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Theme: Welcome to the new NIC year

Three persons won a ‘survive in Brussels kit’, related to the theme of the CM ‘welcome to the new NIC year’. The bag contained a book with walks, a bar of Brussels chocolate, a rain poncho and an umbrella. They now are prepared to survive in Brussels!

After the presentation the people could talk in person with the activity leaders and enjoy another drink. It was a warm, cozy and informative CM.

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Theme: FAREWELL

June 2024:

The final NIC Coffee Morning of the social year took place on 11 June, 2024. It was a lovely event, as you can see from the words of NIC members:

"It was a wonderful morning and how nice the sun shone! Great chatting with everyone and thank you all for making my mother so welcome 🤗" 

"A big thank you to the CM Team who created such a beautiful and warm environment for us."

"My hands were busy hugging instead of holding my phone to take photos."

"End season 23/24....beautiful and lovely morning....beautiful and lovely people. Thanks all of you for these memories....gonna miss you all🤩. See you in September😘"

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Theme: NATO

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Theme: MENOPAUSE

May 2024:

The first of two May Coffee Mornings took place on 14 May and covered the topic of menopause. A longtime NIC member, who is also a registered nurse and experienced presenter on menopause, incorporated education, insight and humor into this event. The members were an enthusiastic audience!

Some comments from the large number of NIC members present:

“Great presentation on what to expect in menopause and which myths
about it, on the contrary, should not be believed!”

“Agree, was absolutely brilliant. Super informative & great delivery.
Much appreciated and lots learned.”

“Evidence based information = Empowerment!”

“Great presentation and a really good morning with extraordinary people!”

There were three Tombola Prizes given out at the end of the meeting, each containing an assortment of luxurious, pampering self-care products for the bath.

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Theme: SPRING FLOWERS

April 2024

The Happy Florist gave a presentation to the members on how to make a spring floral arrangement, and shared tips and tricks for organizing beautiful displays on our tables. There was also a generous overview of local flower markets and where to find fresh flowers throughout the week!

Tombola prizes were individual arrangements in decorative vases.

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Theme: TÜRKIYE

All photos in this post were taken by members of the NIC

A message from the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator:

The March NIC Coffee Morning was all about Türkiye.

The Staff Centre had a nice red glow and the magical atmosphere grew while the morning progressed.

Neither expense nor effort was spared to make it a fantastic event.

As a welcome we were surprised with a beautiful make-a-wish-evil-eyes bracelet. If you forgot to make a wish, unknot your bracelet and make a wish while re-tying it with a double knot. You keep it on day and night (during exercise, showering, swimming). When the string breaks, your time has come for your wish to come true.

In a presentation we were inspired by al the cultural (ancient) sights and creative expressions that makes Türkiye special.

After that, we were treated to a coffee traditionally brewed on sand and were able to taste several delicacies. [please see a video of the traditional coffee brewing at the end of this post!]

There where demonstrations and workshops of Ebru marbling, filigree silverwork and leatherwork.

We were spoiled with all kinds of gifts during morning: bracelets, Ebru marbling bookmarks, leather keychains, packages of ground coffee. And on top of that there were 5 tombola prizes: beautiful handmade filigree pieces.

Big applause for the Türkish ladies and their helpers who shared their great hospitality with us. We definitely had a good time.

Thank you Türkiye!

The Coffee Morning Team

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Theme: ITALY from A-Z

February 2024

A message from the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator:

ITALY hosted the February NIC Coffee Morning. Their hospitality was warm and welcome. They gave a wonderful presentation of their home nation A-Z. They shared history, culture and art with a special focus on Carnival and gestures. They shared this delightful video about the hand gestures!

It was good in all details with beautiful flowers everywhere, the presenters wore masks and dresses and we got a little (bakery) gift from the heart to take home.

At the end of the Coffee Morning we were all invited for an aperitivo!

There was a buffet of Italian specialties to taste, different kinds of olive oil and homebaked bread, cookies and also the famous Italian drink Aperol Spritz!

Tombola Prizes were 3 limoncello with a typical trivet , 2 cantuccini ( Tuscan cookies) with a ceramic spoon rest.

Big applause for the teamwork. Fantastic energie!

We all went home inspired❤️

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Theme: Tony’s Chocolonely – how to sell an idea!

January 2024

A message from the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator:

Today we had a great turnout on our first Coffee Morning in 2024: 68 people came to the NATO Staff Centre to hear about Tony’s Chocolonely. The sales manager of the Benelux (Belgium, The Netherlands and Luxembourg)  enlightened us by telling us that their company is actually not selling chocolate.  The Chocolate is a way to sell their mission: to make the chocolate 100% slave free and to clean up the chocolate industry from child slavery and overall very bad working conditions. They go beyond the requirements of Fairtrade. And everything in their marketing makes a wink to the real chocolate business. He calls himself Steven the Fortune Seller. The chocolate has uneven pieces. No piece is the same. We brainstormed about strategies; how to sell the message. The members came with really good ideas.

Of course we drank coffee and tea, chatted and mingled with each other. It was good to see everybody. 

At the end we didn’t do a tombola. We all got two big chocolate bars to take home with us. One for ourselves and one to give away.

We, the Coffee Morning Team, paid for it. As we learned there is no such thing as free chocolate. Everything comes with a price.

We hope to see everybody at our next Coffee Morning where Italy is hosting!

Enjoy,
The Coffee Morning Team!

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Theme: Holiday Party

December 2023

A message from the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator:

This December Coffee Morning was so special that I can’t find words to express the almost magical atmosphere. We didn’t get drunk of the Glühwein but our souls connected with each other and we all got under the influence of the holiday season. 

We did this Coffee Morning together. Every body contributed whether it was by bringing their favorite holiday ‘cookie’, taking part in the baking competition, helping to organise and help at the event, singing in the choir, singing as audience, cleaning up afterwards. 

