InterNations team member Corinna tells us about her Amsterdam Community visit and how she met many of our Ambassadors in the Netherlands and Belgium. She also has some fantastic news for all our members in the Netherlands!

The idea for my trip to Amsterdam was born when I received an e-mail from our Amsterdam Ambassador Elsbeth Beerepoot telling me that she would like to invite all Ambassadors living in the Netherlands for a small dinner& drinks gathering. In all 5 Communities – Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Maastricht – we have new Ambassador Teams who started their role in the last 6 months. Thanks to their motivation and commitment, local life has received an immense boost in these InterNations Communities. We currently have two monthly events in Amsterdam and one monthly event each in The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Maastricht. Acting as contact persons for other members as well as organizing and hosting the monthly gatherings, all Ambassador teams oversaw a growth of their online member base and their events recently. Reason enough to join this little meeting of active InterNations Ambassadors and thank them personally for their great support.

My trip started on Saturday morning (a bit later than planned as my original flight had been cancelled) and I arrived in Amsterdam at around 2 pm. The first thing that surprised me was the huge number of tourists walking around the city center in the freezing January cold. After checking in at my hotel I joined the tourist crowd to make my way to Leidseplein, where I wanted to meet Elsbeth for coffee. Our meeting at the restaurant / café Stanislavski in the theatre building with its classy but laid-back atmosphere was the perfect opportunity for me to learn a bit more about the Amsterdam Community. I could also give Elsbeth some news from headquarters and tell her about our future projects like the upcoming launch of our Activity Groups.

After a walk around the city center, where I was lucky to discover Vinomio, one of our latest Albatross-only Event locations, I went to Bar Italia to meet the Rotterdam Ambassadors Meri and Kasia. We exchanged a lot of ideas about future events & activities and the two also told me about their experiences from past events and passed on feedback from their members. As we found out, Rotterdam is not only a very active Community when it comes to offline activities, but also a community of “happy clickers” registering on our online guest list and not cancelling when they find out they can’t make it. So to all Rotterdam members who read this: We are very grateful for your interest in InterNations Events, but please only register on the guest list if you intend to show up! Don’t worry, we have plenty of other features & functions to click on instead

When the other guests arrived, we moved on to the restaurant section of Bar Italia. We were quite a big group with Elsbeth, Brendan and Andrea from Amsterdam, Enrique and Alexander from The Hague, Kasia and Meri from Rotterdam, Gisa from Utrecht and our surprise guest Eric who came all the way from Brussels. Most Ambassadors didn’t know each other at the beginning, but in no time the air was filled with chatter and fun stories about the different Communities. It felt like we had known each other for a long time! As a representative of one of our biggest Communities, Eric could give the others a taste of what their work as InterNations Ambassadors could look like in two or three years:-) It was really interesting for all of us to hear about his experiences and the challenges they faced in one of our most successful Communities.

After a fantastic dinner including Antipasti as starter as well as delicious wine and prosecco, some of us couldn’t resist ordering the spectacular Grey Goose vodka cocktail for dessert, which was prepared right in front of our eyes. The evening ended after another drink at the bar next door and we all said good-bye at around 2 am. It was a wonderful evening and a fantastic opportunity for me to meet everyone in person and learn more about their experiences as InterNations Ambassadors.

Last but not least, I am happy to announce that we will open two new Local Communities in the Netherlands soon! I’m already looking forward to seeing active members and a flourishing Community life in Eindhoven and Breda!

On Sunday, I tried to make the most of my remaining few hours in Amsterdam by going for a long stroll and simply let the many different impressions sink in. Coming from southern Germany, I was especially thrilled to find so many shops open on a Sunday And although it was hard at times to get a good feel of Amsterdam due to the throngs of tourists everywhere, I managed to take some great pictures (the bike picture is my favourite) as keepsakes of this memorable trip.

New InterNations Local Communities, that is.

As promised, here comes a brief introduction to a few more new Local Communities that will be officially online this week! Read on to find out information about the cities they are in, how large the Communities are and who their Ambassadors are. Who knows, perhaps you may be interested in becoming a Local Scout or even an Ambassador if one of the new Local Communities is yours…

Bergen, Norway

Originally a hanseatic city, Bergen is quite lovely to live in. With roughly 260,000 inhabitants, Bergen has a small-town feel without it being too small. Bergen is surrounded by the breathtaking “seven mountains” (de syv fjell), and its temperate oceanic climate offers its population a less daunting winter than other parts of Norway.

Due to it being located on a bay, with many beautiful old buildings and remnants of historical edifices, Bergen attracts both tourists and immigrants. With its Institute of Marine Research (the second largest in Europe) and many maritime businesses, it also draws in a large number of workers. Culturally speaking, Bergen is popular for the Bergen International Festival, its contemporary art scene, and the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra founded in 1795, one of the world’s oldest orchestral institutions.

The Swiss-born InterNations Bergen Ambassador Michael Knüsel lived in Oslo for 3 years before going back to his native country and then returning again to Norway, this time to Bergen, in 2010. He is quite excited to have become the InterNations Ambassador as he deems there are tons of things to do and plan to do in Bergen with the InterNations Bergen Community of around 120 members.

Izmir, Turkey

Formerly known as Smyrna, this large metropolis located in western Anatolia is home to almost 4 million people. Beautifully located right on the Aegean Sea, it is not only an attraction to many tourists looking for white beaches, but also to many Turkish and international businesspeople employed in industry, trade and transportation. After all Izmir used to be an international port city, and still completes one-fifth of all of Turkey’s exports.

The InterNations Izmir Community is excited to get together with its almost 100 members and explore what the city has to offer! Izmir Ambassador, Nadejda Apostolov from Moldova, is looking forward to showing all Izmir expats around.

Marbella, Spain

Located in Andalusia, Marbella is home to approximately 136,000 people. The city is one of the most beloved Spanish tourist attractions on the Costa del Sol and is known for attracting the rich and famous. With its tropical beaches and beautiful seaside, it is no surprise that it is so favored among visitors. Mainly thriving off the tourist industry, Marbella is also a landing spot for luxury cruise ships. It may be known to many from having been featured in several Hollywood films, such as for example, Syriana.

With 210 members and growing, the InterNations Marbella Expat Community is quite content to boast this many active InterNations members! Ambassador Natasha Seume from Norway has been living in Marbella since 2010, and is pleased to be able to show other expats in Marbella around and meet more international folks.

Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Rotterdam is the second largest city in the Netherlands as well as the largest port in Europe. Due to the rivers it is located at or around, Rotterdam is often called “the Gateway to Europe”. With well over 600,000 inhabitants, it attracts a large number of people for work, studies, as well as its proximity to Den Haag. Amongst the Dutch, Rotterdam is deemed the no-nonsense business city and frequently competes for attention with Amsterdam.

Aside from its booming industry and economy, Rotterdam also boasts of a very interesting cityscape. Many architects have tried different styles on the city, making it a mixture of art nouveau, historic, contemporary and avant garde architecture. It also houses some of the tallest buildings in Holland.

Petar Pandilov from Macedonia is thrilled to take charge of the relatively large Rotterdam Expat Community of over 500 global minds! Having lived in the Netherlands since 2008, he is looking forward to showing people around Rotterdam.

Tune in again this week to hear about the rest of the new InterNations Local Communities!

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.