Queens Day or Koninginnedag

The vast majority of the inhabitants in the Netherlands have a great affection for the royal house, it is part of their tradition and identity.Without a doubt, Queen Beatrix, is very popular in the Netherlands. Soon we'll all celebrate the day of the Queen but who is the reigning queen of the Netherlands? 

Queen Beatrix succeeded her mother, Queen Juliana of the Netherlands in 1980. At that time, Her Majesty was made part of the government. The Queen married Prince Claus. They had three sons: Prince Willem-Alexander, Prince Johan Friso and Prince Constantijn. Elmayor. Prince Willem-Alexander - the Prince of Orange -  will reign after his mother.

Everybody thinks of the Netherlands as a country of vice, ruin, madness and partying, but upon arriving here they suddenly seem to be strict, have very formal rules and laws and are highly unlikely to let their hair down like beasts. Yes, they have red-light districts and you can buy some drugs, but here you are in big trouble if they see you drinking a beer on the street and neighbors will complain about the noise after ten o'clock at night.  

But if you read my previous posts on Carnival and ask the cronies who have been in this country for more years than they can remember , they will just smile and say wait for Queen's Day, and you'll see.

The Queen's Day, Koninginnedag in Dutch, is one of the most important days of the year for the Dutch. It is a national holiday where everything is permitted and almost all attend. 

Koninginnedag celebrates the birthday of the Queen. But actually the 30th of April is not the birthday of the current queen, Beatrix, but of her deceased mother, Juliana. Beatrix's birthday is on January. 31st , but as it is in the middle of winter, you can imagine it is not the best time to have big parties on the street. Beatrix therefore decided to keep  April 30th as Queen's Day, also in honor of her mother, who was much loved by the people of Holland. Queen's Day was first celebrated on April 30, 1949. In this first celebration, there were military parades, performances and racing bikes. 

Each year on Queen's Day,  the Queen and Royal Family visit one or two cities in the Netherlands. This year  they will go toRhenen and Veenendaal in the province of Utrecht. Usually people show typical traditions of their region and invite the Royal Family to take part in folk games.  

Each city has its own festival: there are games for children, fun events, free flea markets (where the children can sell their old toys) and especially concerts and street parties. 


Typically, the April 30th is always blessed with  fine weather, so there are also festivals and big outdoor concerts,  which can be crowded especially in Amsterdam. The canals of the city are filled with ships, aboard which people continue the party. The celebrations attract thousands of tourists and is very difficult to find accommodation at this time of the year in the Dutch capital. This also has negative consequences, it is estimated that about 2 million people crowd into an area where 450,000 people live.

Naturally, the Dutch will all wear Orange on April 30th  What is the Dutch obsession with the color orange? The name of the Royal Family is Van Oranje (orange). So orange is thier national color. The Dutch are not very patriotic, but when they wear  orange on national holidays such as Queen's Day and at sporting events, especially football championships, suddenly they become very close and develop a love for Queen and country, or maybe its just the beer talking? 


Queens Day events for 2012 - If you want to go outside your home town and to some of the bigger festivals most of which are held in and around Amsterdam, you can find more information here.


Events in and around Amsterdam and here


and outside Amsterdam


And if you live in the Brabant area like me, here is what will be happening tomorrow around Breda and Tilburg. 


Have fun! and Happy Queens day !

Holland's rival to Disneyland

If you are ever visiting the Netherlands, everybody always tells you that you must visit Amsterdam, Volendam, the windmills and tulips but there is one other place that is a must. With or without the kids!
It is the Efteling.


 It is is the largest theme park in the Netherlands, and it opened in 1952, making it one the oldest in the Netherlands. The Efteling is in Kaatsheuvel, about a 25 min drive from us. Since opening it has had over 100 million visitors.
Orginally the park started as a small playground and fairy tale forest and it is now a full sized theme park. It is bigger than the original Disney park in California. Now the fairy tale forest has grown into a park for both children and adults and boasts a variety of amusement rides.