If you look at the photos you can see how professional the bakery was. The choir, shining bright in red dresses, sang Swedish, French, American, German and English Christmas carols. There was a beautiful Turkish and Spanish solo. From now we have a NIC choir.

Everyone went home inspired and satisfied. It was definitely fun.

A Happy New Year in advance!

CM Coordinator

photo credits: all photos were taken by members of the NIC Committee

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Theme: Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant

November 2023

A message from the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator:

In the November Coffee Morning we connected with Flemish Brabant, the region around Brussels. This region is also known as the “walking province of Belgium”.

Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant showed us all the hidden treasures in the the region.

• There are so many castles to visit.
• And we know now what a Lambiek beer and Geuze beer is.
• We downloaded a hiking app: « Node Mapp hike »  (or bike). With this app we planned in small groups our own hiking trips. It was fun navigating in the app and more important it was nice to get to now each other in a playful way.

TOMBOLA

There were three lucky ones who won a bag with 2 big bottles of Lambiek and Geuze beer, a book and map with bicycle and hiking trails.

photos taken by NIC members during the November 2023 NIC Coffee Morning

However, our generous presenters from Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant had a something special for the NIC during this Coffee Morning:

We all won a prize! Each NIC member in attendance received a tote bag with booklets with walking and cycling trips to do independently.

For more information and beautiful photos of this region, please visit both the Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant’s website and also their Instagram page!

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— The October NIC Coffee Morning was postponed to November —

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Theme: AUSTRALIA

September 2023

A message from the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator:

Australia kicked-off the Coffee Morning season. We had a great show-up, which was presented with flair.  No Up-side-down-coffee but we soaked a Tim Tam in our coffee and played bingo. But instead of numbers we had a  bingo card with pictures of Australia.

A real highlight was the national Auslan sign language song “I Am Australian”. We all joined in: 

We are one and we are many, 

And from all the lands on earth we come, 

We’ll share a dream and sing with one voice, 

I am you are, we are Australian. 

The day after, this song is still in my head.

We ended the presentation with a tombola: three gift bags filled with Australian specialty products, as well as two extra prizes given to the Bingo winners.

Australia presented itself wonderfully. It was great that so many people stayed and mingled and met afterwards.

Thanks to the new members of the NIC Coffee Team, everything went smoothly. 

Hopefully we’ll see everybody at our next Coffee Morning in October.  The presentation will be about Vlaams Brabant, (the area around the Brussels region).  

Hartelijke groetjes!

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Theme: Farewell

June 2023

The June Coffee Morning in the NIC was the annual Farewell event.

Members gathered to celebrate the friendships inside the club, and also to warmly wish one another a lovely summer — especially to those members who would be moving over the summer months.

The normal Tombola Prizes were multiplied into MANY clever surprises for those attending!

“Thank you everyone who joined us today. It was a lovely morning enjoying each other’s company and sharing memories we’ve created together! Have an adventurous summer!”

NIC President
13 June 2023

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Theme: Sgraffiti

May 2023

May’s Coffee Morning featured the Art Nouveau architectural decoration called “sgrafitti”.   

Volunteers from Maison Cauchie showed us many fine examples.  They taught us about its history, how it is made, where it can be found, and how delicate it is to restore.  

Tombola prizes were blank journal notebooks with beautiful covers inspired by the art nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha.

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Theme: Be Your Best You

April 2023

April’s Coffee Morning was all about being the best version of ourselves, with Barbara Louys.

Barbara Louys is a Belgian public figure, television host, jewelry designer, image and beauty coach. She is passionate and experienced in how to advise women “how to become the best version of themselves.”

Barbara gave the NIC audience many examples of what clothes and accessories to wear for different occasions and body types. She also talked about the basics of discreet but delicate make-up.

Barbara is native Belgian, who has had a long career in TV and mass media, since the early 2000s she has worked on many different TV shows. She had her own YouTube channel where she broadcast the Barbara Louys Show during the pandemic.

She is a daughter of jewelers, so she has always been around lots of gold and glitter since she was a young girl. She makes affordable jewelry with semi precious stones and real pearls that is not mass produced. 

The tombola prizes were three different bracelets from her jewelry store Barbara Louys.

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Theme: Belgian Lace

March 2023

A wonderful presentation was given by the Lace Centre & Museum (Kant Centrum Brugge). The story of lace production, lace techniques and how those have evolved over the last 500 years were shared, together with a large display table of lace samples.

The three Tombola Prizes for March were individual pieces of beautiful handmade lace!

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Theme:

“It’s about time to visit Estonia!”

February 2023

February’s Coffee Morning was an interactive presentation of ESTONIA, including quizzes, videos, music and dancing.  Here is a link to a short video enjoyed by the NIC members during the presentation: Estonia: not your average bucket list destination.

There were displays of printed materials, textiles, paintings, traditional handcrafts and even traditional clothing from the Estonian island of Kihnu! 

Five different Tombola prizes were prepared in bags decorated with Estonian floral motifs, and included a variety of specialty Estonian items:  the famous liqueur Vana Tallinn, a beautiful coffee table book of famous Estonian brands and a musical collection from the Estonian composer of contemporary classical music, Arvo Pärt.

This presentation was very meaningful, as it took place during the same month that Estonia would celebrate its 105th Day of Independence. Our Estonian friends in the NIC shared from their hearts and brought that celebration to life for the NIC membership!

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Theme: New Year, New Opportunities

January 2023

This month’s theme was all about self-care.

Our presentation centered on utilizing opportunities available to us to improve our fitness and our mental wellbeing as a positive beginning to this new year.

The Tombola Prizes, large NIC tote bags, are perfect for carrying anything to make our lives better.

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Theme: Musical Performance

December 2022

The December Coffee Morning in the NIC was extraordinarily wonderful!

The Brussels Royal Conservatory Saxophone Quartet gave a beautiful performance to the members of the NIC, celebrating both the unique history of the saxophone in Belgium and also the festive season of holidays.

