Don’t forget – Quiz Night is on October 21st at Eetcafe Mokum, Almere Buiten!
Tag Archives: quiz
Quiz Night – a new (temporary) home!
Quiz Night is back – and due to renovations at the Apollo, we’ll be visiting
Eetcafe Mokum in Almere Buiten!
September Quiz Update!
This month’s winners – Drawing a Blanc!
Quiz Night is September 16th!
August Quiz Update!
Congratulations to the “Guess! No Gez!” team from our Quiz night on the 19th of August!
(Thanks also to everyone who put up with my quiz reading and willingly accepting my candy bribes – but next month the awesome Carly is BACK! See you on the 16th of September!)
Don’t forget – Quiz Night is Friday!
July’s Quiz Night – Another nail biter!
Another thrilling quiz night, with the dominant force of the Upside Downers returning to regain their top honours. After 2 consecutive defeats, last month they came back swinging punches and claimed first place – could they repeat it again in July? Continue reading July’s Quiz Night – Another nail biter!
Quiz Night News and Updates!
Quiz Night this month was a nailbiter – after 2 humiliating losses and rapidly losing their title of the unbeatable team, a fresh, revamped team of Upside Downers were under a lot of pressure. Continue reading Quiz Night News and Updates!
Another shock win at Quiz Night!
In another exciting night of Quiz Night, the Upside Downers were again knocked off their perch by another new team – De Slim Club! With first place taken with 69 points, a clear 11 point margin over second place, is it time to call the days of domination by the Upside Downers ended? Are we seeing a new trend? Only one way to find out? Come along next month and see who will take the title!
Shock Upset on Quiz Night!
In a shocking upset on April 15th, our resident Quiz Champions, the Upside Downers were knocked from first place by a new team – Schnitzel Schnatzel.
It’s the last Quiz Night for 2015 :(
Getting to Know Us: Gerard Danks
Meet Gerard, the first bloke in our Getting to Know Us series. Born in arguably the most beautiful of all English counties, Gez (as we lovingly like to call him) like many of us here at International Almere moved to Almere for love. Together with his lovely girlfriend and fellow team mates in the Upsidedowners, Gez is famous for reigning supreme at the hugely popular International Almere Friday Night Quiz.
More about Gez:
Where were you born?
A hospital in Truro, Cornwall, UK.
Where have you lived?
All over the UK, nearly! Mevagissey, St Austell, Exeter, Swansea, York, Warrington, Bristol, Blackwood, Maes-Y-Cwmmer, Oostzaan and now Almere!
Where can we find you online?
Realistically, only Facebook. I have a Twitter account (@cmdrstarion) which I might look at once a week.
What brought you to Almere?
Prior to Almere, Irma (my girlfriend) and myself were in a rented flat in Oostzaan. I’d been living over here for nearly two years at the time and we needed a bigger place to live. We ended up looking in Almere for houses, as they were reasonably priced for the size, it’s relatively central for visiting Irma’s family, and we’re handily not far from a train station with a direct link to Schiphol.
Almere is an interesting and unique city to live in, describe your favourite part of living here.
I like how, as a new city, there’s been a lot of thought put into the infrastructure. For example, the bus lanes and cycle paths being separate from the normal roads, plenty of green places (even the rooftop lawns in the middle of town!), and ease of connection to the rest of the country. Though a direct road to Harderwijk wouldn’t go amiss, instead of having to drive up to Lelystad first!
How have you best been made to feel at home since you arrived?
I wouldn’t say I’ve been ‘made’ to feel at home, rather, I just feel at home here. The pace of life and the city is very similar to what I grew up with in Exeter. I couldn’t see myself living in Amsterdam (certainly not downtown Amsterdam!) – too hectic and full of klote toeristen and their bloody trolley cases!
Where is your favourite place to go out or eat out in the city?
Can’t go wrong with Rhodos, in my opinion. It’s the Greek just opposite Almere Centrum station. The first time I came over to The Netherlands to visit Irma, we tried to go to a tex-mex place in Zaandam, but it was fully booked. As a back-up, we managed to get into a Greek, about 10 minutes walk from where she lived. I’d never had Greek food before, and wasn’t even sure what it entailed. But Irma assured me I’d like it, as it was mainly grilled meats. I found out that night that I liked Greek food, and ever since I’ve always had to go “one more time, just to make sure”. Rhodos is nice and handy too. Being right by the rail station, it’s only a few stops from us so we can both have a drink and not worry about who’s driving home.
