AWC Going Dutch Oct 2018

one stop shop 

for all your beauty desires 

Going Dutch 

October 2018 

The Magazine of the 

American Women’s Club 

of The Hague 

Denneweg 56 

2514CH The Hague 

Tel. 0703458442 

www.lifestylesalonthehague.nl 

AWC treats its Honorary Members to a 

luncheon. 

See what the Holiday Bazaar has to offer. 

AWC kicks off the new Club year! 

6 

22 

26 

5 Officers and 

Chairwomen 

6 Volunteer and Honorary 

Member Luncheon 

8 Message from the 

President 

9 October General 

Meeting 

9 Vote! 

10 Letter from the Editor 

12 Membership and 

Newcomers 

13 Newcomer’s Coffee 

14 Club and Community 

Chair 

15 Ongoing Activities 

20 One-of-a-Kind Activities 

22 Holiday Bazaar 

26 Fall Kick Off 

28 October Calendar 

31 AWC and the Arts 

32 FAWCO Corner 

34 Recipe 

35 AWC Community 

Calendar 

36 Chat, Craft and Cake 

40 The Dutch Daily 

42 Adventures in Madeira 

47 Lunch with Girlfriends 

48 Announcements 

52 Classifieds 

53 Index of Advertisers 

and Ad Rates 

54 Proost! Interview 

OCTOBER 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 

Cows in Leidschendam by Melissa White 

Photography 

Mary Adams, Jane Choy, Sabine Crowley, 

Greetje Engelsman, FAWCO, Dena 

Haggerty, Teresa Insalaco, Veronica June, 

Suzanne MacNeil, Julie Mowat, Perspektief, 

Melissa Rider, Anne van Oorschot, Melissa 

White 

Proofreaders 

Celeste Brown, Jane Gulde, Diane Schaap, 

Debbie van Hees 

Advertising Manager & 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 

Naya Pessoa 

awcthehague.community@gmail.com 

Clubhouse Administrator 

Jan Essad 

awcthehague.clubhousemgr@gmail.com 

Communications Open 

awcthehague.communications@gmail.com 

Member-at-Large 

Sunita Menon 

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: Greetje Engelsman 

Arts: Jane Choy 

Assistant Treasurer: Teresa Insalaco 

Board Advisor: Jessie Rodell 

Caring Committee: Naomi Keip 

Chat, Craft & Cake: Suzanne Dundas 

eNews Amber Gatewood 

Events & Tours: 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: Ceci Wong and Julie Otten 

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 December issue, submissions are due before Monday, October 29 

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. 


Volunteer and Honorary Member Luncheon

Message from the President 

by Suzanne MacNeil 

October General Meeting 

by Dena Haggerty 

The new Club year is off to a rousing 

start! I hope you were able to take part 

in one (or more) of the many offerings 

in September, whether it was Kick Off, 

Prinsjesdag, watching an NDT rehearsal, or 

the Welcome Back BBQ. I went to most of 

the above and it was fun to reconnect with 

Members who’ve been away for the summer 

and the new Members who are just getting 

acquainted with the Club. 

One of the September events held in the 

Clubhouse was a Board and Committee Chair 

Luncheon. My goal was to help our great team 

of volunteers to put faces to names and to 

meet others who serve under the same Board 

Member. More than 20 Members joined us, 

including our favorite Club mascot, three-yearold 

Simon (Lindsey Turnau’s son), and the 

attendees were able to share best practices, ask 

questions, and get to know what’s entailed in 

the job of other volunteers. 

I did notice a few pieces missing at the luncheon, 

though. There are several key volunteer 

positions still open and I’d like you (if you’re 

thinking of how to become more involved) to 

consider jumping into the fray. And, when I say 

fray, it’s more like a fun fray, not a brawl, but 

an easy way to make the Club better. 

Pick one, any one of the volunteer opportunities 

still open, and find yourself working 

with the best team in The Hague! This is just 

a sampling: 

8 GOING DUTCH 

A major missing 

piece is our Gala 

Chair. Our 

AWC offers 

social events 

and activities, 

but we also 

give back 

through our 

philanthropic 

programs. This 

Club year we 

plan to hold a 

gala in May. 

Several Members 

have already 

approached me 

to say they will 

serve on the 

Gala Committee. 

If planning 

and project 

management are 

your forte, please 

consider helping 

in this crucial 

role. If you would like more information about 

the position, please contact Naya Pessoa, our 

new Club and Community Officer. She can be 

reached by email at awcthehague.community@ 

gmail.com. (To learn more about Naya, please 

turn to page 14.) 

Going Dutch, our monthly magazine, is 

self-sustaining. The ads in the magazine pay 

for the printing and mailing of each edition. If 

you have sales skills, please consider volunteering 

as the Advertising and Invoice Chair. 

This is a high-priority role that will enable 

Going Dutch to continue. 

Have you been to Hoge Veluwe National 

Park in Gelderland? Did you know that 

Maastricht was once a Roman settlement? Or, 

that Waddenzee in Groningen is almost 2,500 

square kilometers and is home to millions of 

migratory birds, fish, and colonies of seals? 

If we had a Chair overseeing tours, she could 

design trips that will help us explore more of 

our host country. 

Have you got www.Kayak.com, www. 

Booking.com, and www.Hopper.com down to a 

science? We’re missing our own travel agent! 

The most recent major trip was several years 

ago to Iceland. Pick a place you’d like to visit 

and chances are other Members would like to 

join you. Many of our Members have traveled 

thanks to the Club and we already have information 

and contacts to get you started. >>39 

Garbage. Not the sexiest of topics but 

a topic everyone must deal with on 

a daily basis. It’s also an important 

method by which individuals can lend a 

helping hand in saving the environment. 

Separating waste is a part of life in The 

Hague. Plastic, tin, drink cartons, paper, glass, 

batteries… the list of items that do not belong 

in the household waste containers (and for 

which you can actually get a fine for improper 

disposal) is long and varied. These items are 

recycled into raw materials for new products 

such as plastic bottles, toys and car parts. 

Drink cartons are used to make office supplies, 

cardboard boxes and toilet paper. Tin/ 

steel cans are used to make new food cans, 

paint cans, aerosol cans and other materials. 

A representative of The Hague will join us for 

our October meeting to discuss recycling and 

how separating your trash can help save the 

environment. She’ll discuss what items can 

be recycled (which plastic can be recycled) 

and where they should be deposited. She will 

also discuss the city’s adopt-a-bin program 

and how the municipality is aiming to make 

The Hague a cleaner city. 

Thursday, October 11 

10:00 a.m. 


Free 

Register NOW to vote on 

November 6, 2018! 

To start the process, it is recommended that you submit a Voter 

Registration and Absentee Ballot Request, aka the Federal Post 

Card Application (FPCA), to your state election official. 

This should be done early in every calendar year you 

wish to vote, or whenever you change your address. 

If you voted in past elections, do not assume you 

will continue to receive automatic mailings or 

you could end up missing out on the November 6 

midterm elections. 

For more information, please visit https://fawco.overseasvotefoundation.org/vote/home. 

htm. 

Photo credit: Federal Voting Assistance Programs 


Letter from the Editor 

by Audrey Goodman 

One of my favorite things about being 

an expat is sharing my adventures 

with family. Since arriving in the 

Netherlands in January, we have had the pleasure 

of hosting my mother- and father-in-law, 

my sister-in-law, and my mom. 

When my in-laws visited in July, we 

crossed quite a few things off our bucket list. 

We met them in Paris (first time visit for me 

and my husband!), where we spent several 

days exploring the Louvre, tasting many wonderful 

French desserts, strolling through the 

Trocadéro while gawking at the Eiffel Tower, 

wandering through Versailles, and enjoying a 

wonderful dinner on the Seine. But the highlight 

of our trip was the two-day adventure to 

the Normandy region. 

