AWC Going Dutch Dec 2018

Going Dutch 

December 2018 

AWC Artist-in-Residence 

FAWCO Cruise 

Trekking in Nepal - Part 2 

24 

35-37 

40 

The Magazine of the 

American Women’s Club 

of The Hague 

5 Officers and Chairwomen 

6 Fall Activities Collage 

8 Message from the President 

9 December General Meeting 

10 Letter from the Editor 

12 Membership 

13 Newcomers 

14 Ongoing Activities 

20 One-of-a-Kind Activities 

22 Tea with the AWC’s 

Honorary President 

24 Artist-in-Residence 

26 Clubhouse Rental 

27 AWC and the Arts 

28 December Calendar 

31 Club and Comunity 

32 The Dutch Daily 

34 FAWCO Corner 

35 FAWCO Cruise 

38 Handbag Auction 

40 High Altitude Trekking - 

Part II 

46 Restaurant 

Recommendations 

47 Announcements 

52 Classifieds 

53 Index of Advertisers 

and Ad Rates 

54 Proost! Interview 

DECEMBER 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 

Christmas in Leiden 2017 by Melissa White 

Photography 

Sabine Crowley, Emily van Eerten, Greetje 

Engelsman, FAWCO, Amber Gatewood, 

Debbie van Hees, Suzanne MacNeil, Tim 

MacNeil, Teresa Mahoney, Julie Mowat, 

Melissa Rider, Laura Suttles, Melissa White 

Proofreaders 

Celeste Brown, Jane Gulde, Diane Schaap, 

Debbie van Hees 

Advertising Manager & Invoicing 

Open 

Contributors 

Liduine Bekman, Jane Choy, Susanne Dundas, 

Greetje Engelsman, Roberta Enschede, Dena 

Haggerty, Marsha Hagney, Eileen Harloff, 

Suzanne MacNeil, Julie Mowat, Michelle 

Oliel, Melissa Rider, Holly Savoie, Laura 

Suttles, 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 

awcthehague.secretary@gmail.com 

Club and Community Development 

Naya Pessoa 

awcthehague.community@gmail.com 

Clubhouse Administrator 

Jan Essad 

awcthehague.clubhousemgr@gmail.com 

Communications Audrey Goodman 

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 

Benefit Event: Michelle Voorn & Deana 

Kreitler 

Board Advisor: Jessie Rodell 

Caring Committee: Naomi Keip 

Chat, Craft & Cake: Suzanne Dundas 

eNews Amber Gatewood 

Evening Events: Elizabeth Zeller 

Events & Tours: Liduine Bekman 

FAWCO: Julie Mowat and Teresa 

Mahoney 

Front Office Coordinator: Open 

General Meeting Programs: Dena 

Haggerty 

Heart Pillow: Jan de Vries 

Historian/Archivist: Open 

Holiday Bazaar: Jaimie Keppel-Molenaar 

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: Open 

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

For example, for the March issue, submissions are due before Monday, January 28 

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. 


Out to Lunch Bunch 

October General Meeting 

Amanda Lane from 

FAWCO 

Tupperware Party 

Fall Activities 

Walkie Talkies 

Dutch Products Class

Message from the President 

by Suzanne MacNeil 

December General Meeting 

It was great to see so many Members at the 

Annual General Meeting in November, 

one of the most important events of our 

Club year. The meeting gave Members the 

opportunity to learn about the Club’s financial 

health, your Board’s short-term plans 

for the Club, and the three-to-five-year plan 

that we’re proposing for future Boards. 

Without a set of goals, we would flounder. 

If you weren’t at the meeting, your Board 

presented several new initiatives that will 

help grow the Club while staying true to our 

mission of providing a warm and welcoming 

space for women who are away from their 

home country. Along with the social aspect 

of the Club, we continue our commitment to 

fulfilling philanthropic opportunities in our 

host country. 

Our AWC receives requests for financial 

support from numerous organizations 

throughout the year and our Members request 

donations for various causes each year. Our 

primary fundraiser is usually a gala or an 

event similar to last year’s Beach BBQ for 

Perspektief. With support from our Members, 

and the community at large, we’ve raised 

significant amounts for local and international 

organizations. It is important as a Club that 

we can guarantee the charitable donations we 

make reflect our Club’s ideals. Consequently, 

your Board is implementing guidelines with 

respect to donations. 

8 GOING DUTCH 

Going forward, any request for a donation 

of €1.000 or more, whether it’s for matching 

funds or a donation, and 

any organization being 

considered for 

financial support, 

must be vetted 

properly. 

Your Board 

has created 

a Beneficiary 

Request Form 

that must be filled 

out before we consider 

any financial 

request. The 

form asks questions 

such as an 

organization’s 

mission, its plan 

for distribution 

of any financial 

gift from our 

AWC, and how 

the organization 

will apprise the 

AWC of how 

effectively the 

funds helped the organization’s mission. 

In order to ensure that an organization 

meets our criteria, we are adding a committee 

to review each request for donations, regardless 

of whether the request is from a Member 

or an outside organization. The Philanthropic 

Review Committee will be made up of three 

to five Club volunteers. They will report directly 

to the Club and Community Board 

Member, who will inform the Board about 

the committee’s decision and whether the 

Board should vote on the committee’s recommendation. 

The information about a potential 

beneficiary will then be brought to the Club’s 

Membership for discussion and a vote. 

Board oversight of the Club’s funds 

is key to our AWC remaining financially 

healthy. The vetting of potential beneficiaries 

means we are acting with transparency 

and full accountability for our Members. The 

Philanthropic Review Committee means our 

Club’s Board and Members will make informed 

decisions and choose organizations 

that meet our values and whose missions 

matter the most to our Members. 

Looking ahead, Michelle Voorn and 

Deana Kreitler volunteered to co-chair the 

Club’s spring fundraiser and have already 

met with several Members who’ve also 

volunteered to serve on the committee. 

Whether it will be a formal gala or >>39 

Join us to celebrate the holiday season 

with your fellow AWC Members. We will 

gather to share traditions, sing carols, 

enjoy wonderful food, and partake in a fun 

gift exchange. 

The AWC will provide drinks and a few finger 

foods, but we ask that Members provide 

additional snacks and sweets. Please sign up 

on GroupSpaces to indicate what dish you 

will bring for the potluck. If you wish to 

participate in the gift exchange, please bring 

one wrapped item costing no more than 

€10. Participation in the gift exchange is, of 

course, not mandatory. 

Holiday cheer is required, and holiday 

sweaters are encouraged! 

Clubhouse Closed 

Thursday, December 13 

10:00 a.m. 


Free 

December 19 – January 7 for the Holidays 

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

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1061246 


Letter from the Editor 

by Audrey Goodman 

My sister is my favorite person. We’ve 

been close ever since we were little, 

and it has been incredibly difficult 

to be apart for so long. Growing up, we were 

lucky enough to have parents that took us 

on camping trips across the US. We’ve been 

looking forward to making our adventures 

international, and she was finally able to come 

for a two-week visit in early November. 

the food was great. We ended our night at 

The Oak, with a couple of rounds of drinks. 

Our Sunday was devoted to a couple of 

traditional Dublin spots. First stop was the 

EPIC Irish Emigration Museum, which I 

highly recommend. It was very informative 

and interactive, providing an overview of the 

Irish community’s impacts on various parts 

“The best thing about having 

a sister was that I always had a 

friend.” 

-Cali Rae Turner 

We spent the first couple of days exploring 

The Hague and Amsterdam, before she 

set off for a week in Ireland with her friend 

Sarah. I later joined them in Dublin for a long 

weekend of bar hopping and sightseeing. We 

rented an Airbnb apartment in The Liberties 

neighborhood, walking distance from many 

sights. Our first stop was dinner at The Bank 

on College Green, a fantastic restaurant situated 

in… you guessed it: an old bank. The 

place was packed, the décor was ornate, and 

10 GOING DUTCH 

of the world. Our next stop was the Guinness 

Storehouse, a seven-story brewery tour that 

was modern, fascinating and fun. Not only 

do you learn about the brewing process, but 

you can also learn how to properly pour a 

Guinness and taste the various flavors of the 

beer. On the top floor, the Gravity Bar, you receive 

your complimentary glass of Guinness 

surrounded by a 360° view of Dublin. The 

visit was well-worth the € 25 ticket. 

After checking out of our Airbnb on our 

last morning, we hopped the Dart to Howth, 

a cozy little seaside village about 45 minutes 

outside Dublin. The views were amazing, and 

we wished for more time to explore the town. 

But we only had two hours, so we opted for a 

short walk along the waterfront before lunch 

at Wrights Findlater Howth. I couldn’t leave 

Ireland without having fish and chips paired 

with a Guinness for a delicious end to our 

fun adventure. 

She plans to come back for another visit 

late next year. We’ve already started talking 

about visiting Paris, Berlin and Warsaw when 

she returns! 

