63 connections oct2015

Connect International serves the international community in the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe.

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2 Connections #63

Supported by an international staff and Board of Directors, we provide quality relocation services and practical information to help familiarize international residents with all aspects of living, working or studying in the Northern Netherlands, as well as organizing events and activities to make connections.

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Connect International would like to welcome the following new members:

Cathy Absalom, Sonia Gomez Fuentes, Gabriel Liguori, Sahar El Aidy, Sarahanne Field, Don van Ravenzwaaij, Jacob Taylor, Nadia Baadj, Lijuan van der Harst-Yi, A Kolomiyts, Katy Splan, Chris Denison, Richard Kastelein, Aarti Nathoe, Ho Yeon Kim, Franck Gounou, Jordi Surroca, Laura Damiano and Marco Demaria.

Welcome New Members!Serv ices :

Jo in Us !You can register to become a Connect International member via our website. For a small yearly fee, you receive the Connections e-magazine newsletter delivered directly to your email inbox, you have access to the Connect International community through organized events, you can ask us any questions you may have and much more.

Visit: www.connect-int.org

● Immigration services● Home search & set-up● Social events, activities & clubs● Career services● Business events● Books & guides● Knowledge database

Connect International

Contact : Publ ica t ion Team:Connect International office:Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, GroningenPostbus 16, 9700 AA GroningenTelephone: 050 7440087Email: [email protected]: www.connect-int.org

Publisher: Stephanie Fermor-PoortmanAssistant Editor: Margaret MetsalaContributers to this issue: Stephanie Fermor-Poortman, Remke Palsma, Karen Prowse

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3 Connections #63 Connect International

Upcoming Events in Groningen, Friesland & DrentheStrange Things Have HappenedThursday 1 October 2015, Groningen Waddendag GroningenSaturday 3 October 2015, Groningen Groningen Four-Mile RunSunday 11 October 2015, Groningen Formido Finaleraces16 - 19 October 2015, TT Assen

StoffenspektakelWednesdat 14 October 2015, Groningen Martiniplaza Breidag and Haakdag (Crochet & Knitting day)23 - 24 October 2015, Zwolle Spooktocht Halloween (Ghost Tour)Saturday 31 October 2015, Winsum

OctoberCalendar

October 2015


Primary Education & Secondary Education SchoolsBasisonderwijs & Voortgezet onderwijs

North Netherlands 17 October 2015 - 25 October 2015 Week 43

Mid-Netherlands 17 October 2015 - 25 October 2015 Week 43

South Netherlands 24 October 2015 - 1 November 2015 Week 44

School Holiday Dates

OctoberEvents


Connect International EventsCoffee Morning GroningenFriday 2 October 2015 at 10:30 hrs@ La Place, V&D in Groningen

Culinary Connect: Indian & Pakistani cuisine workshopThursday 8 October 2015 at 13:00 hrs@Roden, Rubina’s house

Easy Dutch Café Friday 9 October 2015 at 11:00 hrs@ZOMERS, Groningen

Movie Club: Mr. TurnerMonday 12 October 2015 at 13:30 hrs@ Pathe Bioscoop, Groningen

Book Club: Joseph O’Neil “Netherlands”Tuesday 13 October 2015 at 20:00 hrs@ Astrid’s house, Groningen

Writer’s CircleWednesday 14 October 2015 at 19:30 hrs@ Groningen

Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 16 October 2015 at 10:30 hrs@ La Place, V&D in Groningen

Pub NightFriday 16 October 2015 at 18:00 hrs@ O’Malley’s Pub, Groningen

Easy Dutch Café Friday 23 October 2015 at 19:00 hrsUgly Duck, Groningen

“Meet to eat”: SPICE (workshop & dinner)Monday 26 October 2015 at 18:00 hrs@ SPICE, Assen

Connect Customs, Culture & Communication WorkshopWednesday 28 October 2015 at 19:00 hrs@ Het Concerthuis, the Kapteynzaal, Groningen

Oktoberfest: Brewery tour with beer tasting and a big dinner in the German restaurantFriday 30 October 2015 at 18:00 hrs@ Stadsbrouwerij De Kromme Jat& Oberland Groningen

Networking to Work in the Netherlands WorkshopWednesday 4 November at 10:00 hrs@ Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, Groningen

The Jewish Folkingestraat


Places to goThings to see

Before World War II, the city center of Groningen had a thriving Jewish community. The heart of this community was the Folkingestraat.

In the folkingestraat, many remembrances of the Jewish district remain, and art pieces have also been added. These are often overlooked, however, since the history of the street is not well known.

