Connect International serves the provinces of Groningen ... · the provinces of Groningen,...

Connect International serves the international community in

the provinces of Groningen, Friesland and Drenthe.

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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.

Services: Join 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● Career services● Social events, activities & clubs● Business events● Personal support & assistance● “Buddy” -system● Free access to books & guides● Knowledge database

Connecting Worlds

Welcome New Members!Connect International would like to welcome the following new members:

Rukhsana Ferdous, Leo Dvortsin, Helen Buckingham, Antje-Christin Knopf, Virinchi Kuchibhotla, Marcus Miethke, Indira Shetty, Kirti Shridhap, Kunal Patil

Connect International Office:Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98, GroningenPostbus 16, 9700 AA GroningenTelephone: 050 7440087Email: [email protected]: www.connect-int.org

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EditorialEditor: Stephanie FermorAssistant Editor: Margaret MetsalaWriters: Stephanie Fermor, Alexandra van den Doel, Margaret Metsala, Rachel Heller

Send all letters and submissions to:[email protected]

Editorial and advertising in Connections is based on material, written and verbal, provided by contributors and advertisers. No responsibility is taken for errors or omissions, and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the publisher. All material in Connections is subject to copyright provisions. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission by the publisher.

Important Dates

Primary Education & Secondary Education SchoolsBasisonderwijs & Voortgezet onderwijs

North Netherlands 16 July 2016 - 28 August 2016 Week 29 - 34

Mid-Netherlands 9 July 2016 - 21 August 2016 Week 28 - 33

South Netherlands 23 July 2016 - 4 September 2016 Week 30 - 35

Some schools do run different vacation times, so be sure to double check with your school for exact dates.

IMPORTANT DATESSpring School Vacation Times

Ramadan (Ramadan) 6 June - 5 July 2016

Fathers Day (Vaderdag) 19 June 2016

Summer Solstice (Langste dag) 20 June 2016

Eid (Suikerfeest) 6 July - 8 July 2016

International Day of Friendship 30 July 2016

Other Dates

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What’s on June & July 2016

Mystery Tour: Discover the Secrets of GroningenSunday 5th June, 13:00 hrsDinercafe Soestdijk (Groningen)

International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 10th June, 10:30 hrsDoppio Cafe (Groningen)

Book ClubTuesday 14th June, 20:00 hrs(Groningen)

“PLAY REAL BIG”, empowering workshop for women by Blanca VergaraThursday 16th JuneHet Concerthuis (Groningen)

Menkemaborg WalkFriday 17th June, 10:00 hrsMenkemaborg (Uithuizen)

CONNECT EVENTSJune & July 2016

Pub NightFriday 17th June, 18:00 hrsO’Malley’s Irish Pub (Groningen)

International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 24th June, 10:30 hrsDoppio Cafe (Groningen)

International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 8th July, 10:30 hrsDoppio Cafe (Groningen)

Book ClubWednesday 13th July, 20:00 hrs(Groningen)

Pub NightFriday 15th July, 18:00 hrsO’Malley’s Irish Pub (Groningen)

International Coffee Morning GroningenFriday 22nd July, 10:30 hrsDoppio Cafe (Groningen)

Crafts Club: Beading workshopSunday 31st July, 14:00 hrsHet Concerthuis (Groningen)

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Are you ready to be taken to the historical past of the city, to discover the unknown places that have been just under your nose all this time and to let us take you back to the future? Join the Mystery Tour and discover the secrets of Groningen!

The Mystery Tour (Sunday 5 June, 13:00 - 17:30) is our big summer event, organized for you by students of Hanzehogeschool with the support of Connect International, the International Welcome Center North and High Standard Travel.

Get prepared to discover Groningen on foot in small international groups and find yourself in places you have never been before or places you think you already know but, in fact, know nothing about. Get prepared to hear mysterious stories, be surprised by fascinating facts, meet characters from the past, solve puzzles, play interactive games, ask questions, meet new people and say, “Wow, “I didn’t know that!” It will depend just on you and your teammates to move forward and find the clues of where to go next - but do not

worry, the team leaders will be there to assist you. Every place you go and every assignment you complete will get you points, and the team with the most points will win a nice prize.

The Mystery Tour itself will take two hours (including approximately 30 minutes of walking). At the end of the Tour, all teams will come together for a drink to relax, exchange experiences and enjoy the award ceremony. The event will start and end in the beautiful Dinercafe Soestdijk in the heart of Groningen. You will be welcomed there with drinks and finger food.

