


picnic-worthy city, even downtown at the palace gardens or alongside a canal - if you get that far - for you will be stopped in your tracks by Mauritshuis, home of the famed Girl with a Pearl Earring. Because Den Haag is like this, I find it a city that almost requires an itinerary. I decide before I go what kind of day I would like to have. There are ample choices of things to do indoors or out and a visit to the beach for dinner by the sea is almost a must-do in any kind of weather.

The attractions are many: Scheveningen, Madurodam, the Gevangenpoort, Panorama Mesdag,

(nice to do before spending the rest of the day at the real beach!), the Duinrell attraction park, Het Binnenhof, a Chinatown, and the Hague Market on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It’s worth knowing the tram routes!

Den Haag is also an ideal centre to stay for exploring nearby cities like Gouda or Delft, especially if you’re planning a weekend away.

For tourist information and tips in English, try: http://denhaag.com/en

Fun things with the kids


One of the most important events each year for a child is their birthday. So you do not want to disappoint your child and throw a party that is not up to the standards of Dutch kids.

Throwing a kids birthday partyby Milena Stanojevic

Of course, the most important part is the age of the child.

The 3rd birthday is something your child is usually aware of, but they are still too small to have a long party. You may also have to invite parents, as small children do not always want to stay alone. Keep it short and do not invite too many children. The best time of the day would be a morning, when the children are not tired and in a good mood.

From the 4th birthday on, parents are not expected to stay at the birthday party. You are expected to deliver your small one and pick them up at the indicated time. Pick up is usually very fast; you will not be offered a piece of cake, this is not a parents’ social event.If you are throwing the party at your place, be sure that it is well planned. Think about the timing, when the children are going to eat, which games you are going to play, how much time each game would take. Children‘s parties are usually 2 to 3 hours long, which is more than enough. Have plans for both bad and good weather, because you never know. In the case of good weather, think about some nice outdoor location close to you,

Fun thingswith the kids


where the children can first play some games, and later on run around and do whatever they want. If it is raining, a good option for this age is a costume party, or just simple face paint, to bring them into a role-play. A treasure hunt is also a good solution for both indoor and outdoor parties.

School children, age 5-7 have already attended enough birthday parties to have an opinion about their own party. Talk to your child a few weeks in advance about what he/she would like to do, where and how many friends they would like to invite. If you decide to do it at home, a theme party is a good solution and can help you come up with ideas for games and decorations. There are a lot of tips and ideas to be found online, and also a lot of different birthday party accessories to be ordered from webshops (or just to give you an idea how to make it yourself). The other option is to celebrate at another location. Most of the places visited by children offer birthday party organization. Some of them are petting zoos, museums, libraries, botanical gardens, theatre, cinemas, sport halls… There are of course a couple of

indoor playgrounds where the birthday party is fully organized for you. However, be aware that most children have already visited these playgrounds, either with their parents or for other birthdays, so this might be a easy option for you, but a boring one for the little guests.

For the children age 8-10 the birthday party is not only playing games. These children know exactly what kind of a party they want, and there is usually a theme to accompany it. There are also many locations available for the party (mentioned above). Popular activities are also bowling, swimming, carting, horse riding…

Whatever you decide to do, be careful with the number of guests. The Dutch rule is: the number of years your child is turning plus one. Better to have two separate parties with school friends and family friends, than one huge party. Children are very excited during the whole period around their birthday, so too many guests will just make them more edgy and uncontrollable.

LifeExperience


I caught up with Suzanna over coffee at “La Place” in V&D Groningen. Suzanna is on her second attempt to make life work overseas and she is on a mission to experience what life has to offer in her husband’s beloved country and the rest of Europe for that matter.

Interview with Expat Suzannaby Susan Tredenick

How long have you lived overseasThis is my second attempt at living abroad, I first came in 1995 and lived in Huizen (Netherlands) for 7 years and now I am back in Groningen for an undefined period of time.

What was your initial reason for coming to Europe?Initially I came to Holland on a 2 month vacation to visit a close friend. During that holiday I met my (now) partner. We travelled between countries the first year but that was tiring and expensive – so I decided to take the plunge and jump in to the expat life.

Can you tell us a bit about your life? Originally I moved to Huizen and began to build a life with my partner. I was lucky to secure work in an International company that required English speaking personnel. At the time I thought it was lucky but looking back it was a great excuse of not having to learn Dutch. After 3 years I had children and gave up working, joined an expat group from England, and had a great time socialising with the mothers and their children (still all in English. Day to day it was easy enough to get by with my limited Dutch and most people were happy to speak

LifeExperience


English to me. I guess I was in a bit of a cocoon. When my first child started school I found it a bit more difficult to communicate with his school friends so I began Dutch lessons. Soon after my father became very ill and I was extremely homesick so we packed up the family and moved back to my country. 11 years passed and we are back in Holland, my children are now 17 and 14 and it has been a challenge this last year settling everyone in.