We have translated pieces of an article (published originally in Dutch at http://www.focusgroningen.nl/groningen-centrum-de-joodse-folkingestraat/) for our readers as a guide to the “Nicest shopping street in the Netherlands 2014”.

Start: Folkingestraat 67 (across from the International Welcome Center North).

This is where you enter the former Jewish district. This neighborhood emerged in the years after the first

synagogue was built in 1756, it was bordered by the Fish Market, the Zuiderdiep, the Herestraat and Munnekeholm.

The Jewish life in this neighbourhood, which ended abruptly in 1943 with the deportations, is commemorated through five works of art. The first one is the bronze door. The door handle is missing: a symbol representing the historical end of the Jewish district in Groningen.

This is also the starting point of the second piece of art: Galgal Hamazalot. In the middle of the street bronze moons starting as a crescent and developing into a full moon declining to a crescent again, symbolize the rise and fall of the Jewish community. It also refers to the Jewish calendar which is based on the phases of the moon.

Translated by Remke Palsma


Places to go Things to see

The Synagogue (Folkingestraat 60)The many horseshoe or keyhole symbols on the building show the Moorish style from 1906.

The two spheres on either side of the large terrace have been coated with gold leaf in 2011. The text in Hebrew above the entrance says: “You are blessed when entering and when leaving.”

Folkingestraat 16Further down the road there used to be a kosher butcher named Isaac Nieweg. His name is on the tiled tableau. If you go inside the shop, meat hooks, where the butcher used to hang the meat, are still visible in the ceiling. The neighbor butcher Mozes Nijveen greeted Nieweg cordially everyday with the question: “Have you not left yet?” (In Dutch, “Zo, ben je nog steeds nie weg?”) The

Nieweg family survived the war by fleeing to the United States in 1940.

Folkingestraat 12In the entranceway of the building, an untitled work of art with an old photograph is visible. This picture symbolises the integration of the Jewish community into the Groningen society. The festive character of the picture is in sharp contrast with the next work of art.

Folkingestraat 11 & 9In the alley between these two buildings is an artwork engraved high on the right-hand building, saying “weggehaald”, meaning removed. This refers, of course, to the deportations during World War II. The Jews during this time were literally removed from their houses, just as these letters were dug out of the wall.

So the next time you stroll through the “Leukste winkelstraat van Nederland 2014”, keep an eye out for these remembrances and consider the history of this former Jewish district.

Food for Thought


Nothing says autumn better than warm spiced apple desserts, and these traditional Appelbollen (apple balls) are a Dutch favourite when served with hot custard or ice cream.

Recipe: Appelbollenby Stephanie Fermor-Poortman

Ingredients4 firm apples (eg. Elstar), peeled2 tbsp lemon juice75g raisins4 tablespoons sugar1 teaspoon cinnamon25g butter1 egg4 slices of puff pastry (bladerdeeg) from the freezer and defrosted

You will also need an apple corer, rolling pin, little bit of flour, greaseproof paper, pastry brush and a baking tray.

Food for Thought


cinnamon together.Sprinkle a little flour onto a work surface and place a sheet of puff pastry down. Roll out the pastry so that the sheet is large enough to wrap around the whole apple. Repeat for each sheet of pastry.In the center of the pastry, put a knob of butter. Place the apple on top, with the top of the apple facing down. Fill the cavity of the apple with the raisin mixture (use your finger or a chopstick to push as much filling in as possible). Top the filling with another knob of butter.Fold the pastry up around the apple, fully enclosing it. Moisten the edge of the pastry with a little water to help the edges stick.Put the apple pastry ball, with the closed side down, on to a lined

Preheat the oven to 200 ° C. Put the raisins to soak in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes.Meanwhile, remove the core from your apples (leaving the apples whole). Pour the lemon juice onto a plate and roll the apples in it.Drain the raisins and pat dry with a paper towel. Mix the raisins, 3 tablespoons of sugar and the

baking sheet. Separate the egg white and yolk, and beat the egg yolk. Using the pastry brush, apply a thin coat of egg wash over the top of the spheres and sprinkle with the remaining sugar.Place the tray in the middle of the oven and cook for about 25 minutes, until golden brown. Let the apple balls cool on a wire rack until lukewarm and serve with hot custard or ice cream.



On our road trip though the USA this summer, we decide to visit Wyoming to experience (again) the wide open spaces, high plains and rugged character of the western frontier. And it really is still the wild frontier in America.

Cheyenne Frontier Daysby Karen Prowse

The western portion of the state is covered mostly by mountain ranges (think Grand Tetons, foothills of the Rocky Mountains, and Yellowstone National Park) while the eastern portion consists of high elevation prairie, known as the High Plains (where Devils Tower is located). The Continental DivideIn runs through the middle of Wyoming, separating the mountains from the high plains.