Whether you have just arrived Groningen or have been here for a while, you cannot miss this unforgettable event! To secure your place, please register for the event as soon as possible: http://goo.gl/kgbtrw

P.S. Did you take the quiz last week? Let's see if you were right... Of course, the answer to #4 represents the Netherlands. Well done!

5 JUNE - MYSTERY TOURDiscover the Secrets of Groningen

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OTHER EVENTSEvents in Groningen, Friesland & Drenthe

Stranger Things Have Happened(English Comedy Show)2 June, The Silo, GroningenPlus additional dates, check website.www.strangerthings.nl/shows/

De Culinaire Verleiding3 - 5 June, Ebbingekwartier, GroningenCulinary event of food trucks and food stalls.www.deculinaireverleiding.nl

Wolmarkt en Schaapscheerdersdag4 June, Oranjesingel, GroningenWool and sheep fair, live sheep shearing, mini market selling handcrafted products from wool.www.goo.gl/keuJIw

Open Gardens Groningen9 & 10 June, gardens throughout the province for public viewing41 gardens open up their gates during the weekend for you to enjoyhttp://goo.gl/JoFAox

Quilt Festival North Groningen10 - 12 June, Eemsmondwww.quiltfestival.nl/home-en

Oerol10 - 19 June, Terschelling, FrieslandCultural festival of theatre arts, dance and musicwww.oerol.nl

Sterrebos Live12 June, Sterrebos park, GroningenMusic performances, freewww.wijkhelpman.nl/index.php/sterrebos-live-concerten

ZomerWelVaart24 - 26 June, GroningenMaritime summer festival leading up to Delfsail 2016www.zomerwelvaart.nl

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Zomerfair Midwolda26 June, MidwoldaCrafts and art market; includes a Wedding Square for inspiration should you be planning your big day!www.goo.gl/nDoiur

DelfSail 201629 June - 3 July, Eemshaven and DelfzijlNautical market, shanty choirs, live music and fireworks!www.delfsail.nl

De Culinaire Verleiding8 - 10 July, Oldehoofsterkerhof, LeeuwardenCulinary event of food trucks and food stalls.www.deculinaireverleiding.nl

Zeldzaam Mooi10 July, Vismarkt, GroningenHobby and craft marketwww.zeldzaammooievents.com

Lepeltje Lepeltje1 - 3 July, GroningenCulinary food festivalwww.lepeltje-lepeltje.com

Zeldzaam Mooi17 July, Worpplatsoen, DeventerHobby and craft marketwww.zeldzaammooievents.com

Donderdag Meppeldagen - Mmmm Lekker21 July, MeppelMorning markets and food stalls. Evening music performances.www.goo.gl/U99FS6

Donderdag Meppeldagen - Helemaal Hollands28 July, Meppelwww.goo.gl/oQF9Gy

Stranger Things Have Happened

Date: 2 June, 2016.Time: 21:00 onwards, doors open at 20:00Location: De Silo, Achterweg 47, Groningen

This June, English-language improv comedy group, Stranger Things Have Happened, returns with their monthly show at De Silo!

At Stranger Things shows, you never know what to expect. Neither do they. Stranger Things Have Happened is an English-speaking improv comedy group. For over five years, they have been one of

the leading improv groups in the country, playing hundreds of comedy shows ranging from small clubs to big theatres, both nationally and internationally.

Improv comedy involves scenes that are made up on the spot by the actors, usually inspired by suggestions taken from the audience. The result is a unique and fresh show that remains unpredictable for both the audience and the performers.

Curious about what to expect? See here!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kva-9UTtDyM

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Fun things with the kids

VACATION PARK HOLIDAYSWill You Get A ‘Huisje’?

“We hebben dit weekend een huisje” (“We have a little house this weekend”) or “We gaan in de vakantie in een huisje” (“We are going in a little house in the vacation”). If you mingle with the Dutch, you will have heard these phrases. People regularly book holiday homes in vacation parks for a break with their family, wider family get-togethers or boys/girls only weekends away.

Vacation parks, a.k.a. holiday villages, are certainly not unique to the Netherlands, but they seem a great part of their culture and come in a number of varieties to suit differing tastes. The basics, though, are a little house (usually a bungalow) equipped

with beds and bathrooms, a living room and a kitchen with basic pots, pans and utensils, located on an enclosed site often in or near woodland, with various facilities on site, e.g., activities, supermarket, pool, and restaurants. Many only allow you to drive your car up to the house to unload at the beginning of your stay and load up again at the end. The rest of the week you walk or use your (hired) bike. If you are looking to join in, here are some tips.

