Muses of South Limburg

Thank you Kiyo for sharing your very nice photographs!

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Photos submitted by Ineke van G. Thank you!

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The International Women’s Club South Limburg - 25 Anniversary Party February 27, 2010

Good evening, Friends.

I thought carefully about how to address you this evening and “friends” is the most appropriate; whether of many years’ standing or more recently introduced, every one of you is so much more than a casual acquaintance.

It seems to me that great ideas often occur as a matter of chance; a random combination of circumstances that results in a notion with far-reaching effects.

If Archimedes’ wife hadn’t pointed out to him that he was getting a bit chubby around his nether regions, he wouldn’t have been as concerned with his Body Mass Index as he lowered himself into his bath which means that he wouldn’t have noticed how much of the water slopped over the edge. A Eureka moment would have passed unobserved.

If Isaac Newton’s mother-in-law hadn’t been visiting, he wouldn’t have felt the need for a solitary stroll in the orchard and a little lie-down before going back indoors. That apple would have fallen unnoticed from the tree.

If Mrs. Einstein hadn’t asked her husband to measure the spare room for a new fitted carpet, he never would have come up with E = MC2, E being the edge of the room along the skirting board and M being medium-weight polyester shag.

You see what I mean? Along the same lines: if, 25 years ago, a small group of women hadn’t resolved to get together to start the International Women’s Club, South Limburg, we would all be sitting at home this evening watching inferior TV instead of reveling in each other’s company. The other three founding “mothers”, Nelleke Pruijs, Sathi Basu and Paola Hainebach, all send their love and regrets that they cannot be here this evening but that’s the nature of the IWC, characterized by people forever on the move but knowing that they will always have a place in our hearts.

I shall avoid indulging in a nostalgia fest and there are so many anecdotes linked to those early years but I shall choose one to recount. My favourite has to be the telephone calls I received for months following a newspaper article or flyer which quoted my telephone number, referring to me as the Club’s contact person. For months, a certain gentleman would ‘phone several times a week asking for “an international woman.” He would not accept that I was not running a stable of luscious ladies who could be called on to ease his pain. He was convinced that I was prejudiced against him for one reason or another and only stopped calling when I suggested that he sent along his wife to join us: he was most affronted!

We have many differences which we celebrate but we also have much in common, the most obvious feature being our varied backgrounds and our experience of travel and settling into new environments. In this world of multinationals and careers that demand mobility if we want to succeed, we uproot and move on at regular intervals: we almost literally follow the market. A consequence of this enforced mobility is that the concept of Global Nomads has become a real issue. A Global Nomad is an individual who moves around the world, usually for career purposes, and can eventually end up having no real roots or homeland.
Large companies – or, indeed, smaller ones too, or any institution that thrives on international input - that depend on employees who are global nomads for their success have been made aware of the necessity of keeping these employees happy: a miserable employee is not an efficient, focused employee and , to put it crudely, a poor investment. And what can make an employee miserable? I’ll tell you! A spouse who is lonely, disaffected and home-sick! It doesn’t matter how materially well-off you are as a result of the relocation, if your family is unhappy, then you will be unhappy. The provision of facilities that meet the needs of bored, frustrated and isolated partners is essential if the professional relationship is to prosper.

In addition to offering a haven to the dispossessed spouse, we are also proud of the ever-increasing number of women who have broken through – or are pressing against – that glass ceiling we hear so much about and find themselves alone in a strange and foreign city. The Club welcomes these members with open arms.

The IWC has undoubtedly helped to solve these problems that are infrastructural in terms of what we offer to the Euregio area as well as being personal and demanding of empathy. We have always known this and, quite frankly, I have always believed that hefty financial contributions should have been received over the years from companies that have benefited from our existence! We have prevented by default many a resignation from an international employee whose partner has found herself isolated and unhappy and sees returning to the country of origin as the only way out.

Our value in this capacity was yet again confirmed when members responded to the call for contributions to the 25 year anniversary booklet. The request was to write a few words on “What the IWC means to you”. It means to all of us a safe place to relax and feel valued; a place to meet and make friends; “a nest”; “a warm bath”: metaphors of this sort poured in and are very touching.

A common perception is that we are family. OK, not linked by blood but by respect and affection – just as good, in my opinion. We can count on each other in bad times as well as good – and we have all seen a fair share of both. Our strength lies in each other and in the support and structure we share. We are a hugely talented group of women who deserve to be valued by the world at large as well as each other. Things are getting better. Here’s hoping that I will be wheeled out in another 25 years, waving and smiling like the Queen Mother, to indulge in another bout of self-congratulation on the occasion of our 50th anniversary.

In the meantime, let us continue to take care of each other.

Thank you for your attention.

Carol Herman

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Announcement from the Maastricht Region Branding Foundation website:

We are making headway in improving the climate for the international community in the Maastricht Region. These efforts are being rewarded as the region has two finalists in the Expat Awards 2010: Sueli Brodin is nominated to become Expat of the Year and www.maastrichtregion.com is nominated to become Expat service provider of the year!