We hired a private guide, Mathias with 

D-Day Guided Tours, who made the experience 

absolutely perfect. He picked us up 

from the train station in Bayeux and took us 

to numerous World War II sites on the first 

day. Between the stops, while driving, he provided 

us with endless facts and stories about 

the war. We ended our day at an adorable bed 

and breakfast in Bayeux, Hôtel Tardif. The 

next morning, Mathias drove us to Mont Saint 

Michel, where he again wowed us with endless 

facts during our tour. It’s awe-inspiring to 

think such an amazing monastery was designed 

and built in the 11th century, without the use 

of modern tools and technology. It was a trip 

that I never thought I would have the opportunity 

to take. 

10 GOING DUTCH 

My mom visited in August and spent two 

weeks exploring with me. During her time 

here, we took a trip to Munich and (back) to 

Paris. She studied in Germany when she was 

in high school and again in college, but was 

never able to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. 

When I was a teenager, she and I took a trip to 

the Bavarian region, where we enjoyed beers 

for the first time together. Sadly, the castle was 

under renovation at that time, so we were unable 

to take a tour. But we made up for it this 

year! We took a day trip from Munich, and 

she was absolutely thrilled to finally visit the 

castle. And, of course, no visit to Munich is 

complete without a stop at the Hofbräuhaus, 

for a couple very large beers. 

When we went to Paris, we stayed at Hotel 

Muguet, just a ten-minute walk from Champ 

de Mars. We spent our days drinking wine, 

visiting the Notre Dame Cathedral, taking a 

tour of the King’s Apartments in Versailles, 

and wandering the charming streets of Paris. 

For her, the highlight of the trip was sitting in 

the park and watching the Eiffel Tour sparkle 

at night. 

It’s sad when family leaves to return to 

the U.S., because we know it will be awhile 

before we see them again. But it’s thrilling 

to spend time with them, enjoying European 

adventures that may otherwise be impossible. 

Whenever I’m feeling a little homesick, I just 

think about the experiences I’ve had since 

arriving in The Hague. My time as an expat 

will be over before I know it, so I’m taking 

advantage every chance I get! 

Audrey 


Membership 

by Melissa Rider 

Thank you for 

renewing your 

membership to 

the AWC for 

the 2018/19 

Club year and 

a warm welcome 

to those 

just joining 

the AWC. As 

an AWC Member you automatically become 

a Member of FAWCO (Federation of 

American Women’s Clubs Overseas). 

Welcome New Members! 

Theres Akesson 

LaTasha Baker 

Mary Ellen Brennan 

Barbara Brookman 

Marianne De Beer 

Shanon Gonzales 

Rachel Hines 

Julie Miller 

Lori Schnebelie 

Michelle Voorn 

More benefits of being an AWC Member 

include the ability to gain entry into the 

wholesale stores Hanos in Delft and Sligro 

in Leidschendam and The Hague. The 

American Book Center in The Hague offers 

a 10% discount and the Crowne Plaza 

Promenade offers discounted rates on their 

health club, spa, and other services to our 

Members. Please remember to bring your 

Membership card to these businesses. 

If you have any questions about your 

Membership, please feel free to contact me 

at awcthehague.membership@gmail.com. 

Newcomer’s Coffee 

Newcomers 

by Holly Savoie and Greetje Engelsman 

Are you a new AWC Member? Be sure to 

attend a General Meeting at the Clubhouse 

on the second Thursday of the month. 

Meetings start at 10:30 a.m., but please do 

stop in a bit early to meet Members, sip coffee, 

and get the lay of the land. Also, take 

advantage of the monthly events planned especially 

for Newcomers. If you have questions 

about how to navigate in your expat 

country, the AWC Newcomers’ team is very 

eager to help. Greetje Engelsman and 

Holly Savoie welcome your emailed questions 

at awcthehague.newcomers@gmail. 

com. 

Unique products 

for entrepreneurs 

1061246 

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. 

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 



Club and Community Chair 

by Naya Pessoa 

I 

have been living in The Hague for seven 

years, and recently joined the AWC. The 

path that brought me to The Hague was 

unexpected as I was born in the city of Manaus 

in Brazil, and grew up in a multicultural and 

multilingual family in the small town of 

Gainesville, Florida. I completed my undergraduate 

degree at the University of Florida 

and graduated cum-laude with a Bachelor’s 

Degree in Political Science and Spanish. I 

spent time in the beautifully preserved town 

of Guanajuato, Mexico in order to improve 

my Spanish language skills. As graduation 

approached, my interests in human rights 

drove me to pursue a Juris Doctorate from 

New England Law Boston. During my legal 

studies, I was an AmeriCorps Fellow working 

on the immigration rights project and also 

volunteered at the local legal clinic providing 

assistance to Haitians seeking temporary protected 

status. I decided to take my experience 

global as an International Criminal Process 

Clinic Fellow at the ICTY in 2010. During 

that time, my personal life changed when I 

met the Spaniard who is now my husband. 

Upon graduation from law school, I decided 

to follow my heart and return to The Hague. I 

immediately began working at the Permanent 

Court of Arbitration in the Peace Palace where 

my work focused on Latin American commercial 

contract claims, investor-state claims 

under bilateral investment treaties, and interstate 

disputes. I recently made the decision to 

change my career path and now work at the 

Webster University Leiden Campus as the 

dedicated officer 

for Graduate 

Studies where I 

can embrace a 

healthy work-life 

balance. 

Did you know that any woman who speaks English is 

eligible to join the American Women’s Club? 

Invite your English-speaking friends, wherever they’re 

from, to join us today! 


I have been passionately 

involved 

in volunteer 

work for the 

past 15 years, including 

Habitat 

for Humanity in 

the U.S. and Buddy Project for Victims of 

Human Trafficking in the Netherlands. Most 

recently, I have served as a nonprofit project 

manager spearheading refugee-focused 

projects including language workshops, access 

to higher education programs, active 

lifestyle programs, and a number of other 

initiatives. The most successful program, 

My University Cares Too, is formally part 

of the UN campaign to address Sustainable 

Development Goal 4 to “ensure inclusive 

and equitable quality education and promote 

lifelong learning opportunities for all”. 

My goal is to help empower others to recognize 

they have skills that can be shared. My 

aim is to contribute to the continued success 

of AWC projects, and also learn from fellow 

AWC Members who bring a wealth of 

experience to the table. I really am honored 

and look forward to this new chapter with 

the AWC. 

Photo and summary credit: Amazon 

Ongoing Activities 

Book Clubs 

The AWC Book Clubs are open to all 

readers, and new Members are especially 

welcome! There are no requirements that 

you must 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 

October Selection: 

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 

This unforgettable New 

York Times best seller 

begins with the story of 

two half-sisters, separated 

by forces beyond 

their control: one sold 

into slavery, the other 

married to a British slaver. 

Written with tremendous sweep and 

power, Homegoing traces the generations 

of family who follow, as their destinies 

lead them through two continents and three 

hundred years of history, each life indelibly 

drawn, as the legacy of slavery is fully revealed 

in light of the present day. 


10 a.m. 


FREE 

Daytime Book Club Recap – August 

Think about post-revolutionary Russia: 

Bolsheviks, famine, Siberia, Stalin. Your 

images will hardly be gentle and charming. 

Yet, A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor 

Towles, which takes place in Russia between 

1922 and 1954, is gentle and charming. 

How does Towles do it? He confines 

his protagonist, a serene and genteel Russian 

count named Alexader Ilyich Rostov, to 

Daytime Book Club Reading List: 

Thursday, November 15: Educated: A 

Memoir by Tara Westover 

house arrest in an exclusive Moscow hotel. 

With one brief exception, the count spends 

32 years within the Metropol. Yes, Rostov is 

surrounded by luxury and worldly visitors 

but his own accommodation is a small converted 

storeroom. As we all must do, Rostov 

becomes the architect of his own life within 

circumstances over which he has no control. 

Rostov’s quest for purpose, meaning, and 

love in his life makes for an interesting and 

uplifting story. Some of us could have done 

without the references to classic Russian literature 

but others thought they helped anchor 

the story to place and to illuminate the 

Russian mindset. Recommended. 

>> 16 


Photo and summary credit: Amazon 

Ongoing Activities (cont.) 

Continued from page 15 

Evening Book Club 

October Selection: A 

Long Way from Home by 

Peter Carey 

A Long Way from Home is 

Peter Carey’s latest style 

masterpiece; a thrilling 

high-speed story that starts 

in one way, then takes you 

to another place altogether. 