The fairy tale forest (het Sprookjesbos), is  designed by the famous Dutch illustrator Anton Pieck.

The park is divided into four themed areas: Reizenrijk (Travel Realm), Marerijk (Fairy Realm), Ruigrijk (Rough Realm), and Anderrijk (Differ Realm). Funny cryptic names but they do mean something, in rough realm you can find all the fast roller coasters and in Marerijk you can find the fairy tale forest and the Droomvlucht (Dream flight) Anderrijk has rides inspired by the Western culture and the most popular ride Carnival travels through many countries. 

The entire Efteling park was built in a rather rural area, with lots of pine trees, giving it a 'nature park' feeling. The Efteling is now open all year round, and although very cold it is well worth visiting the pretty lights and attractions in the cold months too.

The Efteling also has its own hotel, theater, golf course and television shows. It is a really fantastic park and a great day out for all the family.

I leave you with some great pictures from Sunday at the Efteling, if you visited the blog  on Sunday you may have seen my Silent Sunday picture below!

This is actually a bin!, There are many of them around the park, and they shout "Papier hier"and say thank you if you throw something in them.

Silent Sunday

Expat blog hop - Week 19 Television and Language Learning

The prompt this week was Television, What programmes from your country do you watch and have they helped you to integrate or learn the language in any way.


Television and languages are related. Television is a very important communication tool that most  people have access too. Over the years technology has been revolutionizing the methods of language learning, it is  now possible to use television as a tool for learning languages. Thanks to this breakthrough,  the traditional methods are lagging behind giving way to new learning methodologies. 

Now here in Holland I am quite confident in speaking Dutch and understand it quite well. Saturday evening is my Dutch television watching night. I realised last week that most evenings we watch everything in English either through the BBC or on regular Dutch channels, as unlike in Spain, nothing is dubbed. However on Saturdays I tune into two programmes entirely in Dutch and I really look forward to watching them.


The first that comes on is Nick en Simon, Nick and Simon are a duo of singers from Volendam. They are very successful singers and now have their own game show. They are joined each week by well known singers and battle with each other in different contests.

The fun paced game show builds up my Dutch listening skills ready for "Ik Vetrek" a documentary programme about Dutch people who move to other parts of the world to open a new business. 

It takes a lot of concentration to understand everything but last week was when I realised that maybe my Dutch has reached another level, I now want to spend my Saturday evening watching the two shows, I actually look forward to them.


I don't think it is possible to learn a language by simply watching a television show, as you would need to have some active training in that language but it can really help. Television does though, really tune your ears to the language. I think that whether used exclusively or as an addition, watching TV in your target language helps people to acquire fluency. 

Here  in Holland,  nearly everyone speaks English. Children are already functional in English well before the age when they receive formal English at school. The reason is exposure,and by having a wealth of English-speaking programmes, films, cartoons etc. on TV that they like watching. i.e. Meaningful input.

My Dutch neighbours and colleagues speak excellent English, not only through schooling or of necessity through work, friends etc., but by what they watch on TV: English programmes and films (often using Dutch or even English subtitles). They have made this point themselves.

The situation is not the same in other European countries, such as Spain and Italy, where programme dubbing is commonplace. And the average standard of English in these countries is much lower, despite the fact that English is taught in schools. 

Natural language acquisition  means learning a language without studying. It is believed that trying to study will limit your final results. I have learnt both Spanish and Dutch this way, In Spanish I am now bilingual and hope to be that way in Dutch too, watching television in Dutch certainly helps. Any recommendations for other Dutch programmes I should watch?  

Do watch the local television in your expat country?  Has it helped you to learn the lingo?

Link your post up below, don't forget to grab the expat blog hop button and visit the other blogs too.

Expat blog hop - Week 19

I missed the prompt day on Friday, so here it is today.

For next weeks blog hop: Television - What programmes from your country do you watch and have they helped you to integrate or learn the language in any way.

