If you weren’t already aware, Koentact hosts a number of language cafes for speakers of Spanish, Italian, French and even English. And now there’s a new one: Welkomsterdam, where you’ll find me – Eric – tending bar.
“Wat wil je – een cappuccino?” Thee? “Een biertje misschien?” You’re probably wondering how I got here.
Over the past few years, I’ve taken every single class that Koentact offers. I guess that means that I finally graduated. I enjoyed taking classes at the school so much (and hanging out with the coolest docenten that I’ve ever met) that I jumped when given the opportunity to help launch Koen’s new language cafe.
That’s right, ik ben nu een vrijwilliger – a volunteer – for this pop-up language cafe in de Jordaan. Located inside ’t Claverhuis, it’s a place where anyone who is learning the Dutch language is welcome to stop by and practice – every third Saturday throughout this year. So order a beverage, grab a seat with a group of other Dutch learners, dig into some provided snacks, and join the conversation.
Wil je spelletjes spelen?
Maybe you like games – spelletjes. As you may have already discovered, Dutch people absolutely love playing games of all kinds. Doing it in a group is one of the best ways to improve your language skills, so grab a game from off the shelf and practice your rapid-fire Dutch responses. Don’t see your favourite game here? Bring it with you next time.
A confession: I don’t like spelletjes. This is, of course, niet normaal in Nederland. But I do like to talk. In fact, that’s why I’m volunteering. I want to be able to speak better in Dutch. So, grab a few books off the shelf and let’s see if we can decipher the book jacket reviews together. What does this local newspaper have to say about the news of the day? Wat denk je over fatbikes? Anyone up for children’s story time for adults? Grab a copy of Jip & Janneke and read a few pages to the group, passing it along to the next person. We’re going to learn this language if it kills us.
Hoe vind je afval?
There’s still more to do if you’re feeling adventurous. Sometimes, a few of us grab a garbage bag and a few trash grabbers and take a stroll around the neighborhood, picking up after thoughtless tourists, speaking Dutch along the way. Do you know the names of the pieces of trash that we’re picking up?
But be careful out there. An echte Nederlander who is walking by might stop and tell you how good of a person you are for helping to improve the neighbourhood. Then you’ll really be in a pickle, drawn into a legitimate conversation with someone from the community – in Dutch. Stay strong jongen. You got this. We’re here to chime in and support you with a “dat klopt” whenever you need it.
Vrijwilligers assemble!
We’ve already run two of these events, and each was a smashing success thanks to volunteers like Julia and Mechteld, among many others. We anticipate that for each event Julia and I will need two volunteers to help us run the show. Could that be you? Seek us out if you want to fill one of those positions on any particular Saturday.
Do you like to cook? Maybe we could make something heerlijk together. In addition to providing snacks, ‘t Claverhuis has a kitchen, which opens up additional possibilities for us to eet smakelijk. This Saturday, we’ll start to get to know the kitchen by making something simple like cheese toast. But don’t be surprised if lekker soups begin showing up at future events.
Twee uur later…
Sadly, you may not be able to participate in every activity. This busy cafe is only open for two hours, at which time you’ll be forced to return to the everyday world. Je hoeft niet naar huis te gaan, maar je kunt hier ook niet blijven.
But the spirit of Welkomsterdam doesn’t have to end when we close the doors. Why not turn your goedemiddag into a goedenavond and organize a borrel with some of the other departing guests? It’s Saturday night, after all. It would be a shame to go home so early.
But again, be mindful. If you continue the conversation after Welkomsterdam, perhaps over een klein biertje, you run the risk of making new friends – the kind of people who will always remember how terrible your Dutch was way back in those first few years of living in Amsterdam.
They might even tease you about it for years to come. In Dutch.
Alles op een rijtje:
Wie? Jij! Wij!
Wat? Welkomsterdam
Waar? ’t Claverhuis bij de Elandsgracht
Wanneer? 22 Februari van 14:00 tot 16:00 uur
Waarom? Om je taal te verbeteren (ook snacks!)
Hoeveel kost het? €4
Ben je een Koentact student? Het is gratis.
Ben je vrijwilliger? Een gratis drankje voor jou.
Eric Suesz is afgestudeerd aan Koentact en is nu vrijwilliger voor het Welkomsterdam Taalcafe. Hij schrijft ook een nieuwsbrief over zijn reis van expat naar immigrant, Becoming Dutch.