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Going Dutch 

September 2018 

New Club Year: New Board of Officers! 

Jordan Journey with FAWCO 

6 

40 

44 

Learn a little more about Chat, Craft and 

Cake 

48 

Road Trip through Northern France: 

Normandy and Mont Saint Michele 

The Magazine of the 

American Women’s Club 

of The Hague 

5 Officers and Chairwomen 

6 May Installation of Officers 

8 Message from the President 

9 September Kick-Off 

10 Letter from the Editor 

12 Membership 

13 Friendship Quilt 

14 Ongoing Activities 

19 One-of-a-Kind Activities 

22 Summer Beach Barbeque 

Benefit 

28 AWC and the Arts 

29 New Look Campaign 

30 September Calendar 

33 Kid’s Club 

33 Walkie Talkies Special 

Outing 

34 Walkie Talkies Collage 

36 A Ceremony of 

Remembrance and Hope 

38 FAWCO Corner 

40 FAWCO Jordan 

43 Fran Mainella 

44 Chat, Craft and Cake 

46 The Dutch Daily 

48 Normandy— A Road Trip 

50 Summer Activites Collage 

53 Announcements 

56 Classifieds 

57 Index of Advertisers 

57 Ad Rates 

58 Proost! Interview 

SEPTEMBER 2018 3

Editor 

Audrey Goodman 

2018-2019 AWC Officers 

Committee Chairs 

AWC Clubhouse 

Johan van Oldenbarneveltlaan 43 

2582 NJ Den Haag 

Tel: 070 350 6007 

info@awcthehague.org 

www.awcthehague.org 

Going Dutch Magazine 

goingdutchmag@gmail.com 

Clubhouse Hours 

Tuesday and Thursday 

10 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Monday, Wednesday and Friday Closed 

Dues (Effective 2018-2019) 

€ 110 per year (€ 66 after January 1) 

€ 90 business, professional 

€ 55 valid US military ID 

€ 35 student 

€ 35 Outside the Netherlands (Going 

Dutch magazine not included) 

Add € 15 new member registration fee 

Design and Layout 

Teresa Mahoney 

Cover Photo 

A Giant Squid Over Scheveningen Beach by 

Melissa White 

Photography 

Mary Adams, Jane Choy, Sabine Crowley, 

Greetje Engelsman, FAWCO, Dena 

Haggerty, Teresa Insalaco, Suzanne 

MacNeil, Julie Mowat, Perspektief, Melissa 

Rider, Anne van Oorschot, Melissa White 

Proofreaders 

Celeste Brown, Jane Gulde, Diane Schaap, 

Debbie van Hees 

Advertising Invoicing 

Open 

Contributors 

Jane Choy, Susanne Dundas, Roberta 

Enschede, Jan Essad, Heather DeWitt, Dena 

Haggerty, Marsha Hagney, Eileen Harloff, 

Deana Kreitler, Suzanne MacNeil, Sunita 

Menon, Julie Mowat, Melissa Rider, Lindsay 

Turnau, Emily van Eerten, Melissa White 

Printer 

www.dwcprint.nl 

AWC Bank Account Number 

IBAN: NL42ABNA0431421757 

KvK Den Haag 

40409274 

Honorary President Diane Hoekstra 

President Suzanne MacNeil 

awcthehague.president@gmail.com 

Vice President Marsha Hagney 

awcthehague.firstvp@gmail.com 

Treasurer Sheyla Karman 

awcthehague.treasurer@gmail.com 

Secretary Heather DeWitt & Laura Suttles 

awcthehague.secretary@gmail.com 

Club and Community Development 

Open 

awcthehague.community@gmail.com 

Clubhouse Administrator 

Jan Essad & Sunita Menon 

awcthehague.clubhousemgr@gmail.com 

Communications Rebecca Niles-Pourier 

awcthehague.communications@gmail.com 

Front Office 

Liduine Bekman, Siska Datema-Kool, 

Dominique Duysens, Amber Gatewood, 

Machelle Hollar, Paula Looijmans, Melissa 

Rider, Robin Rose, Holly Savoie, Carol 

Schapira, Chelsea Wald 

Activities: Open 

Arts: Jane Choy 

Assistant Treasurer: Teresa Insalaco 

Board Advisor: Jessie Rodell 

Caring Committee: Naomi Keip 

Chat, Craft & Cake: Suzanne Dundas 

Community Service Team: Open 

eNews Amber Gatewood 

Evening Events: Open 

FAWCO: Julie Mowat 

Front Office Coordinator: Open 

General Meeting Programs: Dena 

Haggerty 

Heart Pillow: Jan de Vries 

Historian/Archivist: Open 

Holiday Bazaar: Jaimie Keppel-Molenaar 

Hospitality: Open 

IT Administrator: Julie Otten 

Kids’ Club: Lindsey Turnau 

Library: Dena Haggerty 

Membership: Melissa Rider 

Newcomers: Holly Savoie, Greetje 

Engelsman 

Parliamentarian: Georgia Regnault 

Philanthropy: Holly Savoie 

Public Relations: Open 

Social Media: Rebecca Niles-Pourier and 

Julie Otten 

Social Media Recruitment: Ceci Wong 

Tennis: Molly Boed 

Volunteer Coordinator: Laurie 

Martecchini 

Webmaster: Julie Otten 

Women with Dutch Partners: Loren 

Mealey 

Deadlines: Submissions are due no later than the last Monday of the month preceding the publication month. 

For example, for the October issue, submissions are due before Monday, September 24 

Please Note: Articles submitted to Going Dutch will be published subject to space limitations and editorial approval. 

All rights reserved; reprints only by written permission of the Editor. Please email to: goingdutchmag@ 

gmail.com 

Legal Notice: Articles in Going Dutch express the views and opinions of their authors alone, and not necessarily 

those of the AWC of The Hague, its Members or this publication. 

4 GOING DUTCH 

AWC Mission Statement 

The AWC is an association formed to provide social and educational activities for American 

women living in the Netherlands and to promote amicable relations among people of all nations, 

as well as acquiring funds for general public interest. Membership in the club is open 

to women of all nations who are friendly and welcoming to American culture. The association 

does not endeavor to make a profit. The AWC is a 100% volunteer organization. 


2018-2019 Board Installation

Message from the President 

by Suzanne MacNeil 

September Kick-Off 

by Marsha Hagney 

Welcome to the new Club year and 

welcome back if you’ve traveled 

this summer. I spent two weeks in 

Ireland in June, one week for a mosaic workshop 

and the other driving through the lovely 

countryside with Tim. We ended our trip in 

a small town outside Belfast to meet Tim’s 

cousins and visit the stone house where his 

grandmother and great-grandmother were 

born. Then it was a week in Jacksonville 

to see my mom and a week with Fran 

Mainella and her husband in Amsterdam 

and The Hague. Fran graciously stopped 

by the Clubhouse in July to share her story 

about her time as director of the National 

Park Service. If you didn’t make it to Fran’s 

discussion, Emily van Eerten sums it up 

nicely on page 43. 

In between travels, your Board met several 

times during the summer and we have 

events, activities, and travels already on the 

books. Please be sure to check Ongoing 

Activities and One-of-a-Kind Activities in 

this edition of Going Dutch. If you plan to 

take part in any of the activities listed, go to 

the Club calendar on our website to sign up. 

Our Club was founded in 1930 as a social 

organization. It continues to be just that, a 

fun group that offers friendship and opportunities 

to dig in to our Dutch life. Without 

the AWC, my time as an expat (since 2013) 

would been more stressful and lonely. It is 

thanks to the lovely women in the Club that 

I adjusted more quickly to being far from my 

family, and it’s my AWC 

friends who introduced 

me to the 

grand world that 

living abroad 

offers. I hope 

that you have 

found a circle 

of women 

within the 

Club who do 

the same for you, 

8 GOING DUTCH 

and I would 

hope that you 

offer new expats 

and women you 

meet the opportunity 

to join our 

AWC. Growing 

our membership 

is fundamental 

so the Club can 

continue at least 

another 90 years! 

If you’re 

looking for an opportunity to introduce 

friends to the Club, be sure to bring them 

to our Prinsjesdag Luncheon on Tuesday, 

September 18 to watch the King, Queen, and 

other royals ride along the route of the Golden 

Coach. The procession leaves Noordeinde 

Palace and travels to the Binnenhof where 

King Willem-Alexander will address parliament. 

We will have a bird’s-eye view of the 

procession from an upper floor of Restaurant 

Garoeda. Be sure to sign up ASAP! 

Since we’re nearing our stone anniversary 

(90 years), the Board is looking ahead 

and we are developing a three-to-five-year 

plan for the Club. Our AWC is not unlike a 

business. Members are our target customers, 

and the Board and committees focus on 

meeting our Members’ needs. The Board is 

reviewing our strengths, weaknesses, and 

opportunities to ensure we can achieve our 

potential and improve where necessary. Just 

as businesses are always working to improve 

their operations, the Board is actively looking 

at ways to refine how we manage certain 

aspects of the Club. One step we have taken 

is the implementation of a fundraising/donation 

request form that must be filled out by 

Members and non-members to ensure the 

Board fully understands each request and 

if it meets the Club’s mission. This change, 

along with other updates, and improvements 

are helping the Board, and the Club, to set 

priorities and remain financially sound. >>52 

Morning and Evening 

Events 

Welcome back to Members and welcome to 

new Members and friends! Join us to meet 

others and learn about Club activities and 

events. Sign up for scheduled events, learn 

about volunteer opportunities, enjoy some 

refreshments, and spend some time catching 

up with friends or getting acquainted 

with new and prospective Members. All 

Members are encouraged to invite friends 

and acquaintances who may be interested in 

joining the AWC! 

Thursday, September 13 

Morning Session 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. 

Evening Session 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. 


Heads-up: The October issue will arrive a few days late. Our fearless Design and 

Layout Specialist, Teresa Mahoney, is unplugging to climb a mountain (seriously!) 

and will work on the issue after her descent. But don’t worry, you can still find 

important AWC news and information on Facebook and GroupSpaces. 

AWC new Board Installation (see p 6 for more photos) 


Letter from the Editor 

by Audrey Goodman 

Early last summer, I received a mid-day 

call from my husband, “Hey, I just need 

to know if you would ever consider living 

overseas?” “Umm, honey. I need a little 

more information. For starters, which continent 

are we talking about?” He had no specifics, 

except that he was pretty sure it would be 

Europe. Over the next couple months, the details 

started emerging: Europe… The Hague... 

Early 2018... Two Years. So, here I am! 

We spent the last part of 2017 making 

the necessary arrangements and spending as 

much time with friends and family as possible. 

use various laundry detergents sorted by color, 

stay out of the way of bicycles, always carry 

an umbrella, and add salt to my dishwasher. 

(On that note: I highly recommend attending 

the Dutch Products class offered by Carol 

Slootweg on Wednesday, September 25 at the 

Clubhouse, if you’re new to the Netherlands.) 

This Spring, after the previous editor, 

Suzanne MacNeil, accepted the role as our 

new Club president, I offered to take on the 

editorship of Going Dutch. I swear, I only had 

half a glass of wine when I made the decision! 