Mineral extraction, tourism and agriculture/ranching are the driving economic factors in the state. At least 6 million tourists per year visit the

national parks and monuments in Wyoming. However, it is the least populous state in the US (with only ~ 5 8 0 , 0 0 0 people) while it is the 10th largest state (253,340 km2).

Having been to the western part of Wyoming in

2008, we instead visit the eastern portion on this trip. We want to stay in the capitol city of Cheyenne in the southeastern part, the most populous city in the state (population about 63,000). However, we can not find any place to stay with a room available for the weekend we choose to visit! Searching on the internet, I discover that this particular weekend is the last weekend of something called Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD), the largest outdoor rodeo in the world, nicknamed “The Daddy of ‘em All”. Undeterred by the lack of hotel rooms, we decide we have to attend the rodeo and finally find a place to stay in the city of Laramie, 40 miles east of Cheyenne.

Since Wyoming lacks any professional sports teams due to its low population, rodeo has become the major sporting

event in the state. According to the CFD website, the first rodeo took place in 1897 and consisted of a cowboy roundup featuring bronco busting and steer roping contests. The cowboys also showed off their cattle-branding, bucking bronco-riding skills and rope tricks. More than 100 years later, the CFD is now a 10-day event, attracting a quarter of a million attendees and 1200 competitors who vie for the more than $1 million dollars in prize money.

We visit CFD on the Saturday of the last weekend, when many final and semi-final competitions are taking place. Not knowing what to expect, we





bull’s attention after the ride so that the cowboy can get away but many times I thought someone would end up in the hospital from the aggressive (and massive) bull.

The rodeo announcers are celebrities in these communities and keep the excitement going in an extremely entertaining manner. They provide background information about the competitors, give colorful descriptions of the action and make sure everything moves along smoothly, a real skill when dealing with cantankerous animals as well as hundreds of cowboys. The three hours pass before we know it and we come away with increased respect for the sport and those who compete.

Experiencing the rodeo also gives us a deeper understanding of the land and its people, and an appreciation of the history and way of life that is still lived in Wyoming. There is still so much more to explore in this state and we will definitely be going back to visit.

enter the grounds and are enveloped in a carnival-like atmosphere with amusement rides and games, goods and wares stalls, and food stands surrounding the enormous rodeo stadium. After wandering around the grounds, we enter the 20,000-seat stadium itself for the 3-hour rodeo. On the program for the day was bucking bronco-riding contests, barrel-racing, bull-riding, steer-roping, wild-horse racing, and exhibitions of rope tricks and horseback-riding skills.

We watch in fascination as a cowboy on horseback chases after a running steer, leans from the horse to grab the horns of the steer, jumps off the horse to stop the steer and then wrestles him to the ground, all within the winning time of 8.5 seconds! Likewise, we see other cowboys ride bareback on bucking bulls for at least 8 seconds before leaping off their backs and hoping not to get gored or trampled or break something. The padded rodeo clowns are fearless in attracting the

One of the things I have gotten accustomed to since living in the Netherlands is how the Dutch like to celebrate birthdays. From the office cake that you provide yourself to the chair circle parties at your home.

Hosting a Dutch Birthdayby Stephanie Fermor-Poortman


DutchCulture

In the Dutch workplace it is common practise, that on your birthday you bring in a cake or other sweet treat to celebrate and share with your colleagues. My husband (who is Dutch) is a teacher, and on his birthday I send him off with several packs of chocolate biscuits and sweet treats to put in the teachers lounge and even give out to his students that day. If you work in a small office a normal cake will do, but if you have a lot of colleagues I suggest either going for cookies, or several packs of frozen cream puffs (soesjes) which are very economical and always go down well (just make

sure you let them defrost in time).

Also with having a Dutch partner I have become quite skilled in how to host a 'Dutch circle party',

sometimes referred to as the 'circle of doom'. Don't let the name scare you, when you are the host it is much less scary if you prepare well.

First you will need to send out invites to all your relatives and friends. This can be done by email, phone or face to face. Normally, a party will be planned


DutchCulture

for over the weekend, and mid afternoon is a good time, from 1pm – 4pm (don't be afraid to give a leaving time). And you will need to be sure to give at least 1 week notice so they can fit it into their agenda. If you are inviting a lot of people, keep in mind having enough seating for everyone; it is not unheard of to ask close relatives to bring their own chair if you fear you won't have enough!

