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Get to know our Dutch Studies academic staff and find out how you can get in touch with them. If you are an Erasmus student from the Netherlands or Flanders, check out our ' opportunities and get in touch.

Dr Filip De Ceuster

What’s your name?
Filip De Ceuster, but you can call me Filip or Fip.

What’s your role within Dutch Studies at 51��ݶ�?
I teach Low Countries History and Culture, and Dutch Language across all levels. I am specialised in Interwar Literature, but I also teach a module on ecocriticism in contemporary Dutch and Flemish children’s literature.

Favourite spot in Sheffield?
Definitely my colleague Yeti’s lovely garden, where at the end of the academic year all students of Dutch gather for the Gezellige Nederlandse Zomerborrel! Bunting, bubbles, bites and bulbs! 

Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
That’s a difficult one...
Outside: the quays of the river Scheldt (Schelde) in the city of Antwerp. Watching the ships and seagulls on long summer evenings, cracked cobbles with dandelions… It was one of my favourite reading spots when I was a student.
Inside: the magnificent Printing Museum of Plantin-Moretus (also in Antwerp), which has a unique book collection and the oldest printing presses in the world!

Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
So many! But here’s a good one: “Als de vos de passie preekt, boer, let op uw kippen!”. Literally: if the fox preaches the passion, farmer, watch your chickens! 

A tip for incoming SLC students?
Get out of your comfort zone, try new things and keep a journal. (I do realise that that is more than one tip.) And take up Dutch! (that’s four now). 

What’s your name?
Henriette Louwerse. In Dutch, Henriette is shortened to Jet, which you pronounce as /yet/. That is why I am also called Yeti (Jet in Dutch)

What’s your role within Dutch Studies at 51��ݶ�?
I am the Director of Studies and I teach Dutch for Beginners and one semester of our Dutch Advanced course. I also offer a course on (post)colonial history and society and on the representation and ideology of the family in Dutch and Flemish literature and film. And finally I am interested in translation. 

Favourite spot in Sheffield?
I have many favourite spots, I like Tamper Coffee because it serves such a mean flat white. I like Weston Park because it is so green and timeless, but my top spot is the Western Bank Library. Go in, smell the books and you’ll  feel learned! Or at least inspired to read and study. And the staff are very helpful. 

Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
I will go for anywhere in Friesland; I love the northern provinces a lot but it is where I grew up. I am also very fond of the beaches in Zeeland. And Groningen is my favourite city.

Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
I love the ‘oe’ sound in Dutch which is close to English ‘oo’ but a little bit shorter. The word smoesje is one of my favourite words because it is sweet and short and (quite) harmless and it means excuse, little white lie. 

A tip for incoming SLC students?
Give as much as you take; engage from the start; and if you are unsure about something, just get in touch. We are here for you.

Megan Strutt

What’s your name and where are you from?
My name’s Megan and if you’re thinking that doesn’t sound very Dutch, you’d be right. That’s because I come from a small village in the Peak District!

What do you do?
I’m a teaching assistant in Dutch and German at the University.

Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
Probably the Bonnefanten Museum in Maastricht. From the outside, the building looks like some sort of spaceship-windmill hybrid (very Dutch science fiction if you ask me). Inside, at the top of the building is a room nestled under the domed roof, with beanbags on the floor and intricate patterns painted in black and white on the ceiling. The perfect spot to sit and contemplate life after having a nosey at some art.

Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
I’m a big fan of ‘jeetje mineetje!’ which has a meaning a bit similar to the good classic ‘tsjonge, jonge, jonge!

What’s currently your favourite Dutch song?
I’ve racked my brain for ages but can’t think of one - sorry!! 

A Dutch or Flemish film you want to recommend to our students? And why?
Two very different suggestions here - first of all, not a film, but the series ‘Amsterdam Vice’ on Netflix is a bingeable police action series set in the 80s. It’s super stylish and worth watching just for the flares and 80s cars to be honest… My second suggestion is indeed a film: het afscheid, a grainy black and white film from the 1960s, set in the Antwerp docks. If you want something plot-heavy, maybe give this one a miss, but if you’re like me and love a good atmospheric film that doesn’t really go anywhere, but lets you escape into another world for a little while, this one’s perfect. 

Allyssa Arevalo

What’s your name and where are you from?
Allyssa Jaene Arevalo. I’m from Belgium. I was born in Aalst but I study at the University of Leuven. 

What do you study?
I study Law.

Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
My favourite spot is either Oostende or Brussels. The first one because it has a beach and it reminds me of summer. The second one because there are lots of activities to do and many great food spots. 

Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
“Daarom”: not because of its typical use but because it became some type of slang. It’s basically the same as “SAME!”, “EXACTLY” or “THAT’S WHY!!”.

What’s currently your favourite Dutch song?
Achtbaan by Frenna or any K3 song. K3 was my childhood but they still have a special place in my heart up to this day. Good ones are: “Waterval”, “Tele-Romeo” or “Alle kleuren”.

A Dutch or Flemish book or film you want to recommend to our students? And why?
Book: I recommend Vermoord het verleden by Jonas Boets because it’s a real page turner. It is not too hard to read but not too easy either. The action and suspense throughout the book will keep you going and you’ll learn a lot of new vocabulary.
Series: If you like Friends, Hallo K3 is a good choice. It’s a funny sitcom and it shows you scenarios of everyday life. Great for your Dutch!

Emma Kole

What’s your name and where are you from?
Hi everyone, my name is Emma and I’m from Hilversum in the Netherlands.

What do you study?
I study history at Utrecht University and now do my specialisation in political history.

Favourite spot in the Low Countries?
In the Netherlands I’m a marathon ice speedskater so actually my favourite place is the ice rink in Utrecht! A few years ago we could skate on the Loosdrecht lakes nearby Hilversum, and I also love it there in the summer.

Favourite word or expression in Dutch?
I like the word lekker because it is multifunctional. For example, in Dutch we use it to talk about food, the weather, and how we feel.

What’s currently your favourite Dutch song?
I like a lot of Dutch songs but the first one I thought of is Pak Maar M’n Hand by Nick & Simon. It’s old but a classic to me.

A Dutch or Flemish book or film you want to recommend to our students? And why?
I would definitely recommend Dutch comedy and romcoms. A few that I like are Soof, Alles op Tafel en De Tatta’s. 

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