Dutch Cultural Evening

Wednesday night, on the 20th of October, SFERA’s two Dutch volunteers hosted their own cultural night. It was organized in the Radost cafe in Bitola, where anyone interested could attend. Draga and Mare, or Dagmar and Marit in Dutch, got help from the cafe’s staff to set everything up and prepare for the guests. When some people had arrived they received dutch cookies, bread with ‘hagelslag’, licorice, and peppermint to set the mood. Then the presentation about the Netherlands and its culture started. The girls talked about things like Dutch humor, stereotypes, what the Netherlands is known for, what Dutch people are like, what we celebrate, and what the best Dutch food is. They also discussed why and how 26% of the Netherlands is below sea level. When they spoke about the important tradition of Sinterklaas some more sweets were handed out. As the guests were now very much up to date about the Netherlands it was time for the traditional activity of ‘koekhappen’. Everyone could hang a piece of Dutch cake, that is usually eaten for breakfast, on a line and then they had to try and eat it without using their hands and sight. Not everyone was a natural at this but it was a fun activity. After the planned activities had ended everyone could stay around to enjoy the rest of the evening.