Audrey 


Credit: BoardEffect.com 

Membership 

by Melissa Rider 

The AWC must comply with the General 

Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), 

which sets new rules for the collection 

of personal data of those living in the 

EU. The new privacy measures mean you 

must give the AWC explicit and informed 

consent to use your name and likeness in 

print material and on social media. If you 

have not yet already done so, please sign a 

GDPR letter at the Clubhouse, or contact me 

(awcthehague.membership@gmail.com) to 

have one sent to you. More information about 

the AWC’s privacy policy can be found on 

our website under “Contact Us”. Thank you 

for your help to ensure the AWC is GDPRcompliant! 

Please remember to keep your information 

up-to-date. If you recently moved, 

send me your new address to the email listed 

above. 

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. 

Welcome New Members! 

Christy Carter 

Zolboo Nemekhbayar 

Support Fellow AWC Members 

Find links to a large variety of businesses 

owned by AWC Members at 

www.awcthehague.org/site/newcomers/ 

business-links 

Newcomers 

by Holly Savoie and Greetje Engelsman 

Activity for AWC Newcomers, but 

also interesting for long-term 

Members! 

Royalty and Democracy in the 

Netherlands 

On Prinsjesdag (Princes’ Day) we celebrate 

the beginning of the parliamentary 

year in the Netherlands, and we enjoy 

the tour of the King and the Queen in the 

Golden Coach in The Hague. But what 

do you understand about the relationship 

between democracy and royalty (government, 

parliament and the queen/king) in the 

Netherlands? How does it work and who is 

the “boss”? 

Join us at the AWC Clubhouse to understand 

more about the differences between the US. 

and the Netherlands. Greetje Engelsman 

is Dutch and has always been interested 

in Dutch democracy. As a child she was 

a royalist, as all children are. Now she is 

a democrat and has mixed feelings about 

royalty. What are the facts? For more 

information, please contact Greetje at 

awcthehague.newcomers@gmail.com. 


2 p.m. 


FREE 

Sign up on GroupSpaces 

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! 



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 

December Selection: 

Factfulness: Ten Reasons 

We’re Wrong About the 

World – and Why Things are 

Better Than You Think by 

Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, 

and Anna Rosling Rönnlund 

When asked simple questions 

about global trends, 

we systematically get the 

answers wrong. So wrong that a chimpanzee 

choosing answers at random will consistently 

outguess teachers, journalists, Nobel laureates, 

and investment bankers. In Factfulness, 

Professor of International Health and global 

Daytime Book Club Reading List: 

Thursday, January 24: The Secret Scripture 

(McNulty Family) by Sebastian Barry 

Thursday, February 28: 

The Milkman by Anna Burns 

Thursday, March 28: 

21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah 

Harari 

TED phenomenon Hans Rosling, together 

with his two long-time collaborators, Anna 

and Ola, offers a radical new explanation 

of why this happens. They reveal the ten instincts 

that distort our perspective—from our 

tendency to divide the world into two camps 

(usually some version of us and them) to the 

way we consume media (where fear rules) 

to how we perceive progress (believing that 

most things are getting worse). Our problem 

is that we don’t know what we don’t know, 

and even our guesses are informed by unconscious 

and predictable biases. 

Note new day, time and venue for 

Christmas party! 

Wednesday, December 12 

11 a.m. 

Georgia’s house 

RSVP: awcthehague.bookclub@gmail. 

com 

FREE 

Daytime Book Club Recap – October 

The one thing we could agree on is Donna 

Brown makes a fantastic blackberry pie. 

What we could not agree on were the merits 

of Gaa Gyasi’s highly praised debut novel, 

Homegoing. Is it even a novel? Or is it a series 

of discreet short stories? Homegoing begins 

on the Gold Coast of Western Africa in 

the mid-1700s as intertribal warfare and the 

slave trade with Europeans thrusts uncertainty 

and horror onto the yam-farming people 

whose progeny will populate the rest of the 

book. It ends in present-day Ghana, in the 

ocean below the castle that was the fulcrum 

of slave trade for centuries. In between, we 

meet, among many others, the conflicted son 

of an African beauty “married” to an English 

slaver, a gargantuan prisoner contracted out 

in inconceivably hard labor to the coal mines 

under Alabama, and a church-going choir 

member whose light-skinned husband abandons 

her and her son to live as a white man 

in New York City. Each character is well-defined 

but the structure of Homegoing doesn’t 

allow for the development of their stories 

over time. We just get to know one character 

when we are dropped into the story of their 

daughter or son. There’s a through-line of 

sorta-African-spirituality and the supernatural 

that felt contrived and hokey to some of 

us, moving to others. Homegoing succeeds as 

a work of art but not, as its author hoped, as a 

trumpet call to heal black families and solve 

the searing legacies of American slavery. 

Some strongly recommended Homegoing. 

Some of us were hesitant to do so. 

Evening Book Club 

December Selection: 

A Gentleman in Moscow by 

Amor Towles 

In 1922, Count Alexander 

Rostov is deemed an unrepentant 

aristocrat by a 

Bolshevik tribunal, and is 

sentenced to house arrest in 

the Metropol, a grand hotel 

across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, 

an indomitable man of erudition and wit, 

has never worked a day in his life, and must 

now live in an attic room while some of the 

most tumultuous decades in Russian history 

are unfolding outside the hotel’s doors. 

Unexpectedly, his reduced circumstances 

provide him entry into a much larger world 

of emotional discovery. Brimming with humor, 

a glittering cast of characters, and one 

beautifully rendered scene after another, >> 16 

Credit: Amazon 

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. 



Ongoing Activities (cont.) 

Continued from page 15 

Evening Book Club Reading List: 

Wednesday, January 9: The Only Story by 

Julian Barnes 

February: The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner 

March: The Dinner by Herman Koch 

April: The Song of Achiles by Madeline Miller 

this singular novel casts a spell as it relates 

the count’s endeavor to gain a deeper understanding 

of what it means to be a man of 

purpose. 

The location changes every month, so please 

contact Dena Haggerty at awcthehague. 

bookclub@gmail.com if you are interested in 

attending. 


7:30 p.m. 

Location TBA 

FREE 

Chat, Crafts & Cake 

Chat, Crafts 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 


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 awctehhague.heartpillow@ 

gmail.com. 

Tuesday, December 11 

Noon – 2 p.m. 


FREE 

Visitors Welcome 

Out to Lunch Bunch: December 

Every year the Out to Lunch Bunch group 

organizes a Christmas Lunch. This year we 

will have lunch at restaurant het Gouden 

Kalf (the Golden Calf) in Scheveningen. 

Chef Niels Schavemaker: “Enjoying the art 

of cooking and hospitlity with a view of the 

typical boats in the Scheveningen Harbor. 

At Het Gouden Kalf, everything revolves 

around our fresh and seasonal products, 

a warm atmosphere and accompanying 

wines.” This will be a special lunch, at 

a special moment, at a special spot. Join 

us and enjoy the food, wine and company 

in the harbor of Scheveningen. Very >> 18 



Ongoing Activities (cont.) 


important: Allergies? Vegetarian? etc.: 

Please indicate such when you sign up, or 

email Greetje Engelsman at awcthehague. 

activities@gmail.com. 


Noon – 2:30 p.m. 

Restaurant het Gouden Kalf 

Dr Lelykade 1, Scheveningen 

www.hetgoudenkalf.nl 

€ 25 for a three-course menu 

Registration/Payment Deadline: 

December 12 


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 


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 snacks. 


6 – 9 p.m. 

De Eeuwige Jacktvelden 

Plein 14, Den Haag 

€ 15 for two drinks and food 

No RSVP needed 

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. 

Location TBA 

FREE 



Credit: Anat Ratzabi 

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. 

Chocolate and Holocaust 

Sculpture Tour 

Anat Ratzabi is a sculptor and is perhaps 

best known for her chocolate sculptures, 

including Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl 

Earring, and Rembrandt and van Gogh’s 

self-portraits. Her work is sold in the 

Rijksmuseum and numerous other locations 

throughout the country. But, one of 

Anat’s greatest works has nothing to do with 

chocolate. It is the massive marble sculpture 

that sits on Rabbijn Maarsenplein and 

honors the Jews who died in the Holocaust. 

Join us for a tour of Anat’s chocolate workshop 

and then a guided walk to Rabbijn 

Maarsenplein where she will explain the 

multi-year process of creating the touching 

and important monument, and what each 

piece means to the Dutch Holocaust experience. 


10 a.m. – Noon 

(Rain date: Monday, December 10, 

2 p.m.) 

Scheveningseveer 19, Den Haag 

€ 15 Members / € 20 Non-Members 

Maximum 20 

Sign Up on GroupSpaces 

Credit: Atelier Camp & Co 

Pearl Party 

Join us for a Pearl Party! Iris Camp, a certified 

goldsmith and diamond setter, invites 

you to an evening to immerse yourself in 

pearls. Iris will showcase different types of 

pearls and then help guests make a freshwater 

pearl bracelet to take home. Looking 

for a one-of-a-kind holiday gift or just want 

to add to your personal jewelry collection? 