Set in the 1950s in the embers of the British 

Empire, painting a picture of the Queen and 

her subjects, black, white and those in-between, 

this brilliantly vivid novel illustrates 

how the possession of an ancient culture 

spirals through history —and the love made 

and hurt caused along the way. 

Wednesday, October 10 

7:30 p.m. 


FREE 

Evening Book Club Reading List: 

Wednesday, November 14: A Gentleman in 

Moscow by Amor Towles 

Wednesday, December 12: The Only Story 

by Julian Barnes 

Chat, Crafts & 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 cake—tried and true, 

or experimental. 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 men 

and women 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, October 9 

Noon – 2 p.m. 


FREE 

Visitors Welcome 

Out to Lunch Bunch: October 

Restaurant De Haagsche Beek is as Dutch 

as Dutch can be, and as Haags as The Hague 

can be. But for most expats, it is a hidden 

secret. It is time the Lunch Bunch discovers 

this restaurant in Kijkduin, close to the 

beach. The restaurant is located in a >> 18 



Ongoing Activities (cont.) 


modern building but tells you a lot about the 

history of the Haagsche Beek (The Hague 

brook). The restaurant is used by many citizens 

in The Hague for parties, weddings, 

birthdays, bridal showers, etc. But also for 

dinner or lunch of course: never a dull moment. 

The food is international, but with a 

Kijkduin touch. The restaurant is easy to 

reach by car or public transport. After signing 

up, you will receive a leaflet about the 

the Haagsche Beek and about the panorama 

in the dunes. It’s a piece of art on top of the 

dune, opposite the restaurant! 

Restaurant De Haagsche Beek, Machiel 

Vrijenhoeklan 175, Kijkduin 

www.dehaagschebeek.nl 

Friday, October 26 

Noon – 2 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 except true beginners. Contact 

Molly Boed at mollyboed@gmail.com for 

more information. 

Every Tuesday 

(except specific holidays TBD) 

1 – 3 p.m. 

Dekker Tennis Courts 

Veerpolder 14, Warmond 

€ 275 Members / € 325 Nonmembers 


Thirsty Thursday 

Join us again for our monthly gathering. 

Thirsty Thursday is a casual evening of 

companionship and good conversation—a 

new favorite for AWC Members and prospective 

Members. Two soft drinks, wine or 

beer, plus tapas. 


6 – 9 p.m. 

Tapisco, Kneuterdijk 11, Den Haag 

€ 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 or Greetje Engelsman at 

awcthehague.walkietalkies@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. Prospective 

Members are welcome too. Suzanne 

Dundas coordinates these meetings and 

can be reached at awcthehague.crafts@ 

gmail.com. Because the location changes 

every month, contact Suzanne if you are 

interested in attending or for more information. 


9:30 a.m. 

FREE 

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. 

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. 



One-of-a-Kind Activities 

by Marsha Hagney 

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. 

Guided Tour of Dutch Masters 

from British Country Houses 

This autumn the Mauritshuis will feature a 

special exhibit of Dutch 17th-century paintings 

from National Trust Houses. This will 

be a Mauritshuis exclusive: never before 

has such a selection been exhibited in the 

Netherlands. 

Thursday, November 1 

6:00 – 7:30 p.m. 

Mauritshuis, Museum Plein 29 

Den Haag 

Max 15 / Minimum 12 

€ 10 Members (€ 15 nonmembers) 

Museum entrance fee of € 15.50 is not 

included (Entrance is free with Museum 

Card) 

Registration Deadline: October 22 (Later 

registration possible if space is available) 


AWC Members, please connect with 

us on LinkedIn 

https://nl.linkedin.com/in/ 


awcthehague 

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. 

Halloween Trick-or-Treating in 

Voorburg 

We’re thrilled to be partnering with the 

town of Voorburg for a Halloween event 

this year. Join us for trick-or-treating. All 

are invited, including nonmembers. 

Saturday, October 27 

Time TBA 

Location TBA 

FREE 

See eNews for details 

Morning Tea with Diane 

Hoekstra, AWC Honorary 

President 

Join us for tea, coffee and great company. 

Our Honorary President, Diane Hoekstra, 

invites AWC Members to gather at her 

home. Details will be sent directly to those 

who register, closer to the event. Please 

note that this event is for AWC Members 

only. 


10:00 a.m. – Noon 

Location will be provided upon registration 

Max 30 / No Minimum 

FREE 

Registration Deadline: October 18 


Tour of Private Art Collection 

The AWC and The Arts are honored to offer 

this very special activity. The collection 

you will visit is a private art space 

that houses a multidisciplinary collection 

spanning the genres of painting, sculpture, 

photography, installations and video. You 

will visit this collection in a unique building 

which in part is built 26 feet (8 meters) 

underground. It is situated close to The 

Hague; you will receive location information 

once you have signed up on Group 

Spaces and confirm that you will be taking 

part in the tour. 

Tuesday, November 13 

10:30 a.m. – Noon 



€ 10 Members (€ 15 nonmembers) 

Registration/Cancellation Deadline: 

October 15 


Visit from FAWCO’s Amanda 

Lane 

Amanda Lane, Executive Director of the 

Collateral Repair Project, will be visiting 

to discuss FAWCO’s Target Project: Hope 

Beyond Displacement. This is a great opportunity 

to ask her questions and learn 

more about the efforts to support refugees. 

See the FAWCO article in last month’s 

Going Dutch, for more information. 

Monday, November 5 

10:30 a.m. – Noon 


FREE 



Holiday Bazaar - Come One, Come All… 

and Shop! 

by Amber Gatewood 

Believe it or not, the holidays are right 

around the bend. This means Santa and 

his AWC elves are in full swing preparing 

for our annual AWC Holiday Bazaar! 

On November 10 & 11 you’ll find the most 

unique range of gift options under one roof, as 

The Hilton Hotel is transformed into a winter 

wonderland. From baked goods to paintings 

to textiles to beer and wine, there is something 

for everyone. You’ll also have the opportunity 

to support several of our own Members who 

will be selling their goods. 

Let your senses carry you by the Aromatique 

Shop. You’ll find a selection of candles, wax 

melts and reed diffusers to satisfy all your 

fragrance needs. (www.aromatiqueshop.com) 

Are you enthusiastic about vintage finds? 

Atelier34bc brings flea market discoveries to 

life and transforms them into revitalized interior 

furnishings. (www.atelier34bc.com) 

Need something with some Dutch flare? 

Check out a Bazaar favorite, Alexandra 

Breeze Ceramics, and her line of imprinted 

porcelain Amsterdam canal houses. Each 

piece has its own unique character. (www.alexandrabreezeceramics.nl) 

The variety doesn’t stop here. Make your list 

and check it twice: the AWC Holiday Bazaar 

is coming to town! 

Hilton Hotel, Zeestraat 35, Den Haag 

Saturday, November 10 

11 a.m. – 6 p.m. 

Sunday, November 11 

11 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Entry: € 2 Adults / Children Free 

Kid’s Corner: € 5 per Child 

A friend or family member must be with 

your child, so bring your spouse, partner, or 

friends, and take turns shopping! 

Bake for the Bazaar 

by Cathleen Owens 

The days are getting shorter, which means 

it’s almost time to show off those baking 

skills! Break out those recipes for your famous 

cookies, brownies, or pies (non-perishable). 

If baking isn’t in your repertoire, 

or you prefer savory treats, why not stir up 

spicy cashews or marinated olives? Your 

baked goods give our guests the energy to 

shop ‘til they drop! 

The Holiday Bazaar is taking place this year 

at the Hilton Hotel on November 10 and 

11. Baked goods drop off takes place at the 

AWC Clubhouse on Friday, November 9. 

Sign up to donate your baked goods by filling 

out the form at http://bit.do/bazaarbakesale. 

You will be contacted closer to the date to 

confirm. If you have any specific questions, 

feel free to email hol.baz@gmail.com. 

To volunteer for the Bake Sale, contact 

Laurie Martecchini at awcthehague. 

volunteercoord@gmail.com. 