Please come back next week and link up with my blog hop, don't forget to visit the other blogs and comment too........

Silent Sunday

Let's get Messy @ Breda Expats

As you may know I run a crafts session for international children here in the Breda area, every month we get together with the Mums and some Dads and have fun making things. There are lots of wonderful ideas out there, around the blogging world. Here are the things we made this week and the links to those inspirational blogs.


March Fun @ Let's get Messy.


Tissue paper flowers in flower pot

Toilet roll - Bunny Rabbits, Cath Kidston style!

Beetroot Playdoh 

A lovely recipe and all natural, over at Sun Hats and Wellie Boots

Daffodil painting

With green and yellow paint simple but beautiful, still life painting

Clear Mud Soap Shavings

Head over to Sun Hats and Wellie boots for the recipe for soap shaving play and afterwards make the left overs into a bar of soap, thats if you dont mind that its been in your kids hands!!!

See you next month for more fun!

Expat of the Year

I have been nominated as Expatica Expat of the Year!

Here is the motivation behind the nomination:

Having been an expat and an international all her life, Rosalind, knows how important contact and support is in a foreign country. She strives continuously  to help others settle in the Netherlands. She works at Avans School of International Studies in Breda, where she has set up the  Avans International Community, a club for international colleagues to meet and discuss the trials and tribulations of living in a foreign country. She runs the Academy's  Buddy project for international students encouraging a joining together of cultures and promoting Breda as a student city. She is also a steering committee member of  Breda Expats, a new organisation set up  to help expats settle in the Netherlands but also for those wishing to get together with other cultures. She manages the website and marketing for the organisation. Rosalind realises how hard it is to make and find friends in a new country  and she organises messy play activites, book clubs, and discos for international mums and dads alike and their children. Amongst all this, she writes a blog at Tales from Windmill Fields (hopefully one day to be a book for Women in the Netherlands)  relating the stories of living in the Netherlands and bringing up a multilingual/cultural family. 

It would be great if you could vote for me

Expat blog hop Week 17

This week I gave the prompt TCK's and Culture Integration. I have been reading all about this and it wasn't until I stumbled upon the "DrieCulturen"blog a while ago, that I ever knew what a TCK was! I now know though that one of them is me.


So I am honoured to have her guest posting at my blog today, especially for the Expat blog hop Week 17.


Janneke Jellema writes a blog called "DrieCulturen" http://drieculturen.blogspot.com/ It's all about children growing up in other cultures. Janneke was a third culture kid. She was born in Zambia and lived in Malawi and Zimbabwe. At 19 years of age she went to university in the Netherlands because her parents are Dutch. She enjoys writing about her experiences and hopes it helps some families along the way


Janneke over to you....................................

Cultural Identity Confusion and Third Culture Kids

Recently I entered the world called Twitter, it is may be something like the "expat bubble", if you're in it you know exactly what I am talking about but if you have never been part of that world it all seems so foreign. Well that's what I had with the world called Twitter. I seemed to have convinced myself that I could not understand the twitter language. After hearing someone speak about the great advantage of combining a blog with being active on twitter, I was convinced. I was going to dive into this new world and conquer. In the beginning I had some culture shock problems. I had no idea what the hashtags mean. I only just discovered that #ff means #followfriday. So on Friday people twitter that giving suggestions who to follow. Wow, I'm never too old to learn and neither are you! By the way if you want to follow me on twitter find me @DrieCulturen.

So while I was in the twitter world I came across this interesting quote.

It is a quote by Libby Stephens :  

"In the 25+ years of working with third culture kids, I don't find cultural identity confusion to be a big issue until the TCKs return to their passport country"

The quote resonates in my heart because it is exactly my experience. There was no problem in my life until I went to the Netherlands to study when I was 19 years old. So what was the confusion?