Tombola prizes were thoughtfully prepared by the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator, containing a selection of Christmas ornaments, seasonal table linens (all handmade by the previous NIC President), as well as several jars of honey from the 2022 harvest of the NATO beehives.

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Special Event: NIC at the NCB

November, 2022

The NIC participated in the 2022 NATO Charity Bazaar and provided a table overflowing with colorful handmade goods, (which were sold to support fundraising).

Most of all, the NIC members working at the NIC stand brought their famous warmth and friendliness to the event, sharing the club’s many opportunities with all those who stopped by the table!

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Theme: NIC Activities Highlight

November 2022

The members of the NIC came together to learn more about the many, many Activity Groups offered throughout the year. There were colorful displays showcasing fun, member-led things to do. The photos above show only a few of what is offered – be sure to check out the page with our NIC Activity Groups to see the full range and descriptions!

Three tombola prizes of soaps were offered in handmade bags, sewn in seasonal colors.

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Theme: AUSTRIA

October 2022

On the eve of Austria’s National Day, one of our NIC members shared both history and culture from her home country. She invited a group of dancers – a Tyrolean Schuhplattler group – to demonstrate this lively traditional dance from her region.

There were bags filled to the brim with Austrian gifts as tombola prizes for three lucky winners!

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Theme: A Happy Expat

September 2022

September heralded a new NIC year, complete with new activities on offer at Coffee Morning.

Our guest speaker, Tanya Arler, a mindset coach and the author of the book UNPACK, A guide to life as an expat spouse, gave us insights and techniques to make the expat experience a little easier.

She helped us discover ways to handle life’s many challenges as an expat and new methods of tackling both the frustrations and joys.

Three of Tanya’s books were given away to lucky NIC members who won the Tombola drawing!

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The NIC at NATO

On Monday, 19 September the NIC was at NATO to promote our Club and to sell tickets for the NATO Charity Bazaar (NCB).

We encouraged a number of men and women to tell their spouses about the NIC. And we sold 110 tickets meaning 275 euros in support of this year’s NCB.

A win-win-win day. Why the third win? Because we had so much FUN together!

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Theme: Farewell

June 2022:

The June Coffee Morning was all about celebrating friendships!

The Tombola Prizes were candles decorated by hand using melted wax to attach the images. Each set contained candles in three different sizes. “Beautiful Day” was the theme, together with different floral motifs and the NIC logo – representing what happens inside the NIC community of friendships!

We said goodbye to those leaving Brussels, one of whom is our own NIC President!

She assembled some lovely gift bags as farewell gifts for all those who will be moving away this summer. Inside each bag was a NIC linen star, a NIC bookmark and also a handmade card.

The beige bow was chosen to remind us of Belgian bobbin lace. The color of the bag is the favorite green of the NIC President and the sticker in the center was chosen from one of her favorite shops. These farewell presents truly represent the warm heart and creative hands of the outgoing NIC President!

We also learned how to make flower corsages and crowns!

The incoming NIC President arrived with her arms full of many bouquets of pretty flowers. She also brought floral supplies, so that all NIC members were able to assemble their own personal corsages.

This special Farewell was filled with photos, shared stories of the NIC social year, a few tears, and much laughter.

It was a day filled with sunshine and happy memories.

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Theme: Make it Glow

May 2022:

Wellness Coach Chrystel Fischer gave a presentation perfectly suited to spring during the NIC May Coffee Morning:  how to use natural ingredients to create our own wellness products. We learned how to make things like face serum and a DIY perfume – as well as practical tips for using one drop of essential oil; (create a “dry mask” by placing one drop of peppermint, for example, onto the palm of one hand, then rub the hands together and place over the nose to breathe in a quick afternoon brightener!)

She explained about the importance of companies sourcing directly from farm producers, and making sure that the essential oils we use will be certified, pure and tested – in other words: 100% pure natural plant based oils. Many essential oils on the market today may have had synthetic ingredients added to them – some estimates indicate that 3/4 of the essential oils being sold are synthetics (not from a natural base!)

Chrystel also gave us simple and easy ideas for reducing toxins inside our homes, including a demonstration of how to make our own natural spray cleaner. 

There were many resources generously shared for both for materials and ingredients during the Question & Answer session following the presentation.  

As always, there was a drawing for NIC Tombola Prizes at the end, which is a much-loved part of every NIC Coffee Morning.

Three Tombola Prizes were prepared by Chrystel, with each prize containing an assortment of the following:

– products to use for DIY
– a blend of Chrystel’s own creation
– bottles of essential oils

If you would like to find out more about natural wellness and essential oils, please contact Chrystel Fischer (T: +32 479 722 449) through her website or Instagram account.

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Theme: Artist Showcase

April 2022:

Six professional female artists treated us to a display of their work, which included many mediums such as oil painting, acrylic, sculpture, felting, ecoprinting and textile production.

To celebrate the beauty of these artists’ work, four lucky ladies received 50 spring tulips as tombola prizes.

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Theme: PALMISTRY

March 2022:

We welcomed one of our NIC members as our speaker this month, and she explained the fascinating art of Palmistry!

The presentation was a thorough look into all the different ways we use our hands, as well as how our hands help us and how our hands define us.

This month’s four Tombola Prizes were filled with different things we can use to pamper our hands, gathered and assembled by the NIC Coffee Morning Coordinator.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

There was also a special initiative organized by a NIC Activity Leader at the March Coffee Morning. NIC Members were asked to bring food and hygiene donations to support the growing crisis in Ukraine.

An assortment of bags were collected for humanitarian relief, and delivered on the same day to a collection point organized by the Embassy.  

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Theme: FLAMENCO

February 2022:

After a long winter break, we returned to an in-person Coffee Morning!

Presented by the Spanish ladies of the NIC, there was a fabulous display of Flamenco dancing…….