We Need Your Hands at the Holiday Bazaar 

by Jaimie Keppel 

Calling all hands ... and bodies and smiles! 

The AWC annual Holiday Bazaar is one 

of our major fundraising activities. It’s 

also a lot of fun. Volunteers are needed for 

both Saturday, November 10 and Sunday, 

November 11. There are two shifts each 

day: 11a.m. – 2 p.m., and 2 p.m. – close. For 

most shifts, we pair an experienced Member 

with someone new to the Bazaar. There are 

plenty of areas in which to volunteer: 

• Entry Table: Welcome visitors and sell 

entry tickets 

• Floor Monitors: Help as needed 

• Bake Sale: See Cathleen’s article on 

page 23 for details 

• Raffle Table: Sell raffle tickets and 

highlight all the wonderful donations 

• Payment Tables: Accept payment for 

goods using a PIN machine and tallying 

funds received. No prior experience 

needed, just a comfort with taking payments. 

• Kids’ Corner: See Holly’s article below. 

Will you come and help? Please contact our 

Volunteer Organizer, Laurie Martecchini: 

awcthehague.volunteercoord@gmail.com. 

Help Share Christmas Fun at the Kid’s Corner 

by Holly Savoie 

Do you enjoy crafts or working with 

children? Then this is for you! The Kid’s 

Corner is a dedicated play space with 

activities run by AWC volunteers. All the 

activities and crafts will be planned and 

organized ahead of time. The children will 

be accompanied by a parent or family friend 

during their time in the Kid’s Corner. 



Shifts: Noon – 3 p.m. & 3 – 6 p.m. 

(2 adults per shift) 

To volunteer, please contact Holly Savoie 

ASAP, at awcthehague.kidsclub@gmail. 

com. 



Fall Kick 

Off

October 2018 

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 

1 

2 

3 4 

5 6 

Walkie Talkies 9:30 a.m 

Chat, Crafts & Cake 10 a.m. 

AWC Tennis 1 p.m. 

Wassenaar Coffee and 

Conversation 9:30 a.m. 

7 8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 



Heart Pillow Workshop 

Noon 

Coffee 10 a.m. 

October General Meeting 

10:30 a.m. 

Buddy Check 12 


Evening Book Club 

7:30 p.m. 

14 15 

16 

17 18 

19 

20 




AWC Board Meeting 

9:30 a.m. 

Thirsty Thursday 6 p.m. 

21 22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 




Morning Tea with Diane 

Hoekstra, Honorary 

President 10 a.m. 

Daytime Book Club 10 a.m. 

Out to Lunch Bunch Noon 

Halloween Trick-or-Treating 

in Voorburg TBA 

28 29 


30 



31 

Upcoming: 

Holiday Bazaar - November 10 – 11 

Thanksgiving in Leiden - November 22 

Jewelry/Pearl Party - December 6 

Christmas Lunch - December 14 



AWC and the Arts 

by Jane Choy, AWC Member and Mauritshuis Docent 

Tour of Private Art Collection 

The AWC and The Arts are honored to offer 

this very special activity. The collection 

you will visit is a private art space 

that houses a multidisciplinary collection 

spanning the genres of painting, sculpture, 

photography, installations and video. You 

will visit this collection in a unique building 

which in part is built 26 feet (8 meters) 

underground. It is situated close to The 

Hague; you will receive location information 

once you have signed up on Group 

Spaces and confirm that you will be taking 

part in the tour. 

Tuesday, November 13 

10:30 a.m. – Noon 



€ 10 Members / € 15 Nonmembers 

Registration/Cancellation deadline: 

October 15 


RSVP for all Arts Activities directly on 

AWC GroupSpaces.com 

Direct any questions to jechoy@me.com 



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. 

This year, our Club sponsored a 

Development Grant, naming it the AWC 

The Hague Creating Better Futures. 

Recipient: Kitchen for Rural Kenyan 

Catering Program 

Location: Chepkanga, Kenya 

Nominating Club: AAWE Paris 

Purpose of the Grant: Grant funding will 

go to Rafiki Ya Maisha, an NGO that raises 

money for two schools in Kenya. The funds 

will be used to construct a teaching kitchen 

at Sergoek Vocational Training Center in 

Chepkanga to help improve professionalism, 

as well as the self-esteem of the students. 

Wonderful way for our Club to make 

a difference again! 

Curious to learn about FAWCO? Contact 

Julie Mowat or Terri Mahoney 

(awcthehague.fawco@gmail.com) to learn 

more! 

On November 5, Amanda Lane, Executive 

Director of the Collateral Repair Project 

(CRP), will be visiting to discuss our 

FAWCO Target Project: Hope Beyond 

Displacement. (Teaser: we will have the 

Helping Hands Fundraiser for them on 

February 21.) Even if you attended Celeste’s 

and my dinner discussion about our Jordan 

trip, you will still find this session informative. 

This is a great opportunity to ask 

Amanda questions and learn more about the 

efforts to support refugees. 

Monday, November 5 

10:30 a.m. – Noon 


FREE 


FAWCO’s Biennial Conference will be 

hosted by AWC of Central Scotland in 

Edinburgh. Mark your calendars for this 

major conference, Thursday, March 21 

through Sunday, March 24. Many of us 

from this Club will be attending. Scotland 

is not too far away (last one was in India), 

so it is a great opportunity to see what 

FAWCO is about and hear some great 

speakers. More information to follow in 

the near future. 

We are in Region 4, but are invited to other 

regions’ meetings. Region 5 will be in 

Heidelberg November 9 through 11, for 

an opportunity to get to know the newest 

FAWCO member club. International 

Women’s Club Heidelberg is a brand-new 

club and looks forward to welcoming 

you. This Regional Meeting will throw 

out watches and give ample time to connect, 

chat, help, support, understand and, 

of course, inspire. Please check out www. 

FAWCO.org or reach out to me if you have 

any questions. 

Did you know as a Member of this Club 

you and your family are eligible to apply 

for an Educational Grant? Did you also 

know that you can nominate your favorite 

nonprofit for a Development Grant? Several 

of our Members and their families have 

received one. There are several different 

catagories and it can be well worth your 

time! Member Michelle Oliel’s Pillow 

Project with Stahili was awarded a grant 

this spring and this amazing program has 

already started making a difference. Please 

check out fawcofoundation.org for further 

information. 



A Retrospective of Past October Covers 

AWC Community Calendar – 

Fall 2018 

Philanthropy is a large part of what the 

AWC does for our community, and this 

fall we will again ask you to open your 

hearts for Children’s Gift & Clothing Drive 

and the Toiletry Drive. Your donations mean 

so much to the families who receive them, 

and even the smallest gift can go a long way 

in the eyes of a child. For those of you who 

have contributed in the past, many thanks for 

your kindness! And for those considering a 

contribution this year, please know the organizations 

to whom we donate always deeply 

appreciate anything you can give. 

Toiletries Donations 

Collection of toiletries: 

Thursday, November 1 through Tuesday, 

November 27 

Package toiletries: 

Thursday, November 29 (time TBA) 

Toiletries drop-off: 

Monday, December 3 

Holiday Bazaar 

Saturday, November 10 (11 a.m. – 6 p.m.) 

Sunday, November 11 (11 a.m. – 5 p.m.) 

Children’s Gifts & Clothes 

Collection of tagged gifts: 

Thursday, November 1 through Tuesday, 

November 27 

Wrap gifts and clothes: 

Thursday, November 29 (time TBA) 

Gift drop-off: Monday, December 3 



Chat, Craft and Cake: The Crafts 

(Part Two of a Two-Part Series) 

by Suzanne Dundas 

Quilting 

Most AWC Members think “quilting” 

when they think of CCandC because quilting 

is our most visible handwork. It’s hard 

to sneak into the Clubhouse unnoticed with 

a queen-size quilt tucked under your arm. 

Some of our quilts are for charity. CCandC 

as a group have made and donated quilts 

to be auctioned off for our local causes. 

Anja Knoop and Agatha Zwaan made an 

“Arkansas Crossroads” quilt out of scraps 

left over from the Heart Pillows Project. It 

was destined to be auctioned off but was 

so beautiful that Sonja Kelle bought it outright. 

