Both social groups strive to provide social support for women who have recently arrived in Enschede from outside the Netherlands. An annual tradition is Ladies' Night which features a visit from the local dance group, de Krekkel. Clad in traditional Twents attire, the group performs Dutch folk dances. According to de Krekkel spokesperson Robert van de Pieterman, the name derives from an ancient cookie tradition in Enschede where a child would tie a cookie to his left arm with a red ribbon to signify that he was celebrating his birthday that day. The custom died out after World War II. When the dance group formed in 1952, the founding members chose to commemorate the quaint local custom in the group's name. The group has performed internationally, traveling abroad at least once every year. Last year took them to Italy, this year may lead them to Greece.
De Krekkel danced for the cosmopolitan audience, starting with 'Kom, Janneken, Kom' ('Come, Little Jane, Come'). Later they invited the international women to dance with them. After De Krekkel finished their performance, ING leader Edith ter Heegde drew lots from tickets that had been distributed as guests arrived. Those in possession of the winning numbers took home blue and white Delft figurines, some in the form of windmills. Just before leaving, the women received an 'everlasting' tulip as one final memento of their stay in the Netherlands.
In attendance were women hailing from at least sixteen different countries; from Uganda and Chile, to Mozambique and Bangladesh. One such woman, Gerda Didon, comes from the Seychelles. She is part of the UT community because her British partner, Vinod Morar, currently teaches in the TSM Business School. Gerda joined both WiT and ING after spotting information about the groups in the UT Nieuws. According to Gerda, the groups offer her a chance to meet other women and socialize independently of her partner, which is important for women who arrive in Enschede and at first may feel like a mere appendages.
Friday evening, the lingua franca was English, but the most common means of communication were smiles and laughter.
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For further information on these groups, contact: ING / Edith ter Heegde, 053.428.2684 and WiT/ Phing Choo: [email protected].
ING - International Neighbor Group - hosts a weekly coffee hour at 10 am Schermerhorn Lounge at the ITC International Hotel, reached through the back entrance of the Dish Hotel.
Kristin Zimmerman
Male members of The Krekkel stomp their clogs with their foreign dance partners
