AWC Going Dutch Oct 2018

Chat, Craft and Cake (cont.)
Continued from page 37
Message from the President (cont.)
Continued from page 8
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.
38 GOING DUTCH
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
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OCTOBER 2018 39