On March 23rd the national Awards will be presented. If you believe in the strength of the region, or if you think our efforts are well spent, then please vote for the region by surfing to www.expatoftheyear.nl and bring out your vote for Sueli and for Maastricht Region before March 14th.

Please feel free to forward the message should you know more people who would like to vote.

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“Will’s Will: Shakespeare’s Legacy”, performed by the Amsterdam Chamber Theatre on 12 December 2009 in Maastricht

The ‘December Do’ of 2009 of the International Women’s Club – South Limburg together with the Limburg branch of the Anglo-Dutch Society in Maastricht turned out to be a very successful match. Not only did it bring various international people together, and with them a selection of various, finger-licking, international delicacies - as if each ‘National Honour’ was at stake ! - but also because of the great professionalism of the Amsterdam Chamber Theatre.

IWC and GNE Christmas Dinner

Befitting the international audience of this December evening this formidable theatre threesome consisted of Russian, Dutch and British all-round performers.

The performance added another touch of refined culture to the evening, though just as with Shakespeare’s plays, there were the various levels and layers which were integrated: ranging from almost slapstick to the sublime!

Their singing voices, accompanied only by a guitar, were clear and at times almost ethereal; the close harmony singing was spine-chillingly perfect.

Besides that, the ingenuity, and sometimes simplicity, of the props and clothing changes to enable them to represent another character in one of Shakespeare’s plays were fun to see.

Last but not least, their acting abilities were admirable. With slight changes in facial expressions Frouke Flieringa could change from an elderly Shakespeare into ‘King Lear’ deciding on how to divide his kingdom among his three daughters, putting the analogy with Shakespeare’s division of his inheritance between his own daughters in a different light. Likewise her portrayal of ‘King Richard III’ being tormented by the spirits of those he had murdered was moving; just to name a few of the characters she played.

Will’s Will, Amsterdam Chamber Theatre

Tatiana Kouzovkina’s various character changes in this performance were impressive, from young or old ‘lass’ (Shakespeare’s wife) to young lad at (or even by) a drop of a hat! However, most impressive was her portrayal of Hamlet’s famous soliloquy, the unforgettable, and often misquoted, “To be or not to be”. Her endearing rendition of Hamlet’s pain when uttering his thoughts on suicide, “To be or not to be, that is the question. To die, to sleep no more, …. perchance to dream ..” sent tingling sensations down many people’s backs! You could here a pin drop.

Sophie Rutven-Stuart switched as easily into the role of one of King Lear’s daughters, as into Shakespeare’s doctor, Simon Grow, or into a bawdy type woman, or even a witch, with incredible ease just with a change in accent or expression in her eyes or tone of voice.

Their range of acting moved from hair-raising to the hilarious! It is as if the magic they wove in their persona of one of the three Witches in ‘Macbeth’ had already begun in Part 1: the audience was bewitched into relative silence, only interrupted by some use of cutlery.

Will’s Will, Amsterdam Chamber Theatre

The ACT sure know how to bring a chamber production of one of Britain’s best humanist writers to a broad public in a light and playful way. Now I wonder what their literary creation around Puskin’s ‘Birth of a Poet & Gypsies’, and performance in ‘The Life of Monsieur Molière’ are like? I never knew Chamber Classics could be so compact and so much fun to watch. May their Creative Talents unfold even further, and encompass even more great artists’ literary works.

By Resy Snyders, Chairman of the Anglo-Dutch Society, Limburg branch
Maastricht, 13 December 2009

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The Pink Glove Dance is the latest Internet sensation, and it’s a must-see video for all moms, especially those who have been touched in one way or another by breast cancer. The video, already viewed by more than 1.6 million people, was made by more than 200 hospital staff who let go of all inhibitions and danced their hearts out to raise money for breast cancer.

Source: The Examiner, 1 December 2009

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Source: Maastricht Region website

“OK ladies, so tell me what went wrong with your film group, I’m listening,” said Rudy Jansen, marketing officer at Maastricht’s Lumière cinema, grabbing his pen and notebook.

Our conversation was taking place on a sunny morning last June in the cinema’s courtyard. At Rudy’s initiative, Ann Damoiseaux, the activities coordinator at the International Women’s Club of South Limburg (IWC), and I, as a club member and Crossroads editor, were sitting together over a cup of coffee and discussing the possibility to organise special film screenings for our club, and should the feedback be positive, for the wider international community in the area.

“The problem was not the lack of interest,” Ann told Rudy. “Quite the opposite! But we were hindered by all sorts of difficulties, like not knowing in advance which English-spoken films were going to be playing, or how many members would turn up. Things were too vague and it was hard to figure out how to do things more efficiently… and so the film group eventually disappeared.”

Rudy listened to us quietly and scribbled half a page on his notebook. When he looked up, there was a grin on his face: “I think I have a solution for your problem. Why don’t we just pick a time and date for a film evening for your club, and I will send you a list of suitable films as soon as possible. If you then give me your choice and an idea of how many of you will be coming, I will arrange an appropriate film theatre for your group. It’s actually all very simple and we can even offer you a discount if your group is large enough.”

