by Mala Raman
Welcome to Het Spoorpark!
19 Sept 2020. This year’s Welcome Event was a bit different from other years. Because of the coronavirus guidelines, our event started at the T-Huis with masks, hand sanitizing and filling out of forms.
Once that was out of the way, expats both new and settled were welcomed by Yolonda van Riel, President of the Tilburg International Club. After the welcome drink and an official video welcome from the Tilburg vice-Mayor, our intrepid international crew set off to discover the hidden secrets of Het Spoorpark.
Discover Het Spoorpark
From the T-Huis, everyone set off for their own self-guided tour of Het Spoorpark. We were given map and an explanatory guide to discover the highlights of this recreational area. We walked around at our own pace and in the order we chose. At each stop, we answered questions as part of a quiz hoping to be one of the winners of the promised prizes at the end. Our tour included de Kempentoren, Kunstwerk De Rits, BeweegR, Levend water, Scouting Esjeeka, Stadscamping Tilburg and the Urban Sport Area.
Meet and Greet Tilburg
After about an hour we headed back to the T-Huis where we had a reception, sponsored by Holland Expat Center South, toast to Brabant’s growing expat population while enjoying light snacks and chatting with other internationals living in the region. The winners of the quiz were awarded Intermezzo gift certificates.
And, as we do every year, we had a grand prize winner of a €50 gift certificate to the T-Huis sponsored by P and D Care.
We congratulate Anne van Oorschot for receiving a Royal Decoration
Knight of the Order of Oranje-Nassau
One of our founding members, Anne van Oorschot who founded the tilburg international club in 2008 and served as its first president for 6 years, received a decoration from the Royal House of the Netherlands (Ridder van de Orde van Oranje Nassau) in April 2020.
Anne is a Knight of the Order of Oranje-Nassau! We were thrilled to recognize Anne for receiving this prestigious award for all her years of volunteer service to Dutch society (and especially our club!) over the past 20+ years.
Saying our Farewells
After enjoying an afternoon of good conversations and delicious snacks, our guests did not leave empty handed.
Thanks to our sponsors and contributors, everyone could go home with an awesome goodie bag full of coupons and Tilburg business-friendly products.
Our guests had such a great time at our event, that they stayed at the T-Huis long after the “official” event was over: chatting, laughing, sharing stories and experiences and making connections.
This is the hallmark of the tilburg international club and a sure sign of another successful Welcome Event!
Tilburg International Club 