If you are going with children and want the park to provide for their needs for a week, you will probably want one of the parks with a pool. These tend to be the more expensive ones. Center Parcs is a good example of the type of park that caters to this market, with many of their parks having things such as pony riding, climbing wall, indoor play area, play-ground, archery, geocaching on-site, or other activities.

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Fun things with the kids

Check carefully what different parks offer, and which activities are and are not included in the price and which activities are operating during the time you are there.

Looking to commune with nature? Many of the parks are in or near areas of woodland, beaches, etc., so you can enjoy bike rides and walks in the surrounding area. Landal Green Parks is one of the bigger players in this market. Sites vary substantially as to location, access to the nature parks, how well equipped the houses are and how nice the finish. Also, consider smaller non-chain parks for a more relaxed, closer-to-nature feel. Search for ‘vakantiehuisje’ and add the nature area you want to explore. Don’t forget to include areas in Belgium and Germany, too!

Luxury vs Budget. - there is a great range in prices (mainly based on available on-site facilities) and in levels of luxury. It’s worth

checking how old the park is and when the last renovation was. Some places give you the option of bringing your own bedding to save some money. Some allow you to opt to do your own cleaning. Some have small supermarkets (limited range, higher than average prices). Some appear to be very cheap, offering very low weekly rental rates, but by the time you add tourism tax, a booking fee, a mandatory cleaning fee, a mandatory bedding and bed/kitchen linen fee etc., you have laid out quite a substantial sum. There are good deals to be had, though, especially at the last-minute and in the off-season. When you book, it is also worth checking where they want to allocate you a house. If being on the outer edges of the park, a substantial walk away from possible restaurants, supermarkets, activities is a problem for your party, take that into consideration. You may need to pay extra to be closer.

Whichever options you choose: have a super vacation!

Written by Alexandra van den Doel

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Taste of Dutch

EATING HERRINGRaw And By The Tail

The New Herring (Nieuwe Haring) season is coming soon. The herring season starts in May/June, and this year, it kicks off in Scheveningen Harbour on 18 June with a festival called Vlaggetjesdag.

At the opening of the season, there used to be a race to bring in the first shipload of herring. This is no longer done but there will be many activities with a nautical theme. The first barrel of new herring always gets special treatment: it is auctioned off for charity and brings in many thousands of euros.

Herring move in schools along the coast and are caught in nets. In spring, they are fat and tasty. Herring is a highly nutritious fish containing Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA and vitamin D. Typical pollutants include PCB's and dioxins, which large fish contain in higher amounts than smaller fish.

The fish are gutted and salted on board the ship, leaving the liver and pancreas in place for enzymes which provide the typical nieuwe haring flavour, a process called 'haringkaken' that was invented in The Netherlands. These are removed in a final cleaning before the herring is served.

Herring are also frozen to kill any parasites, so the fish will be safe for consumption. Marinating or salting is not enough to do

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Taste of Dutch

this, so it is the law that all the herring are frozen. (The alternative is to cook the fish thoroughly). Thus, it is safe to eat the 'raw' herring in The Netherlands.

The traditional way to eat a herring is to hold it by the tail and lower it into your mouth. You can add onions if you wish. You can also ask for the herring "in stukjes" so it will be cut into pieces and served on a paper plate.

At Vlaggetjesdag in Scheveningen Harbour, there will be a market, boat rescue demonstrations, music, old-fashioned children's games, and people in traditional dress. The program for this year, when published, can be seen at: http://goo.gl/QJw9aP

All over The Netherlands, the 'nieuwe haring' is eagerly awaited and provided by fish sellers everywhere. When they arrive,

they will be well advertised. Look for them at the markets and your local fish shops.

It will be in the news who has the best herring. In 2015, that honour went to Simonis in Scheveningen. A map on this site shows the results of herring tests of last year: http://goo.gl/HoMJNJ

For the best experience, do not take chances buying your herring at a supermarket. Last year, the majority of supermarkets that were tested sold spoiled herring: http://goo.gl/mJIFsZ

Good herring will be pink inside and silvery on the outside. Avoid any that look greyish or oily or are improperly cleaned.

Ready to try your first nieuwe haring?

Written by Margaret Metsala

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Places to go, Things to see

SIX (!) SEOUL PALACES

Seoul is home to six different royal palaces, each built by or for a different king. Beautifully crafted and opulent, some are more intact and authentic than others.

Authentic?

The five older ones all include at least one tale of complete or partial destruction. All were burnt to the ground during the Japanese Invasion in the last decade of the 1500’s. Most were rebuilt in the 1600’s, so their age is usually given as somewhere around 400 years old. Some suffered fire damage over the next 300 years or so. All were destroyed or damaged to at least some extent by the Japanese during their occupation starting from 1910.