Suzanne, Melissa White and Teresa 

If you want something said, ask a man; 

If you want something done, ask a woman. 

Margaret Thatcher 

On January 2, 2018 we left Baltimore, and it 

has been an amazing whirlwind ever since. 

I was introduced to the AWC by the former 

president, Mary Ann Nation-Greenwall, 

(at a Thirsty Thursday, of course!) and it 

was the best decision I made since arriving. 

I jumped right in to the activities and have 

met so many wonderful and amazing women, 

from all backgrounds, with very different 

experiences, and with various interests. My 

fear of being bored or isolated very quickly 

dissolved, and I feel incredibly lucky to be 

part of such a fantastic organization. 

Nearly everyone speaks English in the 

Netherlands, making this country seem like 

“Expat for Dummies”. But it’s been the little 

things that I’ve struggled with since moving 

here. The day we arrived, we made our first 

trip to Albert Heijn, and we also made our 

first mistake. I now know that AH doesn’t 

accept MasterCard, or Visa, or Discover, or 

any other American credit card. After an extremely 

embarrassing trip to the ATM, we had 

the basic necessities for our extremely tiny 

refrigerator. I’ve also learned that I need to 

10 GOING DUTCH 

Mahoney have been have been overwhelmingly 

helpful through this transition. Melissa 

is also a former Going Dutch editor, and still 

contributes greatly to the magazine (check out 

the Announcements section!). Teresa handles 

the design and layout, making the magazine 

absolutely beautiful. Countless hours and 

lots of hard work go into the magazine every 

month, and without these women, Going 

Dutch wouldn’t exist. I have big shoes to fill, 

and I hope I can live up to the reputations of 

my predecessors. 

As we start a new Club year, I would 

like to add a new element to the magazine. 

It seems everyone has a tried-and-true recipe 

that I’m sure is worth sharing. So please pass 

along some of your favorites to be included 

in upcoming issues! And I’m certainly open 

to new article ideas, so don’t hesitate to send 

me an email or strike up a conversation at a 

Club event. Or, better yet, let’s make plans to 

discuss your idea over coffee or wine! 

Audrey 


Membership 

by Melissa Rider 

Welcome New Members! 

Kristina Andrews 

Patti Calabro 

Jeanne Crandall 

Naya Pessoa 

2018-2019 Membership Dues 

If you have not yet paid your membership 

dues, please note they are due no later 

than September 30 to avoid a late fee. 

The best way to renew is by electronic 

transfer to our bank account with IBAN: 

NL42ABNA0431421757 (be sure to include 

your name and Membership Dues in the 

memo section). You can also pay by PIN at 

the Clubhouse during office hours. Dues remain 

the same as last year: € 110 for Regular 

and Associate Members, € 90 for Business/ 

Professionals, € 55 for Military (with valid 

military ID) and € 35 for Students (with valid 

student ID). 

Update Your Information 

It is very important to keep both your 

email and mailing addresses accurate, so 

you receive 

eNews and 

Going Dutch 

in a timely 

fashion. If 

you have 

m o v e d 

recently, 

p l e a s e 

contact me at awcthehague.membership@ 

gmail.com with your updated contact 

information. 

GDPR 

The AWC, like all other businesses and organizations 

in Europe, must comply with 

the General Data Protection Regulation 

(GDPR) which sets new rules for the collection 

of data of those living in the EU. The 

new privacy measures mean you now have 

to give the AWC explicit and informed consent 

for the Club to use your name and likeness 

in Going Dutch, either of our Facebook 

pages, and in our Membership Directory. 

Birthday wishes, unfortunately, will no longer 

be published in Going Dutch, as another 

measure towards ensuring your privacy. We 

appreciate your help as we work to make 

sure we follow the rule of law. 

“Tell Me A Story” – The 2019 

Friendship Quilt 

by Julie Mowat 

Every year since 1995, FAWCO members 

around the globe have worked together, 

contributing to the FAWCO Friendship 

Quilt. The greatly coveted product is raffled 

off at the annual FAWCO Conference to raise 

money for The Foundation’s programs and 

charitable causes. This is a great time to start 

working on your 2019 quilt squares. What 

better way than a book-themed quilt to wrap 

up the Target Education cycle! 

Deadline: October 10 

Square instructions: 

www.fawcofoundation.org 

Contact Suzanne Dundas at 

awcthehague.crafts@gmail.com to 

coordinate mailing the squares. 

Going Dutch is Available Online 

Go to www.awcthehague.org to share the current month’s issue with friends and family. You 

will also find links to our annual advertisers, whose support makes this magazine possible. If 

you visit or contact one of our advertisers, let them know 

Going Dutch sent you! 

Birthdays 

Due to changes in European privacy laws, and because Going Dutch will soon be posted 

on our external Facebook page, we won’t be sharing birthdays in print any longer. 

Instead, you’ll see Members’ birthdays in the weekly eNews, which is sent to your private 

email account and is more secure. We value our Members’ privacy. If you have any 

questions, please contact Melissa Rider, our Membership Coordinator, at awcthehague. 

membership@gmail.com. 



Photo credit: GoodReads 

Ongoing Activities 

Book Clubs 

The AWC Book Clubs are open to all readers, 

and new Members are especially welcome! 

There’s no requirement to attend every 

meeting or lead a discussion. Snacks are 

provided by a different Member each month. 

There are two Book Clubs hosted by AWC 

Members: One in the daytime and one in 

the evening. Questions? Teresa Mahoney 

organizes the daytime group, and Dena 

Haggerty handles the evening meetings. 

For more information, please contact them at 

awcthehague.bookclub@gmail.com. Happy 

reading! 

Daytime Book Club 

September Selection: 

Days without End follows 

the experiences of Thomas 

McNulty, a teenage immigrant 

from Ireland, who fled 

the Great Famine for the 

United States. He enlisted in 

the Army in the 1850s and 

served in both the Indian 

Wars and the Civil War. The story follows his 

struggles, heartbreak and lost youth during 

the Wars. The New York Times describes this 

book as “a haunting archaeology of youth … 

A dreamlike Western with a different kind of 

hero.” 


10 a.m. 


FREE 

Daytime Book Club Recap – April 

My Absolute Darling, by Gabriel Tallent, 

provided for a lively discussion during the 

April meeting. The author purposefully 

wrote a book full of the flora and fauna of 

the northern California coast, and some of the 

Members had been to a live session with him 

prior to the meeting, so they knew his proclivity 

for that part of the United States. The 

main character, Turtle, is a young teenager 

just blossoming into puberty who lives with 

her father. Turtle seems to take care of herself 

most of the time and has been allowed the 


freedom to roam the cliffs near their home, 

where she exhibits an uncanny knowledge 

of the plants and animals around her. Once 

into the book, one is mesmerized by the language, 

often sending one to the dictionary. 

The main theme of the story emerges into 

one of the emotional, physical, and sexual 

abuse that Turtle endures by her father. Later 

in the story, after a long absence, he returns 

with a much younger girl who ends up going 

through similar seemingly torturous trials 

at the whim of the father. Was Turtle brave, 

cowardly, entrapped? It was a maternal instinct 

for the younger girl that finally brought 

her into action to leave the situation and save 

herself. The book was definitely a page-turner, 

and an impossible-to-put-down selection. 

Daytime Book Club Recap – May 

Notes on a Foreign Country: An American 

Abroad in a Post-American World by Suzy 

Hansen. Suzy Hansen left New York City 

at the age of 25 with a grant for overseas 

journalism and decided to base herself in 

Istanbul. Over the next decade, she travelled 

to Greece, Egypt, Afghanistan, Iran, and then 

to the Mississippi Delta. As time passed, she 

gathered foreigners’ impressions and histories, 

and began to note a change in her own 

views of America: “We cannot go abroad as 

Americans in the twenty-first century and not 

realize that the main thing terrorizing us is 

our own ignorance.” She uses the complex 

histories of these countries to illuminate the 

way she looks at her own country and the assumptions 

of American exceptionalism that 

are inculcated by our families, our schools, 

and our media. This book is a travelogue 

combined with a personal memoir that details 

“the vertiginous distance that exists between 

what America is and what it thinks of itself”. 

Our Members discussed the range of important 

issues raised by this book in the light of 

their own personal recognition. As expats, 

each of us has experienced the uncomfortable 

epiphany so eloquently described by 

Hansen. The group recommends this book 

unanimously and would like to see its readership 

widened in the United States. 

Daytime Book Club Recap – June 

Bernard MacLaverty’s Midwinter Break 

is his first novel in 16 years. Set during a 

short holiday in Amsterdam during a wintry 

January, the novel explores a very mature 

marriage that is in quiet difficulty. Gerry 

and Stella Gilmore have reached a fork in 

the road of their relationship. Gerry’s drinking 

has increased in frequency and duration; 

Stella desires a contemplative religious life 

devoted to service during the years that remain 

to her. To achieve this will involve 

leaving Gerry possibly for a life in the 

Begijnhof in Amsterdam. Familiar tourist 

destinations, such as the Anne Frank House 

and the Rijksmuseum, serve to move the plot 

forward and to reveal more of the marriage, 

as well as the unresolved act of violence in 

their past that is the impetus for their individual 

unhappiness. MacLaverty’s focus on the 

poetry of the mundane, lends truthfulness to 

his examination of the interior lives of his 

characters. This book was well received by 

the book club, but it was felt it would be best 

appreciated by those in mature relationships. 

Daytime Book Club Recap – July 

In Revolution Song: A Story of American 

Freedom, Russell Shorto weaves six personal 

histories into a fascinating look at 

the American Revolution. He relies on the 

well-documented biographical trails of six 

very different people: George Washington, 

Indian leader Cornplanter, British Secretary 

of State for the Colonies George Germain, 

runaway child bride turned professional mistress 

Margaret Coghlan, freed slave Venture 

Daytime Book Club Reading List: 

Thursday, September 27: Days Without 

End by Sebastian Barry 

Thursday, October 25: Homegoing by 

Yaa Gyasi 

Thursday, November 15: Educated: A 

Memoir by Tara Westover 

Evening Book Club Reading List: 

October: TBD: see eNews for October 

book and date 

Smith, and Albany shoemaker turned framer 

of the US Constitution Abraham Yates. 

Building on the theme of personal freedom 

unleashed by the Enlightenment, Shorto 

masterfully tells the six tales against the 

backdrop of colonies fighting for both political 

and individual freedom and struggling to 

construct a new nation once that freedom is 

won. A colossal, timely, and endlessly fascinating 

book. 

Evening Book Club 

September Selection: 

The Italian Teacher by Tom 

Rachman 

What makes an artist? 

In The Italian Teacher, Tom 

Rachman displays a nuanced 

understanding of art and its 

demons. Moreover, in Pinch 

he achieves a portrait of vulnerability 

and frustrated talent that—with 

his signature humor and humanity—challenges 

the very idea of greatness. 

Wednesday, September 19 

7:30 p.m. 


FREE 

>> 16 

SEPTEMBER 2018 15 

Photo credit: GoodReads

Ongoing Activities (cont.) 