…….and also a formal presentation, complete with displayed materials to help us learn about the art, the clothes, the music and the fun.

Tombola Prizes for the February Coffee Morning were two bottles of Federico Paternina Rioja Crianza, one bottle of Marques de Monistrol Seleccion Especial Cava, a fan hand-painted by a former NIC member and a handmade apron, sewn by a former NIC member.

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Theme: BINGO

January 2022

This month, to keep everyone safe, we had a virtual coffee morning and played BINGO online. To keep our spirits high, we encouraged members to wear fun hats. Prizes were awarded to the Most Colorful, Craziest, and Best in Show. Five BINGO winners also won prizes.

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December 2021

December 2021:

The December Coffee Morning was postponed, due to newly-imposed coronavirus restrictions from the Belgian government. The NIC was therefore not able to meet in person for a traditional Coffee Morning in the month of December.

Looking ahead to January 2022, more information about our next Coffee Morning will be sent to the NIC members through the normal channels.

The NIC President and Vice President created a very special electronic greeting card, on behalf of the NIC Committee. This greeting was shared with the entire NIC membership by email. While it could not take the place of an in-person Coffee Morning, it was sent with the warmest wishes and hopes for being together again soon!

These words were included inside the electronic greeting:

Dear NIC friends,

We wish you and your family a holiday season that is full of wonderful surprises, treats and nonstop laughter.

We really hope we can get together in January to  spend some quality time while enjoying the NIC activities.

All the best,

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The NIC at the NATO Charity Bazaar

November 2021:

On Thursday, November 18th the NIC participated at the NATO Charity
Bazaar (NCB) along with Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland. The NIC President sewed beautiful gift items and Christmas decorations. Many NIC members
baked favourite cakes, cookies or muffins. And others volunteered their
time to promote our activities and products and to introduce visitors to the
NIC. All together we raised 631€ for the charities! A very heartfelt thanks to
our volunteers.

The NIC also donated two very beautiful gift baskets to the 2021 NCB Tombola!

From the President of the NATO International Club:

“We admire all of the hard work that each of the NATO Nations have put into
their National Stands during the three weeks of the NCB. We feel so very
fortunate to have members from so many of those Nations who have
shared their friendships with us. We wish you much success.”

See below for some images of the incredible table displays created by NIC members:

Because the contribution of the NIC was so valuable to the NATO Charity Bazaar, the President of the NCB asked the President and Vice President of the NIC to write an editorial piece for one of the NCB Newsletters. Here are the gracious words they wrote to everyone at NATO!

“On Thursday, November 18th, in solidarity with the NCB, the NATO International Club (NIC) hosted a table to raise awareness of the NIC and support the many worthwhile charities benefiting from this year’s NCB. Not only did the NIC volunteers unite to make the food and crafts sold at our table but shared a wonderful day getting to know each other while also supporting the other Nordic National Stands.”

“The NIC offers friendship and support to spouses of NATO employees and its Partner Nations. We are a social club that encourages new friendships and a positive experience in Brussels. Our enthusiastic volunteer leaders organize many different groups for members to join in an activity they already enjoy or to try something new. We also host a monthly get together where we meet, talk, learn and always share laughter.”

“As an example, last month one of our NIC members organized a tour and wine tasting at a lovely Bio vineyard Domaine Viticole du Chenoy just 47 kms from Bruxelles. Not only was this a fun activity for our members but it was an excellent opportunity to support a local Belgian vineyard. The owner himself gave us the tour, provided the tastings and at the end donated a couple bottles of their bio wine for the NIC NCB Tombola Baskets.”

“The NIC values being a supportive and caring community which naturally coincides with the mission of the NCB. We are so very grateful for the opportunity to participate in this year’s NCB and commend the NCB Board for their efforts in overcoming the many hurdles to make this possible.”

“We look forward to enabling many more years of mutual support and friendship between the NIC & NCB.”

Warm wishes,

The NIC President & NIC Vice President

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Theme: Interior Design – from Zero to Hero

Our lovely Tombola prizes will help three lucky winners decorate with some of the principles our speaker taught us.

Also included in the November 2021 tombola was a special President’s Raffle, with a handmade holiday decoration from the NIC President:

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Theme : FALK Culinair

October 2021:

October brought a fascinating presentation by Jan Van Achter, Managing Director of FALK Culinair, a third-generation Belgian company specializing in handcrafted copper cookware.

Three lucky tombola winners received miniature Falk pots to add to their keychains or use in the kitchen for small measurements. The prizes were beautifully packaged in bags designed by the NIC President.

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Theme: Japan

September 2021:

For our first in-person Coffee Morning since March 2020, the theme was Japan. We enjoyed learning all about Japan’s cooperation with NATO and the Sado Tea Ceremony from our special guest, the Japanese Military Representative to NATO.  

Once the presentation was finished, the membership got to try Japanese sweets and matcha tea made by our host. The very bravest of NIC members had a go at making their own matcha.

Five lucky winners received tombola gifts given by our guest, bags made from Kimono silk with everything a person needs to make matcha tea at home inside the bag.

And then three more special gifts hand-made by our President we raffled to lucky winners:

• A 25X25 cm. fabric Doorstop with the NIC logo and a handmade embroidery
• A fabric Phone Stand with the NIC logo and embellishments
• A fabric Tote Bag with the NIC logo and tassel made in macrame and a wooden tag

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Theme: Farewell Coffee Morning

June 2021:

The June NIC Coffee Morning was filled with much emotion. There were stories shared, with laughter and tears, as the group looked back on the amazing experiences and relationships inside the NIC.

The NIC President and VIce President created one-of-a-kind Farwell gifts, lovingly given to each departing member.

Personal touches on each gift made them so special: hand-written notes, crocheted decorations and handmade accessories, as well as instructions on how to use the wrapping to create a re-usable bag.

There was also an extraordinary presentation given by one of the Belgian members of the NIC, in which she profiled all the things to do and see in Belgium.

