Team leader Heleen de Jonge had forewarned that, because of Ramadan, it’s possible there would be fewer visitors than normal. That turned out to be right; on this Monday, only Abolfazel Mohammadi and Amjad Kayali have shown up. Abolfazel has been coming to the language café for about five months. “I attended the IB school in Maastricht for two years to do the International Baccalaureate. Because the classes there were in English, my Dutch, which I learned in VMBO [intermediate preparatory vocational education], has gotten worse. I really like the way things are done here. It’s different every week and I like to play games. I notice that my Dutch keeps getting better.”

Bicycles

Abolfazel, from Afghanistan, and Amjad, from Syria, also feel like it is important to converse with locals. Amjad: “We are going to stay here, so I want to learn to speak Dutch well. And I also want to talk with Dutch people.” Amjad is doing this in all sorts of ways. In addition to following an ICT education programme, he is also an active volunteer at the Refugee project and at Connect, where he teaches children to cycle. Heleen calls him a ‘top volunteer’. Amjad now gives Dutch lessons every week at the Refugee Project. “But I can't answer all the questions”, he laughs.

Health sciences student Stephanie Hogenhuis and Elian Schure (who, along with Heleen, is a University College student) also like to give back . Stephanie joined the language café three years ago. “I came across a call on Facebook and immediately thought, ‘We’re going to do that’. I’ve always done volunteer work and love language, meeting new people and other cultures. So, this is a perfect fit.”

Games

The Dutch language café is held on Mondays from 16.30 to 18.00 at The Innbetween in the Capucijnenstraat. The lessons are free, and anyone can walk in. Most participants come through word of mouth. Stephanie: “We think up games to play in advance. We can adjust it to the level of the person who comes. The language café involves a sort of ‘prepared improvisation’, definitely not like classes in school. The atmosphere is very casual; we talk about anything and everything.”

Stephanie has seen many participants come and go over the last three years. “A large group of friends came together for a long time, but they’ve since found their way in Maastricht. This is very good, of course, but it’s also a pity. Elian: “Sometimes we keep in touch in other ways. For example, I talk to former participants on Facebook and we’ve also been to the theatre.” Stephanie: “When Ajax played in the champions league, we watched together on a big screen and had a nice chat. And we even played football in the park once”, Amjad recalls.

It’s time to clean up. But Heleen still wants to say one thing: “We’re looking for more volunteers and team leaders. Hopefully there are people who want to join us. More information can be found on the website of the Refugee Project Maastricht.”