Be sure to join us for a fun and informative 

evening. 

Friday, December 7 

7 – 10 p.m. 

Atelier Camp & Co, Vos in Tuinstraat 7 

(Denneweg), Den Haag 

€ 95 – Includes 7mm pearls, sterling 

silver clasp, drinks, and snacks 

Maximum 10 

If there is a waiting list, a second Pearl 

Party will be held Friday, December 14 


UPDATE! One-Day Aachen 

Christmas Market & Tour 

Join us for our one-day trip by private coach 

to Aachen, Germany where we will enjoy 

Aachen’s Christmas market (Top five in 

Europe!), tour the Aachen Cathedral, visit 

the Lindt Chocolate factory outlet, shop, eat 

dinner in Aachen, and return home the same 

day. 

Tuesday, December 11 

Depart Den Haag Centraal at 8 a.m. 

Return to Den Haag Centraal at 10:30 

p.m. 

€ 100 Member / € 110 Non-Members 

Price includes transportation, food and 

drink on the bus to Aachen and private 

cathedral tour with an English-speaking 

guide 

(Food and shopping at own expense) 

Maximum 30 

Members who paid for the two-day trip 

will receive a refund minus the new price 

Registration/Cancellation deadline: 

Monday, December 3 


Playball Netherlands is now 

taking bookings for 2019! 

Want to get your little one involved? 

www.playballkids.com to see the fun for ages 

2-7 years 

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. 

Email kidsplayball@hotmail.com to arrange a 

FREE trial class 

www.facebook.com/PlayballNetherlands 

Or call Maggie on: 0627214347 



Tea with the AWC’s 

Honorary President 



Liduine Bekman - Our Very Own 

Amazing Artist-in-Residence 

by Jan Essad and Sunita Menon 

Yes! Artistic talent abounds in our 

Club… Just look at our Member and 

volunteer, Liduine Bekman. We are 

thrilled to present the beauty of the ocean 

through Liduine’s extraordinary watercolors 

at our Clubhouse over the next few months. 

capture the beauty of mother nature’s endless 

offerings, have led her to profound success 

as a watercolor artist. 

In her artist statement, Liduine talks about 

growing up in the Netherlands within walking 

distance of the sea, and of being inspired as 

an adult while living on the Gulf of Mexico 

in Texas as well as near the Mediterranean, in 

the Bahamas and on the east coast of Florida. 

We believe the affirmation must be true: if 

you do what you love, success follows. Her 

love for the ocean and her fascination for 

its many creatures, along with her desire to 


When we first spoke with Liduine about 

showing her art here at the AWC, as our first 

Artist-in-Residence, we asked for her biography 

to write this article. She offered to send us 

her artist statement and an abbreviated resume. 

When we received it, we were blown away 

by all that Liduine has accomplished. All her 

accolades, exhibits and awards speak for themselves 

and provide a glimpse of how much her 

work is admired. Not only was she the recipient 

of the coveted National Watercolor Society 

First Place, along with countless other awards 

across the US, her artwork is part of many 

major collections in the US. Among them are 

Jean-Jacques Cousteau (Cousteau Foundation), 

the City of Houston, hotel chains including 

Hilton, Marriott and Wydham and company 

collections to include IBM and Exxon. 

Liduine has also shown her work in 

many solo exhibitions throughout the US, 

the Bahamas and Europe. The most prestigious 

among them: Pulchri Studios in The 

Hague, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the 

Netherlands, Brickell Square Gallery in Miami 

and the World Trade Center in New Orleans 

upon invitation from the Dutch government. 

After living in the US for over 50 years, 

Liduine now lives in the Statenkwartier in The 

Hague. We are very grateful and privileged that 

Liduine is sharing her talent with all of us by 

gracing our Clubhouse walls with her remarkable 

watercolors until the end of January. If 

you have not had a chance to see her work, be 

sure to come by the AWC Clubhouse during 

open hours, pick up a brochure and admire the 

beautiful ocean and its wonderful creatures. 

If you are interested in purchasing 

Liduine’s artwork at the Club, information 

and a pricelist are available upon request from 

the Front Desk Volunteer. You may also visit 

Liduine’s website: liduinebekman.com. 


Why Not Use the Clubhouse for 

a Meeting or Event? 

by Jan Essad and Sunita Menon 

Did you know that the AWC Clubhouse is available to rent for events and activities, 

even if that event or activity is not Club-related? If you are planning a party, a business 

meeting or you know someone who is looking for a place for a function, this could 

be the perfect space. Here is a little information about renting the Clubhouse. 

AWC Member Rentals 

There are two types of rentals offered to AWC Members: 

1. Free rentals are available for events that are not-for-profit or a one-time activity, such 

as a birthday party. 

2. Paid rentals are offered for events that are for-profit or to promote a business at a 

standard fee of € 40 for six hours plus € 20 per hour for additional hours, or € 90 for a 

full-day event. 

AWC Business Member Rentals 

This rental is designed to support our Business Members. The rental fee is based on the 

number of AWC Members and non-member attendees but will never exceed an amount of 

€ 40. 

Non-member Rentals 

Non-members may rent the Clubhouse for a one-time activity or ongoing events. The rental 

fee is € 50 for six hours plus € 20 per hour for additional hours, or € 100 for an all-day rental. 

Refundable Deposit 

For all types of rental, a refundable deposit is required. Members pay between € 50 and 

€150 depending on the event, while non-members pay a € 150 deposit. Based on the condition 

of the Clubhouse after the event, it will be determined how much of the deposit will 

be refunded. 

AWC and the Arts 

by Jane Choy, AWC Member and Mauritshuis Docent 

Guided Tour of Femmes Fatales – 

Strong Women in Fashion 

“That little seamstress” is how the renowned 

Coco Chanel was once disdainfully 

described by her contemporary, Paul Poiret. 

He targeted her because she was a woman, 

but in fact he saw her has a major competitor. 

Times have changed, and more fashion 

houses are now run by women than ever 

before. A perfect moment, therefore, for an 

exhibition that focuses on strong women in 

fashion. Femmes Fatales will be the first 

exhibition in fashion history to focus exclusively 

on female designers. Do they design 

differently for women than their male counterparts? 

What influence have they had? 

What does being a woman mean in terms 

of their creations? And what is their vision 

for fashion? 

The exhibition will include work by Coco 

Chanel, Jeanne Lanvin, Elsa Schiaparelli, 

Mary Quant, Vivienne Westwood, Sonia 

RSVP for all Arts Activities directly on 

AWC GroupSpaces.com 

Direct any questions to jechoy@me.com 

Rykiel, Miuccia Prada, Maria Grazia Chiuri 

(Dior), as well as Dutch greats like Fong 

Leng, Sheila de Vries and Iris van Herpen, 

and many others. For further information, 

contact Jane Choy at jechoy@me.com. 

Wednesday, January 23 

11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. 

Gemeente Museum, Den Haag 

€ 10 Members / € 15 Non-Members 

Museum entrance fee of € 13.50 not 

included (Entrance is free with Museum 

Card) 

Maximum 20 / Minimum 12 

Registration/Cancellation Deadline: 

January 13. (It is possible to sign up 

after this date if there is space.) 


So, if you are looking 

for a great place to have 

your event, consider 

your Clubhouse. Please 

be sure to share this 

information with friends 

and colleagues, as it just 

may be the perfect place 

for their upcoming event. 

For more information, 

please contact the AWC 

Clubhouse Managers 

Jan Essad and Sunita 

Menon at awcthehague. 

clubhousemgr@gmail. 

com. We’ll see you at the 

Clubhouse! 



December 2018 

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 

1 

2 3 

4 

5 

6 

7 

8 

Walkie Talkies 9:30 a.m 

Chat, Craft & Cake 10 a.m. 

AWC Tennis 1 p.m. 

Chocolate and Holocaust 

Sculpture Tour 10 a.m. 

Wassenaar Coffee and 

Conversation 9:30 a.m. 

Democracy and Royalty in 

the Netherlands 2 p.m. 

Pearl Party 7 p.m. 

9 10 


Happy Hanukkah 

11 


Heart Pillow Workshop 

Noon 


Aachen Christmas Market 

& Tour 

12 

Buddy Check 12 

Daytime Book Club 

Christmas Party off site 

11 a.m. 

Evening Book Club off site 

7:30 p.m. 

13 

Coffee 10 a.m. 

December General Meeting/ 

Potluck Lunch 

10:30 a.m. 

Thirsty Thursday 6 p.m. 