Continued from page 15 

Chat, Craft & Cake 

Chat, Craft and Cake is a weekly 

highlight for those who enjoy crafts 

and camaraderie. Whether your craft is 

knitting, quilting, needlepoint or simply 

mending your clothes, or whether you are 

a beginner or an expert, you are welcome to 

join us. Fish that UFO (Unfinished Object) 

out of the drawer and get going on it again. 

CCandCer’s are always ready with a helping 

hand, a lesson, or some advice. Each week, 

a different Member brings a tried and true 

or experimental cake. Babysitting is not 

available and there are lots of sharp objects 

about (pins, needles, scissors and wit), so 

we cannot accommodate children. Contact 

Suzanne Dundas at awcthehague.crafts@ 

gmail.com for more information 

Every Tuesday 

10 a.m. – Noon 


FREE 

Heart Pillow Project 

Members work together to make heartshaped 

pillows designed to help support 

the arms of recent mastectomy patients. 

Each pillow is made with TLC, wrapped, 

and comes with a note signed by an AWC 

volunteer. No sewing skills are needed, as 

you can cut, stuff, or wrap the heart pillows. 

We are proud to provide women and men 

with something both practical and comforting, 

and we know our work helps because 

we often receive thank-you notes and emails 

from the patients who have received a heart 

pillow. For more information, please contact 

Jan de Vries at awcthehague.heartpillow@ 

gmail.com. 

Tuesday, September 4 

Noon – 2 p.m. 


FREE 

Visitors Welcome 

Out to Lunch Bunch: September 

For a change in venue, the Lunch Bunch will 

be having lunch in Leiden this month. This 

restaurant, close to the train station, forms 

the gateway to the old town of Leiden. It is 

named after Pieter Van der Werff, a 16thcentury 

mayor of Leiden, who offered his 

arm to the starving city. (Info about this 

later!) The atmosphere in Stadscafe Van 

der Werff is similar to what you find in the 

city of Leiden: sparkling and cozy. Curious? 

Come and have lunch! 

Stadscafe Van der Werff 

Steenstraat 2, Leiden 

www.stadscafevanderwerff.nl 


12:15 p.m. 

Sign up on GroupSpaces 

Tennis League 

Players needed! The AWC Tennis 

Group plays doubles every Tuesday in 

Warmond. Ladies move up and down 

the courts according to a ladder tennis 

system. The emphasis is on having fun! 

The League is available for all levels >> 18 



Ongoing Activities (cont.) 


One-of-a-Kind Activities 

by Dena Haggerty 

except true beginners. Contact Molly 

Boed at mollyboed@gmail.com for more 

information. 

Tuesdays starting September 4 

(except specific holidays TBD) 

1 –3 p.m. 

Dekker Tennis Courts 

Veerpolder 14, Warmond 

€275 Members / €325 Nonmembers 


Thirsty Thursday 

Join us for a casual evening at our first 

Thirsty Thursday of the new Club year. For 

just €15, Fratelli’s Restaurant is providing 

two drinks + pizza, bruschetta, and ciabatta. 

Relax with AWC friends and be sure to 

bring anyone you know who might be interested 

in joining the Club. It’s a fun and easy 

night to get back into fall. 


6–9 p.m. 

Tournooiveld 1, Den Haag (Near Lange 

Voorhout) 

€15 for two drinks and food 

No RSVP needed 

Walkie Talkies 

Whether you count your steps or just want 

to walk with friends, the Monday morning 

Walkie Talkies is a fun, healthy and energetic 

way to start the week. The group meets 

in front of the Clubhouse before heading out 

to walk to various destinations in the area, 

usually racking up 10,000 steps along the 

way. Sign up on GroupSpaces to receive 

email updates or contact Emily van Eerten 


at vaneerten@gmail.com (or Greetje 

Engelsman at greetje.engelsman@gmail. 

com). 

Mondays 

9:30 a.m. 


FREE 


Wassenaar Coffee & Conversation 

If you live in or north 

of Wassenaar, join 

your neighbors for 

coffee and conversation 

once-a-month 

without having to 

drive to the clubhouse. 

One Member will host a casual coffee at her 

home at 9:30 on the first Thursday of every 

month. Suzanne Dundas coordinates these 

gatherings, so please contact her if you are 

interested in attending or for more information. 

Prospective Members are always welcome 

too. 


9:30 a.m. 

FREE 

Members: eNews Distribution 

A weekly electronic newsletter is sent to 

all AWC Members. If you have not been 

receiving your eNews, please contact 

Melissa at 

awcthehague.membership@gmail.com. 

RSVP directly on AWC GroupSpaces.com. Direct any questions to 

awcthehague.firstvp@gmail.com. 

Payment must be made within 5 calendar days of reserving or your name will be moved to 

a waitlist. Payment can be made in the Front Office by PIN or by bank transfer to the AWC 

account NL42ABNA0431421757. 

Walk the Route of the Golden 

Coach (Gouden Koets) 

Although the Golden Coach is under repair, 

the route the royals will follow in the 

Glass Coach on their way to the Binnenhof 

on Prinsjesdag to open parliament is one 

and the same. Join Greetje Engelsman 

(AWC Member and Dutch ex-expat ) for a 

royal walk from the Noordeinde Palace to the 

Ridderzaal (Knights Hall). Learn more about 

Prinsjesdag (budget day), Dutch royalty and 

democracy, and the buildings and institutions 

along the route—their history and current 

use. 

Sligro The Hague Forepark is the perfect fit for you as entrepreneur. 

We inspire and support you with our products and services, that will 

help you with your business. Our people are always there for you 

with professional and tailored advice. 

sligro.nl 

Linge 2, The Hague 

Monday, September 17 

2 – 3:30 p.m. 

Meet opposite the Noordeinde Palace, 

Noordeinde 68, Den Haag 

Maximum 15 / FREE 

Sign up on GroupSpaces >> 20 

Unique products 

for entrepreneurs 

1061246 


One-of-a-Kind Activities (cont.) 


Prinjesdag Parade & Buffet 

Luncheon 

An AWC tradition! View this special, festive 

day from a unique vantage point reserved 

specifically for AWC Members and 

friends. Sign up now to view King Willem- 

Alexander and Queen Maxima’s parade as 

they arrive for the King to open Parliament. 

The third floor of Garoeda Restaurant is 

the perfect viewing opportunity for this traditional 

Nederlands event! The King and 

Queen ride from the palace at Noordeinde to 

the Binnenhof and back, escorted by horsemen, 

bands, and horse-drawn carriages. The 

pomp and circumstance make this a must 

see! Price includes Indonesian rijsttafel, a 

glass of wine and tea or coffee. 

Cancellation Policy 

Members may reserve a spot for an AWC tour, activity or 

event in advance. Payment is required within five business 

days of the reservation or before the deadline date (whichever 

is sooner) otherwise your name will be moved to a waitlist. 

It is the responsibility of the Member to notify the Club at 

awcthehague.finance@gmail.com to cancel a reservation 

prior to the cancellation deadline. Please note that there will 

be NO REFUNDS (no exceptions) after the cancellation deadline. 

Members may find a substitute in lieu of cancellation 

provided that arrangements are made with the tour, activity 

or event organizer. Members shall be held responsible for 

their guest reservations in accordance with this policy. 



Arrive no later than 11:00 a.m. 

Garoeda Restaurant 

Kneuterdijk 18A, Den Haag 

€50 Members (€55 non-Members) 


Cancellation deadline: September 7 

AWC Guest Policy 

Guests are welcome 

to participate in AWC 

activities and tours on 

a limited basis. As a 

nonmember, a guest is 

limited to attend two 

functions per calendar 

year and will be 

charged an additional 

nonmember fee. Only 

Members are entitled to 

use babysitting services. 

Nederlands Dans Theater 

Invitation 

Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) has invited 

the AWC to watch a morning lesson. NDT 

was founded in 1959 and is known for its 

avant-garde aesthetic, and nonconformist 

and progressive productions. The company 

will hold eight world premieres this season, 

including numerous original works and several 

revivals. 

Paul Lightfoot 

has served as 

the artistic director 

since 

2011, and says 

his choices for 

the season are, 

“About artistic 

creation, not 

just choreography.” 

Prior to 

the start of the 

lesson, there will be an introduction about 

the lesson. This is a unique opportunity for 

our Members to watch the talented dancers 

of NDT. There are limited spots for the 

lesson, and only 15 guests will be able to 

attend. AWC Members will be given first 

priority, so please sign up ASAP. 


Arrive no later than 10:30 a.m. 

Schedeldoekshaven 60, Den Haag 

Maximum 15 / FREE 


Photo credit: © Rahi Rezvani 

Dutch Products Class 

AWC Member Carol Slootweg will explain 

Dutch cooking and cleaning products. As 

a long-time Dutch resident and cooking 

instructor, Carol is an expert in using local 

products and converting American recipes. 

Carol and Greetje Engelsman have coauthored 

a book entitled Dutch Products, 

which will be offered for sale for €10. 

Join us and say goodbye to that confusion 

we’ve all experienced in the kitchen (and 

grocery store)! If you have questions, 

contact Greetje Engelsman at awcthehague. 

newcomers@gmail.com. 


10 a.m. – Noon 


No max / FREE 

Welcome Back BBQ 

Fall has arrived and with it comes a new Club 

year! What better way to say “Welcome 

Back” than with an American BBQ? Come 

one, come all and join us for this great event 

for Members and their families. We’ll be 

grilling hamburgers, veggie burgers and hotdogs. 

Side dishes, soft drinks, beer and wine 

will be provided. We’ve got the food and 

drinks covered. Just bring your appetite! 

Saturday, September 29 

6:00 – 9:00 p.m. 

€10 Members or Partners 

(€15 Non-Members). Children under age 

of 12 are half-price. 



Delft Blue Tile Workshop 

Our day will begin at PAAUW 1651 where 

we will discover how the world-famous Delft 

Blue porcelain is made. A professional guide 

will show us around the pottery factory and 

will explain each step in the production of 

Delftware. 

After the tour, we will begin the tile workshop 

which will take place in a painter’s room. A 

professional painter will guide us through 

the process of painting our own Delft tile. 

Unfortunately, we will not be taking a completed 

tile home with us that day. The tiles 

will be collected, so that they can be glazed 

and fired. After seven days, Holly Savoie will 

pick up all the completed tiles. You will be 

notified by email when your finished piece is 

ready to be picked up at the AWC Clubhouse. 

After the workshop, we will have lunch at 

de Brasserij (www.brasserig.nl). Feel free 

to join us after lunch as we wander the town 

center of Delft, or head back on your own after 

the workshop or lunch. We will be traveling 

via public transportation, so please bring 

your OV Chipkaart and money for lunch. 


Meet at Starbucks in Den Haag Central: 

8:50 a.m. 

3 Min/35 Max / €29.50 Members 




Summer Beach Barbeque Benefit 

by Dena Haggerty 

Thanks to all the AWC Members, their 

partners and friends who came out on 

June 2 with their thinking caps on, the 

Summer Beach Barbeque Benefit was a great 

success. The Strandpaviljoen Sport was filled 

to capacity with guests coming out to benefit 

Perspektief, our selected charity. The evening 

began with a cocktail while everyone 

perused the silent auction items. Although 

the items in the silent auction were limited 

in number, the items were varied enough to 

pique everyone’s interest. While some items 

led to bidding wars, other items were cut out 

of the competition by a Member immediately 

purchasing the item to lock out the competition. 

