Muses of South Limburg

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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