14 15 

16 17 

18 

19 

20 21 22 




Out to Lunch Bunch 

Christmas Lunch Noon 

Clubhouse Closed December 19 – January 7 

23 24 25 26 27 28 29 

Merry Christmas 


30 31 


Save the Dates: 

January 10: Women With Dutch Partners Holiday Party 

January 16: Defend Yourself Class 

January 17: Winter Kick Off 

February 21: Handbag Auction 



Club and Community 

by Naya Pessoa 

Holiday Drives—Sinterklaas 

Gifts & Toiletries 

The holiday season starts early in the 

Netherlands, with children receiving their 

gifts on December 5, or Sinterklaasavond, 

the traditional day when Sinterklaas (Saint 

Nicholas) delivers gifts. While this celebration 

can be exciting for both children and 

parents, there are some families who are 

struggling during this time. The AWC has 

been running several holiday drives that 

aim to alleviate some of that added pressure 

during the holidays. Children’s toys and 

other items were gathered and beautifully 

wrapped by a dedicated team of volunteers 

(stay tuned for the January/February edition 

for pictures and highlights!). As if our volunteers 

don’t do enough, they also aimed to 

collect 100 “Blessing Bags” filled with toiletries 

that were also shared with families. 

The organization receiving the donations is 

“The Oasis” branch of the Stek Den Haag 

organization, which focuses on neighborhood 

and community outreach to marginalized 

populations, both Dutch and refugees, 

living in The Hague. 

This year’s holiday drives were organized 

by the ever-inspirational Holly Savoie, who 

tirelessly dedicates her time and energy, and 

we cannot thank you enough! 

Wrapping baked goods 

for the Holiday Bazaar 

Bake Sale. Tune in 

next month for the 

full Holiday Bazaar 

coverage! 



Credit: NPR & Marco Borggreve 

The Dutch Daily 

by Eileen Harloff 

New Conductor 

Historically speaking, it is highly fitting 

that the new 26th Music Director of the 

New York Philharmonic Orchestra is Dutch 

Conductor Jaap van Zweden. His premier 

concert took place in October and received 

a standing ovation. Born in Amsterdam in 

1960, he began his music career at the age 

of five when he started playing the violin. 

When he was 16, he won the National Violin 

Competition and was granted a 2-year 

scholarship to study at the Juliard School 

of Music, which is adjacent to the home 

of the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln 

Center. Once back in the Netherlands, at the 

age of 18, he became the youngest leader of 

the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra. 

It was there that he met Guest Conductor 

Leonard Bernstein, who encouraged him to 

become a conductor, which he subsequently 

did. In the following years he has headed 

orchestras in many countries around the 

world, either on a permanent or a guest basis, 

and is considered a “world top” in his 

chosen career. 

Delft Symphony 

NBTC Marketing, whose task is to sell the 

Netherlands to the rest of the world, has 

chosen “Rembrandt and the Golden Age” as 

its theme for 2019, with the aim of attracting 

tourists interested in culture. Among the cities 

planning special exhibitions and events 

are Amsterdam, Middleburg, Dordrecht, 

Leiden, The Hague, Haarlem, Hoorn and 

Enschede. The city of Delft has chosen to 

emphasize its musical side by commissioning 

a symphony that would characterize its 

unique past, present and future. Its Royal 

Wind Orchestra chose the well-known 

Belgian composer Kevin Houben, who 

some years ago wrote a City Symphony for 

the Belgian city of Peer, which had its world 

premiere in 2017 by the National Symphony 

Orchestra of Belgium. The premiere of the 

Delft City Symphony is scheduled for May 

2019. 

Whistler-Blowers Haven 

It’s unique, it’s one of its kind, it’s a place 

where people can go for advice and help 

who see misdeeds in their workplace or 

government department but don’t know 

how to report it. And, if they dare to do so, 

how to survive the consequences. It’s called 

the Huis voor Klokkenluiders (Whistleblowers 

House), located in Utrecht, and is 

headed by Paul Loven, former member of 

the Board of Management of ABN-Amro 

bank and pension organization PGGM. The 

Huis is an independent organization where 

advice, protection, independent investigations, 

and even expert psychological help 

are available for whistle-blowers. Lobbying 

for this organization dates back to 2001, and 

to five Dutch Cabinet changes. It can now 

show that the long fight has been successfully 

concluded. 

Almere-Lelystad Wins the Prize 

Recently the NS (Netherlands Railroad 

Company) asked customers to cast a vote 

for what they considered to be the country’s 

prettiest railroad journey from a list of 

possibilities. Some 4,394 votes were cast. 

37% chose the railroad line Almere Central 

– Lelystad Central, 25% voted for the line 

Sittard-Maastricht, and 17% were in favor 

Credit: FlexNieuws 

Credit: Florint.org Credit: LelystadGeeftLucht.nl 

of Haarlem – Zandvoort aan Zee. The NS 

has made an audio tour of the winning line, 

available through its app, which tells about 

highpoints along the route relating to culture, 

nature and history. 

Flower Auction Results 

Over the past year, some 12 billion flowers 

and plants were sold at the Auction Center 

Royal Holland in Westland, to the tune of 

€ 4.7 billion. The category of Cut Flowers 

was, as always, the largest group that was 

produced, and accounted for € 2.7 billion. 

Room Plants fetched €1.6 billion and 

Garden Plants garnered around € 400 million. 

On the other hand, sales by way of the traditional 

auction clock declined as increasingly 

more business was done via direct sales. 

Last year 43% of the total turnover was 

carried out via the auction clock, with the 

remainder 56% through direct buying from 

grower to client. This is a trend that has been 

growing over past years, and has serious implications 

for the Auction Center’s future. 

Love at Birds Sight 

An ill male parrot was brought into a police 

station in The Hague and from there 

was transferred to The Hague Animal 

Ambulance where he was put in an incubator 

to recover. Once he was warmed up and 

had a drink of water, he seemed quite chipper. 

The following day at approximately the 

same spot, a female of the species was spied 

and rescued. The two were put together in a 

cage where it soon became apparent that the 

male was urging the female to eat, and from 

time to time he would give her a cuddle. 

When she would not react to his advances, 

he would make encouraging sounds. 

Gradually they became good friends and received 

the names of Romeo and Julia. Now 

the Animal Ambulance finds that they are in 

good health and can be adopted—but only if 

they can go together. 

In Short 

• Groningen is the first city in the 

Netherlands to forbid smoking on the 

streets, except in designated areas. This 

applies not only to cigarettes, but to all 

kinds of smoking. The ban was initiated 

by requests from various city establishments, 

i.e. hospitals, stores, etc. Should 

someone smoke in a forbidden area, the 

police may be called in to enforce the 

ban. 

• In anticipation of New Year’s celebrations, 

the City of The Hague will 

be passing out eye glasses to protect 

children in all primary and secondary 

school classes, as well as in neighborhood 

centers and other places where 

young people tend to gather. This follows 

a decision taken by the City 

Council to urge all schools to give extra 

attention to the safe use of fireworks. 

• An Albert Heijn grocery store in the 

town of Sint-Michielsgestel has initiated 

a weekly quiet hour for people 

who are susceptible to various stimuli, 

such as noise and confusion. Customers 

who are autistic, overanxious or suffering 

from burn-out or brain damage, 

can shop on Tuesday mornings from 

8 to 9 a.m. They receive a map of the 

store and can shop without experiencing 

disturbances such as the ringing of 

a cash register or the noise of refilling 

bins. Posters at the entrance of the shop 

inform customers of this “stimulus-free 

hour”. 



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 Grants 

The deadline for FAWCO Foundation 

Development Grant Awards is January 

27. Please check out fawcofoundation. 

org for more information on how to apply 

on behalf of your favorite charity. FAWCO 

Foundation awards many educational grants 

to members of FAWCO’s Member Clubs. 

If you are a Member of AWC The Hague, 

you and your children are eligible to apply. 

Most grants are $5,000 each. In addition to 

college scholarships, there are a few unique 

ones, such as: 

• Dual Cultural Award, $5,000, sponsored 

in part by the AWC Bern and 

Donna Erismann in memory of Susanne 

Erismann. This award may be used to 

attend a semester or year of American 

high school or an academic or structured 

educational summer program in 

the US. 

• FAUSA Skills Enhancement Award, 

$5,000. This award is for a FAWCO or 

FAUSA member to acquire new skills 

or enhance already existing skills to 

become more capable, competent and 

confident and will improve performance 

in any given field. 

See fawcofoundation.org for more info! 

Pillow Project Helps Children 

Stay in Families 

The Pillow Project is our Club’s latest 

Development Grant winner, submitted 

by AWC The Hague Member and Stahili 

founder Michelle Oliel. It has made a big 

impact! 


The 2018 Effecting Change for Women 

& Children Development Grant in the 

Human Rights category, funded by FAWCO 

Alumnae USA, was awarded to The Pillow 

Project to Stop Child Trafficking, a project 

of the Stahili Foundation, based in 

Murang’a County, Kenya. The project was 

nominated by AWC The Hague which has 

been supporting the organization for four 

years. Stahili means “to deserve” in Swahili, 

and the Foundation works to help children 

living in orphanages in Kenya return home 

where they deserve to live. Most children 

living in orphanages in Kenya have family 

who cannot care for them because of poverty. 

