Geoff Coupe's Blog

Reflections on life at “De Witte Wand”…

Going Dutch

After 23 years living in The Netherlands, I’ve taken the step of obtaining Dutch citizenship. While officially this occurred last month, yesterday was the occasion of the naturalisation ceremony held in the local townhall. It’s an opportunity for the State to recognise those individuals who have become Dutch in a small ceremony. Nothing too serious, but a nice gesture.
 
There were a number of us at yesterday’s ceremony. Here we are, together with the Deputy Mayor who officiated.
 
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In case you are wondering about the characters in the background wearing orange hats, they are my friends and neighbours who showed up to give their support. I had told the Townhall that I’d just be bringing Martin and one other friend, but Martin surprised me with this large group. Fortunately, there was enough coffee and cakes for everyone.
 
Afterwards, we returned home, and the party continued…
 
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More photos here. 

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3 responses to “Going Dutch”

  1. Brian Avatar
    Brian

    Congratulations!  Should I ever become Belgian I hope I have a party of people in funny hats too.  And I want that portrait of Beatrix, can you imagine anyone making Brenda look that good?

    Reply
  2. Geoff Avatar
    Geoff

    Coboró, thanks! As for the portrait of Beatrix, you can find a copy in every townhall in the Netherlands, they did a job lot. It was painted in 1995 by Carla Rodenberg, so Bea looks somewhat younger…

    Reply
  3. Geoff Avatar
    Geoff

    Oh, and Carla Rodenberg lives in Gouda, just down the road from where we used to live. So if you’re ever in Gouda, you can always make an appointment to go along and see her studio. She has the portrait hanging there, but whether it’s the original, or yet another copy, I wouldn’t know.

    Reply

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