Kung Hey Fat Choi! Happy Lunar New Year of the Tiger to everyone! So are the Tiger hasn’t brought much in the way of warmer weather, but soon, hopefully….

 

MEMBERSHIP

Annual General Meeting:  Our Annual General Meeting (“AGM”) was scheduled for February, but unfortunately Omicron has made things difficult. Your Board is very concerned about a quorum of members (approximately 45 of us) meeting together indoors, so we have decided to postpone the get-together and to hold the AGM electronically. Our Annual Report for 2021 will be posted on our website at some point this month and we will notify you when it is available for you to read. Thank you for understanding.

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Elections: And, since the AGM will not take place in person, neither will our Board elections this year. Instead, it will be done electronically via email. But please, please do vote when you receive details! We need a quorum to have a valid election. The open Board positions and the candidates to fill them are:

Recording Secretary – Lauren Baker (Lauren was appointed to the position in the middle of last year and now must be confirmed to continue in it).

Treasurer – Dora Sanchez

Member-at-Large – Karen Magee-Koski

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MEMBERSHIP EVENTS FOR FEBRUARY

• First Tuesday Coffee – Our first Tuesday Coffee was held on 1 February. Our next First Tuesday Coffee will be on 1 March, as always at MuviMent, on the terrazzo behind the MUVIM Museum and it is open to all women in Valencia, both members and those who have not officially joined us yet.

• February Luncheon, for members only – Thursday 17 February. For details and to register, please go to February Luncheon | IWC - Valencia Please remember that the Covid restrictions in Valencia require that you bring your Covid Passport and I.D. with you to the luncheon. If you have questions regarding this, please contact Jane at pres.iwcvalencia@gmail.com.

• OWL – The IWCV’s “OWL” Happy Hour will take place at 6 PM on Wednesday 23 February at Babilonia, just off St. Vincent Martir next to VinoTinto. Babilonia apologizes for not being able to open for our last OWL, but luckily we were able to move to a different place (thank you to the folks at Bodega Antonio Manuel for fitting us in on such short notice!). Your spouse / partner / guests are welcome to join you. There is no need to register for OWL, but if you know that  you will be there please email pres.iwcvalencia@gmail.com and let us know how many of you will be coming so that we can let the folks at Babilonia know about how many we will be.

• IWCV Recipe Project: You can see the Christmas recipes submitted by members in December, plus Chef Amanda’s monthly cooking tip, at Holiday recipes | IWC - Valencia. Our theme for February is “Winter Soups”. To submit your recipe, please attach it to an email and send to amandascooking@gmail.com. If you have a photo of your finished dish, please attach that to your email too.

• Special Event: “Cata” (Winestasting) and Tapas at Casa Montaña On Friday 25 February fifteen lucky IWCV members will get to join us at Casa Montaña to enjoy 9 different tapas as only Casa Montaña can make them.  They will be accompanied by wines and Cavas, plus an English speaking docent to guide us through all the goodies we will have! For details and to register, go to the IWCV website at Members Only Events | IWC - Valencia.

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CHARITIES AND FUNDRAISING

Proyecto Vivir are indebted to IWCV for the ladies who have volunteered to look after children and also help in the store. They still require volunteers in the store for Tuesday & Thursday afternoons and also Thursday mornings if anyone can spare a few hours. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Cristina at PV (+34 687 53 40 99).

 

Our focus for February will be to raise funds for alimentary items. Some of the basic needs are infant and feminine hygiene products, shampoo, shower gel, creams etc. and food stuff such as pasta, tomatoes, oil, vinegar, fruits, and fresh produce. Rice is not required as they have a regular supplier. PV will be happy if people wish to purchase the products and drop them off or have them delivered via supermarket service. Or, if you prefer, Cristina at PV knows their exact needs and a donation would also be appreciated. A one-off donation is wonderful but if anyone wishes to make a monthly donation you can do so through the Proyecto Vivir website. PV can provide certificates of donations for tax deductions if required. If you make a donation to PV please reference it with IWCValencia. The website for info and details is  www.proyectovivir.es. Information on collaboration, donations and the store is at:  www.proyectovivir.es/colabora/

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ACTIVITIES

As it has been a bit cold we have been having small group Mahjong indoors at members’ homes and very soon we will try outdoors again.

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Women Who Walk on Fridays continue to be a popular event with both new and veteran walkers. As it is still cold be sure to bundle up in layers.