Families are often tricked into giving up 

their children under the false promise of 

food and education, when they are instead 

trafficked and exploited for the benefit of orphanage 

operators. Stahili works to end this 

practice and develop solutions to ensure that 

children can return safely to their families 

and communities with the support needed 

for them to stay together. 

The Effecting Change Development Grant 

will provide much-needed support in a 

crucial area of family-based care, improving 

the living conditions of children in the 

home, and in particular, the resources available 

for sleep and rest. Having a good bed 

and consistent, high-quality sleep has a 

demonstrated positive impact on children’s 

health and education outcomes as well as 

family life and are vital for children to flourish, 

learn, grow, and develop a secure sense 

of their home environment. FAWCO’s support 

will allow the Pillow Project to provide 

beds, sheets, pillows and blankets for 31 

children who have been institutionalized 

and trafficked, significantly contributing 

by Laura Suttles 

When I heard about the FAWCO 

Cruise for a Cause, I knew immediately 

I was going. The American 

Women’s Club of 

Genoa was the sponsor 

of this FAWCO Target 

Project Fundraising 

Cruise. The current 

Target Project is Hope 

Beyond Displacement, 

a training program for 

refugee women and 

girls in Jordan. Ann De 

Simoni from Genoa 

did an incredible job 

of organizing the 

cruise and making it 

fun for everyone who 

participated. I was 

joined on the cruise 

by several Members 

of our club: Georgia 

Regnault, Liduine 

Bekman, Jan Mills 

and Emily van Eerten 

and her mother Ginny 

Poe. 

Before our departure from Venice, we had 

the opportunity to pose on the Rialto Bridge 

and visit Piazza San Marco. Unfortunately, 

our time in Venice was far too short which 

means I must return someday! The next day 

we visited Bari, Italy and toured the city 

on foot. We spent the most time at Castello 

Svevo which was built around 1132 by 

Norman King Roger II. That evening was 

to an essential aspect of their lives—the time 

they spend sleeping and resting. Speaking 

of FAWCO’s support, Stahili’s Country 

Director Joseph Wanyoike Kimani stated, 

“Entire families rejoice when they see their 

children at home. FAWCO’s leadership will 

ensure that children remain in families. 

Families do belong together.” 

FAWCO Cruise for a Cause 

a welcome cocktail hour with a Chinese 

Raffle. It was an awesome opportunity to 

meet and greet the other passengers who 

were a part of the 

Cruise for a Cause. 

There were 56 

participants in all. 

The next day was 

a day at sea which 

I fully enjoyed in a 

deck chair soaking 

up the sun. Next up: 

Mykonos, where it 

rains only 20 days a 

year. We managed 

to be there on one of 

those days. However, 

we still enjoyed the 

history, scenery and 

food. The following 

two days were spent 

in Crete and Corfu. 

I truly enjoyed the 

Greek Isles, and the 

scenery was stunning. 

My favorite stop was 

our final day when we 

visited Dubrovnik, Croatia. We had the opportunity 

to walk the Walls of Dubrovnik, 

defensive stone walls built around the old 

city. The views were amazing. 

My time on this cruise was truly enjoyed. If 

you find yourself with the opportunity to go 

on a FAWCO cruise, I would highly recommend 

it! 

>> 36 



FAWCO Cruise Collage

Message from the President (cont.) 


Once again, AWC The Hague will 

hold its popular Handbag Auction, 

to benefit FAWCO’s Hope Beyond 

Displacement. 


Thursday, February 21 

Starting at 1 p.m. 

NEW this year: We’re adding art to the auction! 

Come enjoy bites and drinks, while bidding on handbags, art and 

accessories. 

a more casual event remains to be seen. I 

do know that Michelle and Deana have 

already started researching venues, possible 

beneficiaries, and themes, and I’m certain 

whatever they decide, it will be fun and enable 

the Club to continue our philanthropic efforts. 

Even before Michelle and Deana hopped on 

the volunteer train, four Members told me 

they want to be on the committee. Thank 

you to Ceci Wong, Hilde Volle, Dena 

Haggerty, and Anna-Lena Thuren-Vogel. 

If you’re interested in joining the team, please 

contact Michelle and Deana, our co-chairs, at 

awcthehague.benefitevent@gmail.com. 

A fairly large segment of our new 

Members work full-time and I’ve had several 

requests that we offer more evening 

events. The requests have been heard and 

Elizabeth Zeller, who is the Recruitment 

and Marketing Advisor at Leiden University, 

has taken on the challenge and is the Evening 

Events Chair, with Belgin Gulec-Genc working 

with Elizabeth. These events are open to 

all Members, and offer more opportunities 

for social activities. Please check the AWC 

website’s calendar, eNews, Facebook, and 

Going Dutch for weeknight and weekend 

evening functions. 

Thirsty Thursdays is one of our Club’s 

most popular evening activities and some 

of the husbands and partners want their own 

Thursday evening outing. If your significant 

other is interested in a poker night, look for 

information in eNews and our Facebook page 

about when and where the first poker night 

will be held. Seems only fair! 

If you volunteered at the Holiday Bazaar 

or participated in any way, shape, or form, 

THANK YOU! You may have heard about 

one of the biggest moments that weekend 

when Emily van Eerten, our long-time raffle 

chair, called her own name as the winner of 

the raffle’s grand prize. Marcel Vermeulen, 

a long-time sponsor of our Club, donated an 

aquamarine and diamond necklace and the 

winning ticket was pulled out of the raffle 

box by a six-month old baby sitting on his 

mom’s lap watching all the activity. Emily’s 

reaction brought many of us to tears while 

others gave her a standing ovation. Wear it 

in good health, Emily! Please look for a full 

rundown of the two-day Holiday Bazaar in 

our January/February issue of Going Dutch. 

Where are you heading for the holidays? 

Wherever you go, or if you are planning a 

staycation, enjoy. After all, this is the most 

wonderful time of the year. Happy holidays 

to you, your family, and to all the fabulous 

women of the AWC. See you next year! 

Tot ziens… 

Suzanne 

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! 



High Altitude Trekking – Part II 

by Melissa White 

Heading Down 

What goes up must come down, and so our 

adventure in Nepal continued after achieving 

our goal of trekking to Everest Base Camp 

(EBC). Overall, heading down the mountain 

was easier, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. 

Not only did we still have plenty of uphills 

to contend with – every day we encountered 

a constant series of up and down referred to 

as “Nepali Flat” – but some of the downhills 

were crazy steep. Although I’ve never had 

knee problems, my right knee became swollen 

and sore. There’s no ice where there’s no 

refrigeration, but luckily Teresa had brought 

along an extra neoprene brace, which helped 

greatly to alleviate the pain. Although we 

were following the same route that we had 

taken up, the scenery looked quite different 

from the other direction. More than once we 

asked our guide, Ishor, if he was sure that 

we had travelled this way before. He just 

laughed. 

I often joked that we were on a High Altitude 

Detox Program of no alcohol and no meat. 

In an effort to prevent altitude sickness, we 

avoided alcohol – with the exception of a 

celebration over a few warm Everest Beers 

with Ishor and our porters after our 11th day 


of trekking. We had also been warned to stay 

away from meat due to the lack of refrigeration 

on the mountain. That was especially 

difficult for Kent, who gave in and had pizza 

with tuna several times after being assured 

that Ishor always checked the expiration 

dates on the cans of tuna first. Carlin is a vegetarian, 

so it was easy for her. Teresa and I are 

flexitarians who also had no problem sticking 

with a purely vegetarian diet. Every night I 

ate dal bhat, a traditional Nepali meal of lentil 

soup, rice and vegetable curry, and never 

grew tired of it. I added one unexpected item 

to my detox list along the way: news. After 

seeing yet another disconcerting headline on 

my BBC app on our third day, I decided that 

I was done checking the news until my return. 

It turned out that it was easier to give 

up than I’d expected: we had access to WiFi 

on only 5 of the 15 days. While I was willing 

to pay for WiFi at the teahouses, I was much 

too cheap to pay the exorbitant fees for 3G 

roaming. 

On the way up, we had visited Tengboche 

Monastery, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery 

originally built in 1916 and rebuilt in 1934 after 

a devastating earthquake. Unfortunately, 

photography wasn’t allowed inside; I have 

no photos of the amazingly vibrant murals 

covering the walls. Our timing wasn’t right 

to attend a service, but when we passed back 

through on our way down we were lucky 

enough to witness a marching band of monks 

playing drums, shells and horns with no obvious 

melody or harmony. Ishor informed us 

that they were marching down to the lodge 

we had just left so they could meet with the 

chief lama of the region. 

We rarely encountered trekkers coming 

up towards us, as it turned out that Lukla 

Airport had been fogged in for days. The 

most intrepid of trekkers could take a bus 

from Kathmandu to Jiri and then hike for 

eight to ten days to Lukla, although we didn’t 

come across a lot of folks that dedicated. It 

was a big reminder that, while weather had 

completely disrupted many other trekkers’ 

vacations and had caused the cancellation of 

Kent’s planned climb of Island Peak, we had 

been extremely lucky. Looks like my chats 

with Mother Nature paid off. We were also 

very fortunate that we had an extended itinerary. 

