Author: Kirtika van Hunen

Planning the sun…

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen Comment

 There she stood at my doorstep with an agenda and pen in hands… A couple of months back the mother of an acquaintance had moved into the house across the street. During a chanced meeting, she told me how she missed sitting in the sun the garden, since her garden was North facing. On the […]

Saving the brides of tomorrow

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen

Child marriage not to a person but to a fruit and again to the Sun is as much a modern day common practice among the Newar ethnic group of  Nepal. This is a tradition that has been handed down from generations. Ihi Ihi (pronounced Ehee) in which pre-adolescent girls are married to the Bael fruit, […]

If you can’t beat them, then join them

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen

“How much are you asking for that second hand doll?” “Three Euros” “I will give you two” “Done” Permit-free trade Soon the streets will be a-bustling with people young and old in all the cities and towns in The Netherlands. As they walk along inspecting the second hand goods for sale at the flea-market. As […]

No more excuses

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen

“Oh, it is cold..” “It is raining… hailing…” “No, there is a blizzard…”  “It is too expensive due to the tax raise since 2019…” No more excuses Here is something I would like to share with you that I have been relying on since the last ten years. With visible impact and result. Above all […]

Gift or not to gift

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen

 “Is this some kind of a sick joke? They gave us shoes as gift, how insulting!’ “It is not just shoes, the wooden clogs are famous in The Netherlands. These clogs are actually pen holders which have been hand painted as well.” “Who cares, a shoe is a shoe and you cannot disguise that fact…” […]

You are worth it

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen

“Being an expat is not easy…I just won my battle of depression after a decade of struggle…”

“I am an expat who has struggled with depression..”

“I have recently recovered from …”

These are a few of the posts I came across in face book recently.

Outrageously impolite

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen 2 Comments

 ‘So when you  are communicateing via a letter or an e-mail then you just begin with the matter at hand. Like, you have not yet paid the bills,  in the first sentence. The idea is to catch the attention of the reader. Then you go on to explain why, how and the rest of the […]

Hairpin Bends

Published on: by Kirtika van Hunen 2 Comments

“Just when things were moving so smoothly, again this…. oh, so frustrating…” I suppose every reader will identify themselves with me when I say the following; almost every time I have a plan to go from A to B, I stay focused on my target and set off in a straight line. And just when […]

Oeteldonk’s Carnaval 2018


Published on: by Shweta Vermeulen-Sulladmath

Carnaval is the one of the biggest celebration in the Southern part of The Netherlands. This big traditional event is officially celebrated for 3 days in ‘s Hertogenbosch, or Den Bosch and other parts of Southern Netherlands. However this celebration starts much earlier and oh boy, the Dutch know how to enjoy during this crazy […]