It was all in good fun for a great cause! 

The evening really heated up when we 

began the main event of the benefit—the 

trivia quiz! Twelve teams participated in 

four rounds of quiz questions varying from 

“What is the most common metal on earth?” 

to “In which Star Wars movie did Ewoks 

first appear?” to “How many men walked 

on the moon?”. The competition was fierce. 

At the end of four rounds, two teams were 

tied leading to a tie-break round. The tie was 

only broken when one team misspelled the 

word Scoville (of the Scoville scale). I’m 

sure the losing team won’t ever forget how 

to spell Scoville again! 

The evening continued with the announcement 

of the winner of the raffle. There 

were over 100 raffle tickets sold leading 

up to the benefit and over the course of the 

evening. Perspektief graciously supplied a 

bench, which had been handcrafted in their 

woodworking workshop for the winner of 

the raffle. There were many sighs of disappointment 

in the tent when the winner was 

announced. 

With the ‘agenda’ of the evening completed, 

it was time to party! The DJ played 

a variety of 80s music to ensure everyone 

could get their boogie on. The night ended 

with a bang when fireworks lit up the sky 

over the beach. 

Proceeds from the tickets (25% of the 

entry cost), the raffle tickets, and the silent 

auction will be used to benefit our chosen 

charity: Perspektief. Barbara Berkelaar, director 

of Perspektief, explained the organization 

and their goals with the help of a video. 

She was also on hand during the evening 

to discuss the organization with attendees. 

Perspektief is dedicated to supporting 

and counseling victims of domestic abuse, 

the homeless and other at-risk individuals. 

In different areas of life, Perspektief helps 

these individuals restore their lives. This 

can be by providing housing, helping with 

finances, providing network connections, or 

teaching a trade. Our donation is earmarked 

for women’s causes within the organization. 

This can be to help women learn a trade 

or to support domestic abuse victims, for 

example. 

>> 24 



Summer Beach BBQ Benefit (cont.) 


At the September Kick-Off, the donation 

amount will be announced, and 

Perspektief will be provided with a check 

in that amount. Make sure you come along 

to Kick-Off to hear how much money was 

raised and for a chance to meet the women 

who ensure the good work of Perspektief 

continues. 

None of the above would have been possible 

without the support of the Members 

of the AWC. Specifically, the Committee 

Members worked tirelessly to ensure the 

night was a success. Thanks to Audrey 

Goodman, Teresa Insalaco, Rebecca Niles- 

Pourier, Anna-Lena Thuren-Vogel, and 

Suzanne MacNeil. Only through their hard 

work was this evening possible. 



Summer Beach BBQ Benefit (cont.) 

With Deep Gratitude to Our Sponsors 



AWC and the Arts 

by Jane Choy, AWC Member and Mauritshuis Docent 

“New Look Campaign” (Phase One)! 

by Jan Essad and Sunita Menon 

Guided Tour of Dutch Masters 

from British Country Houses 

This autumn there will be a special exhibit 

at the Mauritshuis of Dutch 17th century 

paintings that are found in National Trust 

Houses. English country houses have traditionally 

been the home to Dutch Golden 

Age Masters. Most of these paintings were 

acquired in the 18th century, the heyday 

of the English country house. Although 

RSVP for all Arts Activities directly on 

AWC GroupSpaces.com 

Direct any questions to jechoy@me.com 

over time many owners were forced to 

sell works to raise funds, there are still 

many extraordinary paintings to be found 

in country houses today. For this exhibition, 

the Mauritshuis has selected the most 

beautiful Dutch paintings from houses 

managed by the National Trust. This will 

be a first for the Mauritshuis: Never before 

has such a selection been exhibited in the 

Netherlands. For further information, contact 

Jane Choy. 

Thursday, November 1 

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. 

Mauritshuis 

Museum Plein 29, The Hague 

€10 Members / €15 Non-members 

Museum entrance fee of €15.50 is not 

included (entrance is free with Museum 

Card) 

Maximum 15 / Minimum 12 

Cancellation deadline: October 22 (It 

is possible to sign up after this date, if 

there is space) 


Did you know that any woman who speaks English is eligible to join the 

American Women’s Club? 

What a great summer it has been here 

in The Hague…sunshine, seaside 

activities, travel, and vacation fun! 

Ahh, but somewhere in between all that fun 

our “Home Away from Home” received a 

little bit of a facelift. 

Since our installation, we were excitedly 

planning our way to refurbishing the clubhouse. 

But first things first: clean-out days! 

Once we had the plan and the dates (July 10 

and 11), it was truly amazing all the help we 

received to make it all happen. The old cliché 

“many hands make light work” is definitely 

true as we found out when Dena Haggerty, 

Cynthia Chung, Heather DeWitt, Krishna 

Thakrar, Debbie van Hees, Deana Kreitler, 

Melissa Rider, Avanti Menon, Andre Langa, 

Una Mulvihill, Chelsea Wald, Anneke van 

Hees, Carol Slootweg, Amber Broughton, 

Teresa Insalaco, Natalie Essad, Sheyla 

Karmen, and Fiona Passantino all showed 

up for the first phase of our “new look” campaign. 

These industrious workers were a 

whirlwind: sorting books and toys, clearing 

and wiping cabinets, shredding, transforming 

the front office desk, and cleaning the kitchen 

from top to bottom. Even the basement 

got a much-needed thorough cleaning and 

reorganizing. The list of tasks they accomplished 

goes on and on. And where would 

we have been without Georgia Regnault’s 

super shredder. Thank you, Georgia. What 

an enormous difference two afternoons of 

cleaning can make! And of course, there was 

food, drink, laughter, fun and great company. 

So, in the end, it truly wasn’t like work at all. 

We are so grateful to all of you who came 

out and rolled up your sleeves to make this 

little facelift a success. Very special thanks to 

Dena Haggerty for all her work spearheading 

the consolidation of our library, to Fiona 

Passantino for the donation of a beautiful 

Chinese credenza, to Sarah Dunn for the donation 

of two lovely chairs at the front desk, 

and Suzanne and Paul Dundas for taking the 

time and effort to dispose of all the unwanted, 

obsolete items. Together all these things created 

a wonderful transformation of our space. 

We hope you’ll find your Clubhouse 

even more open and inviting! We have many 

more plans in the works and are looking forward 

to a great Club year as your Clubhouse 

Administrators. We always welcome innovative 

ideas and suggestions, so please don’t 

hesitate to be in touch. We look forward to 

hearing from you! 

Invite your English-speaking friends, wherever they’re from, to join us today! 



September 2018 

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 

Upcoming: 

Dutch Masters Mauritshuis Tour - November 1 

Holiday Bazaar - November 10-11 

Thanksgiving in Leiden - November 22 

Jewelry/Pearl Party - December 6 

1 

2 3 

4 

5 6 

7 8 

Walkie Talkies 9:30 a.m 

Chat, Crafts & Cake 10 a.m. 

Heart Pillow Workshop 

Noon 

Wassenaar Coffee and 

Conversation 9 a.m. 

AWC Baord Meeting Noon 

AWC Tennis 1 p.m. 

9 10 

11 

12 

13 14 15 

16 17 


18 



A Ceremony of 

Remembrance and Hope 

5:30 p.m. 

19 

Walkie Talkies Special 

Outing 9:30 a.m 

Buddy Check 12 

20 

Fall Kick-Off - Daytime 

Session 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. 

Fall Kick-Off - Evening 

Session 5 -8 p.m. 

21 22 


Route of the Golden Coach 

Walk 2 p.m. 


Prinsjesdag Parade and 

Luncheon 11 a.m. 


NDT Dance Rehearsal 

10:30 a.m. 

Evening Book Club 

7:30 p.m. 

Thirsty Thursday 6 p.m. 

23 24 

25 

26 

27 

28 29 


Dutch Products Class 

10 a.m. 

Delft Blue Tile Workshop 

8:50 a.m. 

Daytime Book Club 10 a.m. 



Welcome Back BBQ 

6 p.m. 

Out to Lunch Bunch 

12:15 p.m. 

30 



Kid’s Club 

by Lindsay Turnau 

Calling All Mamas! 

The AWC Kid’s Club is gearing up for another 

great year! We’re looking forward to 

sponsoring great events for all the international 

kids in the Den Haag area and need 

your help. 

Are you a mama to international kids in 

the area and want to stay up to date on our 

events? Let us know! Maybe your kids are 

grown but you’re still interested in helping 

with our monthly social events or holiday 

events? 

Please contact our new chair, Lindsey 

Turnau, at awcthehague.kidsclub@gmail. 

com. We’re looking forward to a fantastic, 

fun filled year for the kids and their families. 

Walkie Talkies Special Outing 

by Melissa Rider 

With the start of the new Club year, 

the Walkie Talkies will host another 

long-distance walk on Wednesday, 

September 12. While this walk will be longer 

in mileage than our weekly Monday walks, 

all levels of walkers are welcome as the distance 

can be shortened to your preference. 

The group will walk through the various parks 

connecting Den Haag to Wassenaar, totaling 

roughly 14 km. There will be several 

opportunities along the route to catch a bus 

back to Den Haag Centraal, if you prefer a 

shorter day hike. Further details regarding 

the walk will be posted on our Facebook page 

and on eNews. 

Please email me to confirm your participation 

in the walk or if you have questions: 

awcthehague.membership@gmail.com. 


Meet at Den Haag Centraal by the 

Starbucks at 9:30 a.m. 

Bus fare and lunch at your own expense 




Walkie 

Talkies

A Ceremony of Remembrance and Hope 

by Roberta Enschede 

An elementary school child from P.S. 22 in Staten Island, New York wrote, “What the 

terrorists wanted is for us to be scared, to go in our house and never come out. But 

we didn’t do that. We didn’t hide in the shadows. We went in the sun.” 

When we speak of 9/11 today, we remember the 2,983 people who died that blue and 

golden morning, when the north and south towers of the World Trade Center crumbled, when 

the Pentagon was seared and sliced, when a meadow in Shanksville, Pennsylvania burned! We 

remember ordinary people, the firefighters, police, members of the military, first responders. 

We remember minute details of that day and all the days that followed. 

I was at the American School marking papers in the teacher’s lounge. The kids had gone 

home. One of the teachers who always stayed late walked in and said, “They just bombed 

the World Trade Center. Go down and see!” I couldn’t believe it so I went to the library to 

check out her story. A few teachers and students were gathered in front of a small TV. A 

man I didn’t know sat and stared. His legs and arms were crossed around each other like he 

was isolating himself. He never said a word. Finally, he uttered, “It’s gonna fall.” Seconds 

later, I watched the south tower crumble. The man was a substitute teacher and was a retired 

engineer. He understood what I could not conceive, what millions could not conceive. At 

9:59 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the south tower fell. At 10:28 a.m., the north tower fell. 

It’s been 17 years since that day. Still, 

when we say September 11th, each of us 

remembers where we were and what we 

were doing. We remember all the times we 

talked about what happened and why. We 

remember conversations with friends who lost 

friends and family. We remember the stories 


AWC Clubhouse, 5:30 p.m. 