Take a look at the file below and discover something new in our wonderful host nation!

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Theme: An Author’s Process

May 2021

We had the most wonderful presentation in May from Susana Rodriguez Concejo. She shared generously about the process of writing a book – from developing ideas all the way through publishing.

There were many questions from the group and Susana answered each one with encouragement to anyone hoping to write. She told us that it is the most wonderful feeling to see one’s own book on display in a bookstore, and that she wanted other people to experience this, too!

NIC Tombola Prizes were given away to three lucky winners: signed copies of Susana’s books and also crocheted bookmarks, handmade and assembled by the NIC President.

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Theme: Made in Abeilles – Bee to B!

April 2021

The guest speaker for April’s online Coffee Morning was Bruno Harmant of Made in Abeilles located in Nandrin. Made in Abeilles is also the organization which manages the NATO beehives, as part of the green initiatives implemented there.

Our speaker shared about the lives of bees: where they thrive, what they need and what each of us can do to create a better environment for them. Stop cutting the grass so short and let some wildflowers grow!

The discussion was passionate and lively, as several NIC members had many observations and questions. For example, one member asked about how our diets impact the life of the hive? Is it damaging for us to eat their honey? Another member asked about the ecological differences between backyard hives and wild bee colonies.

Both the NIC Book Club and the NIC Advanced English Conversation group had recently read titles related to bees, and this created a vibrant discussion full of interest among the members.

The Tombola prizes were generously donated by a NIC member and community of friends to support the educational component of honey and wildflowers.

Beopolis in Le Noyer, France, was the source of our lovely Tombola prizes, facilitated and packaged by a creative NIC member, with crocheted bookmarks added by the NIC President.

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Theme: Curating the Corporate Art Collection at the National Bank of Belgium

March 2021

Our guest speaker in March was Yves Randaxhe, curator of art for the last twenty years at the National Bank of Belgium. He explained why the NBB has an art collection in the first place, and also why the focus of the collection was on contemporary Belgian artists. It was a breathtaking peek behind the scenes into a world we would normally never be able to access.

Tombola prizes were three copies of “Forte Impression” in which the story of printing between 1850 and 2020 by the National Bank of Belgium is recorded. Each copy included commemorative bank notes.

This was an extraordinary presentation for the NIC, and only possible because our NIC Vice President had met the speaker at another event a few years ago. She remembered how fascinating his presentation was, and she reached out to see if he would come and speak to the NIC, as well!

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National Host: The Republic of NORTH MACEDONIA

February 2021:

One of our NIC members gave us an thoroughly inspiring presentation of her home nation: The Republic of North Macedonia.

She covered history, culture, traditional ceremonies, food, music and much more. Each of us watching felt that we had been given a wonderful tour with our own personal guide!

Jars of the famous AJVAR were given away as Tombola prizes to six very happy winners – and to the rest of the group, she provided the recipe and instructions for how to make it at home!

THANK YOU SO MUCH to our lovely friend from The Republic of North Macedonia for helping us to continue learning more about each other. What a wonderful Coffee Morning and presentation!

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Theme:
Discovering Flemish Brabant

January 2021:

Our guest speaker in January’s online Coffee Morning was from Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant. She gave us an overview of all the things to do in the extraordinary province surrounding us, including the many walking trails – through fields growing Belgian endives! The presentation gave us ideas for activities right now in the rainy and cold days of winter, as well as some ideas for the warmer days of spring just around the corner.

One of our Belgian NIC members presented a thoroughly researched history of Belgian endives: witloof and grondwitloof. This was a very nice partner theme to “Discovering Flemish Brabant” as we are living in the heartland of where grondwitloof is produced – and it’s in season currently!

There were three documents shared with the entire NIC membership following this event:
– archived recipes from a 2014 NIC “Cook with Me” honoring witloof
– current collection of recipes from NIC members and our guest speaker
– Resource Guide for grondwitloof, covering the research and history presented

January’s Tombola Prizes were three lovely bags in fabrics inspired by Flanders. Inside the bags were tins of cookies in the shape of Flemish row-houses and some elegant Belgian chocolate bars.

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Theme: Cozy Christmas

December 2020

Our annual Holiday Celebration took place as an online meeting this year. Instead of feeling sad about not being able to meet for a traditional party, we focused our efforts into sharing & learning special traditions from one another. The content for December’s Coffee Morning content was a generous display of member-driven ingenuity!

Twelve NIC members presented ten themes filled with inspiration to help all of us enjoy the coziest season, using simple things we have here around us:

Christmas Traditions in (some) of the English-speaking World

Three NIC members teamed up and made a skit for us showcasing traditions, pronunciation and even the very different definitions of the same word across three nations!

Cozy Christmas Decorating

Our NIC President shared a series of lovely ideas – with many inspiring photos – for creating a Christmas Corner inside our homes, as well as how to easily craft and sew decorations from fabric, paper and string. She included custom pieces she had made to represent all the Nations currently within our membership!

There was also a special President’s Raffle for December, in which three lucky members won hand-crafted, cozy decorations which were made by our President.

Crocheted & Handmade Ornaments

Our Vice President shared ideas in a brilliant slideshow for using crochet and knitting techniques to create beautiful holiday decorations. She also told of the tradition behind these from her home Nation.

She provided the December Tombola gifts, as well: three sets of beautiful handmade Angels and Christmas Balls!

Each year, the NATO International Club has been able to provide a donation to Escalpade, which is a Belgian School and Day Center in Louvain-la-Neuve for young people with severe disabilities. This year the NIC was also able to offer a donation. We welcomed a member of the Escalpade Staff into our online Coffee Morning and she was introduced by our President, after which she shared a message of thanks and greetings from Escalpade.

The entire event was a wonderful celebration of what makes the NIC so special: members sharing with warmth and generosity – to one another and also to a beloved community inside our Host Nation.

