Tower and Town, June 2022 (view the full edition)Marijke, Originally from Wormerveer, The Netherlands
Marijke’s history goes something like this: Marijke met her English husband while working as an assistant to the purser on a P & O Liner. She was employed to offer translation services to Dutch passengers en-route from The Netherlands to Sydney, Australia. Her husband’s job brought them to the Marlborough area and they chose to settle in East Grafton because the house, among other attractive features, had a swimming pool. In spite of the lovely situation, they didn’t plan to stay forever. When invited to talk about the town of Marlborough, we exchanged stories of shops we loved and lost including Wardrobe and In the Red, two independent boutiques. Still, Marijke asserted, “It’s a pretty town with pretty shops, and although the shops have opened and closed over the years, it’s still inviting”. The new florist’s Feather Moss Flowers in Hughenden Yard is a particularly nice addition to the town. Marijke doesn’t feel like a foreigner here although the bureaucracy of having to apply for settled status after Brexit brought up some of those feelings. In conversation about how she stays true to her culture, we talked at length about food including Dutch pancakes served with a special Dutch syrup that are adored by Marijke’s grandchildren. Marijke also mentioned Hagelslag, which are chocolate sprinkles served on bread with butter, another Dutch treat. When asked what keeps her here? Marijke replied, “It’s home”. What would she suggest to anyone wanting to settle in Marlborough? “When we first came here, we really loved the fact that people gave us a chance to feel at home by inviting us for drinks, coffee, and or a meal to meet lots of people. It was so helpful. So my advice would be to accept those invitations.” Finally Marijke suggested to newcomers, “Don’t start pining after your own country because life is here!” |