For this reason, it’s hard to discern how much of any of these palaces are what we might call “authentic” or “original.” Nevertheless, the restoration they’ve gone through is extremely well-done, using traditional methods of building and decorating.

Changdeokgung Palace

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Changdeokgung Palace is the prettiest of the palaces, in my opinion, because of the positioning of the buildings on hills in the woods, instead of in a big, flat, open place like Gyeongbokgung Palace (more on that

one later). It’s also more highly decorated.

On top of that, this palace is the one that can most honestly be called “restored” rather than “rebuilt.” First built in 1405, destroyed in the Japanese invasion in the late 1500’s, it was rebuilt in 1610 and served as the main palace into the 1880’s. Much of it was destroyed by fire in 1917, but original (1600’s) buildings were moved here from Gyeongbokgung Palace, and the rest were restored.

Changdeokgung Palace’s ceremonial hall

roof detail on Changdeokgung Palace



Made up of a large collection of buildings, there’s a lot to see here: highly-decorated gateways and reception rooms; somewhat simpler housing for male royals, female royals, servants and other functionaries; storehouses; kitchens; pavilions. The list goes on. The paintwork and other details are stunning.

people overall obstruct your views. The tour, though, is very carefully timed; the guide will inform you of exactly how many minutes you have at each stop in the tour, and exactly how many minutes it will take to walk to the next one. If she says the tour will take 50 minutes, it will take 50 minutes.

Your other option is to visit on Saturday, which will give you the freedom to wander the paths on your own. Most likely, though, you’ll be sharing the garden with far more people.

Changyeonggung Palace

Changyeonggung is in the same large park as Changdeokgung. It was originally the primary palace, but after the palaces were all destroyed in the Japanese invasion in 1592, Changdeokgung was rebuilt first and became the primary palace.

Changdeokgung has a massive garden behind it, now called the Secret Garden because it was off-limits to anyone but the royals. Much is left more or less natural, with paths winding through it. That doesn’t mean it’s a wild forest: small buildings, neatly symbolic ponds with pavilions, and simple houses, meant for contemplation and relaxation or other outdoor activities, are scattered around the garden.

The king did some gardening, planting rice himself, supposedly to set an example to his subjects. His wife raised silkworms using the mulberry trees here. (All very Marie Antoinette, who played at being a peasant in a small “hamlet” on the grounds of Versailles.)

Tours through the Secret Garden are required, except on Saturdays. This can be positive or negative. On a tour, you have to follow along, but on the other hand, fewer

a small pavilion in the Secret Garden

a gateway in Changyeonggung Palace

While Changdeokgung is the prettier of the two because of the setting, Gyeongbokgung is also worth a visit. The paintwork and detailing on the various buildings is just as breathtaking.



Gyeongbokgung Palace

Gyeongbokgung Palace has the most impressive entry gate, inner gate and ceremonial hall of all of the castles, just considering sheer size. The traditional changing of the guard ceremony in the outer courtyard is also fun to watch. Of the palaces, this is the one that is laid out most formally, with large courtyards surrounded by walls and gates into further inner courtyards. Again, it is all ornately painted.

This palace was also destroyed in the Japanese invasion in 1592-98, but not rebuilt until 1867. Torn down again during the Japanese occupation that started in 1910, it was only fully rebuilt in the 1990’s.

Also within the grounds of Gyeongbokgung is the National Folk Museum. In more or less the same style as the National Palace Museum, this one is about common people and culture rather than royalty. It contains lots of interesting artifacts used by government functionaries or peasants. Exhibits on the history of the Korean people and aspects of Korean culture could keep you busy for hours on a rainy day.

Outside, one original traditional home and a cluster of reconstructed buildings—a café, a barber shop, a water mill, a comics shop, and so on—illustrate Korean life in the mid-20thcentury. There’s also a separate children’s museum, though I don’t know how much of that would be available in English.

Deoksugung Palace

I also visited Deoksugung Palace, a much smaller affair right next to city hall in the center of the city. It used to be bigger, and what is left is only a few buildings: a couple of gateways, one residential building and a few other small structures. I was able to see the whole thing by visiting the The changing of the guard ceremony at Gyeongbokgung

Palace involves formal marching, flag-waving, and traditional music.

The National Palace Museum, right inside the entrance to Gyeongbokgung Palace, is worth a visit, containing artifacts illustrating the history of the 500-year-long Josean Dynasty and the short-lived Korean Empire. The items, which all come from the royal household, are beautiful in terms of craftsmanship: ceremonial costumes, artwork, porcelain and many other lovely objects. The museum itself is elegantly laid out, quiet, roomy, well-lit and not overdone. This view of the Deoksugung Palace grounds shows pretty

much the whole thing.