Earth by PSchubert Morgue file

Suddenly I discovered that I looked Dutch but did not feels Dutch. No that's not quite right. I did feel Dutch. I mean while I lived in Africa I felt Dutch. It was only when I lived with the Dutch in the Netherlands that I discovered that I looked the same but I felt different. Inside me I longed for Africa and I thought maybe I look Dutch but am African on the inside?

At my secondary school in Zimbabwe I was called the "foreigner". On my identity card in Zimbabwe it said "alien". It really is a great feeling, being 16 years old and being called an "alien". Sorry folks this is not a made up story, this is real life. Are you starting to see where the confusion stepped into my life. Recently I discovered that there is a word that described me. I was a "hidden immigrant". TCKid.com says hidden immigrants look alike but think different. So things only got better: from foreigner, to alien, now a hidden immigrant. Later I discovered that I was aATCK too...

You can read an important book by Kay Branaman Eakin called "According to my passport I'm coming Home" (free download here). It contains lots of information on third culture kids returning to their passport countries. What are the challenges?

Read my Dutch post about retuning home: terugkeer, re-entry, help!

Did you or your kids experience cultural confusion, and in what way?

Janneke @DrieCulturen

Thank you Janneke!


If you liked Janneke's post maybe you would like to have a gander at these too:

Aga Magadolens- TCK Film Les Passagers

TCKid.com http://tckid.com/

Libby Stephens and the hidden immigrant:
http://www.libbystephens.com/blog/third-culture-kids/49-the-evolution-of-the-tck-stage-three-the-hidden-immigrant 


If you have a post on TCK or Culture then link it up below and don't forget to grab my badge and visit the other blogs too!

Build a bear review

We have quite often walked past many build a bear shops on our travels back to the UK. And I remember dragging a kicking and screaming Funky Monkey out of one in Glasgow last year.
They’ve  now miniaturized the BABW experience in a cute compact package that is stuffed with fun.


Build-a-Bear Workshop® Fun Packs with Furry Friends - 12 of the Build-a-Bear Workshop best sellers are being introduced as part of the Friendship Heart Series in an all new miniature format. Great collectibles, perfect pocket money purchase!

Each fun-pack (£5.99) comes with:

·         Mini Furry Friend

·         Heart and Ceremony

·         Shirt

·         Fabric Sticker Set

·         Trading Cards

·         Collector’s Guide with Activities, Online Code (that allows you access to special interactive content at www.bearville.com™) and Owner’s Certificate

   Funky Monkey got to put the heart in the bear after acting out a little ceremony, all the hearts have different meanings. We received Glitter bear and he/she came with a little t shirt and stickers to decorate. 

Aside from the adorable mini-friends I think children will love the trading cards. Each pack has 2 trading cards, a tattoo set, scratch off activity card and a special online code card that you can use on the Build-a-Bear online game site, Bearville.com.

The price, is pricey for pocket money toys but perfect for a stocking stuffer or party gift.
Our bear now has a space in Funkey Monkey's overflowing bed!


For more informaiton about Build-a-Bear or to find a location near you please visitwww.BuildaBear.com. You can also find them on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/BuildaBear) and on Twitter (www.Twitter.com/BuildaBear).


*I received free product samples in order to do this review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own.

Towing the line

Yesterday for my Silent Sunday I posted this photo: It caused great discussion, well done Midlife Single Mum who got the closest.

 It says

 "Attention your bin is placed incorrectly, please ensure the lid opening is against the street"

I found it attached to our bin this week. Dutchie swears that the bin was the right way round.

But it made me laugh, the time it probably took the guy from the town hall to go round in his car and check the bins was probably more than it would take the bin men themselves to turn it round!

Towing the line, that is what you do when you live in a new country, you follow their rules. I thought we were, after 2 years I thought we had just about got everything right, everything in place, seems we still have rules to learn.

I wonder do you ever learn everything about a country.?

Silent Sunday

Expat blog hop prompt: Week 17

A very open prompt this week. I have been reading a lot about TCK's , Third culture kids and at work we have been helping a colleague with his research into levels of cultural integrity. 