The traditional trekking itinerary allows 

just three days for the return trip from 

EBC to Lukla. However, because Kent had 

booked a side trip, we had three extra days 

to hike down, which allowed us to take our 

time rather than rushing down to Lukla only 

to be stuck there. This was also advantageous 

because I needed extra time: I was still slow 

despite the lower altitudes. 

With each passing day we got faster and 

faster at stuffing our sleeping bags, clothes 

and toiletries back into our duffel bags. This 

helped to make our mornings more relaxed, 

and sometimes we even got to sleep in. We 

only had one actual rest day; Ishor recommended 

that we stay in Phakding an extra >> 42 


High Altitude Trekking (cont.) 


night rather than get caught up in the madness 

of the closed airport in Lukla. We all 

agreed that was an excellent idea. 

When most of the beautiful views were obscured 

by dense clouds on what we expected 

to be our final day of hiking, we were extra 

lucky that Ishor spotted a white monkey high 

in a tree; he said it was the first time he’d ever 

seen one in the region. Another big surprise 

came when we went up a hill and discovered 

that we had already reached the entrance to 

the national park and the official end to our 

EBC trek. We had done it! We had hiked the 

entire way to EBC and back. 

I was much more observant during our walk 

through the village of Lukla this time around; 

I noticed that it had proper flat paving down 

its main “street” and evenly spaced stairs 

rather than the usual uneven steps made of 

rocks that we found in the other villages. It 

was so foggy that we couldn’t even see the 

runway when we walked past it. 

Escaping the Himalayas 

There were no planes flying in or out of 

Lukla the day that we arrived, so we turned 

our attention to chartering a helicopter to 

make our escape. We were joined by another 

trekker with Himalayan Wonders: 

Sebastian, a 19-year-old from England, who 

didn’t want to miss his international flight 

either. Unfortunately, helicopters were also 

unable to take off or land at the airport, so 

we spent the night in Lukla as originally 

planned. 

The big surprise the next morning was that 

we were going to hike yet again. Rather 

than sitting out the clouds in Lukla, we were 

going to descend another 2,000 feet (600 

meters) to 7,200 feet (2,200 meters) in an 

attempt to catch a helicopter ride off the 

mountain. Ishor scared me with his worry 

about my ability to do this trail; he said most 

groups can complete it in about one hour, but 

that it would take us two. Either way, to cover 

that much distance in that short of time meant 

the trail must be pretty steep. 

Sebastian and his guide joined our group of 

five with either me or Ishor setting the pace. 

We started on a narrow path hugging the 

fence to the airport. Eventually we got to the 

end of the fence and could see firsthand how 

the runway just ends at a cliff. We then slowly 

made our way mostly down, but sometimes 

up, in the usual Nepali way. Unlike our 

other paths, we weren’t in trekker territory 

anymore, but rather a rural area interspersed 

with houses. It was actually a lovely trail as 

the terrain became more tropical like a rainforest. 

As always, the steps were uneven, and 

we had to hop from rock to rock to avoid getting 

too muddy. 

After getting distracted while trying to take 

a photo of a waterfall, I managed to lose my 

footing. I felt like an idiot for slipping in the 

mud, but jumped right back up. Teresa and 

Carlin were concerned and asked if I wanted 

to rest, but I turned them down. I figured that 

if I actually was injured it would be best to 

let the adrenaline carry me along; it turns out 

that I just had two small cuts and a bruise on 

my right hand and a cut behind my right knee. 

Frankly, it’s incredible that I only slipped one 

time during the 14 days of hiking as I am 

quite a klutz (shortly after I returned home, 

I tripped while walking to the train station, 

ripped my jeans and skinned my bad knee). 

Sebastian slipped six times that day, but luckily 

wasn’t injured at all. Everyone else managed 

to stay upright. 

Along the way, Ishor announced that our 

helicopter had left Kathmandu. We thought 

it would be landing just minutes behind 

us, but that’s not quite how it worked out. 

Eventually we came across a funny little sign 

that said “Surkey Helipad”. We turned down 

that narrow path past more houses. Luckily it 

widened just enough for us to get out of the 

way of a mule train. We walked along some 

cornfields and then reached our destination: 

a grassy field next to a small teahouse. We 

arrived around 10 a.m., two hours after we 

had left Lukla Just as Ishor had predicted. >> 44 

Travel4U@americantravelcenter.net/www.americantravelcenter.nl/tel. +3261234901 

“Our next holiday is 

a safari. They do 

the whole world!” 

“They make booking a 

holiday so easy. I just 

leave it to them!” 

“Every trip is 

customized, just for 

me! That’s unique!” 



High Altitude Trekking (cont.) 


The skies were white above, but clear down 

below. It was quite exciting when the first helicopter 

arrived even though we knew that it 

was for one of the other two groups waiting. 

We were relieved when we arrived to find 

only ten other trekkers there before us, as we 

were concerned that there might have been 

dozens. As soon as the first helicopter left, 

another was preparing to land; alas, that one 

was also not ours. 

pressed that Kent managed 

the entire trek without hiking 

poles – they were an 

essential extension of my 

arms at all times. Luckily, 

we never needed any technical 

gear such as ropes or 

harnesses. I was also relieved 

that we never had 

to do any hand scrambling 

like on my training hike to 

Scafell Pike in England; 

personally, I prefer to hike 

with my feet rather than my 

hands. 

No sooner had the second one left than the 

clouds closed in. Our hopes of escape turned 

to worry that we might be stuck in that tiny 

teahouse overnight (we learned later that 

around 80 trekkers had been stuck there two 

nights previously and many had slept on 

the floor). By then another group had hiked 

down from Lukla; one trekker from Chicago 

said they’d been stuck in Lukla for five days 

and had already rebooked their flights home 

for an extra $1,000 each. It had started to 

rain, so we hunkered down and ordered 

hot drinks. Just as we were contemplating 

ordering lunch (either dal bhat or stir-fried 

noodles as they’d run out of all other options), 

Ishor rushed in to stop us, claiming 

that our helicopter was on its way. As we’d 

heard that before and it was still raining, we 

weren’t too hopeful, but were pleasantly 

surprised about ten minutes later when we 

heard the familiar whirring sound of the 

blades and the helicopter appeared through 

the mist. 

As soon as the pilot had finished a cup of 

coffee, we were told to grab our daypacks 

and start running. Our porters were already 

loading our duffel bags onboard. Unlike the 

previous pilot, whom we witnessed briefing 

his passengers before boarding, ours didn’t 

bother. We chose Teresa, the smallest, to get 

in the front and the rest of us piled into the 

back after quick hugs with Ishor. I wasn’t 

thrilled that I didn’t have a seatbelt (it was 

stuck under the seat), but luckily it didn’t 

matter. 

Perhaps our pilot was a bit of a cowboy or 

just a crazy risk taker, but he took off in 

that rain without saying a word. Eventually 

he tried putting on his seatbelt and needed 

Teresa’s help. Luckily it didn’t rain for the 

entire 51-minute journey. Though I wasn’t 

by a window, the views were still incredible. 

We followed the river for much of the way 

and saw lots of waterfalls. It was 40 minutes 

before I noticed the first road and cars; all 

of the villages and terraced farms we saw 

along the way had to be reached on foot or 

by animal. Even with the drama, it was a 

damn fine way to end an epic journey. 

Nitty Gritty 

For those of you who like details, it’s impossible 

to tell our tale without including some 

numbers. When it was all done and over, 

we had been on the mountain for 15 days. 

We had 14 days of hiking, of which 12 were 

moving from village to village and 2 were 

acclimatization “rest days” when we still 

hiked for about 4 hours each. Eight of those 

days were on the journey up to EBC and six 

were on our way down. Most days we hiked 

for six to eight hours, stopping for about 

an hour around noon for a hot lunch. We 

only had one actual rest day, which we spent 

writing in our journals, reading and playing 

cards. We also had one entirely unplanned 

hiking day that was not on our original itinerary: 

from the airport down to the helipad. 

My total distance was approximately 80 

miles (130k). Teresa, Carlin and Kent’s 

totals were approximately 85 miles (137k) 

each since they did the extra sunrise hike 

plus one extra leg on one of the acclimatization 

hikes. Our lowest point was the helipad 

at 7,200 feet (2,200 meters) and the highest 

we did together was EBC at 

17,600 feet (5,364 meters) 

for a net gain of 10,400 feet 

(3,164 meters). Of course, 

this doesn’t account for the 

Nepali Flat factor, which 

meant that we were always 

going up and down on any 

given day. Typical daily elevation 

changes were 1,300 

– 2,600 feet (400 – 800 meters). 