What are some of your challenges?The biggest challenge I face is trying to learn Dutch so that I can feel that I am contributing to family life. I miss working, but realise that I need to

a boost. Even if you are only here for a defined period of time it really helps alleviate a lot of stress. Also joining a group or club with people of similar interests is a godsend, it is very easy to cocoon yourself into a safe place but in the end you have a wonderful opportunity to experience a new culture and meet new people. Take risks, try new things, because you never know when you will find a new interest and, above all, smile and be able to laugh at all the mistakes.

Last wordsSmile, you never know what is around the corner ……

improve my language to obtain work.

My other challenges have been settling the children into new schools and helping (as much as you can help teenagers) adjust to a new culture and life. It has been a long hard process but I can see that they are turning the corner and are happier now. I also feel that it is harder to make friends when you are older so overcoming this barrier is also a challenge.

What tips would you give to a newcomer to help them settle earlier?Learn, learn, learn the language, it just makes you feel so much less isolated and gives your confidence

Information Center


Child benefit (or kinderbijslag in Dutch) is a payment you receive from the government towards the expenses of raising a child. If you live or work in the Netherlands and you have a child or children under the age of 18, then you are entitled to claim child benefit.

Kinderbijslag by Stephanie Fermor-Poortman

Who can claim child benefits?If you are an expat coming to the Netherlands to work or live with your children you may be eligible to claim child benefits; if you are from an EU or EEA country or Switzerland, or you have a valid residence permit or a work permit. There are also a few rules if you work for an international organization, where you claim child benefit from your home country instead. Specific guidelines can be found on the SVB

Information Center


(Sociale Verzekeringsbank) website (they have information in English as well as several other languages).

You can also claim child benefits for children you have adopted, fostered, stepchildren or other children that you bring up and care for as if they were your own.

How can you claim child benefits?If you have just moved to the Netherlands with your child or children you will need to register at the Gemeentehuis first and obtain a DigiD code (digital login code used by government websites and services). You can also visit the International Welcome Center North for help in getting a DigiD code. Once you have your DigiD code you need to visit the SVB website and submit a claim through them. You will need to fill in an online form, which is only in available in Dutch. Again you can contact the IWCN for help and guidance.

If you are currently living in the Netherlands and have just had a child, the SVB will contact you within 2-4 weeks of you registering the birth at the Gemeentehuis. You will be sent a letter with an invite to fill and and submit an online form, and will need a DigiD code.

How much are child benefit payments?The amount of money you will receive depends on the age of your child. Child

benefit is not means tested. For the last few years the payment has remained the same.The current amounts per child per quarter are: 0 to 5 years old - €191,65 6 to 11 years old - €232,71 12 to 17 years old - €273,78Child benefit payments are paid out every three months direct to your bank account. If you have more than one child you will receive a payment for each child in their respective age catergory.

Additional financial supportIn addition to child benefit, you may also qualify for child budget (kinderbonden). This is an additional monthly contribution from the government for low-income families. In issue 57 (February 2015) of Connections we covered the different forms of toeslagen, including the child budget (kindgebonden budget).

For additional information about child benefit visit the SVB website:https://www.svb.nl/int/en/kinderbijslag/They have information in Dutch, English, French, German, Spanish, Polish and Turkish.

Something to note, child benefits are paid until the day your child turns 18. If your child goes to college before this age they are not yet entitled to study financing until child benefits stop.

Taste ofDutch


Depending on how long you have been in the Netherlands, you may or may not have yet noticed just how much the Dutch love their drop (liquorice). But it isn't the sort of liquorice you may think.

Horrors of Dutch Drop (Liquorice)by Stephanie Fermor-Poortman

lots of flavours, from Englse drop (English liquorice) to honingdrop (honey liquorice), muntdrop (mint liquorice) to the weirder flavours like oceaandrop (ocean flavour ?) and schoolkrijt (school chalk ??).

Drop comes in a whole variety of shapes. Most popular are diamonds, ovals, cubes and circles made to look like money. Some flavours also come in cute designs, like bee shapes for honingdrop and bicycles and cars.

Another fun thing the Dutch enjoy to do with their liquorice is feed it to unsuspecting expats to see their reactions. So if a Dutch person ever offers you a piece of drop, first check for cameras, but do give it a try (with caution), and try to have a tissue on hand to spit it out should you really not like it. Be especially wary of drop that has salmiak in it!

If you are from America, you may think of the sugary red stick stuff, or maybe you are from the UK and think of liquorice allsorts, but no no, the Dutch liquorice is black and chewy and comes in all sorts of 'flavours'. You have four main categories that Dutch liquorice falls under: Soft and sweet Soft and salty Hard and sweet Hard and saltyAnd in those categories you will find

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60 connections may2015