Everyone is welcome 

of firefighters and policemen, and first responders, and ordinary people who did whatever 

they could to save lives and those who lost their own life. 

“They didn’t hide in the shadows. They went in the sun.” David Halberstam, the distinguished 

American journalist wrote: “There are dates which seem to separate yesterday from 

today and then from now. September 11th, 2001 is such a date.” 

Etched into the stone of the 9/11 Memorial is a challenge! “Dedicated to those who fell 

and those who carry on. May we never forget.” 

“It was the worst day we’ve ever seen, 

but it brought out the best in all of us.” 

John Kerry, former Secretary of State 

And so, each year, we hold A Ceremony of Remembrance and Hope. We remember former 

AWC Member Rebecca Fry’s friend Barbara Olsen who died on American Airlines flight 77 

when it crashed into the Pentagon. We remember firefighter Steve Blackwell, the best friend 

of a former security attaché at the American Embassy, who ran into the Trade Center twice. 

He didn’t come out the second time. We remember the best friend of Cameron Mitchell’s 

dad, a firefighter, who Cameron is named after. We remember the men and women of Squad 

One in Brooklyn. We adopted their firehouse and collected money for their Widows and 

Children’s Fund. We remember names. 

Zelda, an Israeli poet wrote, “Each man has a name given him by his father and mother. 

Each man has a name, given him by the sea and given him by his death.” At the first ceremony 

of Remembrance and Hope, we repeated that couplet in English, French, Spanish, Dutch, 

Hebrew, Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean, all the languages the students at 

the American School spoke. 9/11 was not and is not an American tragedy. It was and will 

always be a challenge for our common humanity. 

This year, Pete Hoekstra, the American Ambassador to the Netherlands, will join us 

at the ceremony. Ambassador Hoekstra was a member of Congress at the time. Jim Hines 

from the NYPD will also join us. Officer Hines was at 9/11 from that day until January. U.S. 

Marine Sgt. Shane Cell will share his personal thoughts. “That’s one of the reasons I joined 

the Marines,” he said. 

For more information please contact Roberta Enschede - OAR coordinator at 0654253650 

oarinnl@yahoo.com, a.beeuwkes@xs4all.nl, mcgrewta@state.gov, jessierodell@gmail. com, 

or meow00@hetnet.nl 



FAWCO Corner 

by Julie Mowat, AWC The Hague FAWCO Representative 

Federation of American Women’s Clubs Overseas, a United Nations NGO with 

consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council 

www.fawco.org. 

FAWCO Development Grant: 

Creating Better Futures 

Development Grant 

AWC The Hague has decided to donate 

$4,500 to support FAWCO’s “Creating 

Better Futures” Development Grant. The 

Kitchen for Rural Kenyan Catering Program 

in Chepkanga, Kenya is the current recipient 

of our AWC The Hague Development 

Grant. The nominating club, AAWE Paris, 

has been affiliated with the organization for 

ten years. 

The grant will provide funding to Rafiki 

Ya Maisha, an NGO that raises money for 

schools in Kenya. The funds will construct 

At FAWCO’s General Meeting in 

India in April 2017, Hope Beyond 

Displacement, a program created and 

run by the Collateral Report Project (CRP) in 

Amman, Jordan was announced as the next 

Target Project. The Target Project is a project 

voted on by all the FAWCO Member Clubs. 

Once selected, the FAWCO Rep brings information 

about the issue to the club members 

and we help raise money for the organization 

for two years. The excitement was everywhere, 

and this project was clearly very supported. 

The Target Chair, Tricia Saur, asked to meet 

with me and we began to discuss a possible 

site visit. This would be a first for FAWCO. 

Therese Hartwell, who is on the board of CRP 

and is FAUSA President, was also very enthusiastic 

and the work began. We wanted 

to make sure that everyone who belongs to a 

a teaching kitchen at the Sergoek Vocational 

Training Center in Chepkanga. The Center 

provides education and training to 126 rural 

youths. The catering program is the flagship 

program of the center and currently has 18 

students. Programs offered at the Center 

help youths, particularly girls, find employment 

outside the home and break the cycle of 

poverty. Construction of the Center started 

in 2007 and buildings have grown as funds 

become available. There are currently nine 

classrooms, a small administrative building, 

a makeshift corrugated iron kitchen and pit 

latrines. A proper kitchen will help improve 

professionalism as well as the self-esteem of 

the students. 

FAWCO: Hope Beyond Displacement 

by Julie Mowat, AWC The Hague FAWCO Representative 


FAWCO Member Club would have a chance 

to sign up for a potential spot on the trip. We 

also wanted to make sure that club members 

from as many FAWCO regions as possible 

would be able to attend. Our final challenge 

was to keep our numbers small enough so CRP 

could accommodate our visit. A year later, 22 

of us, representing 6 regions and FAUSA were 

off to Jordan! 

We traveled together for five days in April 

2018 visiting sites of historical and cultural 

importance. (Please see my Jordan article 

on page 40 about the sightseeing.) We got to 

know one another while learning about the 

country’s history, culture, and current conditions. 

We arrived at CRP comfortable with 

each other and with a good understanding 

of the past and recent history of the region, 

including the social and economic implications 

Jordan copes with, as a result of hosting 

such a large number of displaced persons 

in relation to their population size. With this 

background, we were ready to meet the CRP 

community! 

CRP is based in a residential area close to the 

center of Amman. It is a grassroots effort that 

brings much-needed assistance to refugees 

and other victims of war and conflict—those 

commonly referred to as “collateral damage.” 

CRP mainly serves Iraqi and Syrian refugees, 

but they have now added services for 

the most recent victims of war and conflict 

(Yemen, Sudan and Somalia). The programs 

that FAWCO supports through Hope Beyond 

Displacement include Super Girls, Gender- 

Based Violence, Women Empowerment, 

Vocational Training, and Hope Workshop 

(which makes crafts to sell). 

During the three-day visit, we spoke to the 

staff (mostly refugees themselves) about 

their experiences and challenges; met with 

the yoga kids; saw Super Girls in action; 

admired the efforts of the Hope Workshop 

women; heard the teen group talk about their 

challenges; and listened to the men in the 

Gender-Based Violence groups. We had interpreters 

and learned so much. We had cooking 

lessons and were “clients” for the women 

who had just finished beauty training. We 

made connections with people and I know I 

am forever changed. Every one of us came 

away humbled and inspired. 

After this site visit, I can say with complete 

confidence that the money our club raises for 

CRP’s Hope Beyond Displacement has been, 

and will be, very well spent. The programs 

are very helpful for these vulnerable people 

and we are helping to make a difference in 

so many people’s lives. We are making a big 

impact! 

If you have any questions about this organizations, 

please do not hesitate to ask myself 

or Celeste Brown. CRP’s website is www. 

collateralrepairproject.org/. 

For more detailed info about our trip including agenda, participant’s thoughts, etc., please visit 

www.fawco.org/global-issues/target-program/education/blog-let-s-get-schooled/3 920-site-visitpart-one 


My Journey to Jordan 

by Julie Mowat 

In April 2018, a group of FAWCO women 

went to visit Hope Beyond Displacement, 

the program run by the Collateral Repair 

Project in Amman, Jordan that is FAWCO’s 

current Target Project. One of the trip’s goals 

was to learn about the region to better understand 

the challenges facing the refugees. So 

we were tourists for a few days before visiting 

the program. 

One of the best trips of my life! Jordan is an 

amazing country that I highly recommend 

visiting. While its history is thousands of 

years old, as a country it is only 100 years 

old. A little over 50 years ago, 85% of the 

people were nomads. Today it’s 1%. The 

people were so incredibly kind, I felt very 

safe, the food was delicious, and the history 

was nothing short of amazing. Our tour 

guide described Jordan as an open-air museum 

and that was a perfect description. There 

are too many experiences to write about, 

so I will only mention a few. But please do 

not hesitate to reach out if you want to learn 


more about Jordan. I would be happy to 

share travel agent info, agenda, recommendations, 

etc. 

Our group was in Jordan during their high 

season in April. Overall, however, tourism 

is down. Every day, one of the local residents 

thanked me for being there. Because 

they do not have large amounts of natural 

resources, they are dependent on tourism. 

Speaking of a lack of resources, they have 

a huge water shortage and only get water in 

their homes one to two times a week. Most 

homes have a rain collector on their roof 

and it doesn’t rain often! 

Anjara 

Our first stop was Anjara, a quiet and unassuming 

town. Tradition holds that Jesus, 

Mary and some of his disciples stayed overnight 

in a cave in the Ajloun Mountains 

nearby during one of Jesus’ trips from 

Jerusalem to Galilee. We visited Our Lady 

of the Mount. In 2010, the statue of Mary 

was found with tears of human blood. 

Thousands go on a pilgrimage there though 

we were the only ones there during our visit. 

Jerash 

Jerash was the perfect example of what Zaid, 

our tour guide, meant when he described 

Jordan as an open-air museum. The excavations 

were started 75 years ago but due to 

lack of money and resources, there is still so 

much more to find. While walking around, 

I could see 2,000-year-old pottery sticking 

out of the walls. Astonishing! They recently 

unearthed two human skulls that date back 

to the Neolithicperiod, 7500 – 5500 B.C. 

The visible ruins in Jerash include Hadrian’s 

Arch, a hippodrome, temples, aqueducts, a 

theater, and much more. 

Dead Sea 

Another wonderful stop on the journey was 

the Dead Sea. It is the Earth’s lowest point 

on land and is a salt lake. It was the first 

health resort for King Herod and believed 

to be the place of refuge to King David. 

Floating in the Dead Sea watching the sunset 

was a highlight! 

Mosaics 

Madabais known for its Byzantine-era 

mosaics. The mosaic map on the floor of 

St. George’s Church was beautiful. I love 

how it explains so much history. Our travel 

agent, Nimisha, knew how much our group 

would appreciate not only seeing the mosaics, 

but also the making of mosaics. She 

arranged for us to visit a place where differently-abled 

people were employed to make 

exquisite mosaics. I fell in love with a piece 

that is now home with me! >> 40 


Jordan (cont.) 


Petra 

There has been so much written about Petra 

(Rose City) so I will keep it brief. It is the 

most popular place to visit in Jordan and I 

highly recommend it. It is listed as one of the 

new Seven Wonders of the World. Arab people 

settled here more than 2,000 years ago 

as it was a safe location among the rocks. It 

became an important hub for the silk, spice, 

and other trade routes. Petra 

was hidden 

from Western eyes for hundreds of years until 

the 1800s, and became quite known when 

it was featured in Indiana Jones III. 

There is so much amazing history to see, 

starting with the gorgeous walk in the gorge. 

We were fortunate to be able to make the 

walk twice, once during the day and once 

at night lit by candles and the stars. Celeste 

Brown and I enjoyed ourselves in the Cave 

Bar, the oldest bar in the world as well as at 

a cooking class of traditional foods at Petra 

Kitchen. 

Wadi Rum 

The final day was spent in Wadi Rum. I was 

especially excited to stay where they filmed 

The Martian (one of my favorite books). 