Although there was lots 

of snow on the peaks, we 

didn’t hike through any 

snow or ice. The worst 

weather that we encountered 

was some hail at EBC 

itself. I was incredibly im- 

All of our accommodations 

had electricity and at least one shared 

Western toilet; we slept in double rooms in 

sleeping bags on top of beds. We had three 

hot meals each day and the food was better 

than we expected. 

As difficult as the trek was, there was never 

a day that I woke up and didn’t want to hike. 

I’ve been asked several times if I’d do it again 

and my answer is consistently no. However, 

that doesn’t mean that I regret going – in fact 

the opposite is true: I’m thrilled that I went 

on this incredible journey. However, it was a 

once-in-a-lifetime adventure, thus there’s no 

need to repeat it. There are plenty of other 

treks to do in Nepal and beyond. Wonder 

what Kent will dream up for us next? 



Restaurant Recommendations 

by Audrey Goodman 

AWC Member Jessie Rodell came up with the wonderful idea of adding a Restaurant 

Recommendations section to the magazine. This is a work in progress, so feedback is 

wanted and welcome. I’ve started with a few of my favorite restaurants, but I certainly 

hope future issues will contain selections from other Members. Please feel free to email your 

comments and recommendations to goingdutchmag@gmail.com. 

De Lof der Zotheid 

A cozy neighborhood restaurant, with a 

good wine list. 

Breitnerlaan 84, 2596 HD, Den Haag 

070 324 1782 

lofderzotheid.nl 

Dutch, Seafood, European 

€€ - €€€ 

Monday – Sunday, 

5 p.m. – Midnight 

Made in Sud 

Amazing food, wonderful presentation, and 

exceptional service. 

Molenstraat 9A, 2513 BH, Den Haag 

070 365 2278 

facebook.com/madeinsuddenhaag 

Italian, Mediterranean, European 

€€ - €€€ 

Monday, Wednesday & Thursday, 

2 p.m. – 11 p.m. 

Friday – Sunday, 

12:30 p.m. – 11 p.m. 

Ruiseñor 

Emotional cuisine. Interested? Check it out! 

Denneweg 120, 2514 CL, Den Haag 

070 514 7049 

ruisenorrestaurant.nl 

Mexican, Latin, Seafood 

€€ - €€€ 

Tuesday – Sunday, 

6 p.m. – 10 p.m. 


Announcements 

Winter Fair 

The Ahoy in Rotterdam will be transformed 

into a winter wonderland from December 5 

– 9. In a cozy atmosphere, you can get in the 

mood for the holidays with booths featuring 

home decorations, wellness and leisure. 

There will also be fashion shows, workshops 

and entertainment. 

Wednesday, December 5 – 

Sunday, December 9 

Ahoyweg 10, Rotterdam 

www.winter-fair.nl 

Jack and the Beanstalk, a 

Pantomime 

Distinctively British, a panto is a popular 

form of family entertainment incorporating 

song, dance, slapstick comedy, cross-dressing, 

and audience participation. This holiday 

season, the Anglo-American Theatre Group 

(AATG) invites you to follow the exploits of 

Jack and his mother, Dame Trot, as they try 

to find the money to pay the rent before the 

nasty Baron throws them out of their house. 

Friday, December 7 – 


Theatre aan het Spui 

Spui 187, Den Haag 

www.aatg.nl 

The Arts Society Lecture – 

A Golden Touch of Klimt 

Being one of the most prominent figures 

in Vienna in the late 1800s, Klimt’s paintings 

with their glorious themes, bold colors 

and gold shocked an unsuspecting populace. 

Lecturer Gavin Plumley is a writer 

and broadcaster specializing in the art and 

culture of Vienna and Central Europe. His 

lecture will focus on the many changes in 

Klimt’s life which impacted his style and 

works. Nonmember fee is € 13. 

Tuesday, December 11 at 8 p.m. 

Doors open at 7:15 p.m. 

Cultural Centrum Warenar 

Kerkstraat 75, Wassenaar 

www.theartssocietythehague.org 

Lighting of Christmas Trees 

Delft: From 4 p.m. on Tuesday, December 

11, there will be Christmas stalls and musicians 

in the main square. The Christmas 

tree will be lit at 7 p.m. to give light to the 

Dark Days of Delft. You can get warmed up 

with hot chocolate, gluhwein (spiced mulled 

wine) and erwtensoep (split pea soup). 

www.donkeredagenvandelft.nl 

The Hague: A traditional ceremony is held 

each year in honor of the Swedish Feast of 

Lucia during which Lucia, dressed in white 

and with candles in her hair, will bring light 

into the dark winter night. Join the Swedish 

Ambassador and the Mayor of The Hague in 

front of the Escher Museum for the lighting 

of the Swedish Christmas tree on Thursday, 

December 13 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. 

Gouda: During the impressive illumination 

festival Gouda by Candlelight, on Friday, 

December 14 at 7 p.m., over 1,500 candles 

will be lit in Gouda’s historic city hall, while 

thousands more are aglow behind the >> 48 


Announcements (cont.) 


windows of the picturesque buildings surrounding 

Market Square. Street and shop 

lighting are switched off, lending a fairytale 

quality to this spectacle. Various choirs will 

be performing Christmas carols and the audience 

is encouraged to sing along. www. 

goudabijkaarslicht.nl 

Christmas Market for Dogs 

Dogs and their owners are invited to a special 

market of Christmas toys and snacks 

at Happy Critters, a long-time supporter of 

Going Dutch. Renske Natural Petfood will 

offer a tasting session for dogs from their 

Christmas menu. Ezydog will display their 

full range of leashes, collars and harnesses. 

There will be warm drinks for the owners, 

including gluhwein. 

Saturday, December 15 

10 a.m. – 5 p.m. 

Weissenbruchstraat 63, Den Haag 

www.happycritters.nl 


Christmas Concerts 

Cecilia International Choir: This 

mixed voice group of 70 singers will perform 

Christmas Concerts in Voorburg 

on December 13 and in The Hague on 

December 18. www.cecilia-choir.com 

American Protestant Church of The 

Hague: The Choir will sing the powerful 

Magnificat by John Rutter and some 

African American Christmas Spirituals, 

supported with solos by students of the 

Royal Conservatory of The Hague. There 

will also be an opportunity for community 

singing. Entry is free, but donations are welcome. 

www.apch.nl 

Sunday, December 16 at 4 p.m. 

Doors open at 3:30 p.m. 

Esther-de-Boer van Rijklaan 20, 

Den Haag 

Royal Christmas Fair 

This free fair has grown to be one of the 

Netherland’s largest Christmas markets. Its 

twinkling lights and familiar Christmas carols 

are bound to put you in a festive mood. 

Enjoy some gluhwein and flammkuchen 

while shopping for unique items among 

the 100 stalls. Entertainment will include 

performances by children’s choirs, theater 

groups and storytellers. Santa Claus will 

also make daily appearances. 

Friday, December 14 – 


Noon – 9 p.m. 

Lange Voorhout, Den Haag 

www.royalchristmasfair.nl 

Duivenvoorde at Christmas 

Duivenvoorde Castle in Voorschoten is 

decorated both inside and out with beautiful 

Christmas trees, a cozy market and 

sparkling decorations for the weekend of 

December 15 – 16. Take a winter walk over 

the noble estate and enjoy delicious, warm 

refreshments. Tickets should be pre-booked 

for tours of the castle. 

www.kasteelduivenvoorde.nl 

Dickens Festival 

A 19th century English city of Charles 

Dickens’ days will live again in full glory 

during the Dickens Festival in Deventer the 

weekend of December 15 – 16. Some 950 

characters will come to life from Dickens’ 

celebrated books, including Scrooge, Oliver 

Twist and David Copperfield, along with 

Christmas carolers, orphans, drunkards and 

distinguished citizens. The shops will be 

open in the city center with markets on the 

main square on both days. Over 125,000 

visitors are anticipated for this free festival, 

so expect to wait approximately one hour at 

the entrance. 

www.dickensfestijn.nl 

Dutch Christmas Markets 

Leiden: From December 14 – 25, Leiden 

hosts the only floating Christmas market in 

the Netherlands. Entrance is free into the 

Winter Wonderland Village on the water of 

the Nieuwe Rijn with 86 decorated chalets 

filled with winter products, gifts, snacks 

and warm drinks. You will also find an iceskating 

rink on the canal from December 8 

– January 6. www.visitleiden.nl 

Dordrecht: From December 14 – 16, 

Dordrecht will host the largest Christmas 

market in the Netherlands with 200 stalls. 

In addition, there will be hot treats, live 

entertainment and an ice-skating rink. www. 

kerstmarktdordrecht.nl 

Valkenburg: Running until December 30, 

the Christmas Market in the Velvet Cave 

is the Netherlands’ most popular indoor 

Christmas event. This unique experience 

is a shopper’s delight with fairytale decor, 

seasonal music and a large variety of 

handmade local and international gifts. www. 

kerstmarkt-fluweelengrot.nl 

Countrywide: During December you 

will find other various Christmas markets 

throughout the Netherlands. For listings, go 

to www.hollandsemarkten.nl and click on 

Kerstmarkten. 