What a perfect way to observe the December Holiday Season!

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NATO Charity Bazaar

November 2020

This year the NIC donated two collections of gifts to the NATO Charity Bazaar Tombola.

Each one collection was lovingly assembled by the President and Vice-President, together with the Coffee Morning Coordinator. Filled with both handmade and purchased items, the two collections represent the activities of a social year in the NATO International Club.

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Theme: Asante Mama – Uplifting Lives, One Cup at a Time

November 2020

Our guest speaker in November was Pamela Anyoti Peronaci, the founder of a Brussels-based Tea and Cocoa Bean company, called Asante Mama. Pamela founded Asante Mama in 2007, as a way to provide small hold farmers in Uganda with sustainable income streams.

This topic is already fascinating enough, but Pamela gave her presentation over the phone – from Uganda – into the Zoom screen! It was amazingly innovative.

She shared about the beginnings of the company, growing chili peppers together with 15 widows, and how this venture helped them earn enough money to send their children to school. She also shared about the Cocoa Bean production and where those farms are located – which regions of Uganda are cultivated for particular crops.

Pamela generously donated enough boxes of her Herbal Tea for us to give away TEN Tombola Prizes!

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Theme: A Holistic Approach to Daily Life in the Time of Covid-19

October 2020:

The presentation in October was given online by Teresa Fernandez-Gil, PhD. She gave an overview on how nutrition and healthy lifestyle habits can support and strengthen our immune systems. This is a timeless subject, and yet ideal for our current situation of entering the colder months and the continuing presence of the global pandemic.

The Q&A session was filled with diverse and fascinating questions raised by many members of the NIC. It was very enjoyable and equal in length to the presentation itself!

There was also a video appearance by younger members of two NIC households, demonstrating how to make sushi — while wearing sweet little face masks with a sushi print.

Five tombola prizes were handmade and assembled by two generous NIC members: fabric face masks with beaded lanyards.

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Theme: The Many Roles of the Trailing Spouse

September 2020:

Our first Coffee Morning of the NIC Social Year was virtual, yet still filled with the warmth and sharing that any NIC gathering has. Most wonderfully, several of our members who moved this summer were able to JOIN in the Coffee Morning because of it being online! That was the best kind of silver lining to our current state of social distancing.

Our speaker, Stéphanie Gheysen of S’SENS gave a very powerful presentation on the shared experiences we have in “trailing” around the world. She outlined the different challenges we face – from stereotypes of a glamorous lifestyle, to the very real adjustments we experience when returning home after several years abroad.

Because it was a very unique September, there were TWO giveaways:

A Special President’s Raffle: Our new NIC President made some special gifts by hand to match the theme of traveling and moving around. Even staying in one place, anyone would find these lovely zippered bags, with crocheted zipper pulls, to be wonderfully useful!!

The Regular Coffee Morning Tombola: Three Journals for recording anything and everything, with lines and grids on the interior pages.

We also enjoyed a very fun video of how to make “Oatmeal Protein Energy Balls” to help us with packing lunches and the busy September days we all are having right now!

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Theme:
Garden FAREWELL
& Online FAREWELL

June 2020:

Many NIC members moved away during the summer and we held two different Farewell events. The first FAREWELL was in a beautiful garden, outside on a sunny June morning. The second was online and a “virtual” Farewell meeting. It was very different from the way the NIC has held events in the past, but we were able to meet the needs of many NIC members by having two variations!

This year, both our former President and former Vice President were moving and together they created very perfect Farewell gifts to the many members who were leaving as well: a sachet made with dried rose petals from the garden of one, sewn into lovely packages using the fabric from the nation of the other. Each blue & white package contained a hand-written note from the former President and former Vice President.

For the online Farewell, we needed some clever and colorful Tombola tickets to use in our online drawing! We asked a very creative young member of one of our NIC households to help us and she prepared an entire bag full of tickets!

The Tombola prizes were assembled by our former Vice President and contained special handmade soaps and hand-gathered amber from Lithuania.

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National Host: NEW ZEALAND

March 2020

The NIC enjoyed a generous presentation on NEW ZEALAND and the important role that nation plays in maintaining global peace and security.

This was just one week prior to the entire city of Brussels closing itself down in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID 19, which makes the contribution of our friends from NEW ZEALAND that much more treasured.

New Zealand has TWO official languages: English and Maori.

It was delightful to hear part of the program spoken in Maori, and created such a perfect moment inside a room filled with international members speaking so many different languages themselves!

The maritime area of responsibility for the NEW ZEALAND DEFENCE FORCE is enormous, and stretches all the way south to Antarctica!

This beautiful nation of islands, surrounded by water, may be on the other side of the world from Belgium, yet we have so much to learn from them – especially because of their Southern Hemisphere perspectives.

We learned from one of our members that Italy is exactly on the other side of the globe, if one could push a pin through the earth!

EVERYONE LOVED THE CHEESE SCONES!

Apparently, these are mini-sized scones and were made just to serve the large group in the NIC. Our hosts explained that the scones are normally baked to be much larger.

Either way, they were absolutely delicious!

Take a look at the recipe here and give them a try – you won’t be disappointed!

Tombola Prizes were two excellent New Zealand wines from Main Divide, a hand-painted silk scarf and book of landscape photographs.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for everything, New Zealand! We are lucky to have had this presentation, and the chance to learn more about your beautiful nation!

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Theme: A Love forLocal Journalism in Belgium

February 2020: This Coffee Morning was all about the love of letters and printed word. Our guest speaker works as a journalist and Senior Editor at The Brussels Times. He spoke about the vibrant world of local stories outside the “bubble” of Brussels. With humor and open dialogue, he interacted with our members discussing a wide range of topics and illustrations of how we can access local stories which affect all of our lives in Belgium.

There was also a Do-It-Yourself Name Tag Station!

This was very popular and the station was filled with members creating unique and personalized name tags to use during the Coffee Mornings.