The money raised was used to buy a 

dedicated sewing machine and more fabric 

for Heart Pillows. 

Every year CCandC quilters contribute 

squares to be incorporated into a FAWCO 

quilt. Since 1996, Roberta Zollner of the 

Munich International Woman’s Club has 

sewn together donated blocks to make 24 

FAWCO quilts. Auctioned off at FAWCO 

conferences, these quilts have raised approximately 

$75,000. This year we’re 

making a simple “bookcase” block. If 

you’d like to make one, contact me and I’ll 

send you the instructions. 

We have some very experienced quilters 

among us. Beverly Bennett is experienced 

in all forms of quilting and is amazingly 

prolific. In fact, one of our outings was to 

see Beverley’s quilt-filled home and her 

well-appointed quilting room. She keeps 

abreast of what experts are doing in terms 

of quilt and fabric design and has had a pattern 

of one of her own designs published. 

Beverley is a geologist by training and her 

quilts are crafted with scientific precision. 

As a quilting teacher herself, Beverley 

keeps current, taking classes at quilting 

shows and online via such sites as 

www.craftsy.com. She and I met in a 

2008 appliqué class at Quilter’s Palet on 

Weissenbruchtstraat in Den Haag. 

The instructor was the internationally renowned 

quilting superstar, Ted Storm, who 

lives in Monster. Lifelong learners, most 

CCandC members relish a class that teaches 

them either a new technique in their craft 

of choice or an entirely new craft. 

Agatha Zwaan’s speciality is appliqué 

and she turns out three-dimensional blocks 

of great intricacy and beauty. Agatha also 

has a very large sewing machine, called a 

long-arm machine. About ten feet (three 

meters) long, it is used to machine quilt 

entire quilts. Agatha has an empowering 

saying that comforts me when I am struggling 

with a quilt. “You are the boss of your 

fabric.” 

My goal for my quilts is warmth and washability. 

No one will ever make a pattern of 

the quilt I’m currently designing and working 

on (A Tribute to My Dogs), but I enjoy 

the process. My dogs, already spoiled, now 

strut through the park like runway models. 

Susan Baragwanath is not a quilter herself 

but an expert nonetheless. Susan is an extremely 

knowledgeable collector of historical 

quilts. She is currently a long-distance 

curator of an exhibit of her own quilts to be 

shown in New Zealand in 2019. It’s called 

Conversations with the Quilts and features 

many fascinating antique American quilts 

along with their histories. If we ask nicely 

and often enough, Susan may be willing 

to speak on this topic at an AWC General 

Meeting. 

Cross Stitch 

Dory Ritchie can cross-stitch anything, 

including a “medieval” box. Her latest 

project, a mermaid, gleamed with golden 

thread and beads throughout. 

Dory is currently working on her second 

mystery stitch-along. Every month for a 

year, instructions are downloaded onto 

http://linenandthreads.com/mysterysampler-stitch-a-long. 

Each part to be 

completed before the next part is available. 

You don’t know what the finished project 

will look like until it is done. It’s free and it’s 

fun for the 10,000 participants worldwide. 

There are similar monthly mystery projects 

for quilts, called “Block of the Month” . 

Knitting 

We have a lot of knitters—Sonja Kelle, 

Elaine Pimm, Gabrielle van der Winden, 

Hilde Hatlestad Volle—who turn gorgeous 

yarns into wearable art. It’s amazing 

to see how they can hold up a piece of knitting 

and, working without a pattern, modify 

the fit, change the sleeves, or add an intricate 

border. >> 38 



Chat, Craft and Cake (cont.) 


Message from the President (cont.) 


Eileen Baker, who has repatriated to 

Colorado, is also a superb knitter. I had the 

good fortune to win a set of her famous fingerless 

gloves and a scarf at an AWC auction 

one year. She is also extremely knowledgeable 

about wools, especially handspun 

wools. The patinaed wooden spinning wheel 

that stood in her dining room was not a conversation 

piece. It was well used. 

Sewing 

Yes, we sew. Susan Baragwanath and 

Loren Mealey maintain, mend, and modify 

their clothing, often with advice from 

Anja Knoop, who has been sewing her own 

clothing since she was a young girl. Anja is 

so skilled at sewing that she has been known 

to make her own, very intricate bras. 

Dutch women of a certain age learned to 

sew, and sew very well, at school. Dory 

brought in a charming yellow cotton dress 

for a young girl, beautifully detailed and 

sewn by hand. 


Gabrielle van der Winden, our Jill of all 

Trades, also sews, her latest creation being 

a Tory Birch inspired summer dress with 

long sleeves and an embellished neckline. 

Gabrielle also dyes silk scarves and sews 

elegant cushions. 

Miscellany 

At any given time, CCandC’s table can 

be laden with needlepoint destined to be a 

pillow, green rope being crocheted into a 

purse, or family photographs—hard copies 

being arranged in an album or virtual ones 

being organized onto a laptop. 

Once or twice, an adult coloring book has 

made an appearance. That makes sense. 

Though they yield nothing wearable or usable, 

adult coloring books distill the soothing 

repetition of handwork into its purest 

form. Creativity can take many forms and 

operate at many skill levels. Chat, Craft 

and Cake welcomes them all. 

Interested in history? Specifically, the 

Club’s history, dating back to 1930? The 

Historian/Archivist Chair is available. 

Preserving almost 90 years of history was 

started by a Member who recently repatriated, 

so this isn’t a start-from-scratch job. 

Our AWC offers numerous opportunities to 

use our skill sets in significant ways, whether 

you chair a committee or join other Members 

for the events and activities we offer. One of 

the most significant ways we can reduce the 

stress of moving to a new country and putting 

our own career on-hold (for those of us who 

were employed outside the home) is helping 

one another realize we are significant, no matter 

the role we play within our family, at a job, 

within the Club, or with friends. 

I subscribe to a number of expat Facebook 

pages. Some posts are funny, some members 

ask advice, while other posts are written by 

expats who need a boost because they’re experiencing 

loneliness, miss their home country 

comforts, and are looking for a way to enjoy the 

expat experience without self-imposed guilt. 

One recent post caught my attention. It was 

written by a woman who had been floundering, 

having given up her long-time career to follow 

her husband to a country that didn’t offer her 

the opportunity to continue working in her 

field. She found workarounds and is building 

her new life piece-by-piece through her volunteer 

work. In her post, she wrote that she’s gone 

from success to significance. For many of the 

Members of our American Women’s Club, this 

is what we’re doing. We are all significant and 

have much to offer one another. 

We are continuing the Membership drive 

that was started last Club year. More than 

five new Members joined the day of Kick Off 

and more say they will soon become part of 

our AWC. And we welcome them with open 

arms! It’s important that we keep welcoming 

new Members as the expat community 

in The Hague and nearby communities is 

constantly shifting, and with that shift, we 

sometimes lose Members who repatriate or 

leave for personal reasons. One such recent 

loss is Rebecca Niles-Pourier who served 

on the Board as our Communications Officer. 

We wish her well. 

As you can see, it’s a bit of a chess game 

to maintain our numbers, but we have so 

much to offer women who are looking for 

their home away from home. Whether you 

hear someone speaking English at your 

neighborhood Albert Heijn, or read a post 

on a local Facebook page written by a 

woman who wants to meet other expats, 

please reach out and let her know that our 

AWC offers many possibilities for interesting 

and unique experiences. I truly believe 

the warm welcome new Members receive 

from our amazing group of women is what 

separates our Club from all other organizations. 

Thanks to everyone for all you do to 

make our AWC special and for making each 

and every Member feel significant. 

Tot ziens, 

Going Dutch is Available Online 

Suzanne 

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! 


The Dutch Daily 

by Eileen Harloff 

Broken Record 

One of the complaints that are often made 

by visitors, temporary citizens and nativeborn 

Dutch people themselves has to do 

with the weather here, especially the summer 

weather—the sun never shines, it is 

cold, it’s always raining, etc. This is the reason 

that once vacation days come around, 

the airports and the roads are overcrowded 

with people escaping to the south and east, 

to the sun. This year, however, there was a 

turn-about: the country experienced the longest 

ever period—since records have been 

kept beginning in 1901—of warm, sunny 

weather. One day it was even so hot that 

people didn’t want to go to the beach and 

bask in the sun. The previous record of 53 

days in a row occurred in 2003. In fact, the 

2018 record may even be higher by the end 

of the summer, we shall have to wait and 

see. So if you were here for only the beginning, 

the end, or the whole summer period, 

you have experienced a rare phenomenon 

that may never happen again, or may instead, 

according to the environmentalists, 

be the weather of the future. 