Wadi Rum is gorgeous. Fun experience taking 

the “jeeps” (pickup trucks with benches 

in back) around looking at the gorgeous nature, 

including the sunset. I was amazed at 

the 4,000-year-old map-carved rock, that 

helped travelers know where to go. Out in 

the open for anyone to damage. Again, another 

reminder of how Jordan is an open-air 

museum. 

Traveling in Jordan with 22 FAWCO women 

was an amazing experience. I learned so 

much about myself, others, and our world. I 

treasure this experience and the friendships 

made! Highly recommend Jordan!! 

Fran Mainella, 

Director National Parks Service (ret.) 

by Emily van Eerten 

I 

really enjoyed the opportunity to hear Fran Mainella, the 

former (and first female) director of the National Park 

Service (NPS) speak at the Clubhouse this summer and was 

very happy to be able to have my daughter Silke tag along. I 

was super impressed with her can-do pragmatism. Hearing 

about her challenges and successes during her career, and 

particularly during her stint as NPS director from 2001—2006, 

I was struck by how effective a person can be when they are 

issue-driven and not handicapped by partisanship. 

It was great to hear how she accomplished some of her goals throughout her career and 

it was also interesting to hear how her mandate shifted and evolved having assumed the NPS 

director’s role in the summer before 9/11. It was a reminder that EVERYTHING changed in 

the aftermath of 9/11, and the National Park 

Service was no exception. 

Fran is clearly a natural at understanding 

the need for public and private interests to 

work together to make good things happen. 

She had great tips for working in a political 

environment and she was genuinely inspiring 

as a female role model, encouraging young 

women to adopt the three Cs—courage, connections, 

and communication—as a way to 

keep moving forward. 



Chat, Craft and Cake: The Culture 

(Part One of a Two-Part Series) 

by Suzanne Dundas 

We Call it CCandC For Short 

Chat, Craft and Cake meets every Tuesday 

at 10 a.m. in the wonderful natural light of 

our Clubhouse’s backroom. We appreciate 

just how great this overhead light is because 

we began meeting eight years ago in 

our former, darker, Clubhouse on Nieuwe 

Duinweg. We’ve enjoyed as many as 15 

people around our big table but, depending 

on the time of year, we number usually between 

5 and 7. Being from many countries 

besides the U.S., we are proud poster girls 

for today’s multinational AWC. 

Conversation, Craft, and Cake 

The gentle clacking of knitting needles and 

the scratchy scrape of a tapestry needle being 

pulled through rough canvas are not the 

sounds you hear when you enter our room. 

In fact, it’s a good bet you’ll hear us before 

you enter the room. We’re talking and we 

like it. We are not silently immersed in 

our handwork because, as Members of the 

American Women’s Club of The Hague, 

our default settings are “Interesting” and 

“Interested.” 


We carry on a 

long American 

tradition of sewing 

circles and 

quilting bees but 

with a decidedly 

modern take. Our 

conversations careen 

from families 

to travel to sports to popular culture. 

Sometimes sex. Occasionally gossip. Only 

under extraordinary circumstances does the 

gossip involve sex. 

And, in a changing world, it is a given we 

discuss controversial topics. But we keep 

it civil. We listen respectfully, even if we’ll 

never agree on such important issues as 

whether the Outlander tv series lives up to 

the promise of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander 

novels. 

Chat, Craft, and Cooking 

Originally, our group was called Chat and 

Craft. Janet van der Laan, a charter 

CCandC member and a former home economist 

with the Netherland’s Libelle and the 

U.K.’s Good Housekeeping, (she knows 

Delia Smith!) suggested the group would 

enjoy trying out cake recipes on each other. 

And we do. We take turns baking (because 

having us all bake every week would be… 

let’s call it…”excessive”). We have had 

some colossal successes and colossal failures. 

My Bill Gerritz’s Serbian Dream Cake 

was as dry as adobe. 

Some of our bakers treat us to old favorites 

and some experiment on us, sometimes ambitiously. 

In July, Loren Mealey treated 

us to the wedding cake of the Duke and 

Duchess of Sussex (Harry and Meghan): 

Lemon and Elderflower Cake with a Swiss 

Merinque Buttercream icing. Some love to 

decorate their creations with sugar flowers. 

Others go for bounty and not décor. And, 

sometimes, our “mistress of the cake” decides 

a quick stop at the French bakery suits 

her schedule better this week. 

So far, we’ve managed to choke everything 

down. The AWC’s delicious coffee 

is a great accompaniment but also a multipurpose 

fix. A dousing in coffee transforms 

chocolate adobe into “Interesting texture, 

Suzanne.” 

Chat, Creativity, and Cake 

What crafts do we do in CCandC? Whatever 

we want—whatever we’re good at, whatever 

we want to learn, and sometimes, whatever 

FAWCO or the AWC asks of us. I’ve described 

the crafts separately in an adjoining 

article, Chat, Craft and Cake: The Crafts. 

My third article in this series will be Chat, 

Craft and Cake: How Historically Accurate 

is Outlander? 

Our skill levels may vary but our enthusiasm, 

the soothing pleasure we take in simply 

keeping our hands busy, and our joy 

in creating something that wasn’t there 

before never wane. Many of us started 

young. Beverley Bennett began knitting at 

age four. I began sewing at 12, in Middle 

School Home Economics class. Sonja Kelle 

knitted a lot as a child in Germany and took 

it up again as an adult because a group of 

friends met weekly to knit. 

Chat, Cooperation and Cake 

We share. “Would anyone like…” is often 

heard before a pattern book, extra wool, unneeded 

fabric, the wrong size crochet hook 

is laid out on our table. “Take what you 

need.” 

We ask. “Does anyone have any fabric in 

soft pinks they don’t want?” Anja Knoop 

was working on a quilt for a new granddaughter 

and simply could not find what 

she needed. We had more than enough soft 

pinks in our fabric stashes. 

Knowledge is freely shared too. “How do 

I …?” leads to brainstorming over the solution 

to a technical quilting problem. “Do 

you think I should…” and a sweater the 

knitter thought too plain takes on kicky 

pom-poms or a lacy hem. “Can you teach 

me to…?” We teach each other informally 

but we have also arranged classes for all of 

the AWC. 

One such course was Back Basted Applique, 

which Beverley Bennett taught us as a 

trial run for a course she would later teach 

at the traditional fabric store Den Haan en 

Wagenmakers in Amsterdam. We came 

away not only with a new skill, but a cute 

needle holder with various appliqué needles 

and a detailed instruction booklet. Beverley 

came away with an understanding of how to 

deal with an obtuse student or two. 

Agatha Zwaan taught a nine-week Sampler 

Quilt course. In a sampler quilt, each block 

is a different pattern or uses a different technique. 

Paula Traynor, who had never quilted, 

discovered she had a flair for color, grew 

to love quilting, and ended the course with a 

quilt of vivid batik fabrics. 

Paula has since repatriated to the U.S. and 

Agatha lives in Oman, but both come back 

to CCandC when they are in town. In fact, 

we often welcome returning visitors to 

CCandC. It always feels like they never left. 

“Pat Raynolds, it is so good to see you!” 

Chat, Craft, and (ex)Cursion 

Some things just must be seen and occasionally 

we go to see them. For instance, we 

piled into a train to see the Open European 

Quilt Championship and EXPO in 

Veldhoven.. We’ve also driven to see something 

interesting, most recently American 

quilts made from feed sacks at the Textile 

Research Center in Leiden. 

Chat, Community, and Cake 

We are a community within the AWC but 

we were once individuals who decided to 

check out Chat, Craft and Cake and bravely 

ventured into the Clubhouse one Tuesday, 

maybe toting a UFO. That’s “Unfinished 

Object,” crafters slang for that project you 

never got around to finishing. Crafters 

slang. We’re just that cool. So, come see us. 

Pull up a chair. Have a cup of coffee and a 

slice of whatever. Pull out that project you 

started before your child was born and begin 

anew. Join us. 


Credit: Algemeen Nederalnds Persbureau © ANP 

The Dutch Daily 

by Eileen Harloff 

Welcome back to the Netherlands, 

The Hague, and/or the American 

Women’s Club if you’ve been away, 

or back to the autumn-winter schedule if 

you’ve braved the summer here (which you 

might have thought was going to be cool and 

rainy, but which surprised us all by being 

sunny and just plain hot). It’s time to meet 

up with old friends, welcome newcomers and 

“get back to business” in this rapidly changing 

world. First, a follow-up on three stories that 

took our attention prior to the break, and then 

on to the present and the future. 

Gone, but Not Forgotten 

The first follow-up story is about six-year 

old Tijn Kolsteren who was mentioned in 

the September 2017 issue of Going Dutch. 

He was suffering from an incurable brain 

cancer and wanted to raise funds for an organization 

that grants wishes of sick children. 

His idea was to paint people’s fingernails 

for a small fee. The idea caught on 

and in December 2016, all over the country 

nails were being painted on young and old, 

women and men, including the Dutch Prime 

Minister. The end result of this initiative was 

an overwhelming 2.5 million euros, and its 

initiator was himself a recipient and was given 

a trip to Disneyland Paris. His sunny personality, 

wish to help others, and acceptance 

of his illness made him a young hero, and 

he was honored by having a planetoid which 

circles the sun being being named after him. 

He then became one of a very exclusive 

group of Dutch recipients, such as the diary 

writer Anne Frank and the artist Vincent van 


Gogh, to receive this honor. And now, a year 

after Tijn’s death a monument to him has 

been unveiled at the Netherlands Red Cross 

Headquarters on the Anne van Saksenlaan 

in The Hague: a wall of nail polishes. Due 

to the large amount of money that he helped 

raise, by the end of this year a new machine 

for the treatment of children’s brain cancer 

will be installed at the Princess Maxima 

Centrum in Utrecht, and on the wall at the 

Red Cross Headquarters there are three long 

shelves filled with multi-colored nail polish 

bottles, a simple but touching reminder of a 

young hero. 

American Street Musician 

The next follow-up story is of a person on 

the upper side of the age ladder. Chuck 

Deely was a seemingly permanent fixture 

on the Grote Marktstraat in The Hague city 

center. He sat outside the HEMA store, playing 

his guitar and singing in a somewhat 

gruff voice, his dog and a small cardboard 

box for donations always at his feet. People 

would stop to have a chat about his music 

or the world in general, and he came to be 

considered as part of the local crowd. After 

he died last winter, his friends and casual 

acquaintances took up a collection to pay 

for his funeral and to set up a competition to 

choose a painting to be created on the wall 

of a nearby tram tunnel with high-visibility. 

And now a book about his life has been 

written by author Ineke Bosman. It is based 

on weekly talks she had with him when he 

came to lunch with her and her American 

husband. Chuck agreed to the idea saying 

that he knew everyone, but no one knew 

Credit: Rode Kruis (Red Cross) 

Credit: Ineke Bosman 

him—in fact, it was only later that it was 

learned that he was of American Indian origin. 

Ineke and her husband were in Africa 

when Chuck died, so she was not able to 

continue her talks with him. She wanted to 

honor him by publishing what she knew, 

which she has called Chuck Was In The 

Hague, with the proceeds from the sale of 

the book to be given to Operation Clear 

Mind Ghana, a Ghanese organization that 

gives help and support to people suffering 

from alcohol addiction. 

