Jip, Janneke and Old Trabant

During our EVS project in the Netherlands, we often visit Dutch families in different places. We usually go with them to the church for Sunday service and then they invite us for lunch and small talk. There is one thing I really like about it. One can always experience something new and unexpectable.

            A few weeks ago, we went to a church in Kapelle. We sang a lot and listened to the sermon. As we got the English version of the sermon and I could read it in advance, it was easier for me to follow it in Dutch during the service. Then we were asked to introduce ourselves and tell our motivation for taking part in the EVS. I felt a little bit nervous as I didn't expect us to be invited to the front and speak into the microphone. After the service, we drank coffee and tea and talked to the people from the church. Then I left with my host family for their house. We had some Chinese food - rice with vegetables and peanut sauce. And then we ate ice-cream and talked about many different things. I mentioned that I had read two books written by Annie M. G. Schmidt. She was a Dutch writer and wrote many children books, songs, poems and musicals. And she was born in Kapelle. After hearing this, the family decided to take me for a walk and show me Annie's house, statues and paintings of the characters from her books and streets named after the book characters. They told me a lot about Annie's life.

Russian car

        Last Sunday, we visited two different churches on the island of Schouwen and then we spent some time with host families. My host family took me to their house with their old Trabant. That was really interesting for me as my own family had a Trabant when I was very little, but I haven't ridden in or even seen any of these cars since then. 

         We had German Spätzle and lots of other 

food for lunch. It was really delicious. After lunch, we went for a short walk to the sea. They showed me a place they call a "forest" but it was no real forest for me. I guess I can experience life at sea here but for a real forest experience I have to go back to the Czech Republic.

Markéta, Czech Republic