Parklaan 93
5613 BC Eindhoven
The Netherlands
Phone +31 40 - 2434808
Fax +31 40 - 2437920
Executive committee
E-mail:
Meeting rooms & meals
E-mail:
AG International Circle
Heleen van Witteveen, phone 040 - 2300070
Mariët Huijgen, phone 040 - 2214317
Lydia Herremans, phone 040 - 2910420
Harald Ihle, phone 040 - 2413828
Acquaintance morning
Imagine a sunny Friday morning in May in the AG garden. Four AG members are having coffee and cake with six young guests: Marianna from Italy, Fawad from Pakistan, Katya from Ukraine, Barbara from Poland, Monica from Colombia and Danielle from England. They are either expats working at the Eindhoven University of Technology or their partners, eagerly discussing housing, work, funny Dutch habits and a lot of other interesting topics.
Most of the AG members speak foreign languages and many of them have stayed abroad during periods of their lives. They are interested in foreign cultures and have experienced what it means being ‘parachuted’ into a country they do not know.
Thousands of expats are living in the Eindhoven area. Many of them feel displaced and face various problems when trying to integrate into the Dutch society. So the idea arose within the AG to give a helping hand in these matters. Willem van Hoorn – responsible for the social welfare of TU/e expats –serves as the linking pin between the University and the AG.
We are back in the AG garden, witnessing the birth of the AG International Circle. Our guests appear to be interested in the activities of the AG and are given a tour around the premises. They admire the nineteenseventies’ interior with its cosy atmosphere. We discuss future activities and agree on a next gathering in a Dutch home at a point in time which also allows the partners to participate. The English part of the AG website has already been visited. This now also shows a calendar of activities of interest to non-Dutch visitors. And Katya offers to give a presentation on Russian culture for the AG audience!
We emphasize that it’s our first priority to provide a platform to get acquainted with other expats and with Dutch society. However, those who feel at home, are more than welcome to join the AG......
