Tonnis and Ignace

NB! Unfortunately, we will not have the opportunity to host students for the coming school year!

Introduction

Hi, new student! We would like to introduce ourselves.

We have been foster parents for troubled teens for eighteen years; first as a crisis-care family and later for young adults (18 years or older). Currently we have switched to taking in foreign exchange students. So far we have hosted Belgian, German, Italian and Chilean exchange students through Travel Active, AFS and YfU from 2012 on (see their stories in the left-menu).

We live on an old farm near a small village in the province of Groningen). At the easy walking distance of 800 metres there is a bus stop with services at least once every hour during the day. Buses can take you to nearby villages and towns, and the city of Groningen. We have been living here since 1981, near the most beautiful nature reserve in the Netherlands: de Wadden; a large tidal sea/wetland with islands on its Northern border. The countryside is flat, but amazing. Winsum (at 6 km) was chosen the most beautiful village of the Netherlands 2020. Groningen (at 20 km) is a beautiful city (aka "the Amsterdam of the North").

We love having people stay with us. We have an open mind and heart, our house has plenty of room and we like to meet other people and cultures. We have been foster parents for troubled teens for eighteen years; first as a crisis-care family and later for young adults (18 or older). Several years ago we switched to taking in foreign exchange students. So far we have hosted Belgian, German, Italian, Thai and Chilean exchange students through Travel Active, AFS and YfU from 2012-2018 and from 2021-2022. A total of sixteen students have stayed with us so far.

A layout of the house: living room at the front of the farmhouse, main features of which are a woodstove, comfortable seating, a television set and a piano. We only use the living room during the weekends and for special occasions. Tonnis and Ignace both have their own study, where they spend a lot of time during the week. There are two rooms we use for exchange students (which does not mean that we will always host two students at the same time). One room is at the ground floor (about 10 square metres) and the other is on the attic (about 15 square metres). The rooms have a bed, seating, a desk, a phone, (WiFi) internet access, and can by request be equipped with a computer and a television. The attic where one of the student rooms is located also has an extra guest area with a bed. The kitchen is where we eat together and it usually serves as a second living room. The kitchen has a scullery with the pantry. There is a large bathroom next to the kitchen which has a shower, bathtub, sink and a toilet. In the hallway between the kitchen and the bathroom there is a second, separate toilet. At the end of that hallway is our own bedroom. Since this is an old farm, we have two large barns attached to the house. In one of them there is a sauna.The barns no longer feature any animals ; outside we have about two-and-a-half acres (one hectare) of land. There are always odd jobs to be done around the house and farm, and you are welcome to join us in taking them on.

For sports there are opportunities to join a variety of clubs in the local area, including a gym, scouting, tennis, hockey, soccer, korfball (a mixed Dutch sport related to basketball), athletics and track. If you are willing to travel a bit further, there are additional venues in Groningen, which include: climbing, swimming and ice-skating. Indoor rock-climbing is also possible in Warfhuizen, only five kilometres from where we live. Once a week we go to the swimmingpool in Bedum. Ignace has a black belt in karate and is willing to teach you some basics in the barn. Also close by is the Lauwersmeer, a large nature reserve surrounding a huge lake, where many people like to sail and surf. It is part of the most beautiful nature reserve in the Netherlands: de Wadden. We would love to do activities together as well as get to know the new friends you will make over here!

Feel welcome to contact us if you would like to get to know us better. You can do so in English, Dutch or French. We’re also happy to receive you for a visit to get to know each other before your actual stay.