Stories from the women behind delft mama
Get to know the women behind Delft MaMa as they share their stories of how they discovered this supportive community and started helping others.
Delft
Teaching English to Refugees: An Interview with Zsofia Patil
Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing Zsofia Patil, the founder of Language Corner Delft, a language school offering bespoke private and small group lessons. Besides managing her own business, Zsofia volunteers as an English teacher, providing refugees in Delft with language skills which could improve their lives.
The Journey to Sustainable Eating
Our family recycles plastic, paper, bottles, and food waste. We don’t own a car. The house electricity is on 100% wind-power and we keep the temperature low enough that everyone needs to wear a sweater and put a blanket over their laps on the couch. Every year, I tackle another aspect of our family’s environmental footprint and this year is the time for food. Let’s talk about sustainable eating.
Read More »The Journey to Sustainable Eating
Swimming Lessons in Delft: A refresher post
A hot topic on any school yard. When, where, how…waiting lists…. A challenge for any parent, but for our international DelftMaMa parents it must be a nightmare I can imagine. I’m Marjolijn, voluntary swimming instructor at swimming club d’ELFT and mother of 2 boys. Because I know how challenging living abroad can be, I am a member of DelftMaMa. Since I joined DelftMaMa, questions on swimming lessons came by on a regular basis and I replied multiple times; hence time to write it down in a blog.
Read More »Swimming Lessons in Delft: A refresher post
How to reduce, reuse and recycle in Delft
Afval. Rubbish. Garbage. Trash. Whatever you call it, it’s a dirty business and one that everyone is confronted with on a daily basis. But when you start a family, concerns you might have had about the volume of waste you generate may as well go out with the trash. The decision to go forth and multiply seems to correlate to a mushrooming of “stuff”–much of it necessary, some of it not. Over time, many of these new acquisitions need to be disposed of. Toys, nappies, baby clothes: out they go!
The question is: does it have to be this way? With this post, I want to get to the bottom of recycling in Delft but also gather ideas on how we might reduce the amount of waste we, as parents, generate in the first place; how we might reuse the things we have in our possession and recycle those that we really don’t need any more. Brain dump your waste-avoidance ideas in the comments section below!
by Julia Candy
Read More »How to reduce, reuse and recycle in Delft
Maintaining a social life with kids
Does developing a social life with young kids sound like a pipe dream? You’re not alone. Delft MaMa Gaelle Fourcade shares her experience with slowly developing a thriving social life while coping with everyone’s busy schedule. Throughout her account are some useful tips for those of us struggling to develop a healthy social life.
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Learning Dutch in Delft: 2019 update
In our blogiversary post last month, Tarja mentioned that Marie’s post about learning Dutch in Delft should be reposted (and updated) every once in a while. There are always new people coming in, and many struggle with the same basic questions, among which is learning the language, she wrote.
There are resources for everyone, no matter their level of Dutch. So, grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join us as we revisit how to learn Dutch in Delft. Veel leesplezier!
Read More »Learning Dutch in Delft: 2019 update
Delftian Entrepreneur: Renny Wiegerink
Meet Renny
Renny Wiegerink of Auryn Acupunctuur en Advies voor vrouwen
Renny Wiegerink works with Dutch and expat women in her business, Auryn Acupunctuur en Advies voor vrouwen (Acupuncture and Advice for Women), which is based out of her home in Delft Noord. From the eastern part of the Netherlands, she moved to Delft 25 years ago. She knows how it feels to have to move around in a strange place/culture. A long-time collaborator with Delft MaMa, Renny values being able to share her experience and knowledge as a native Dutch person with expats. When planning the Delftian Entrepreneurs Series for the DMM blog, I knew I wanted to start with Renny. Grab a cup of your favorite beverage and join us!Read More »Delftian Entrepreneur: Renny Wiegerink
Expanding the family… a little differently this time
Almost a half of all Dutch households own at least one pet. There are more than 2.5 million cats, and over 1.6 million dogs. Hamsters, bunnies, guinea pigs are very popular too. So how do you go about getting a pet? And once you find him, or her, what do you actually do? Do you buy or adopt? How do you make sure they stay healthy, well fed and safe? What do you do if they wander away?
Read More »Expanding the family… a little differently this time
Refugees in Delft: Getting to know our neighbors
by Julia Candy
Delft, like most cities across the Netherlands, plays its part in settling an increasing number of refugees seeking asylum from dangerous situations. To learn how the Delft MaMa community might better reach this group of families, I spoke to Delft-based refugees and a volunteer for the refugee-focused charity DelftseBuur to better understand the story of asylum seekers in Delft.Read More »Refugees in Delft: Getting to know our neighbors