So the prompt is TCK's and Cultural Identity, take it anyway you like and come back next week with a post. 


Write a post relating to the topic. It doesn't have to be a new post, it could be something you have written or submitted before. It doesn't have to be writing , it could be a photo?


Then after your post, copy and paste the button below and add yourself to the Linky on my post.


The linky will be posted up on Thursday and stay open all week, so you can share your post. 

Expat blog hop Week 16 - A new home town

Moving to a new country on the other side of the world is difficult enough but then you have to choose where to live, the country is sometimes easy, it is picked for you by your job, family etc but where in that country do you go. How can you possibly choose a village or town if you have never seen it before?


3 years ago we did just, that we picked the Netherlands, for several reasons I won't go into now but that was easy, now we had to pick a village or town. We needed somewhere to live before we arrived. In our case our rented house picked us, the owner was the only landlord that would let us rent the house with no contracts and paperwork to live in the Netherlands. 3 years on, I love my new home town.


My Dutch colleagues and students laugh when I tell them where I live, it is a farming village and there are many jokes in the Netherlands made about such villages but I love it.


Rijen, (in Dutch actually means to drive) So I live in Drive! However the name probably comes from the word Rijt which means  "a small stream" From the 1920s to 1950s  the spelling Reijen was sometimes use. It.is cituated north of the A58, between Breda and Tilburg (Wikipedia) with a population of 16,581 inhabitants.


From 1831-1838, during the Belgian Revolution, there were a lot of Dutch soldiers stationed in Rijen. In 1863 the station was  opened. This gave rise to the arrival of many industries. Especially  the leather industry which grew very rapidly in Rijen, and when in 1944 the town hall in Gilze was destroyed by the occupying forces, they moved it to the now bigger town of Rijen. 

The village is known for its many old tanneries. (If you were visiting the blog on Sunday you will have caught a glimpse of this) Rijen was also known from the second half of the 19th century  for its important brickworks factory. It was one of the largest and most modern brick factories in the Netherlands, and it closed in 1984. Rijen has the largest military air base in the Netherlands, which is great for the ears when the F16's decide to have a few practice runs! 

Maria Magdalena Church

Old Chimmney from factory in Rijen, now being reserved as area turned into housing estate.

Birds eye view of Rijen

My Silent Sunday picture

The road to Rijen

Rijen's shopping centre, important to me as it means I can do all shopping in one place. We have 4 supermarkets, clithes/shoe shops, pound shops, pet shops.... I hardly ever go anywhere else for shopping.

So that is my town but when moving abroad How can you choose a town? What should you look for?  A poll of Expatica readers in February 2011 shows that about 30 percent of respondents live in housing similar what they left behind in their home countries.  Plus, the majority of readers (60 percent) have chosen to rent in their host countries.
An earlier Expatica poll reveals that when looking for expat accommodation, most people consider the neighbourhood (54 percent) and then price (24 percent) and a recent study shows that expat housing is tied to job success. (Expatica website 2012)          An important thing to do first is write a list of priorities, What do you need from your new town? Think Schools, green spaces/parks, shops, transport-train stations/bus stops, day care facilities (this is especially important when moving to the Netherlands, day care places are limited) , the house, internet and phone connections .....................Research also the cost of accommodation, if the house is one of your top priorities you may get more for your money in another area..  Make sure you join forums about the country you are moving to, and ask people about the area, tell them what you are looking for. Do you want to live in a rural mainly Dutch village, like where I live? Or are you looking for a more international community, like you would find more in Breda? This is important to consider as many international/expat events are held in bigger towns and cities, so it is important to decide what kind of community you would like to have at your doorstep.If you are moving to the Netherlands these links may help you find your perfect town or village:1. Living in the Netherlands - Expatinfo  2. Housing in the Netherlands - Expatica  3. How to move to the Netherlands 

Would you like to join in with the expat blog hop? Then add your post below, don't forget to visit all the other lovely blogs too.