The day of the party you will want to arrange your lounge so you have a nice circle of chairs going all the way around and in the middle place a few tables so people can put their drinks down. If you have a lot of people coming, or an odd shape lounge, get creative with how you put the chairs, and maybe even think about temporarily removing large

pieces of furniture like foot stools etc.

Dutch party food is pretty simple. Usually the Dutch start by serving a slice of cake with coffee or tea, so make sure you have enough cake for everyone. Then you will want to have bowls of nibbles for people to snack on. Usually this includes cubes of cheese, sliced liver (leverworst), sliced grillworst, grapes, cucumber, cherry tomatoes etc, and also some bowls of crisps and of course borrel nootjes (party nuts). Keep in mind you will probably need to refill the dishes at least once, so don't put everything out at the start.

For drinks, you will want to have coffee, a selection of teas and at least two sorts of frisdrank (ice tea, cola, fanta,


DutchCulture

orange juice etc). Depending on what time of day you have your party you may also want to serve beer and wine.

As you are the host for this party, you won't be sitting down for long. At the start you will be welcoming guests as they arrive and serving up cake. And through out the party you should keep checking with guests if they would like another drink; get your partner to help out with this too, and don't forget to top up the nibbles. And when you do have a moment to sit

down, enjoy it and try to jump into a conversation with someone near you.

Upcoming Event

The 182nd Oktoberfest, the world’s largest beer festival and fun fair, takes place in Munich from 19 September to 4 October this year. The festival originally began as a celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen on October 12, 1810. Nowadays, the over 6 million visitors can enjoy a mixture of attractions, such as amusement rides, side-stalls and games, parades, and horse-racing, as well as a wide variety of traditional food and, of course, beer.

Oktoberfest, Groningen-styleby Karen Prowse

If you weren’t able to attend the Oktoberfest in Munich this year, you are in luck! Connect International is organizing a mini-Oktoberfest on Friday evening, 30 October, right here in Groningen. We will begin with a brewery tour and beer tasting at De Stadsbrouwerij De Kromme Jat and then change locations to Oberland Groningen for a three-course German meal.

'Best Bier uut Stad' (Best Beer from the City) is the motto of Stadsbrouwerij De Kromme Jat.

“Real Grunnegs is special beer brewed with largely local ingredients from the city and environs, plus hop from all over the world. In the future, De Kromme Jat will develop its own hop grown just outside the city”, says co-owner Jaap Lindeman. “The name


Upcoming Event


De Kromme Jat comes from the former name of the Turftorenstraat, a region where many brewers were located in the 15th century and the location of our first brewery in 2011. At that time, there were more than 250 brewers registered with the Brewers Guild in the city of Groningen.” Jaap, who will be our host for the tour and tasting at the new location on Sontweg 18, has spent much of his life in professional horeca (hotels, restaurants, cafes), and together with his brother Wim (the master brewer), started De Kromme Jat business to resurrect craft beer brewing within the city limits of Groningen.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and More

Oberland Groningen, a restaurant located in the Ebbingekwartier, features an authentic German menu devised by chef and Oberland co-owner Frank Mulder. The building itself is a unique, monumental building of the former pump house for the Municipal gas plant, located on Langestraat 66 between the Invoversum and Boterdiep. Frank spent months working on the remodeling and the result is a special mix of industrial and modern design. Open in February 2014 for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Oberland quickly became a popular spot in the neighborhood and city. With a large and sunny terrace, and menus that

refresh often, it is a great place to meet friends and sample the excellent cuisine. Frank, who will be our host for the evening, will provide us with a soup, choice of fish, meat or vegetarian main course and, of course, a yummy German dessert.

To find out more details and to register for this event, please visit our website: www.connect-int.org/events-activities/

Further information about De Stadsbrouwerij De Kromme Jat can be found on their website:www.krommejat.nl/

Information about Oberland restaurant can be found on their website:www.oberland.nl/

Presented by career coachAnnette Rauh

Wednesday 4 November10:00 - 12:00 hrs

Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, Groningen

Workshop for Connect International Members only

Upcoming Event


Networking to Work in the Netherlands WorkshopNetworking is the way to find a job in the Netherlands. But, how do you, as an international, begin to network with the Dutch? How do you profile yourself in a successful manner? Annette will give useful tips and practical coaching during this workshop.

After the seminar, participants will be given tickets for the Promotiedagen Noord Nederland convention at the Martiplaza to put their newly acquired skills in action. Over 600 companies profile themselves during this 2 day event with booths and display stands – a great place to start networking.

Please register for this event via the Connect International website: www.connect-int.org/events-activities/

Not yet a member? Then why not become one so you can participate in this free workshop and enjoy all the other benefits of membership!

63 connections oct2015

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