The food table offered artisan Belgian chocolates. Keeping with the theme of discovering a wider Belgium beyond the urban center of Brussels. the assortment came from an independent shop in Overijse.

There were three Tombola Prizes filled with love, letters and chocolates.

Each prize contained a crystal necklace, (handmade by one of our members), a notepad stamped with “You Go Girl” and also a package of heart-shaped Valentine’s Day chocolates from Irsi.

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Theme: Create Your Own Sunshine – A Guide to Thriving in the Belgian Winter

January 2020: the first Coffee Morning of 2020 was focused on ways to find light, warmth and happiness when the weather outside seems dark, cold and depressing.

Three guest speakers from within the NIC Membership shared both professional and personal advice, ranging from nutrition & Vitamin D3 to light therapy, aromatherapy and daily exercise as techniques for feeling good every day. There were many ideas for helping ourselves, through helping others — truly something for every need!

The food menu was planned with sunshine in mind, focusing on citrus and bright, vitamin-rich ingredients. Little bites of Croque-Monsieur, in three flavors, were heated and presented as a taste of savory warmth — this was a big hit and disappeared quickly from the platters!!

Tombola prizes were gifts of essential oils (citrus and spearmint) together with an aromatherapy diffuser, packaged inside a fabric bag with sunny gold polka dots.

Our January Coffee Morning was a true celebration of NIC members working together, creating a supportive event in which we are helping one another – and also learning from within our incredible Membership!

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Theme: Christmas Around The World

December 2019: The NIC had a wonderful holiday celebration, turning the normal Coffee Morning into an international brunch!!

There were a lot of people involved in the planning of this event, and it was beautifully done – from the decorations to the organization of food tables, to the laughter and enjoying the festive foods and drinks.

Each person attending was given holiday gifts to take home:

Individual gingerbread cookies, made by two of our lovely members and a special, wooden ornament with the NIC logo, packaged beautifully by our Tombola Coordinator.

Happy Holidays from the NATO International Club!!

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NATIONAL HOST: Australia

November 2019: The NIC Coffee Morning in November was hosted by AUSTRALIA, complete with an excellent presentation of Australia’s military history, as well as an outline of the vital role this nation plays in global security and cooperative work together with NATO.

With bright red, blue and white in the background, our members tasted Sausage Rolls and Anzac Slice.

The food STAR of the morning was the Vegemite Toast, graciously served around the room by our Guest Speaker.

Tombola gifts were an assortment of Australian products, including Eucalyptus Hand Cream and note cards with the famous Kookaburra birds. There was also one very special bottle of Z-Force wine given to a lucky NIC member. The extraordinary story behind Zonte’s Footstep Z-Force Shiraz Petite Sirah can be read here.

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Special Event: NATO Charity Bazaar

The NIC took part in the 2019 NATO Charity Bazaar on Sunday 17 November. This was a wonderful experience, made possible by the generous time and talent donations of many NIC members!

Two gift collections were given by the NIC to the NATO Charity Bazaar’s Tombola fundraising project. Each gift contained a Reisenthel bottle bag with nine compartments. Three Bio and Vegan wines (red, rose and prosecco) were added, along with an assortment of carefully-chosen gifts representing activities inside the NIC, along with an information card explaining the connection.

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Theme: EU Food Labeling & Consumer Protections

October 2019: This month was a very special arrangement. Our guest speaker began with a brief presentation on the legal requirements for food labels inside the EU, then followed by inviting questions from the members. This led to discussion points ranging from labeling for food allergies to the regulations covering expiration dates. There were several packages of food items passed among members of the audience for comparisons between the labels.

Tombola prizes were vacuum bottles from Manna, wrapped with tea towels in Lithuanian linen.

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Theme: Zero Waste

September 2019: Our guest speaker gave a presentation on how the Zero Waste movement began, and how each one of us could begin in small ways to reduce our consumption of plastic. Belgium has a growing number of groups, shops and industries looking at how to avoid waste — it’s a timely subject for all of us living here!

The food was simple and prepared as an example of how to use extra bits of cheese, meat or even jam: savory muffins and oatmeal jam squares. Napkins were sewn squares of Lithuanian linen.

This Coffee Morning was the first of our social year, and we wanted it to be special. The sister of one of our members sewed drawstring vegetable/fruit bags from upcycled curtains and each member attending the Coffee Morning received one of these bags as a gift from the NIC!

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NATIONAL HOST: Lithuania

June 2019: This very special Coffee Morning was hosted by our members from Lithuania. We learned about the nation, the foods, drinks, tastes and textiles with videos streaming and the generous table set out for all to sample.

Jakob Laukaitis’ video was an enlightening overview, with humor and style.

June isn’t a regular Coffee Morning – it is the last one until we meet again in September, and that means saying Farewell every year to a large number of our dear NIC members. The Lithuanian team arranged a lovely Farewell, complete with gifts of linen and amber, each wrapped in the words of a famous Lithuanian poet:

Reikia nuo kažko pasitraukti,
kad galėtum prie kažko prieiti.

– Justinas Marcinkevičius

[You must leave one place, in order to discover a new place.] 

Tombola prizes were filled with traditional pottery, amber, sweets, books and the famous cake, šakotis. Each bag was decorated beautifully with handmade lace, crocheted by one of the Lithuanian NIC members!

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Theme: Urban Gardening

May 2019: Our guest speaker is the author of a popular local blog about gardening in the city. He shared a great deal of his knowledge for creating successful urban gardens, from what kind of containers work best on a balcony to how to care for and build up the soil. Most of all, the thread running through the presentation was that growing food in an urban environment helps connect us to our food, as well as to each other in our city spaces.

Tombola prizes were potted mint plants, a tea strainer and a card with ideas for using fresh mint.

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Theme: Pop-Up April Events

April 2019: April is a month full of holidays and reasons to travel home to family. The NIC skipped the regular Coffee Morning and instead had two “pop-up” events for those who were still in the area!

