Welcome to the team: introducing Charlotte, our new Assistant Archivist
Starting in January, Charlotte stepped into the role of Assistant Archivist after more than three years of dedicated volunteer work at the EAC. Below is a brief introduction she wrote about herself and what living in the Netherlands means to her.
What originally got you interested in your current field of work?
I don't have a formal background in archiving. However, I have always had a penchant for history, information management and research. I studied for degrees in English Literature, then Modern European History, and completed a Master of Research in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict. I went on to work in the UK University sector for many years, first as a librarian and later in university quality assurance. In addition, over the last few years, I have become obsessed with family history research and, consequently, have spent a lot of my free time trawling through newspaper archives, census records, and the like.
How did you get your start at the Expatriate Archive Centre and how long have you been working there?
I became a volunteer at the Archive just over three years ago. I was looking to return to work after having a family and opting to stay at home, but I wanted to do something that I was genuinely interested in. Volunteer work seemed like a good way in. I saw an advert for the EAC on the Volunteer the Hague website, applied, was accepted and spent three very happy years immersed in describing and helping to preserve experiences of expatriate life.
When you started your current job, what most surprised you?
The sheer range of expatriate experiences we hold and the ways they can shed light on subjects such as colonialism and post-colonialism, women's history, international relations and social history, amongst many other avenues of research.
Have you ever been an expatriate yourself?
I am an expatriate! Not by design, though. After the UK voted to leave the European Union, my husband's work relocated from London to the Netherlands and, in the Summer of 2019, so did we. Finding a home, settling our children into new schools, getting to grips with a new language (still very much a work in progress) whilst negotiating a global pandemic was certainly challenging, but I don't regret any of it.
What do you enjoy the most about living in the Netherlands?
There is so much to enjoy. I love Dutch architecture, museums, art, the public transport system, strandbeesten and borrel (I could go on). I live in The Hague, a compact and beautiful city with peaceful woodlands and endless beaches. My favourite thing to do is to spend a relaxing evening with my family, dining at a local strandpaviljoen, whilst looking out to sea and watching the sun go down.