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If you are new to the IWCV you will will be contacted by Joanne Simpson, Neighborhood Ambassador Coordinator. She will let the Ambassador in your zip code know about you. Your Ambassador will contact you for a coffee and/or tour of your new neighborhood. If not, please contact Joanne Simpson at joanneis1@hotmail.com.

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Upcoming Activities:

Intercambio: A special language exchange is in the works.

Wine tasting – we have one scheduled, and more to come!

Cultural Tours – in process – watch our website and monthly newsletters for details!

Dragon boating – VP of Activities, Phyllis So, and a few IWCV members tried dragon boating here in Valencia! Here is what Phyllis had to say about it:

Dragon Boating in Valencia? – IWCV member Danielle Beesom, a frequent Dragon Boat rower, offered the opportunity for a few IWCV members to try Dragon Boating.  What is dragon boating?

The History of Dragon Boating

Dragon boating has its roots in ancient Chinese culture. As legend has it, more than two thousand years ago, a poet named Qu Yuan was banished from his beloved kingdom. Qu Yuan weighted his pockets with stones and waded out into the Mei Lo River to drown himself. Fishermen took their boats out to try and save him. As they frantically searched, they beat gongs and drums, stirred up the water with their paddles, and threw sticky rice dumplings into the river to try to distract the hungry fish and prevent them from devouring him … to no avail. In his honor, festivals were held to remember the tragedy. Today, dragon boat teams race to keep the tradition going (although throwing delicious dumplings into the water is highly frowned upon at modern festivals). During a typical race, crews of 20, plus a steersman and drummer, paddle a roughly 700-pound boat a predetermined distance (between 100 and 2,000 meters), to the beat of the drummer who sits in the front of the boat. With up to six boats competing at a time, teams are divided into divisions by skill, and races continue until a winner emerges from each division. Then medals are handed out and merriment ensues.

Fun on the Water

On a beautiful sunny morning at the Real Club Nàutic de València, 10 women plus the instructor and drummer went out to see what this was all about. We were outfitted in bright pink life vests and a paddle to get on a 10 person boat. The first thing to learn was to paddle in sync!  If you were out of sync the people behind you were out of sync and the possibility for going in circles was high.  So, the count is very important, as is listening to the guy in back. 

Two of us got lost and arrived late, but when we did they came and got us at the dock. We practiced with the drummer and the instructor telling us to stroke with the person in front. We paddled around the docks for about an hour and then came back to find out how to get the boat out of the water and put it away.  We all helped pull the boat out of the water and get it up on the trailer. 

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It was exhilarating and fun.  None of us drowned, we laughed a lot and the best part was sitting in the sun after it was all done having tapas and cerveza at the chiringuito. This event happens every week and is really fun.  Personally, I love being on the water so it is quite enjoyable.  I had done Dragon Boating (in Abu Dhabi)  before which to the rest of them made me an expert! Not! My shoulders were still sore the next day. 

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Veronique, the organizer does this group for the BCS (Breast Cancer Survivor) and encourages everyone to come out and try it. If you're interested check with Danielle Beesom (682 24 09 81) for more information and another possible trial run.

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Please stay on the lookout for fun and interesting activities. If you think of any that we should try, please email Phyllis at vpactivities.iwcvalencia@gmail.com with your ideas. We’re looking forward to fewer restrictions, more sun and happy times again!

 

 NEW MEMBERS

Aubrey Coghlan - American

Cynthia Depoy - American

Angela Wittman - American

Axel Benavides - American

Robin Shevah - American

Alison Stonehouse - English

Martina Van de Gey - German

Natasha Victoria Jordanova - Bulgaria

Whitney Soriano - American

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FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS

Alison Stonehouse

Carmen Ventura

Carmina Ramirez de Arellano

Charlene Walsh

Claudine Escaith

Deborah Scharfetter

Denise Bright

Dr Anne Duguid

Eileen Ferris

Elna De Jongh

Jane Buck

Jordan Heller

Karen Magee-Koski

Linda Quinn

Marilyn White

Mary Anne Puttick

Michelle Jorissen

Michelle McGowan

Mimi Carrera

Natalie Stacey

Nathalie Sommer

Ofelia Ruiz Gonzalez

Patricia Ghiglino

Rebeca Negron

Risa Shargel

Susan Amatouri

Tedi Conway Dickinson

Valeria Uribe

Vladislava Ivanova Strahilovav

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FEBRUARY HOLIDAYS IN VALENCIA

Monday, 14 February - St. Valentine’s Day (not a public holiday)

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We hope to see you at many of our activities this month!

Jane Buck,

President

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