COFFEE MORNING: A few hours of friends gathered around a wooden table, sharing warmth and fresh, green, springtime wishes.

COCKTAIL AFTERNOON: A few hours of colorful springtime fun – with lively demonstrations of classic American cocktails, platters of classic snacks & Frank Sinatra singing in the background.

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Theme: The Discovery of
Flemish-Brabant

March 2019: Toerisme Vlaams-Brabant provided a vibrant portrait of hidden things there are to discover inside the region encircling Brussels, including a micro-climate producing white wine in Belgium! Samples of Flemish specialities were shared, including a variety of unique caramel praline from a Duisburg chocolatier. Each member was given a special gift bag to take home, with even more resources to discover!

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NATIONAL HOST: Sweden

February, 2019: Our lovely members from Sweden gave a presentation of their home nation, including a table full of famous Swedish meatballs, salmon and sweets. They also shared a highly entertaining video titled: “14 Things Tourists Should NOT Do When They Visit Sweden” from Wolters World Travel & Culture.

The Tombola prizes were fabric bags with a Dalarna Horse pattern, designed and sewn by a Swedish member. Each bag contained Klippan linens, maps of Stockholm, reflective badges and strawberry jam.

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Theme: Italian Opera Lirica

January, 2019: Our guest speaker gave a comprehensive overview of classic Opera – it’s history, terminology and rich cultural traditions in Italy and Europe.

The Tombola prizes were gift bags of warmth – containing glass mosaic candle holders & tealights, and also packages of a luxury hot chocolate powder from Neuhaus.

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Theme: New Visits & New Discoveries of Brussels

November 2018: Our speaker presented an overview of how many extraordinary things there are to discover in Brussels, hidden along the normal paths and popular sites.

Tombola prizes were copies of Derek Blyth’s book “The 500 Hidden Secrets of Brussels.”

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Theme: The Chemistry of Wine & Friendship

September 2018: Our speaker showed us what happens, from a chemist’s point of view, in the process of turning grapes to wine! There were samples of wines from 9 of the nations represented in the NIC, and thoughtfully-paired bites of food for each bottle.

Tombola prizes were sewn fabric wine bags, filled with several wine accessories, including the hand-beaded wine glass charms (crafted by a NIC member!) and Syrah-Cabernet-Merlot infused sea salt shown below:

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NATIONAL HOST: Italy

June, 2018: Our Italian members hosted a wonderful Coffee Morning, including presentations on Italian culture, fashion and even the Italian way to speak with our hands!

A guest speaker profiled the history of Marsala wine production and it’s Mediterranean connection to the UK. Three exceptional pairings of food and wine were offered to the members, after the presentation.

Tombola was provided by the Host Nation members, and each gift contained an Italian Coffee Set.

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NATIONAL HOST: Spain

May, 2018: Our Spanish members shared incredible tastes of sweet and savory from the different regions in Spain, as well as a viewing of a gorgeous film about Spanish cultural destinations.

They gave the entire room a chance to learn traditional Spanish dance – and even set up displays of Spanish dance costumes!

Tombola prizes were provided by the Host Nation members, and each had a bottle of Spanish olive oil, a kitchen apron with Spanish design and a beautiful Spanish fan!

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NATIONAL HOST: United Kingdom & the Commonwealth

April, 2018: Our members from the UK and the Commonwealth (Australia) gave us a lovely morning celebrating Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Tea. As one would expect, the tables were rich with treats and beautifully arranged! There were a variety of presentations to the membership, including a dramatic reading of the poem “The King’s Breakfast.”

Tombola gifts were provided by the Host Nation members. Each prize contained specialty items from Fortnum & Mason.

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Theme: Belgium – Chocolates, Carnaval & Culture

February, 2018: Our guest speaker gave a presentation of Belgium’s traditional celebrations of Carnaval around the country, as well as the history behind this colorful and vibrant way to begin Lent in Belgium. Chocolates were offered for sampling.

Each Tombola prize contained a box of 5 art photo cards with the 2016 Grand Place Flower Carpet, (made by a NIC member!), a lace-edged linen handkerchief from Manufacture Belge de Dentelles and a small box of Frederic Blondeel chocolates. All this was wrapped in a muslin vegetable bag from DelHaize — both French and Flemish were written on the front. Perfectly Belgian!

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Theme: Winter Warmth & Embracing Hygge

January, 2018: A medical doctor was our guest speaker and she presented an overview of what happens to our bodies in the darker, colder months. She also gave us tips on how to manage the shorter days and make them work for us.

Tombola prizes were “Hygge Boxes” — each one contained a vintage teacup + Thé des Moines, a heating pad, citrus essential oil and a candle with a pretty box of matches.

All members of the NIC received electronic copies of “Jumpstart Your Hygge Journey” and “Winter Warmth,” in both French and English.

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NATIONAL HOST: United States

November, 2017: NIC members from the USA hosted a Thanksgiving Coffee Morning, complete with a full Thanksgiving Feast: Roast Turkey, Stuffing in two variations, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Sweet Potatoes, Cranberries and a variety of American Pies for dessert!

Each member of the US team showed her region on a map of the States and gave a short history of that geographic area.

Tombola prizes were provided by the Host Nation members. They included Yankee Candles and framed photographs of the Jefferson Memorial with DC’s famous cherry blossoms.

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NATIONAL HOST: Slovenia

October, 2017: Our Slovenian members hosted a truly delightful Coffee Morning, at which they shared an in-depth presentation about their home country. They also brought in a display of books, maps and crystal – as well as generous platters of delicious Slovenian food and samples of Slovenian wines!

Tombola prizes were provided by the Host Nation members, with support from the Mission of Slovenia to NATO.

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Please join us in the NIC, and come to a Coffee Morning. We have so much to learn from one another in our shared experiences of Belgium!

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