And indeed, Rudy was so right! Our film night last week was a big success.

Before arriving at Lumière cinema that day, we already knew which film we would be seeing, at what time it would be playing, and most importantly Ann had announced during our monthly meeting the previous week that 35 members had already signed up for the film screening. This encouraged even more of us to join the group. Moreover, Rudy had kept his promise and given us an attractive discount on the ticket price.

As a result, no less than 44 IWC members and friends/partners met last Tuesday at Lumière to see Skin, a drama based on the true story of a dark-skinned girl, who through a bizarre trick of nature, was born to white parents during the Apartheid era in South Africa. It was a poignant tale, which touched us on various levels. Some of us had grown up and lived in South Africa, or other parts of Africa. Others had experienced varying degrees of intolerance and discrimination in our life time, based either on skin colour, country of origin, or simply language proficiency, and could identify with some of the characters and scenes portrayed in the film.

Instead of going home after the screening, as we most likely would have done if we gone to the cinema alone, most of us lingered in the lounge area, discussing the film we had seen together and sharing our thoughts and personal experiences.

Some of us continued our conversation on Facebook that same night when we arrived home… and my friend Beverley even posted a note yesterday evening, offering a possible explanation for an aspect of the film that had particularly disturbed us.

As usual, every shared activity at the club brings members closer together, and the special film screening at Lumière cinema was no exception.

Thank you Rudy, for helping us revive our film group. And yes, we have to admit that it’s good to have a man around sometimes

The next special English-language film screening at Lumière cinema will also be announced on Crossroads, so that the entire international community in the Maastricht Region can join in. (It may be a good idea to reserve your tickets in advance!)

By Sueli Brodin

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This year our club decided to raise funds for Lob Star, a charity project that helps and provides support to children suffering from cancer.

Once a year Lob Star organises a holiday in Limburg for families who have a child suffering from cancer. A holiday for one family costs between EUR 1000 and 1200. We are very proud to have been able to sponsor one family. Thank you all for your generosity! It is heartwarming to see the children’s smiley faces.

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I’ll admit I’m a culture junkie who until June 20, 2009 found the culture seen in Maastricht, well – politely boring, lacking an edge. Plenty of highbrow art and culture but not much of what I call ‘smart brow’ – that place where edgy meets elite.

I have a confession – I am a culture junkie with a string of arts and culture leadership in my pedigree: I am the founding publisher, editor and reporter of the South Street Star, the first arts and culture weekly newspaper to cover the hot and happenin’ SoHo scene in my hometown of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, where I also founded the Club Bay-Root, an original act nightclub, edited of the first ‘What’s Happening’ art and culture listings pages for New York newspaper, the Aquarian Weekly, and founded of the first women’s poetry festival while fronting my own poetry troupe, the Star Bards (we had a fan following well before poetry had ‘slams’!). Later, as the chair of the public policy committee for the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce in Minnesota, I founded the first ever business task force to study the impact of the creative class on our city.

I’ve lived in Maastricht for the past five years and have been concerned with the strength of the city’s bid for European Capital of Culture city in 2018. Ah, but then a friend took me to a Pecha Kucha night and Maastricht and its surrounding “Euroregion” area shone as a wholly new sphere in my celestial imagination.

It’s not that Maastricht invented this night. Far from it. Pecha Kucha Night was born in Japan 2003 as a place for designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Pecha Kucha, Japanese for the sound of conversation, is a fast paced, entertaining and informative format now running in 210 cities world wide, allowing each presenter 20 images at 20 seconds each (totaling 6 minutes and 40 seconds) to present original thought, ideas, concepts, and the like. Some presenters are literally ‘pitching’ their wares (rather than finding a gallery or the like to showcase them) while others intend to shock, stimulate or entertain. No matter the goal, the design and pace of this evening truly arouses passion.

Stijn Peters – Online Art

The hosts, of Pecha Kucha Maastricht: Pierre Buijs, Veldhoen+Company, Martijn Kagenaar, Zuiderlicht, and Jean-Paul Toonen, T36 Media, have put their individual spin on this international event by filming and streaming the video on their own website. The presence of a multi-media crew adds a dash of panache and credibility to the event. With the brass ring of capturing the honor of hosting Europe’s Capital of Culture in mind, Pecha Kucha Maastricht features the artists, designers, performers, thinkers and tinkers who defy the city’s more staid image. For me, it revealed an intriguing sub-cultural literati from the too often unseen Maastricht cultural scene. Bravo!

To learn more about the Speakers from June 20th simply click onto their website . My personal favorites from June 20th were the soft spoken but deeply sincere Jeroen Vinken, Art upon Fabrics, Lonneke ten Hooven, Food Seduction, a culinary poet, and space cadet, William Willems, whose Flower Bombing stole the show. See for yourself why Maastricht may indeed come up roses for its cultural quest.

by Susan Schaefer
Schaefer Communications, LLC

William Willems – Flower Bombing

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