Find out more about NedLes’ fantastic teacher Mathilde in this article and enjoy her useful tips for fun and tasty activities in the Netherlands.
Mathilde has been part of the NedLes team since 2021. She has a degree in Law but found her real passion in teaching Dutch as a second language. She lives in Amsterdam-Oost with her partner and their son. She loves walking to work, doodling in her free time, listening to podcasts, and collecting fun, quirky socks as well as colourful oversized shirts from thrift stores.
Here are the top words students use to describe Mathilde:
Patient – Friendly – Well prepared – Calm – Caring
Mathilde loves to teach all levels and groups and can often be found teaching our beginner crash courses at school.
Favourite restaurant
That would be ‘Semai’, an Ethiopian-Eritrean restaurant in Amsterdam Noord. I’ve been coming there for years, always with my brother and sister. You eat with your hands here, from one giant shared platter- no cutlery provided! And you sip your banana beer from a gourd bowl. Sounds fun, right?
Favourite museum
I don’t have one absolute favourite, but my most memorable recent visit was to the Kandinsky exhibition at H’ART Museum Amsterdam. As a birthday gift from my colleagues, I even got to create my own Kandinsky-inspired painting during a workshop at the museum! Turns out, I have slightly less talent than Kandinsky himself – but that didn’t spoil the fun.
Day trip tip
Ever tried yoga with goats? You can do that in the Amsterdamse Bos, at the Geitenboerderij Ridammerhoeve. Goats are such funny, social creatures. You can also have a goat ice cream or a sandwich with goats cheese in their restaurant and they provide tiny little bottles of milk for kids to feed the baby goats with. If hay in your hair isn’t your thing, head to Fun Forest, a climbing park in the trees that’s also located in the Amsterdamse Bos. that’s great for both kids and adults.
Favourite podcast
The podcast ‘Bob’, has left a lasting impression with me. It is a beautiful series about the mysterious lover of a woman with dementia. 84 year old Elisa suddenly starts talking about Bob, with whom she is madly in love. However, her daughters have never heard of this Bob before and are trying to find out who he is and if he ever existed at all. I also loved the podcast “De plantage van onze voorouders’ in which the creator dives into the historical involvement in slavery of her aristocratic family in Suriname.