Today it’s my pleasure to introduce Marissa Heldoorn, a 28 year old Dutch Australian born in Sydney Australia. She is currently living in Novara, Italy (northern lakes region, near Lago Maggiore) as “my dutch passport allows me to live and work freely in Europe.”Marissa’s story about her Dutch Australian connections:
My father was born in Amsterdam and the whole family (apart from his older brother) migrated to Oz when my dad was 18, joining extended family who had already emigrated.
I’m English mother tongue (being raised in Oz). Now that I live in Europe and having to learn another language (Italian) the hard way, I do wish I had been raised bi-lingual!
I usually visit The Netherlands when my parents visit from Australia and we go and see my uncle and his family (approx once every 5 years). Our next trip is planned for 2012 which will include a visit to Keukenhof in Spring to see the tulips in bloom. Now that I’m in Italy I don’t really celebrate any Dutch holidays etc. But my family in Oz do occasionally and eat a lot of of Dutch food. In fact I sent my dad a hamper of dutch specialties for Christmas.
Marissa below on her last trip to the Netherlands with her mother.
Lovely to meet you Marissa…and to see that there are Dutch Australians all over the world.
Dutch Australian 
Great story. Fun photos!! Great work, Renee!!
finally we have an enlitxgiy different export/promotional product besides tulips, windmills, coffee shops, euthanasia, gay marriage…and then you come along and try to spoil that!!*giggle*
Here we go again! My daughter CLAIMS that I did not raise her bilingually enough. My counter argument is always that I sang her as many Dutch nursery rhymes, in the car, as possible.
Being minded by my parents when she was little and enjoying being with Oma and Opa so much, when she elected to do a semester at U.v.A., I reckon that it’s because she’d still heard enough Dutch here, to so quickly pick up the Dutch, as she did. (Her mother also being good with (foreign) language, no doubt helped too!
My daughter (born in Sydney) so much enjoyed having a Dutch passport too!
I think it’s funny how A.H. features in this photo (too).
Two years ago, in Heiloo, I enjoyed my short walks to Albert Heijn, in the snow, getting a ‘taste’ of local life in North Holland.
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They’re clelad Dutch bikes in Germany as well, Hollandrad is a very common nomenclature for bikes with a certain geometry, a closed Chainguard and a skirt-protector.Just fyi 🙂