by Molly Johnson

New Year seems to stretch itself out in the Netherlands, so in true Dutch style, TIC celebrated its holiday dinner on January 20^th – better late than never! It was great to see so many members, both old(not like that) and new, turn out for this popular event where we ate, drank, and mingled.

‘t Elfde Gebod (the 11^th commandment) created an almost exclusive atmosphere in itsupstairs room for the 30+ internationals, and among the religious-themed decor, we alltold stories of Christmas and New Year, with a welcome drink of bubbly. According to Andrew, the 11^th commandmentis “thou shalt drink” and several of us were more than happy to oblige.

After an initial hour of catching up, it was to the tables, where a delicious three course meal was served, and conversation turned to country cultures, as well as the usual “how I ended up in Holland” story for those newer members. Curiosity kicked in when another group joined us in the upstairs space and we were keen to know what club they belonged to.

Between courses some seat-swapping went on so everyone had chance to catch up and introducethemselves to any unfamiliar faces, as we filled ourselves on salmon, steak, pasta, dame blanch, and other treats in between.

It seemed as though a great night was had by all, which made for the perfect way to kick-start the second half of the TIC season and get chatting about some of the exciting events coming up on the agenda.