Mega Crane goes East 

Our last follow-up story concerns the crane 

whose designers and producers have called 

“the crane that conquers the world “. Its first 

overseas operation is in Malaysia, where 

it will be in operation in two months’ time 

unloading ship cargoes. Although it has a 

volume of only 162 cubic meters, it can nevertheless 

handle a 60-ton load. This is equivalent 

to the weight of 85 Volkswagen Ups 

which, when put in a row, would measure 

almost 300 meters. Back in the Netherlands, 

the designers are continuing to make ever 

smaller cranes to move ever heavier loads. 

Note--for those like me, who know little 

about automobiles, the Volkswagen Up! is a 

small family city car. 

Here a Robot, There a Robot 

And now, into the present and the future. 

Old MacDonald certainly could have used 

robots on his farm, but unfortunately he was 

too early to profit from our new BFF’s (best 

friends). A new BFF for the City of Delft 

will be Urby, a rubbish/refuse robot who is 

now in the testing phase at Delft Technical 

University, being worked on by 23 students 

from various colleges and schools in the 

area. He/it has an enormous task ahead, 

namely to encourage us, the people, to put 

our trash into his open mouth instead of 

dropping it on the street or in the bushes. 

Urby is not expected to take over the city’s 

street cleaning task but to help with it, and 

particularly in times of large gatherings such 

as festivals or “Shopping Sundays”. When 

trash is thrown into its thirsty mouth the 

thrower will be thanked with a large wink 

of Urby’s eye. The inspiration for Urby’s 

eye winking has come from Holle Bolle 

Gijs, a paper gobbling trash can that speaks 

to you at the theme park Efteling in North 

Brabant, and Wall.E, the well-known trash 

collector from the Pixar Animation Studios 

in the U.S. 

Another robot, developed by KLM, is in 

its first testing stage this summer at JFK in 

NYC and SFO in San Francisco. It’s called 

the Care-E Trolley. This “help for travelers” 

will be a robot of many tasks: helping the 

traveler to find his/her gate, carrying suitcases, 

making sure the traveler is on time, 

announcing gate changes, etc. What a delight 

these robots will be—it’s too bad that 

they will not also be able to quickly steer the 

traveler through check-in and luggage control; 

but on the other hand, they will never 

go on strike. 

SEPTEMBER 2018 47 

Credit: Omroep West

Normandy – A Road Trip 

by Deana Kreitler 

Being new expats with an interest in 

the rich history and culture of the 

European countries, my husband and 

I took a three-day road trip to the Normandy 

region of France. We found the road trip 

through southern Netherlands and Belgium 

not particularly scenic, and traffic can be a bit 

of a bear, but luckily things got much more 

interesting as we approached Normandy. 

We spent a couple of days soaking up the 

considerable history of beaches, battlefields, 

bunkers, and museums, and paying respect 

to the heroic efforts of those who sacrificed 

greatly during World War II. What I found 

fascinating were the personal stories from 

and about real people who were there. It felt 

so different than the textbook education I 

received back in the United States. In Europe, 

all this history includes an effort to provide an 

understanding for the difficult decisions real 

people had to make in such terribly difficult 

times. Very moving. 

We spent one night in the old fishing village 

of Port-en-Bessin. We had a long lovely 

dinner overlooking the harbor and then stayed 

out late to celebrate Bastille Day with the locals 

which included a wonderful celebratory 

firework display over the harbor. 

As interesting as the rest of the trip was, 

our highlight was visiting Mont Saint-Michel. 

We spent an amazing night on the island 

where we had the unique opportunity to stay 

in a modest three-star hotel, La Mère Poulard. 

In spite of the lack of air conditioning and four 

flights of stairs, it quickly became the favorite 

of the trip. The ability to stay overnight gave 

us the chance to experience the island after the 

day traffic left for the day. It was incredible 

to be able to explore the ramparts and views 

without crowds and to watch the awesome 

tide while we ate dinner. 

Between low and high tides, the water 

tables can vary by 64 feet. It literally transitions 

from an uncovered bay area to one 

that is almost completely covered by water. 

Although we didn’t do it ourselves, many 

people wandered around to explore the bay 

during low tide. I am not sure I would have 

felt safe enough to “follow in their footsteps” 

as the tides were coming in, but our 

evening entertainment included watching a 

brave group stand right on the edge of the 

incoming tide and then journey back to the 

safety of the island, staying just in front 

of the water. Our explorations, watching 

the tide, and listening to the final cheers as 

France overtook Croatia to win the World 

Cup made for a very interesting and memorable 

evening. 

The next morning, we enjoyed a nice 

breakfast at the hotel before trekking back 

up the numerous steps towards the Abbey 

for an early morning tour. The audio guide 

provided a good overview of the long history 

of this monument that exhibits an incredible 

diversity of architectural styles since its construction 

began in the 10th century continuing 

up to 19th century restorations. 

Between the tidal activity and the history 

and architecture of the Abbey, we definitely 

got to see first-hand why the bay around Mont 

Saint-Michel has the distinction of being categorized 

as one of the world’s most beautiful 

bays. Both the bay and Mont Saint-Michel are 

listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This 

weekend road trip was an experience that I 

would highly recommend! 



Fourth of July 

Summer 

Activities 

Out to Lunch Bunch 

Clubhouse Cleanup 

Clubhouse Cleanup 

>> 50 

Van Kleef Tour 

Walkie Talkies 


Thirsty Thursday 

Van Kleef Tour 


Message from the President (cont.) 


You’ll see the early fruits of change when 

you drop by the Clubhouse for Kick-Off on 

Thursday, September 13. Jan Essad, our 

Clubhouse Administrator, and Sunita Menon 

who co-chairs with Jan, have spent the summer 

cleaning and redecorating the Clubhouse. 

The transformation is noticeable as soon as 

you walk into the building where you’ll see 

the new décor, a beautiful credenza donated 

by Fiona Passatino, two new chairs for the 

office donated by Sarah Dunn, and fewer 

bookshelves, giving the Clubhouse more open 

space. Jan and Sunita are on their way to 

creating a more gezellig Clubhouse. 

In addition to our social activities, philanthropy 

is key. Our annual Holiday Bazaar 

is the only fundraiser that directly helps the 

AWC continue our work within the community. 

The Holiday Bazaar returns in November 

with Jaimie Keppel-Molenaar at the helm. 

The big news for this year’s event is it is 

moving to the Hilton Hotel. The new location 

offers a much larger space for our vendors 

and guests as they peruse all the items 

that are perfect for your gift giving this year. 

Jaimie is just one of many volunteers who 

have stepped up this Club year and we could 


not continue without their help. My hope is 

that you find a group or committee that you 

want to become more involved with and will 

have time to spare to volunteer. 

And, speaking of volunteers, many 

thanks to Lindsey Turnau who is reviving 

the Kids’ Club. She has lots of ideas and 

plans for parties and activities for our littlest 

Members! Lindsey has also agreed to serve 

with Emily van Eerten and me on an ad hoc 

committee to review and revise the Club’s 

Policies and Procedures Manual, Bylaws, 

and Constitution. Several other Members are 

needed to help on the committee, so please 

consider volunteering as this is a key project 

for the Club going forward. 

Don’t hesitate to let me know if you 

have ideas to improve the Club, are looking 

for a volunteer opportunity, or just want to 

schmooze! I look forward to a fun Club year 

with all the fabulous women in our AWC. 

Tot ziens, 

Suzanne 

Announcements 

Embassy Festival 

You can take a cultural trip around 

the world at this free festival which 

spotlights the many different cultures of 

The Hague through music, art, dance and 

culinary delights. The musical program 

includes pop, jazz, folk and classical. 

Activities geared towards children will 

allow them to experience various cultures 

and open their eyes to different ways 

of playing. The international market 

features global delights. The Embassy 

Festival is organized in close co-operation 

with the Municipality of The Hague’s 

Department of International Affairs and 

the city’s many embassies, spotlighting the 

different cultures that reside in the Dutch 

administrative capital. 

Friday, August 31 and 


Lange Voorhout, Den Haag 

www.embassyfestival.com 

Comic Con in Amsterdam 

Lovers of movies, TV shows, gaming, comics, 

superheroes and pop culture can meet 

their heroes and participate in a variety of 

activities, such as photo shoots or signing 

sessions with Hollywood stars (at additional 

charge), Q&A panels, workshops, demos 

and live acts. This event often sells out, so 

check if there are any tickets left at www. 

comiccon-europe.com. 

Saturday, September 1 and 

Sunday, September 2 

RAI 

Europaplein 2-22, Amsterdam 

Food Truck Festival 

Whereas once food trucks were referred to 

as “roach mobiles,” they are now very trendy 

and offer a wide assortment of gourmet 

foods. See what all the fuss is about when 

Westbroekpark is transformed into one large 

attractive open-air restaurant during this festival 

with free admission. In addition to a 

large variety of tasty foods, there will be live 

music and other entertainment. 

Thursday, September 6 – 


Westbroekpark 

Kapelweg, Den Haag 

www.festival-trek.nl 

World Port Days Rotterdam 

Wereldhavendagen (World Port Days) is a 

large, annual free maritime event that will 

appeal to your whole family. During this festive 

weekend, you can get a glimpse behind 

the scenes of Europe’s busiest port through a 

wide range of activities, such as ship tours, 

demonstrations, excursions and exhibitions. 

Port companies demonstrate exactly 

what their ships and other sailing equipment 

are capable of in a continuous program of 

spectacular presentations with breathtaking 

stunts and nautical expertise. You can experience 

it all from the Erasmus Bridge or near 

the grandstand on the Wilhelminakade. This 

year’s theme is Energize, highlighting how 

Rotterdam Port is turning to sustainable energy 

to become the cleanest port in the world. 

Rotterdam Europoort 

Friday, September 7 through 


www.wereldhavendagen.nl 

>> 54 


Announcements (cont.) 


Open Monument Days 

Open Monumentendag (European Heritage 

Days in the Netherlands) is designed to 

bring people into historical buildings in an 

effort to rally support for the preservation 

of historical monuments. About 4,000 historical 

buildings and sites across the country 

will be open to the public free of charge. 

Here’s your chance to enter some buildings 

that are not normally accessible to the public. 

This year’s theme is In Europe. 



Countrywide 

www.openmonumentendag.nl 

Dahlia Flower Parade 

Since 1929, Lichtenvoorde (east of Arnhem) 

has hosted a parade featuring impressive 

floats covered by dahlias grown in local 

fields. Approximately 1,000 volunteers 

participate in this impressive spectacle. 

Entrance tickets are required to stand along 

the 1.5-mile (2.5-kilometer) route and can 

be purchased online. The parade ends at the 

exhibition grounds, which charges a nominal 

fee to see the floats illuminated at night. 


Lichtenvoorde Centrum 

www.bloemencorso.com 

The Plunge, an Audio Tour 

The Plunge is an on-location cultural project 

concluding on September 9, which 


features an audio tour that takes you on a 

literary walk through Scheveningen Beach. 

