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.

InterNations would like to introduce a few more new Communities that were recently converted from local groups into actual official Communities. Here is some basic information about the European cities and their InterNations Communities!

Bologna, Italy
Bologna is known lovingly as “la rossa, la dotta, la grassa”: the red one due in part to its red rooftops and also to its former political situation, the studious one thanks to it containing the oldest university in Europe, and the fat one, because of its rich cuisine. Bologna’s geographical importance in Italy as the railway and motorway hub, as well as its flourishing industrial sector, has attracted a large number of people looking for work. Having a rich cultural heritage, Bologna was appointed a UNESCO City of Music in May 2006, due to its rich musical tradition, boasting genres from classical to electronic music.

With more than 380,000 inhabitants living in the home of Spaghetti Bolognese, Bologna’s InterNations Community of 259 members enjoying 39 different nationalities is no small group. Neima Sitawi-Bottone, the Ambassador for Bologna, is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio in the United States. Owner of her own boutique in Bologna, Neima studied international affairs and fashion. Having lived in numerous countries and cities across the world, she moved to Bologna in 2010 where she takes great care to make all InterNations Bologna Events fun for members.

Lugano, Switzerland
A city with a population of about 55,000 nestled in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino at the banks of the Lago di Lugano, it is also known as the “Monte Carlo of Switzerland”. With its charming old town and breathtaking lakefront in front of a façade of the Swiss Alps, it is no wonder that both tourists and expats drift to Lugano. With both numerous outdoor activities (such as more than 300km of bike routes in and around Lugano) and many cultural happenings in the city, Lugano has something to offer everyone.

The InterNations Lugano Community has 249 members made up of 41 nationalities. InterNations Ambassadors Anneke van der Zwaag from the Netherlands and Alisa Carlos from San Diego, California have done a great deal to make living in the “Monte Carlo of Switzerland” as agreeable as possible. Anneke has been living in Switzerland for almost 20 years now, having moved to Lugano in 2007 to enjoy the Swiss-Italian flair. Working as a Supply Chain Manager, Anneke was able to make many international contacts. Alisa has just recently been appointed as the second Ambassador of the Lugano Community and moved to the Lugano area in 2007 as well.

Lviv, Ukraine
Located in Western Ukraine, Lviv is home to ca. 760,000 people. With quite a turbulent history owing to various annexations, Lviv was a city in numerous countries from Poland to Austria to the Soviet Union before finally becoming a part of the independent Ukraine in 1991. With its UNESCO World Heritage city center, Lviv attracts quite a number of tourists annually, and it is no wonder with its ancient architectural relics dating back to the 13th century. Lviv also boasts one of the oldest universities in Central Europe, originally a Jesuit School founded in 1608.

With 134 members of 16 nationalities, the InterNations Lviv Community has grown quite nicely, probably in accordance with Lviv’s own population growth. Lviv Ambassador Hartmut Lank is originally from Germany and moved to Lviv in 2009. Having studied law, he now works for the Lviv Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on a German-Ukrainian co-operation. Having lived in numerous countries across the globe, Hartmut quite fits the international image!

Valencia, Spain
As the third most populous city in Spain with a population of over 809,000, Valencia is not only a well-liked tourist location, but a magnet for foreigners experimenting with expat life. The InterNations Valencia Community alone has 244 active members from 33 nationalities. With an astounding mix of historical architectural remnants and modern buildings, such as the Ciutat de les Arts I Ciencies (Valenciano for City of Science and Arts), Valencia never offers its inhabitants a boring view. Known worldwide for its famous festivities, the Falles, boasting a beach, having the biggest port on the Mediterranean Coast, and a pleasant Mediterranean climate, Valencia is quite an attractive destination!

Our Valencia Ambassador Marcela Mattenet, also fell in love with the Valencian flair and has been living there for 10 years. She opened a small managing company for accommodating tourists in Valencia with her husband and now also runs a language company. Born in Argentina and raised in England, Marcela has been quite successful at making our InterNations expats feel at home in Valencia.

Read our next blog entry coming up this Thursday to get to know the rest of our new InterNations Communities!

Photos courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

InterNations co-founder Malte Zeeck paid a visit to our Madrid Community last week-end – here are some of his impressions from his trip:

The InterNations Madrid Event takes place on a Saturday night, a time that is usually reserved for dinner with friends or family in Spain. That is why the two German InterNations Ambassadors in Madrid, Catharina Schoel and Simone Maier, are slightly worried about how many of the 270 members who signed up for tonight’s event may actually show up and – at what time. The invitation says 9pm, which is way too early for people to go out in the Spanish capital.