Jeong-Dong Observatory (really just a coffee shop with big windows) in the Seosomun Building right next door to the palace.

What’s different about this palace, though, is that it was occupied by a later king, who decided to modernize—in other words, Westernize—his palace. Now used as an art museum, you can see his neo-classical palace on the left in the picture above, complete with Ionic and Corinthian columns, presenting quite a contrast to the traditional Korean buildings next door.

I didn’t, however, stay long at Deoksugung Palace. In an open space next to the very modern glass city hall, a K-Pop concert was being set up. This was a couple of blocks away, but the volume at which they blasted that K-Pop was

headache-provoking. Combined with that, the park around Deoksugung Palace is full of cicadas who emit a constant, loud buzzing sound. Usually, I can handle that, but the cicadas seemed to turn up the volume whenever the K-Pop started. It felt like a drill into the side of my head.

Trying to move further from the K-Pop, I didn’t find anywhere quieter within the palace grounds. At another one of the traditional buildings, a tour guide was explaining something or other to a group of tourists. In order to be heard above the K-Pop and the cicadas, she was shouting into a portable microphone. It was painful to hear, and I left quickly.



century, but follows the traditional design. It’s much more modest, though, and only very simply painted. It’s also completely empty of tourists. I think I was literally the only person there that morning.

What Unhyeonggung Palace does well is illustrate how the royals lived in a palace like this. Quite a few of the rooms are furnished with floor mats, cushions on the floor, low tables, cupboards, wall screens, and other decorative or practical items. Mannequins model how particular events might have looked, such as a party held for the king’s mother.

a scene showing the queen and a royal guest

Gyeonghuigung Palace

I decided I might as well check out the one remaining palace I hadn’t seen, walking distance from Deoksugung: Gyonghuigung Palace. This one is the smallest and by far the quietest of all the palaces, with only two or three other small family groups exploring it when I was there. It’s also the least interesting, comprising just one compound with walls, a gate, a reception room, and one living building behind. Like the others, it was built in 1617-1623, destroyed after Japan’s occupation of Korea in 1910, then rebuilt recently. It’s also somewhat less ornately decorated than the others.

Nevertheless, being there, hearing only the cicadas (not as loud) and the distant roar of the city, was a relief after the cacophony of Deoksugung. It would probably be the best of them for a picnic, for example, without a lot of people around.

Unhyeonggung Palace

There’s actually one more palace that isn’t even mentioned in the tourist material about Seoul: Unhyeonggung Palace. I only noticed it because I happened to walk by it on my way to Changyeonggung.

Like Gyonghuigung, this palace compound is quite small. What’s different about it is that it was built later, mostly in the 19th

Jongmyo Confucian Shrine

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Jongmyo Confucian Shrine isn’t actually a palace, but it is royal and seems to me appropriate to include in a discussion of all the palaces. You could say that Jongmyo is the palace for deceased royalty.

When a king of the Joseon Dynasty died, it was believed that his soul left his body and resided in a memorial tablet, a hollow block of wood. Jongmyo, then, is essentially a storage place for the tablets. They are housed in a couple of long halls, only opened once a year for a worship ceremony, though during the Josean Dynasty the rituals would have happened more often.

a section of Gyeonghuigung Palace



A path runs in Jongmyo from the entrance gate to the halls. The middle part of that path is reserved for spirits, so visitors have to walk other routes. In any case, the surroundings are pretty, though not nearly on the same scale as the Secret Garden of Changdeokgung or the huge open areas of Changyeonggung.

Interestingly, later kings would judge their deceased ancestors to decide whether they had any “achievements.” The ones who had excelled in some way were judged as worthy of housing their tablets in the biggest of the halls, while the others—those who died before accomplishing anything or who just weren’t very good kings—were relegated to a smaller, lesser hall.

As with the Secret Garden, in order to see Jongmyo, you have to take a tour, some of which are offered in English. On Saturdays, though, you can wander at will.

one of the buildings housing the spirit tablets

a sign on the spirit pathway

My Recommendations

I only ended up visiting all of the palaces because I had to stay in Seoul for some medical treatment. If you don’t have time to see them all, I’d recommend Changdeokgung as the prettiest palace to visit, along with its Secret Garden. Changyeonggung would be my next choice, for the palace, of course, but also for the two quality museums on its grounds.

Written by Rachel Heller.

Rachel Heller lives in Groningen and writes about travel, expat life and other topics at http://rachelheller.org.


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