Another Record 

Near the end of summer each year, Stichting 

De Noordzee (North Sea Foundation) carries 

out a clean-up day by volunteers of 

the beaches from Schiermonnikoog in the 

north to Cadzand in the south, with local 

groups each covering some 10 kilometers. 

The purpose of the clean-up, aside from 

beautifying the beaches, is to see how much 

trash is left, as all trash eventually ends up 

in the North Sea where it becomes part of 

the “plastic soup”. Not only is the soup unsightly, 

it is also the cause of death for many 

sea animals. This year, the 125 volunteers 

from The Hague area were asked to focus 

especially on cigarette butts, as these tend 

to remain on land and are often mistaken as 

food by birds. The findings were amazing— 

between the Hook of Holland and Monster 

(The Hague’s neighbor to the south), 14,696 

cigarette filters were found, or 184 filters per 

100 meters of beach. Add to this the findings 

of another organization with a similar aim, 

TrashUre Hunt, whose volunteers cleared 

up 31,712 cigarette filters from the beach 

at Scheveningen last year, and the danger 

is clear. Filter cigarette butts are the worst 

of all beach trash as they account for 95% 

of cellulose acetate plastic, which takes two 

years to deteriorate. There is a lesson to be 

learned from these clean-ups. If one insists 

on smoking, don’t throw your butts away, 

put them in a container for trash. But most 

of all, just stop smoking—our air will be 

purer and your breathing will be easier. 

Windmills in the Limelight 

Who hasn’t seen or heard about windmills 

in the Netherlands? There are 1,200 

of them: 397 are for drainage purposes as 

26% of the country lies below sea level, 

594 are industrial and corn mills, and the 

others, in my view, are there to pretty-up 

the landscape. The most famous group of 

windmills is at Kinderdijk, where 19 rise 

above the flat landscape and are so remarkable 

that they are on the UNESCO World 

Heritage list. But windmills don’t just work 

on their own volition. They have molenaars 

or millers who maintain and run them, and 

these important people have now also been 

added to UNESCO’s Cultural Heritage List, 

describing this as “a splendid trade that is 

through and through interwoven with the 

Netherlands culture”. At present there are 

50 professional millers and hundreds of 

volunteers who are keeping the Dutch mills 

turning. 

Historical Exhibition 

Across the street from the Mauritshuis is The 

Hague Historical Museum, where an exhibition 

devoted to the life and times of Johan 

van Oldenbarnevelt (1574 – 1619) will open 

on December 1. This man rose from a modest 

background to become the most powerful 

person in the country. He lived in turbulent 

times, with the Netherlands rebelling 

against and breaking away from Spain, the 

murder of William of Orange, the country’s 

so-called ”Father”, and giving support, advice 

and encouragement to his son and successor, 

Maurits. The two worked together in 

harmony for several years, but eventually 

fell out over state and religious matters, with 

the result that Maurits and his followers accused 

van Oldenbarnevelt of high treason, 

which ended in a public beheading on the 

Buitenhof in The Hague on May 13, 1619. 

This is the first ever exhibition held on this 

historic figure and is named “Johan van 

Oldenbarnevelt, Man, Power and Murder”. 

Aside from an historical interest in this figure, 

Club Members may want to know more 

about the person for whom the street on 

which the Clubhouse stands is named. 

In Short 

• According to a German institute for economic 

research, the Netherlands has the 

fairest income distribution in Europe. 

Next in line are Finland and Norway, with 

Lithuania, Italy and Romania showing the 

least fair distribution of income among 

their citizens. 

• By the end of this year, smoking will be 

forbidden in all Paris parks, following the 

example of Strasbourg, which initiated 

the ban on July 1. The reasoning behind 

this decision is that parks are the lungs of 

the city and that citizens must be given the 

cleanest possible air to breathe. Moreover, 

each year some 350,000 kilos of cigarette 

butts are swept off public property; 

last year fines of € 68 each were issued 

to 21,000 people for discarding butts in 

parks and on the streets. Also, since 2015 

smoking has been forbidden in the vicinity 

of all children’s play areas. 

• In an effort to attract entrepreneurs and 

institutions with ingenious and doable 

innovations, the City of The Hague has 

laid out a 100 x100 sea mile experimental 

garden outside the Scheveningen Harbor. 

Experiments can be carried out, new ideas 

tested and demonstrations held. These 

experiments will deal with sailing, boats, 

water sports and technology that can detect 

drowned victims. 

• The headlines read that 1 out of 5 

Netherlanders between the ages of 18 

and 34 suffers from serious mental complaints, 

which can lead to a burn-out. 

The cause? The smartphone. From tests 

it was found that 80% of those questioned 

took their telephones to bed with 

them, with the result being that they fell 

asleep later than intended, and 5% even 

set their phone alarm so as to wake up in 

the middle of the night to check for any 

new messages so that they would not miss 

what was going on in their social and/or 

work environment. Facebook, Instagram, 

Twitter, etc., all lead to distress. The test 

sample revealed that 17% of those questioned 

felt they were acting badly if they 

did not immediately respond to a call or 

message. 


Adventures in Madeira 

by Melissa White 

I 

must admit that I have always been geographically 

challenged. When an AWC 

Member first mentioned years ago that 

she thought my family would love Madeira, 

I had no idea what she was talking about, as 

the only Madeira I had ever heard of was a 

type of wine. More recently, Jan Essad came 

back from Madeira raving about it and said 

that she thought it was a perfect vacation 

spot for my adventurous family. The timing 

of her recommendation was ideal, as I had 

just begun to investigate options of where 

to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary. 

Rather than a romantic holiday for two, we 

brought along our two daughters, Veronica 

and Ashlynn, to celebrate their 21st and 18th 

birthdays, respectively. 

Madeira is an autonomous region of 

Portugal, located 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) 

southwest of Portugal. It was founded 

by Portuguese mariner Joao Goncalves Zarco 

in 1418 and became autonomous in 1976. 

Nearly half of the island’s 280,000 inhabitants 

live in the capital city of Funchal, named 

by the first settlers due to an abundance of 

wild fennel. Formed on top of a volcano, the 


terrain is very rugged and hilly, forming one 

of Europe’s highest sea cliffs: Cabo Girao at 

1,932 feet (589 meters). With a subtropical 

climate, the island is like a vast garden with 

incredible plant diversity. 

When researching our travel plans, I was 

happy to see that Transavia had very affordable 

flights to Madeira. However, their return 

flights were over twice as expensive. Luckily 

TapPortugal’s fare was more reasonable for 

our return and I was happy to learn that they 

offer free layovers in either Lisbon or Porto. 

Thus, we were able to add a two-night stay 

in Lisbon for less than the Transavia flight 

would have cost, even after considering the 

cost of our additional accommodation. 

While I was originally determined to rent 

a villa with a private pool for an entire week, 

I had to compromise with just four nights 

in Arco do Calheta in the western part of 

the island, and an apartment in Funchal for 

the remaining three nights. Although I was 

initially disappointed, these arrangements 

turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it 

allowed us two entirely different experiences 

during our stay. 

We began our adventures after leaving 

the airport. Since we couldn’t check into our 

apartment until the afternoon, we had several 

hours to kill. James asked the rental car 

agent if she had any suggestions of places 

that would be easy for us to park and she suggested 

that we head to Garajau to see Christo 

Rei (Christ the King), a 49-foot (15-meter) 

statue built in 1927. The views from the top 

of the cliff were incredible. After our short 

hike, we hopped on the cable car down to 

the beach. What we assumed would just be 

a snack bar at the bottom turned out to be 

a nice café with a lovely terrace. It was the 

perfect way to start our trip. Although there 

are a few black-sand beaches on the island, 

Garajau Beach consists of grey pebbles and 

black basalt stones, but that didn’t stop our 

daughters from swimming and sunbathing. 

