Yes, I won an award!

It's a good tradition to celebrate achievements. So let's celebrate the fact that I have been nominated for the "Versatile Blogger" award. I have to confess I have actually been nominated twice. I was nominated by Wordgeyser first and then by a fellow third culture kid Expat Alien. Thanks to you both!

Of course there are Versatile Blogger rules. I may nominate new bloggers and I must tell 7 things about myself.

First I will tell 7 things about myself:

1. I failed my drivers license test more than 3 times, I did get it in the end. I did the tests in Zimbabwe and I actually had to use hand signals too. I must confess that was ages ago. Lesson learned: never give up.
2. I was born on a mission station in the Zambian bush. My parents received a chicken as a present when I was born. Lesson learned: good things can happen where ever you live.
3. I just adore ripe juicy tropical fruits, it's a heritage of growing up in Africa. You know the mango's, passion fruits, gooseberries, papayas, bananas just don't taste the same here in Europe. Lesson learned: eat the local fruits and enjoy them to the full. 
4. I was a school prefect at high school, most Dutch people have no idea what a prefect is or does. Lesson learned: a as third culture kid I often have to explain things to other people.
5. I love ice skating even though I was about thirteen when I went ice skating for the first time in my life. Recently I wrote about ice skating fever here in the Netherlands. Lesson learned: You're never too old to learn something new!
6. I have been writing on this blog for less than a year and I really enjoy it. Third culture kids love exciting new things. Lesson learned: I love new adventures and challenges.
7. One of my favourite drinks is: Tjendol (or Cendol), in good Indonesian restaurants you can get it here in the Netherlands. It's just divine. It's with coconut milk and palm sugar. Lesson learned: you're never too old to taste something new. 

   

   Tjendol

   Now for nominating the new bloggers:

1. Mummy in Provence: I enjoy her global differences series about having a baby abroad.
2. Expat Life with a double buggy: I like Amanada's posts because she write about being an expat mum here in the Netherlands.
3. Tales from Windmill fields: Having lived most of her life in Spain Rosalind is now raising a trilingual daughter here in the Netherlands. Her blogs are about her new adventure here.
4. Raising third culture kids She is married to a German TCK and writes about here "fusion family".
5. Julia Simens is author of the book "Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child" and she is educator. Her words of wisdom and experience are worth reading.
6. Libby Stephens is a Third Culture Kid consultant and writes about children growing up in other cultures and everything that has to do with it.
7. Third Culture Kid Life by James R. Mitchener. I like the writing style and the topics too!
   
   
   Congratulations to all the above mentioned bloggers. Thank you for who you are and for your blog.
   

Expats in Nederland

Een advies van Tina Quick (auteur van "The Global Nomad's Guide to University transition") voor jongeren is dat als je naar je thuisland (bv Nederland) terug gaat: koop dan de boeken over Nederland die buitenlanders ook kopen. Je zou ook een blog kunnen lezen geschreven door een buitenlander over het leven in Nederland. Er zijn er meerdere blogs, ik doe een paar suggesties. Zo zie je Nederland door de ogen van een buitenlander en dat kan je helpen om sneller te remigreren of te integreren.

- Tiffany: an American living in Holland: clogsandtulips
- Linda: living in Den Haag: Adventures in expatland
- Letters from the Netherlands
- Tales from Windmill fields

- Jo Parfitt, Become an expat writer zij woont in Nederland, is schrijfster en uitgever. Je kan ook Jo Parfitt expat's book reviews bekijken, daar staan boekrecensies van boeken die leuk zijn voor mensen die regelmatig verhuizen.
- More expat blogs

Een website voor de internationale gemeenschap in Nederland is de expatica website. Er staan o.a. ook artikelen op de site over kinderen en opvoeding.

Wisten jullie ook dat er een expat archive centre is in Den Haag? Daar verzamelen ze alles wat met het expat leven te maken heeft bv foto's, nieuwsbrieven, verhalen, enz.

Verder is het voor de expats in Nederland mogelijk om informatie te krijgen over de expat en opvoeding in het Engels bij Passionateparenting.nl. De kinderen van expats groeien in Nederland ook op in een andere cultuur.

Meer adviezen van Tina Quick kun je hier lezen.

Fietsen + bloemen = Nederland, foto genomen op de Keukenhof