Would you define yourself as an expat, an international, or something entirely different?
I’d most likely say expat. Though ‘european’ comes to mind as well. I wouldn’t go so far as international though, having never been outside of Europe.
How long do you plan on living here for?
For good! Or possibly till Irma kicks me out. (Love you really!)
Tell us how you found International Almere?
Kind of through the quiz nights. Irma had seen the IA website, and about the quizzes from there. We’d initially read that there was an email sign-up for the quiz, then Irma saw via Twitter that it was “just turn up”. So, last April, we did. And you’ve not been able to get rid of us since!
Have you been to any International Almere events? Which was your favourite?
I think I’ve been to every quiz night since April, even being score-master once and quiz-master once! I’ve also been to a few Friday Night Drinks, and the Christmas Meal just gone.
What advice would you offer to others who are thinking of taking the plunge and moving to Almere?
Just do it and take the plunge!
What has been your biggest challenge since arriving in Almere?
That’d have to be finding work. I’ve not got any decent qualifications to speak of, and being nearly 38 most shops would rather some spotty college kid that only gets paid half of what it’d cost to hire me. I did work for 18 months in the Staples warehouse as an order picker, but the work dropped off, and there was no budget to keep any of the temp staff that started at the same time as me. After the required 6 month break, it hadn’t picked up enough to warrant taking me back on, either.
If you had to leave tomorrow and could take only one thing – anything – from Almere, what would it be?
Ooohh, toughie. Um, IA? Can I take IA with me?
What is your favourite Dutch tradition, and how do you celebrate? Do you still celebrate holidays and traditions from your home country?
Hmm. I’d say birthdays. Yes, the (in)famous “Dutch Circle Party” (don’t use that when speaking to Dutch people though – they won’t have a clue what you’re talking about!). I had the same birthday as my maternal grandmother, and it was generally during or near a school holiday. So either my parents and I would be staying up there, or they’d come to our house. Dutch birthdays are pretty much the same (though less cake + candles), so I actually enjoy them!
What do you miss from your homeland?
Waterfalls. Sounds a little silly, but I kinda like them. And The Netherlands is somewhat lacking in the vertical landscape necessary for them. Mother’s cooking is another, but I guess I’d miss that even if I was back in the UK in a place of my own. What I have found though, is I think I’d miss more from here if I ever needed to move back to the UK (or elsewhere). Little things, like bittergarnituur. Go to a pub in the UK, and you can generally get snacks like crisps and nuts, or a full blown meal. But sometimes you’re out, and you want something to eat that’s somewhere between those two extremes, and bittergarnituur fits that bill! Bitterballen, vlaametjes, leverworst, all those small nibbles that you can get. The Netherlands scores big points in my book for those!
More in the Getting to Know Us series:
Getting to Know Us: Stephanie Ernst-Milner
Getting to Know Us: Nicole Peetsma-Epker
Getting to Know Us: Carly Bridgeman
Getting to Know Us: Becky Riddle
[box style=”rounded”]Would you like to take part in the Getting to Know Us series? We would love to hear from you!
Drop us a line by filling out the form below and we will be in touch with all the details:
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Afrikadag Almere is back!
And this year International Almere is getting into the thick of it and running an Africa Quiz.
On the back of our hugely popular Friday Night Quiz (every second Friday of the month a the Apollo Hotel) we have been asked to run two quiz sessions throughout the day and we have been very busy coming up with fun, interesting and hard questions.
The quiz will cost €1 per person to enter and there will be a beautiful Oware game up for grabs for the winner of each session. We will be asking the questions in both Dutch and English. Quiz 1 will be held at 14.30 and quiz 2 at 16.30, both at the Podiumtent Centrale Tuin. There is a 25 participant limit on this one for each session, so make sure you’re on time!
Afrikadag is a hugely popular event, founded in 1999. The goal of Afrikadag-Almere is to bring people together with the art and culture of the African continent. To offer a more enriching image of Africa through theater, dance, music and literature.
In 2012 the programme is no exception. There will be fashion, Senegalese dance and percussion, jewellery making and henna painting workshops, African Batik workshops, and an interactive performance by master drummer Henri Goabi plus much, much more!
Check out the website (click the poster below) and be sure to come along to de Kemphaan on Sunday 16 September and enjoy an entertaining and educational day out.