A Christmas Carol 

Ashley Ramsden, the world-famous storyteller 

from Great Britain, returns to perform 

this Christmas favorite on December 21 – 23 

at the Theatre aan het Spui in The Hague. He 

performs all 23 characters single-handed, 

which shows his formidable talents as a storyteller 

and actor. The program embraces the 

original masterpiece, transporting audiences 

back to Victorian England and conjuring up 

the sinister back alleys, cobblestone streets 

and ghostly apparitions that are the story’s 

hallmarks. Expect to be mesmerized by a story 

that is still relevant today in a world where 

there is a gulf in the distribution of wealth, 

influence and knowledge. 

www.theenglishtheatre.nl 

Alice in Wonderland 

This Christmas, De Dutch Do not Dance 

Division will bring to life the famous story by 

Lewis Caroll set to music by Tchaikovsky >> 50 


Announcements (cont.) 


New Year’s Dive 

Ice Sculpture Festival 

and with sets inspired by the wonderful 

world of Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher. 

Tuesday, December 25 – 

Friday, December 28 

Zuiderstrandtheater, Den Haag 

www.ddddd.nu 

CATS 

The London West End production of the 

musical classic by Andrew Lloyd Webber 

will be performed in English for the very 

first time in the Netherlands. 

Amsterdam: December 20 – January 13, 

at the RAI Theatre. 

Rotterdam: January 15 – 17, at the Lux 

Theatre. 

www.catsdemusical.nl 

Christmas Circuses 

There is no doubt that Christmas Circuses 

must be quite popular in the Netherlands as 

our region hosts two. Both feature spectacular 

acrobatics and hilarious clowns; for those 

curious, circuses are no longer allowed per 

Dutch law to feature wild animals. 

Rotterdam: December 22 – 30 at the Ahoy. 

www.kerstcircus.nl 

The Hague: December 22 – January 6 at 

the Malieveld. www.kerstcircusdenhaag.nl 

New Year’s Fireworks 

New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands is often 

celebrated with fireworks and our area has 

several large fireworks shows. Most cities 

shut down public transportation no later 

than 9 p.m., so please plan accordingly. 

Scheveningen: A giant bonfire will be 

built on the beach in the hopes to once again 

be the world’s largest. In addition to lighting 

the bonfire in a spectacular fashion at midnight, 

there will be fireworks and music. 

The Hague Centrum: The Hofvijver is the 

setting for a free festival with music starting 

at 10 p.m. and fireworks at midnight. 

Rotterdam: A lighted boat parade on the 

Maas starts at 10:30 p.m. At midnight, the 

most spectacular fireworks in the country 

will burst from the Erasmus Bridge with the 

best view from the Boompjeskade. 

www.hetnationalevuurwerk.nl 

The Netherlands boasts more than 135 locations 

where you can jump into the sea or a 

lake on New Year’s Day at noon. The largest 

dive is held at Scheveningen Beach, where 

10,000 people plunge into the sea each year. 

This spectacle is also great to watch from 

the sidelines. Which of our AWC Members 

will brave the cold waters this year? Tickets 

can’t be reserved, but must be purchased for 

€ 3 starting at 10:30 a.m. 

www.unox.nl/evenementen-detail 

Amsterdam Light Festival 

A unique experience in the darkest months 

of the year! Created by international artists 

especially for this festival, 30 works of art 

were chosen to depict this year’s theme of 

The Medium is the Message, which examines 

the role light plays as a medium or as a 

message. The exhibition can be admired by 

boat, bike or foot through January 20. 

www.amsterdamlightfestival.com 

Held in Zwolle from December 15 through 

March 3, this is Europe’s largest ice sculpture 

exhibit. The festival features over 100 

sculptures of ice and snow up to 20 feet 

(6 meters) high made of 606,275 pounds 

(275,000 kilos) of both ice and snow created 

by 40 of the best ice artists in the world. 

The theme this year is World Famous 

Stories. To keep the ice sculptures in top 

condition, it is 14°F (-10°C) in the large 

cooled event hall, so be sure to dress warmly. 

Although it is difficult to avoid long 

lines into the hall, you can avoid queuing 

at the box office by purchasing discounted 

tickets online. 

Ijsselhallen Zolle, Rieteweg 4, Zwolle 

www.ijsbeelden.nl 

Save the Date: MLK Dinner 

Mark your calendars to bring the whole 

family to the annual Dr. Martin Luther 

King Tribute and Dinner. Look for further 

details in the January issue. 

Sunday, January 27 

5:30 p.m. 

Hotel Den Haag - Wassenaar 

Zijdeweg 54, Wassenaar 

Grab Your Running Shoes 

The Hague’s Biggest Race: If you like to 

run, be sure not to miss The Hague’s 44nd 

CPC Loop on Sunday, March 10 starting at 

the Malieveld. There will be 45,000 runners 

including professionals and amateurs 

for distances ranging from 1K for kids to a 

half marathon. Don’t hesitate to register, as 

this event fills up every year. 

www.cpcloopdenhaag.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 

Items for Sale 

Exercise Bike—As New— 

Great Gift (Rossler R320hp 

speedbike 16kg) Cost new 

€259, now €95. 

Two solid old bikes 50.- each 

2 comfortable Foldaway Beds 

€45 each 

Litton US microwave oven 

€45. (Can be freestanding or 

built in.) 

Contact AWC Member Sheila 

010 4229511 in Rotterdam or 

sgazaleh@gmail.com 

Coffee & Taxes 

We file your: 

• Dutch income taxes 

• VAT tax 

• Migration forms 

• Benefits/ Toeslagen 

Plus 

financial/ governmental consultancy 

Contact me at: 

marielschouwink@gmail.com 

0625684010 

Transformational New 

Neuro Therapy 

available from Anel Smit, an 

experienced, professional 

Counsellor and International 

Coach for children, adults and 

seniors in Dutch, English and 

Afrikaans. 

www.anelsmit.com 

Multi-Level Neuro Processing 

Functional Therapy 

Creative Art Development 

0642463605 

www.icr-coachregister.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. 

imasselinkandreas@gmail. 

com 

www.ingridmasselinkandreas. 

com 

Index of Advertisers 

ACCESS 

page 30 

American Travel 

Center 

page 43 

Aveda Lifestyle 

Salon 

Inside Cover 

Beacon Financial 

Education 

Back Cover 

Frans Burgers 

Tapijt 

page 15 

Support Fellow AWC Members 

Find links to a large variety of businesses 

owned by AWC Members at www. 

awcthehague.org/site/newcomers/ 

business-links 

Petros Eyewear 

page 11 

FRITSTAXI 

Ocean Dry 

Airport Service 

Cleaning 

Inside Back Cover 

page 19 

Happy Critters 

Playball Kids 

page 25 

page 21 

Marcel 

Sligro 

Vermeulen 

Jewelry 

page 11 

page 9 

VERHEY VAN 

WIJK brilmode 

page 17 

Wassalon 

Weissenbruch 

page 30 

Your Cleaning 

Service 

page 30 

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. 

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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. 


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Proost! Questionnaire 

Answers by Debbie van Hees-Cascio 

Why are you living in the Netherlands? 

I married a Dutchman 33 years ago! 

Give us a quick wrap-up of your family 

Husband: Ad; Daughters: Anneke (25) and 

Emma (23) 

What or who is the greatest love of your 

life? 

My wonderful husband, of course! 

What do you enjoy most about the AWC? 

Back when: Working in the library in the 

old Clubhouse and making life-long friends. 

These days I’m not as engaged as I could 

be…something to work on. 

What do you consider the most overrated 

virtue of being an expat? 

Hard to say as I ceased being an expat in 

1990 when I resigned from the US. Foreign 

Service to stay and raise a family. I’m a 

citizen of the world now…and quite enjoy it. 

What is the quality you most like in a friend? 

Loyalty 

What is your greatest travel extravagance? 

Paying for an extra bag to bring back clothes 

that fit from the US. I am a petite person 

living in the Land of the Giants. 

Which travel experience made you the 

happiest? 

Our family trip to Marrakech five years ago. 

What is your favorite travel purchase? 

Noise cancelling headphones 

Which locations haven’t been ticked off 

your bucket list? 

Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Alaska… 

there are many. 

Where would you most like to live? 

Six months in The Hague and six months at 

our home in Vermont 

Who are your favorite writers? 

Paul Theroux and Pat Conroy 

Which talent would you most like to have? 

To play the piano 

What’s your hobby? 

Does screen addiction count as a hobby? If 

not, tennis and reading. 

Who are your heroes in real life? 

My mother, who I miss every day, and lately 

President Obama, who I also miss every day. 

What is your motto? 

Let’s get the hell out so we can get the hell 

home (from my dad but still in use!). 

What constitutes a “perfect” day for you? 

The wonderful summer and fall days we 

had this year for working in the garden and 

walking to the beach every evening

AWC Going Dutch Dec 2018

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