2018 Welcome to Tilburg Event a smashing success!

by Mala Raman

the tilburg international club (tíc) organised a very special and fun-filled Welcome to Tilburg event on 8 September 2018 for internationals in and around Tilburg to celebrate its 10-year Anniversary!

Over 100 expats joined in for a fabulous afternoon starting at the Mercure with bubbles and Tilburgse bossche bol. tíc president, Yolonda van Riel, gave everyone a warm welcome and underscored tíc‘s initiative to support internationals in better understanding the people and culture of the Netherlands as well as to provide a relaxed social atmosphere for meeting new people from around the world.

tíc‘s 10-year anniversary as a club also marks the 10th anniversary of several of its members who have been with tíc from the very beginning. 10-year members, Anne van Oorschot, Masako Kato, Yolonda van Riel, Anita James, Mala Raman, Fabio Castiglionesi and Jean-Francois Hennart, were given special recognition for their ongoing support and commitment to tíc. Yolonda also took a moment to acknowledge Bas van Steensel who designed the new tíc logo.

tíc was also immensely please to have Mayor Theo Weterings welcome expats to the city. He had invaluable words of encouragement for those settling into the area and stressed their impact on the social and economical development of the region. He was also very enthusiastic about the club and its goals to assist expats coming to Tilburg and Brabant.

After a taking a picture to capture the moment, the crowd was split into 4 groups who continued on for an “around the world” trip to local restaurants in Tilburg.  Doors were opened to culturally different worlds with a bite to eat and a drink.  Expats visited Italy and England at Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria, America at Cat’s Back, Thailand at Aim Aroy, Japan at Jade and ended, of course, in the Netherlands at De Wagon. Along the way there was a video game contest and a trivia quiz to complete; the competition was fierce!

At the end point of the tour, prizes were awarded to the winning team of the trivia quiz and the pacman player with the highest score. There was also a random drawing for the grand prize €50 gift certificate to EVE in the Spoorzone! Many expats stayed to enjoy the great atmosphere and friendly company of fellow internationals long after the official end of the event.  New friendship were made and many expats found a new home with tíc!

Everyone had a great time and it was all made possible by our partner, the Municipality of Tilburg (Gemeente Tilburg) and our sponsors Holland Expat Center South (HECS), Tilburg University and P&D care!

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