Our apartment in Funchal was exactly as 

advertised on www.booking.com with amazing 

views of the hills and the ocean from 

every room and an incredible rooftop terrace 

where we ate many of our meals. It was in a 

great location within easy walking distance 

of the old town, so we had no need for the 

car. We thoroughly enjoyed wandering >> 44 


Adventures in Madeira (cont.) 


the small streets and alleyways of what we 

affectionately nicknamed Funky Town. The 

Painted Doors Project in the old town has 

transformed that neighborhood into an openair 

art gallery. 

We had planned to go up the mountain 

via cable car to the village of Monte to take 

the carrinhos (wacky wood and wicker sleds) 

pulled by two guides in traditional costumes 

down the mountain, but we never managed 

to get our timing right. James and Ashlynn 

also hoped to go scuba diving, but had failed 

to book in advance and were turned away 

when they arrived at the dive center. Luckily, 

we did manage to fulfill one of our biggest 

desires: whale and dolphin watching. Our 

two-hour sea safari on a semi-rigid boat was 

incredible! While there were no whales to 

be seen, we saw dolphins in three locations. 

At the last, James and the girls got in the 

water, held onto a rope and were dragged 

along so that they could “swim” with the 

Atlantic Spotted Dolphins. When three dolphins 

swam right along beside her, Ashlynn 

forgot that she was human and nearly forgot 

to lift her head to breathe. 

Often island prices seem very inflated, so 

we were surprised that the grocery store at the 

modern shopping center within a short walk 

of our flat was cheaper than Dutch stores. We 

became quickly addicted to the local bread: 

bolo do caco, which is made with sweet potatoes 

and is cooked over a stove or stone rather 

than in an oven because of a medieval ban 

on using ovens without paying an extra tax. 

Restaurant prices were also very reasonable, 

which was another pleasant surprise. 

Driving in Madeira is not for the faint of 

heart. While I am not afraid of speed, I am a 

wimp when it comes to mountain roads, so I 

opted to sit in the backseat and let Ashlynn 

play navigator. The drive to Funchal wasn’t 

too scary, but the drive to our villa was rather 

hair-raising. Much of the journey was on 

the main road around the island which went 

through a series of tunnels built to keep the 

road relatively flat. However, once off that 

road we encountered a series of incredibly 

steep switchbacks. Although there was always 

a guardrail, I still found the roads terrifying. 

Luckily James doesn’t share my fears 

and drove with confidence. Once he perhaps 

had too much confidence as he attempted to 

drive up a road with a warning sign about a 

32% grade. As he neared the crest, he realized 

that he wasn’t going to make it. Luckily 

there was no one behind us and he was able 

to back into a driveway to turn around. 

For our anniversary, we piled into the 

car and drove further up into the hills so 

we could hike to an incredible lagoon and 

an impressive waterfall. Most of Madeira’s 

hiking trails are narrow paths built alongside 

levadas, stone irrigation canals dating back to 

the 16th century used to carry surplus water 

from the wet northwest of the island to the 

more arid parts. The path to the levada itself 

was quite steep, but most of the route was 

quite flat and easy going. 

After our hike, we continued to drive 

up and over the island to make our way to 

the northwest town of Porto Moniz. I kept 

my eyes closed for much of the journey, but 

the views coming down into the town were 

breathtaking. Our destination was the natural 

swimming pools formed by the volcanic 

rock along the rugged coastline. There was 

a nominal entry fee for what proved to be an 

excellent way to spend a few hours. Once 

back at the villa, the girls made us a lovely 

three-course anniversary dinner. >> 46 



Adventures in Madeira (cont.) 


Lunch With Girlfriends 

by Kathy O’Malley (submitted by Rebecca Failor) 

For one last adventure, James and the 

girls went diving. I also know how to scuba 

dive, but prefer diving in warmer water. I 

entertained myself by walking up the steep 

roads to the modern art museum, followed 

by reading in a café until their return. Our 

final day was spent just hanging out at the 

villa, which was relaxing and a wonderful 

end to our week. As Jan had said, Madeira 

was perfect for our family. Perhaps it is for 

yours as well? 

Elaine’s vertigo has never been worse 

Kay can’t recall where she left her purse 

Rhonda’s about to replace her knees 

Linda’s breathing is tinged with a wheeze 

Donna’s left boob has a troublesome lump 

Diane’s on her third trip to take a dump 

Lorraine’s husband can’t remember a thing 

Nine years a widow, Marge still wears her ring 

Marlene is dealing with another UTI 

Sally’s giving a hearing aid another try 

Marie has decided she can’t drive at night 

Sharon still wears clothes two sizes too tight 

They’ve been through divorces and babies and wakes 

They do for each other whatever it takes 

They’ve already buried Marcia and Kate 

And truthfully, Lizzie’s not looking so great 

SAVE THE DATE! 

Thanksgiving Ceremony at the Pieterskerk 

Thursday, November 22 

Meet at Starbucks in Den Haag Centraal at 9:45 a.m. 

The Thanksgiving Ceremony will take place at the Pieterskerk in Leiden, at 11:00 a.m. 

After the ceremony, lunch will be at Restaurant Koetshuis de Burcht, Burgsteeg 13, 

Leiden 

The ceremony is Free / Lunch and transportation is at your own expense 

Registration deadline: November 20 


Contact Greetje Engelsman with questions (awcthehague.newcomers@gmail.com) 

So whenever they can, they get out to eat 

Open bottles of wine and forget their sore feet 

There’s laughing and crying and letting down guards 

And when the bill comes, there’s ten credit cards 

So here’s to the waiters who keep orders straight 

And to the places that let lunches run three hours late 

And here’s to the girlfriends, those near and those far 

Here’s to the girlfriends, you know who you are!!! 



Announcements 

Leiden Liberation Celebration 

This annual Leiden event commemorates 

the Spanish siege and subsequent relief 

of the city in 1574. The party starts on 

Monday, October 2 at 1 p.m. with a huge 

fun fair and market that covers a large part 

of the city center. On Tuesday, October 3, 

the official day of liberation, Breestraat is 

turned into a lively street theater boulevard 

with a giant parade featuring floats, 

bands, and dancers starting at 1 p.m. This 

year is the 131st anniversary of the parade 

with a theme of: Parade Royale. The day 

concludes with fireworks at 11:30 p.m. 

www.3october.nl 

Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 

7 from noon to 6 p.m. Within the informal 

atmosphere of these studios, visitors can 

view and buy artwork as well as see artists 

working in different disciplines. www. 

openateliersdenhaag.nl 

Community Fair for 

Internationals 

Experience the 16th annual “I am Not a 

Tourist” Fair, a community fair for internationals 

and expatriates living in 

the Netherlands, hosted by Expatica in 

Amsterdam. Whether you’ve lived in the 

Netherlands for five months or five years, 

you will no doubt find a workshop or entertainment 

session of interest to you. One 

hundred and twenty-five exhibitors will be 

available to offer advice on topics as diverse 

as employment, housing, relocation, 

taxes and banking. Free tickets are offered 

online: www.expatfairamsterdam.nl 

Sunday, October 7 

10 a.m. − 5 p.m 

Beurs van Berlage 

Damrak 243, Amsterdam 

Japanese Garden Open 

The Japanese Garden in Clingendael Park, 

home to rare trees and plants, is so fragile 

that it is only open six weeks per year, four 

in the spring and two in the fall. Don’t miss 

the chance to see this special garden in magnificent 

fall colors. Free entrance. 

Saturday, October 13 – 


10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Clingendael Park, Den Haag 

Canal Race in Amsterdam 

On Saturday, October 13, the canals of 

Amsterdam will come alive with 140 

rowing teams participating in the 32nd 

edition of the Grachtenrace Amsterdam, 

a 15-mile (24-kilometer) race in the city 

center. In addition to staying out of each 

other’s way, the boats must contend with 

many narrow bridges and tourist boats. 

www.grachtenrace.com 

>> 50 

Open Ateliers The Hague 

Sixty-five artists in the center of The 

Hague will open their studios to visitors on 

The Arts Society Lecture 

The Changing Face of London 

The Romans arrived 2,000 years ago on 

the banks of the River Thames. Then 

came the Norman Invasion, Elizabeth l, 

the Great Fire of 1666, Samuel Pepys, 

Christopher Wren, John Betjeman, the railways 

and Docklands. The street names remain 

while the buildings change constantly. 