It centers around German composer Felix 

Mendelssohn, who came to Scheveningen 

in 1836 in the hope of restoring his failing 

health. Novelist Marente de Moor, winner of 

the EU Prize for Literature, has written two 

short stories―one for grown-ups and one 

for children aged six and over―inspired by 

Mendelssohn’s sojourn on the Dutch coast. 

The tour starts on the Pier after you rent an 

MP3 player and headset. What at first seems 

to be an ordinary walk, leads to three dramatic 

locations designed for sitting and listening. 

www.en.ohdiezee.nl 

The Hague Hat Walk 

On the Saturday before Prinsjesdag, which 

is also the International Day of Democracy, 

the first edition of The Hague Hat Walk will 

take place. The walk starts and ends at the 

Plein, giving you the opportunity to be a 

spectator after the walk at the Prinsjes Hat 

Walk, the hat design competition of the year. 


1:15 – 2:45 p.m. 

Plein, Den Haag 

www.prinsjesfestival.nl 

Closing of Storm Surge Barrier 

Once a year, the Maeslant Storm Surge 

Barrier in Hoek van Holland is closed as 

part of an annual test of the system in preparation 

for hurricane season, which runs from 

October 1 to April 15. Opened in 1997 as 

part of the Delta Works to protect Rotterdam 

Harbor and surrounding cities, it is one of 

the largest moving structures on Earth. 

Check the website for timing if you want 

to witness this unique engineering marvel. 

Tours in English are available; reservations 

are strongly encouraged. 


Keringhuis 

Maeslantkeringweg 139, Hoek van 

Holland 

www.keringhuis.nl 

New Hague Art Festival 

Masterly The Hague is a new annual festival 

for Old Masters and Dutch Design. Three 

magnificent historic buildings located opposite 

the Hofvijver will open to the public 

together for the first time presenting 

the collections of Dr. Abraham Bredius, 

Hoogsteder & Hoogsteder, and Cornelis 

Kruseman. This new festival will introduce 

these historical paintings in combination 

with works by contemporary designers 

specially commissioned for this 

event. Tickets can be purchased online at 

www.masterlythehague.com. 

Thursday, September 20 – 


Lange Vijverberg 14 – 16, Den Haag 

40th International Kite Festival 

Scheveningen is ideally situated for kite-flying 

with consistent prevailing winds blowing 

along the beach. During this annual free festival, 

international kite builders and enthusiasts 

come together to show their skills along 

the beach surrounding the pier. This year’s 

theme is Sea Aquarium. The skies will be 

filled with Megabyte, the world’s largest flying 

monster, as well as a huge variety of kites 

of every shape and color including teddy 

bears, dragons and fish. 



Scheveningen Beach 

www.vliegerfeestscheveningen.nl 

Leiden Liberation Celebration 

This annual Leiden event commemorates 

the Spanish siege and subsequent relief of 

the city in 1574. The party starts on Tuesday, 

October 2 at 1 p.m. with a huge fun fair and 

market that covers a large part of the city 

center. On Wednesday, October 3, the official 

day of liberation, Breestraat is turned into a 

lively street theater with a giant parade featuring 

floats, bands, and dancers starting at 

1 p.m. The day concludes with fireworks at 

11:30 p.m. www.3october.nl 


Classifieds 

Bijoux-dor Gold & 

Silversmith 

Professionally trained gold 

and silversmith specializing 

in handmade and custom 

jewelry, and repairs. AWC 

members are eligible for a 

10% discount on custom work. 

Visit my atelier at Noordeinde 

47, 1st floor, The Hague 

or call 0687598566 for an 

appointment or send an email 

to meriemoukil@hotmail.com. 

www.meriem-dor.com 

Counselling International 

For professional, confidential 

individual counselling or 

coaching, relationship/couple 

therapy or conflict mediation. 

Experienced, multilingual 

professional Els Barkema-Sala, 

MPhil, MBACP. 

Contact 071 528 2661 for FREE 

initial telephone consultation 

or for an appointment. 

www.counsellinginternational. 

com 

Pippa’s Friendly Pilates 

I am a certified Stott Pilates 

Instructor offering private 

matwork and reformer lessons 

in a comfortable setting at 

my home studio in central 

Den Haag. Please contact 

me at pippahillstrathy@gmail. 

com or 06 82529931 for more 

information. 

Expat Families in Transit & 

Work Life Balance 

Ingrid offers Child & Teens 

Counseling, Life Work 

Coaching, Accountability 

Coaching and Workshops 

& Training. Experienced 

Bilingual Psychosocial 

Therapist/Counselor & Coach. 

Certified NFG member. 

Check for Coverage Health 

Care Insurance. Contact 

0640216544. FREE 30 MIN 

CONSULTATION. www. 

ingridmasselinkandreas@ 

gmail.com 

Household Help 

Young woman is searching for 

a job in the household taking 

care of the children and doing 

light chores in the Hague. 

I’m able to start on the first of 

August. Please contact me at: 

0625495312 

Blossoming Health and 

Beauty 

Looking for a professional, 

licensed acupuncturist? 

Contact Linda Chen 

at 06-37315840. With a 

background in leadership 

development by Shell, Linda 

graduated with Cum Laude 

in TCM Acupuncture. She 

is a registered member of 

the professional association 

ZHONG. 

Insurance 

reimbursement of the fee is 

possible. 

www.blossoming-healthbeauty. 

com 

Index of Advertisers 

ACCESS 

page 32 

American Travel 

Center 

page 41 

Aveda Lifestyle 

Salon 

Inside Cover 

Beacon Financial 

Education 

Back Cover 

Frans Burgers 

Tapijt 

page 13 

FRITSTAXI 

Airport Service 

Inside Back Cover 

Happy Critters 

page 15 

Marcel 

Vermeulen 

Jewelry 

page 11 

Petros Eyewear 

Sligro 

page 11 

Wassalon 

Weissenbruch 

page 32 

Your Cleaning 

Service 

page 32 

The AWC is not responsible for accidents or injuries occurring at 

Club activities or on Club property. Sports and exercise instructors 

must carry their own liability insurance. 

Support Fellow AWC Members 

Find links to a large variety of businesses owned by AWC Members at www.awcthehague. 

org/site/newcomers/business-links 

page 19 

VERHEY VAN 

WIJK brilmode 

page 17 

Event information, suggestions or comments for eNews? 

***New email account*** 

Please send all eNews information to awcthehague.enews@gmail.com no later than end of day 

each Friday for the following week’s eNews. 

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Please be reminded that the AWC Membership List is for AWC Member reference only and use of this 

information in any communication other than AWC official business is strictly prohibited. Members may 

not share the list with anyone other than another AWC Member in good standing and never to any 

third party. 

The AWC takes care to protect Member information and adherence to this policy is critical to maintain 

Member privacy. Members are asked to report suspected misuse of the list to any AWC Board Member. 


Rates 

Classified Mini-Ads: 

Deadline: In general, the 1st of the month prior to the 

month in which your ad will appear, although subject to 

change due to holiday schedule. 

AWC Member Rates: 

For 45 Words 

Non-Member Rates: 

For 45 Words 

For 25 Additional Words 

Per Issue € 15 € 8 

Eight Issues € 110 € 55 

For 25 Additional Words 

Per Issue € 10 € 5 

Eight Issues € 70 € 30 

How to Submit Your Ad: 

Email your ad to: goingdutchads@gmail.com 

Payment Information: 

Please indicate the name of your ad on your payment so that 

we are able to match up your payment with your ad. 

By Bank Transfer: 

ABN-AMRO 

43.14.21.757 

IBAN: NL42ABNA0431421757 

Display Ads: 

For full, half, third or quarter page commercial display ads, 

email our magazine staff at goingdutchads@gmail.com 


Proost! Questionnaire 

by Heather DeWitt 

Why are you living in the Netherlands, and 

when did you arrive? 

I’m a trailing spouse! My husband works 

for Shell, and we arrived in mid-January. 

What do you love best about living here? 

The experience. It’s a totally different 

freedom without kids, and we’re 

rediscovering our pre-kid life. 

Your Home Away from Home 

Tours, Activities, Philanthropy, and 

Friendship! 

Any English-speaking woman may 

join the AWC. 


Morning Session: 11 - 2 a.m. 

Evening Session: 5 - 8 p.m. 

Give us a quick wrap-up of your family. 

I am here with my husband, Mike, and we 

have two children. Logan is 19 and a rising 

sophomore at Purdue, studying Mechanical 

Engineering. Skyler is 23 and will graduate 

in August with her Physician’s Assistant 

degree. 

www.AWCTheHague.org 

Johan van Oldenbarneveltlaan 43, 2582 NJ, The Hague 

Questions: AWCTheHague.Membership@gmail.com 

Tell us about your pet. 

Rocky is a big, sloppy chocolate lab. He’s 

been a good friend, and a comfort in our 

travels. 

What is it about the AWC that you most 

enjoy? 

The comradery. We all have at least one 

common thread, even though we’re all so 

different. 

What do you consider the most overrated 

virtue of being an expat? 

People have a weird connotation about 

living abroad. Growing up overseas, this 

has been a dream. But many people back in 

the U.S. don’t understand, if they’ve never 

travelled. 

Which travel experience has been the 

most memorable? 

In 1980, my parents bought a Suburban and 

had it shipped to Rotterdam. We drove it 

home to Saudi Arabia. 

Which locations haven’t been ticked off 

your bucket list? 

Spain, South Africa, and Dubai. 

Where would you most like to live? 

We purchased lakefront property in 

Knoxville, Tennessee, for our retirement. 

What’s your hobby? 

Sewing, reading, and walking. I’m training 

for the Santiago de Camino, which I will do 

with my parents and daughter in September. 

Who’s a better chef at home, you or your 

partner, and why? 

I’m the Cook, but Mike is the Grill Master. 

Which living person do you most admire? 

My mom, Linda. 

What is your most treasured possession? 

A bracelet my husband gave me, around the 

time we got married. 

What is your favorite dessert? 

Grandma Ellie’s cream puffs, which are 

strangely similar to the Hema cream puffs. 

What is your favorite drink? 

Gin and tonic. 



WE’RE EXPATS TOO! 

At Beacon Financial Education 

we offer fundamental financial 

education knowledge, as well as 

tools for the sophisticated investor 

looking for options in today’s 

expanding global market. 

Our Mission is to empower Global 

Mobility through Financial Freedom 

for Expats no matter where they 

are, today or tomorrow. 

HAVE YOU LIVED OR WORKED IN 

MULTIPLE COUNTRIES? 

HAVING TROUBLE INVESTING IN 

THE NETHERLANDS OR EUROPE? 

ARE YOU TRYING TO RESOLVE 

FATCA AND PFIC ISSUES? 

Contact us today for a free consultation 

with an independent financial advisor! 

www.beaconfinancialeducation.org/ 

freeconsultation 

Your wealth. Your future. 

SeamleSS Service. 

wherever in the world You reSide. 

www.beaconfinancialeducation.org 

info@beaconfinancialeducation.org 

Beacon Financial Education does not provide financial, tax or legal advice. None of the information should be considered financial, tax or legal advice. 

You should consult your financial, tax or legal advisers for information concerning your own specific tax/legal situation.

AWC Going Dutch Sept 2018

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