Gezellig

Ingrid Regout at my graduation from the European Public Affairs Masters Programme, Maastricht, June 30, 2005.

Ingrid Regout was the very first person I made contact with when I applied for the Masters in European Public Affairs Programme here in Maastricht. At that time Ingrid was the executive administrator of the programme. She took care of all of us in a personal and professional manner. Martijn and I have been fortunate to grow a friendship with Ingrid during the following years and tonight she came to us creating an evening at our home that has to be called "gezellig" a very Dutch word for which no translation suffices. The closest you come in English is "cozy", but gezellig is so much more than that. Ingrid has inner warmth wrapped in a direct and honest exterior that creates its own unique ambiance, and this evening she also brought along all the fixings for an honest Maastricht meal - homemade zucchini soup with tomato 'torte'. I prepared a fresh salad and our trusty 'Mr. Albert Hein' came through with a delicious apple pie. To top off this perfect autumn evening we got to belly laugh the calories away by watching "The Full Monty". (Soon Martijn hopes to be able to dance like these guys and expose all the lovely work rendered by his surgeons!)

With Martijn's mobility still limited by the drainage tube dangling from his right thigh, it's important for us to have nights 'out' that are 'in'. And when they are made gezellig by excellent company, food and some levity, time passes cozily and quickly. Hope your autumn stays cozy, Susan