Lecturer Andrew Davies is the author of 

nine books and is a frequent contributor to 

radio and television. Previously known as 

DFAS, The Arts Society The Hague aims 

to bring people together through a shared 

curiosity for all types of art. Nonmember 

fee is € 13. www.theartssocietythehague. 

org 

Tuesday, October 9 

Doors open at 7:15 p.m. 

Lecture begins at 8:00 p.m. 

Cultural Centrum Warenar 

Kerkstraat 75, Wassenaar 



Announcements (cont.) 


International Children’s Art 

Festival 

From October 19 to 27, children between 

the ages of 2 and 12 years old will be 

treated to 550 enchanting performances 

of both Dutch and international origin and 

workshops at 50 different locations around 

The Hague as part of De Betovering (The 

Enchantment). Performances, a number of 

which are suitable for a non-Dutch speaking 

audience (highlighted in the program 

as NDR), include puppet shows as well as 

dance, music and film. To see the program, 

go to: www.debetovering.nl 

LEGO World 

LEGO World is the largest LEGO event in 

the Netherlands for kids of all ages. Your 

kids can play and build with millions of 

LEGO bricks, giving them the possibility 

to build anything they can imagine. 

Your little ones can play with DUPLO 


in a separate area. Discounted tickets are 

available online: www.legoworld.nl 

Thursday, October 18 to 


10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Jaarbeurs Utrecht 

Jaarbeursplein, Utrecht 

Sea Sights Festival 

This festival at Scheveningen Beach from 

Friday, October 19 – Sunday, October 21, 

offers a unique insight into the future of cities 

by the sea. In ten sea containers placed 

on the boulevard, you will find a variety of 

forward-thinking start-ups, students, artists 

and architects presenting their vision on the 

development of our coast. www.seasights.nl 

Dutch Design Week 

During Dutch Design Week (DDW) in 

Eindhoven from Saturday, October 20 – 

Sunday, October 28, you can see with your 

own eyes how tomorrow’s world is taking 

shape with smart solutions and inventive 

designs by 2,500 national and international 

designers offering new perspectives. This 

year’s theme is If Not Us, Then Who? meaning 

it is up to all of us to embrace and stimulate 

creative solutions because together we 

will decide how the world will look in the 

future. DDW offers 400 events at 100 venues 

throughout Eindhoven, including exhibitions, 

experiments, lectures and workshops. 

www.ddw.nl 

Wildlife Film Festival 

This multi-day film festival, organized 

by a non-profit foundation, focuses on the 

screening of 40 wildlife films and documentaries. 

The main program consists of a juried 

competition that is open to professional and 

non-professional nature filmmakers from 

the Netherlands and abroad. 

Wednesday, October 24 – 


Cinerama Filmtheater 

Westblaak 18, Rotterdam 

www.wffr.nl 

Crossing Border Festival 

Ever since the first edition in 1993, 

Crossing Border has examined the frontiers 

of music and language in the city center of 

The Hague. It has expanded to become one 

of the most progressive international music 

and literature festivals in Europe featuring 

more than 100 artists ranging from 

renowned names to promising upcoming 

talent. 

Monday, October 29 – 


Various venues in Den Haag Centrum 

www.crossingborder.nl 

Affordable Art Fair 

Amsterdam is also hosting an art fair early 

next month. This four-day event presents a 

wide array of contemporary art from a variety 

of galleries. You can find thousands 

of original paintings, prints, sculptures and 

photography all under one roof, and all under 

€ 6,000. The work of young, emerging 

artists hangs alongside some of the biggest 

household names. 

Thursday, November 1 to 


De Kromhouthal 

Gedempt Hamerkanaal 231, Amsterdam 

www.affordableartfair.com 

Annual Church Bazaar 

The American Protestant Church of The 

Hague will host its 61st Annual Bazaar. 

You can savor appetizing dishes and delicacies 

from the international kitchen, as 

well as shop for books, clothing, accessories, 

arts and crafts, and more. Free entrance 

with proceeds from sales to support 

charities worldwide. www.apch.nl 


10 a.m. – 4 p.m. 

Esther de Boer-van Rijklaan 20, 

Den Haag 

Frans Hals and the Moderns 

This year marks the 150th anniversary of 

the rediscovery of Frans Hals (Antwerp c. 

1582 – Haarlem 1666) and his transformation 

from a drunkard into a modern idol. 

He was admired and venerated by late 19th 

century artists like Manet, Singer Sargent, 

Liebermann and Van Gogh. From October 

13 through February 24, this exhibition 

shows the immense impact Hals had on 

these modern painters as works by the famous 

17th century portrait painter are being 

shown alongside responses to his work 

from other major eras of painting. www. 

franshalsmuseum.nl 

Postman Joseph Roulin by Vincent 

van Gogh, 1888, Museum of Fine Arts, 

Boston 


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 

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 

Member Privacy 

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 

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 

Job Search and Career 

Counseling 

HR professional with 20+ 

years U.S. experience is providing 

coaching for resume 

writing, job search tactics 

and strategy, and career 

planning. Specializing in expats 

returning to the U.S. job 

market. Certified in Myers 

Briggs and other assessments. 

Mebrennan625@gmail.com or 

www.Mebrennan.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. 

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. 

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. 


Index of Advertisers 

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American Travel 

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Inside Cover 

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Back Cover 

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Frans Burgers 

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FRITSTAXI 

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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. 

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org/site/newcomers/business-links 

page 13 

VERHEY VAN 

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page 17 

Display Ads: 

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Proost! Questionnaire 

Answers by Deana Kreitler 

What do you love best about living here? 

Everything, truly everything. The pace is 

slower, everyone speaks English, it’s a better 

environment. There’s time to just live, and 

people take time to stop and smell the roses. 

Give us a quick wrap-up of your family. 

I have three children: two boys and one girl. 

Darren, my husband, has one of each. We 

met, and our families came together about 12 

years ago. We have two grandchildren. Aidan 

just started kindergarten and Lily is 10. 

What do you consider the most overrated 

virtue of being an expat? 

I don’t think any of it is overrated. I get to 

travel and meet new people. None of that is 

overrated. 

Which Dutch words or phrases do you most 

overuse? 

“Tot ziens!” I’ve been trying to incorporate 

more Dutch, but it’s really all just 

conversational. 

What is your greatest travel extravagance? 

Excursions. We try to splurge on the 

experience. 

What was your best travel experience? 

Our trip to Yellowstone and Grand Tetons 

National Parks. We did a road trip through 

South Dakota and Wyoming for about 

three weeks. It was the most beautiful and 

interesting trip. We got to see so many things, 

and it was relaxing. 

Which locations haven’t been ticked off 

your bucket list? 

I don’t have a bucket list, but we still want 

to go to Australia, Japan, and so many other 

places. 

Which talent would you most like to have? 

There are two: I wish I could sing really well, 

and be a good photographer without even 

trying. 

Tells us about your pets. 

We have Maggie, who is a one-and-a-halfyear-old 

corgi. Then there are the cats: Oreo, 

Tigger, Snuggles, and Molly. We started our 

pet collection almost 11 years ago. 

What is your motto? 

Oh, I have so many! But I always tell the 

children, “Make good decisions.” 

What is your most treasured possession? 

Some of my mom’s possessions… A quilt 

she made for me, some of her jewelry, and a 

Christmas runner for my table. 

What is your favorite drink? 

That’s evolving. My new favorite is gin and 

tonic. But I also really love a good margarita 

or chocolate martini. 

Where is your favorite place in the 

Netherlands? 

Maastricht. It was one of the first places we 

spent a weekend, so it still had newness. We 

were still in awe of the country. We had the 

most delicious dinner at Courage, from the 

Chef’s menu. And we brought Maggie for 

that trip!

AWC Going Dutch Oct 2018

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