Here in Holland Andy Clark

We live in crazy times - the Corona virus has got us all under its malevolent spell. In this edition I talk to psychologist Vassia Sarantopoulou about tips on keeping sane during this time of fear and social distancing. Vassia is the woman behind Antiloneliness.com There are lots of tips in the podcast and here are some links Vassia wanted to share too. Washington Post tips for couplesTips from an astronaut on isolation from New York TimesWhat if you are stuck with an abusive person - from Th...

I've been working on a new idea - a podcast all about dog stories. Having recently become a dog owner for the first time it struck me how many stories people start telling you when you are out with your pooch. So, let's do it, I thought, and here is the first ever Shaggy Dog Stories podcast. Please share with anyone you think will like it and if you have a dog story you would like to share with me then please please get in touch. There's email - greatdogstory@gmail.com - and there's even...

This a collection of funny stories recorded at the Feel at Home Fair in The Hague. Internationals from around the world share their thoughts on the wonderfully weird world that is The Netherlands. The fair was organised by The Hague Online in February 2020. Thanks to Billy and the team for letting me roam free with my microphone. At the end of the podcast there is a bonus story from a pilot project - Shaggy Dog Stories. I am collecting dog stories so thought I would share one here. Let me kno...

In this episode I'm joined by author Ben Coates. Ben is a Brit and he's been in The Netherlands for about ten years - he previously wrote a book about his experiences here "Why the Dutch are Different" and he featured in an earlier podcast talking about that. This time he talks about his new book - The Rhine. The book starts in The Netherlands and follows the river Rhine all the way to its source in Switzerland. From Ben's site: "For five years, Ben Coates lived alongside a major channel of t...

What to do when things get tough and you start getting into a negative spiral…we all feel down at times but what to do to stop this getting out of control? And how can we develop habits that will keep us happy and in balance?Internationals can often feel disoriented so how best to organize your life to be happy and fulfilled.I’m joined by Psychologist Bjarne Timonen who has written a book – the Life Style Guide Against Somberness – De Leef Stijlgids Tegen Somberheid. It’s full of practic...

What's it like being an international mum in The Netherlands? And what's it like as a woman here when trying to combine a career and a family. My guest in the podcast is Steliana van de Rijt-Economu she's originally from Romania and has been bringing up her kids in The Netherlands for the last four years. She is also an Organisational Development Consultant and executive coach. And she has written a book Mothers as Leaders. It presents inspirational real-life stories of twenty women fro...