Meet your teacher!
ABOUT ME
Hoi, ik ben Amanda! 😊
My full name is Amanda Jacinth van der Beek. As you can see, I’ve got a very Dutch last name. I grew up in a small village close to Rotterdam and am currently still living there. During my bachelors, however, I lived in Maastricht, the city which I have come to love very much (, despite the local dialect that I will never really be able to understand).
In Maastricht, I studied Oriental Languages and Communication for four years and studied the Japanese language. I have always loved languages, but have noticed my enthusiasm and passion for them began to grow even more over time. I started learning Korean and Thai and read some of my favourite fairy tales in French.
In my free time, I enjoy writing poetry, reading books and listening to music in every single language you can think of. I also love going for walks in the forest and looking out for cute animals.
Topics such as LGBTQ+, animal welfare, nature, climate change, sustainability, durability, human rights and gender equality are very important to me.
Meet your mascot 00
ABOUT EAMIN
Snuf snuf, ik ben Eamin! 🐭
My full name is Eamin. I’ve never known another name. This was the name I was given when I was rescued and put up for adoption in an animal shelter in January 2023. I was eventually adopted on 22-04-2023 by a girl who was very clingy. I’m a hamster, so I enjoy having some me time, but this girl, the one I’m now sharing a room with, always keeps calling me and always gives me way too many kisses, after I’ve just taken a sand bath. She sings me songs and reads me stories about other animals, but most important of all, she gives me treats! My favourite treats are sunflower seeds, mealworms, cauliflower and yellow raspberries, but you can wake me up for almost every type of fruit or veggie.
I am now 1,5 years old and I don’t know what the future will bring, but the girl says I’ll be very famous. I’ve become the face of her Dutch language school, which is ironic, because I don’t even speak Dutch myself. I’ve gotten to know many of her students though (don’t worry, I won’t tell all the secrets I hear during your lessons), so I think it’s fun to be part of the community! As long as I’ll get paid in treats, I’m more than happy to be Taalschool Natuurlijk Nederlands’ mascot.