Despite their concerns, I am very impressed by the commitment of the two young Ambassadors, who welcome me at the MOE Club, a rock-and-roll venue in the north of the city. Simone is suffering from a cold, and Catharina is visibly pregnant with her first baby. In spite of that, they both welcome every single one of the InterNations members, who start flocking into the venue just after 9pm, with a friendly smile and many with a cordial exchange of besos – light kisses on the cheek. Catharina and Simone seem to know virtually everyone. If there’s a new arrival, they are quickly updated on the monthly events of the Madrid Community.

For the InterNations March Event, the Ambassador Team has come up with something special. They have asked their friend and InterNations member Christina and her band Alta Tension to perform for the guests. When the venue is packed at 10pm, the band begins to play rock, funk and soul covers as well as golden oldies, from “I Can’t Get No Satisfaction!” by the Rolling Stones to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama”. Our members seem to enjoy this special treat, swinging and dancing to the beat for almost two hours without any break. After that, it’s time for the usual socializing, when everybody has the chance to mingle with other members from 41 different countries. It’s rather late (or quite early) when the Ambassador Team takes off in a cab to head home. A well-deserved good night’s sleep is waiting for them – and by the time the next event comes around, we may all have the opportunity to welcome an “InterNations baby”.

I’ve decided to spend the rest of the weekend in Madrid, too, but the weather is unfortunately cool and rainy. However, this does not keep me from visiting my favorite Tapas bar in town, “La casa del abuelo” in the Salamca neighbourhood, to taste some pimientos de pardon (green peppers), chistorra (spicy sausages), esparragos (asparagus), patatas bravas (potatoes in a spicy sauce) and gambas al ajillo (shrimps in garlic). If you should ever come to Madrid, don’t forget to stop by and give their delicacies a try!

Due to my tight schedule, I haven’t got enough time to visit the great museums of Madrid, like the Prado, the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza or the Galeria Reina Sofia; nor does the city’s green lung, the vast Parque Retiro, look very inviting in the heavy rain. However, Madrid is one of my favourite European cities, which I visit fairly often, and I’m bound to return there shortly – better luck next time!

(Pictures by Malte Zeeck and Wikimedia Commons.)

Special thanks to our Local Ambassadors Simone Maier and Catharina  Boemke for taking the photos.To see more pictures of this event, please visit the InterNations photo album.

The Barcelona Community had a great evening at Gran Foc.

Special thanks to our Local Ambassador Daniela Arens for taking the photos.
To see more pictures of this event, please visit the InterNations photo album.

After having suffered some of the coldest days Madrid has experienced in the last years, the InterNations Community in Madrid escaped the cold and celebrated a fantastic Brazilian Night.

At Leblon Bar & Restaurant, whose name refers to one of the most beautiful ‘barrios’ in Rio de Janeiro, the InterNations members forgot the icy winter with Brazilian rhythms and the best Caipirinhas in town.

Special Thanks to Simone Maier one of our Madrid Ambassadors for taking the pictures!
More pictures can be found on the event website

(Muchas gracias, Ineke, for the wonderful photos! The entire gallery can be found here.)

For the InterNations Christmas Party in Madrid, Ambassador Catharina Boemke came up with a very special location: The Ëco Bar & Spa Madrid, which represents a new and unique concept in town. The multicultural restaurant does not only offer a diversified menu, but also a huge selection of natural products in its shop and the chance to relax completely in its Spa area.

Apart from mixing and mingling over their drinks, the InterNations members had the possibility to explore the Spa area, learn more about the health and beauty treatments and use the opportunity for some last-minute Christmas shopping. In this soothing ambiance, the numerous guests obviously enjoyed the last party in 2008 and are looking forward to many more events in 2009!

(Thanks to Simone Maier for the photos!)

A selected group of about 40 InterNations members from the Barcelona Community had the excellent opportunity to participate in an elegant dinner sponsored by the world-famous Moët & Chandon champagne brand. Together with Ambassadors Daniela Arens and Ineke Ibbeken, they gathered at the local Hotel ME for an evening of culinary delights. On this special occasion, they could revel in a four-course meal including such specialities as spiced avocado canapés, lamb in pumpkin sauce or white chocolate soufflée; and, of course, they could toast their convivial gathering with various sorts of sparkling wine.

Or, at least, made for Movie Restaurant and Bar: The November Get-Together organized by our Ambassadors Daniela Arens and Ineke Ibbeken proved so widely popular in advance that the guestlist had to be closed over one week before the event. Last Thursday night, on the evening of November 6, over 120 InterNations members then flocked to the fashionable venue with its sophisticated Italian cuisine, its vintage-movie interior and its comfortable lounge sofas, smiling into the camera Hollywood-style…

(Muchas gracias to Daniela for her photos. You can see all of them here.)