05-03-2010 om 08:14 by Sueli Brodin

If someone had predicted me 25 years ago that one day I would be living in the Netherlands and belong to a women's club, I am pretty sure I would have shaken my head and laughed the thought away in disbelief: “Me? Oh no… I don’t think so...”

I was 18 at the time, studied English literature in the French city of Tours, had a fair amount of friends, male and female, and although I dreamed of far away travels I didn’t picture myself actually settling down anywhere, wherever that would be.

Would I really eventually choose to live in the Netherlands? One of the tiniest countries in Europe with the highest population density? And no mountains? In cold and grey Northern Europe?

And why on earth would I join a women’s only club? How exciting could that possibly be?

Little did I know that at the very same moment, four enterprising women, Nelleke Pruijs, Carol Herman, Paola Hainebach and Sathi Basu, were establishing a social club for foreign women living in the most southern tip of the Netherlands, a club which over the years was to grow into what it has become now, a 185 member strong group bringing 38 nationalities together.



Sabrina (left), Sueli and Carol (right)

It was the same Carol Herman, looking as dashing and enthusiastic as ever, who spoke last Saturday to a large attendance of well over a hundred people, club members, spouses and friends, on the occasion of the 25th Jubilee celebration of the International Women’s Club of South Limburg.

“The birth of the International Women’s Club of South Limburg took place because a number of us acknowledged the need for a comfort zone in which we could offer and find mutual support,” she said. “The original purpose was to provide a haven for all those women in the region – non-Dutch and Dutch - who found themselves “dislocated” for one reason or another.”

The testimonials by current and former members collected in the special booklet entitled “25 Years of Memories” attest to the club’s success. The many contributors repeatedly use metaphors such as “a life-line”, “a nest”, “a warm bath”, “a breath of fresh air”, “a home away from home”, to describe what the club means to them.



Sabrina and Sueli

There is something special about female friendship, which the club has made me increasingly value. Maybe I didn’t see as much need for it when I lived closer to my family, but far from my mother and sister, I realised that women, arguably more than men, possess a gift for listening, providing comfort and support in times of need, showing empathy and compassion. These are prized qualities when one is feeling like a “stranger in a strange land”.



IWC friends

And women make great company for chatting, shopping, cooking and exchanging tips and ideas about education, practical household matters or children friendly holiday destinations. Being able to discuss these topics with international women is an added bonus because there’s no risk of looking “unintegrated” in doing things in a different way.

The reception rooms at Fort St Pieter, overlooking the city of Maastricht, provided a grand setting for our silver themed party that lasted all evening until well after midnight. We caught up with old friends, met new ones and enjoyed a savoury buffet dinner, topped off by a splendid anniversary cake made by our gifted Alison. We held a silver themed raffle to raise money for our chosen charity of the year, watched a slideshow display of highlight moments in the history of the club, and listened and danced to the music of Michelle & Friends, our own Michelle’s swingy jazz band.



Alison cuts the splendid anniversary cake she made for the Jubilee anniversary of the club



Michelle & Friends perform for the club

In her speech, founding member Carol stressed the importance of the club for the region at large: “We have prevented by default many a resignation from an international employee whose partner has found herself isolated and unhappy and saw returning to the country of origin as the only way out.”

Many club friends have kept in close touch even after leaving the region and still continue to visit each other whenever they can.

The following quote in our commemorative Jubilee booklet perhaps encapsulates it all:

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave and impossible to forget.”

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