Arjan Blokland

The language classes are given by Arjan Blokland, who is the director of Linden Languages. Arjan has worked as a Dutch teacher for more than ten years now, starting right after graduation from university. He studied European Studies & Languages in The Hague and Slavic Languages and Culture in Leiden. In 2007 he established Linden Languages and since then he has been teaching Dutch at several companies and international organisations in The Hague and surrounding areas. Arjan has travelled widely and has experienced many cultures.

Wietse Buma

Guided walking tours and culture classes are given by Wietse Buma. Wietse studied history and ethnic minority studies at Leiden University. During his studies he specialised himself in the Dutch Caribbean and the position of ethnic minorities in the Netherlands. He used to work in Suriname as a history teacher and as a correspondent for renowned Dutch newspapers such as Trouw, het Financieele Dagblad and Businessnieuws Radio. After returning to the Netherlands he worked for several years as a journalist and producer for the regional Broadcasting Corporation Omroep West. Since 2007 he has been giving cultural trainings to Dutch and international expats at the KIT (Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen). Wietse is an inspired story-teller who enjoys telling expats about Dutch culture and history. Thanks to his cross-cultural experience he knows what it is like to be an expat, so he is able to give hands on advice about dealing with the Dutch. His motto is derived from the famous American management guru Stephen Covey: ‘Try first to understand, then to be understood.’