New York – Feb 03 2019

FINNS ON ICE

Come skate with friends and family in the first ever Finns on Ice family fun day on Sunday, February 3rd! The skating rink is located at LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, 171 East Drive, Brooklyn.

Admission is free, but registration through Eventbrite is recommended.

You can bring your own skates or rent them for $5 on site.
TICKETS: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/finns-on-ice-registration-54822178612
Donations are greatly appreciated and can be made on site or through Givelify (https://www.givelify.com/givenow/1.0/MTI4MDk=/selection).
Donations will be used to purchase much needed new furniture for the use of The Finnish School of New York and Finnchurch NYC.
For $10 you can buy Finnish style pea soup and laskiaispulla or Runebergin torttu. Please reserve your soup beforehand through Eventbrite.

Worried about missing Super Bowl? We’re doing our best to have the game streamed in our party room on site.

This event is sponsored by Reaktor.

Austin – Feb 08 2019

EuroCircle’s Nordic Night at Hank’s Austin

All the Nordic groups cohosting (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland and Finland)
Most photos by Francesco Paulo Tuzzolini

  • Henri Johansson, Sweden (SACC)
  • Simon Gade Hjorth, Denmark
  • stefán þór stefánsson, Iceland
  • Marja and Lasse Jokinen, Finland
  • Therese Arntsen, Norway

EuroCircle Team: Paulina, Nicole, Adnan, Emma, Kaisa, Francesco & Co

CODE OD CONDUCT (basic rules for all of us)

Our exclusive space is limited  to café, café patio and 3 tables of covered restaurant (heated patio)

Coffee/tea drinks available at cafe as priced on board (drip, specialty, etc)

Malbec (Red)
Barbera (Red)
Chardonnay (White)
Sauvignon Blanc (White)
Sparkling (Bubbles)
Wine $7 a glass/$27 a bottle

Pacifico bottle (Pils)
Fire Eagle can (IPA)
$3 each

All restaurant/bar food must be ordered and consumed in restaurant/bar area.
No food ordered, delivered, or consumed in café.

FEATURING NEW MEMBERS FROM PARIS AREA

Meet Bastien and Solene, read their story HERE

San Francisco – Feb 08 2019

EuroCircle Meets at F8 for an immersively weird experience

No cover before 10 pm

Let’s mingle in the main room at the beginning then at 10 we can go in the smaller lounge

F8 is a  multiroom lounge featuring a rotating mix of house & techno music, plus bottle service.

 

Stay tuned for more information!!

Marc says it will a special evening in many ways!

Austin French Connection – Bastien & Solène Le Guen-Lablans

It’s always nice to meet young and adventerous Europeans, this time from France. This young couple from Paris area are recent transplants in Austin.

 Who are you?

Bastien & Solène Le Guen-Lablans
We are 28 years old and have been married for almost 2 years and together for over 6 years.

We both were born and raised in the Parisian region, France. Our entire family is still living there.

We love travelling, getting to know different cultures and people, sharing good time with family and friends, good food, board games, movies, dancing and enjoying nature’s beauties.

How did you end up in Austin, TX of all places?

We moved to Austin in August 2017 directly from France because of a great opportunity Bastien obtained. Bastien is indeed a hairstylist at a luxury standard and an expert in chignon/updo. He has worked in the industry over than 12 years and mostly for DESSANGE, the iconic French brand. Bastien is currently working at DESSANGE PARIS AUSTIN in Davenport Village on the 360.

Bastien has a lot of experiences in fashion shows, photo shooting and most recently dance performance as he designed the hairstyle for the two French artists of Corps Multiple.

Solène used to work in the hotel industry for 7 years. Before leaving France, she was Event Manager for a large Hyatt hotel at Paris CDG airport. Passionate about travelling, she graduated with a Master’s degree in hospitality management after having worked 9 months in Vietnam.

The best and worst about Austin for you.  What is a typical day and weekend??

We truly love this vibrant and human-sized city which offers a quick access to nature and has an array of good bars and restaurants. People here are very welcoming and nice. Even though people don’t know how to drive, they are courteous and polite.

Our way of life is kind of healthier as we work out at least twice a week, we have dinner and go to bed earlier than back in France. On Sundays, we like to either chill out at home during the few bad weather weeks or we like to hike and find a good spot to swim.

How do you find the Austin lifestyle compared to Paris ?

The weather is so lovely in Austin compared to Paris where rain is unpredictable. We love Fall season here in Austin. The cost of living is cheaper here but depending on which item. Gas of course is inexpensive and you can rent an affordable apartment for a large living space.

EuroCircle note: It rains about as much in Paris as in London – but Paris gets more sunlight!

As mentioned before, Americans in Austin are lovely, and we are far away from the Parisians’ bad mood. We barely feel overwhelmed and stressed out. We feel secure here.
Nonetheless, healthcare is the main drawback.  We pray to avoid hospital and any doctor visits…

How do you make your living now – and how would you like to develop that career?

Right now Solène works to promote Bastien. Thus, we are focusing on building Bastien’s clientele. Besides she is volunteering for a French school in Austin – Education Française Austin.

Do you see the differences between nationalities easily – yours vs. Americans vs. other Europeans?

It is quite obvious to tell who is not American. We heard before moving in the USA that it wouldn’t be easy to befriend with Americans. Nevertheless, we were determined to be integrated and managed to build sincere friendship with some Americans.
Later on we met Europeans and felt easily quick connections.

What is the essence of Austin to you – that your friends should know.

We definitely want to make our friends feel the laid-back essence of the city! Fast-casual and barbecue restaurants embody this spirit. The beautiful landscapes of the Hill Country are a jewel to see.

What do you miss from your country/elsewhere heritage (food, culture, movies etc) …or elsewhere?
We miss bread and delicious cheap farm-made cheeses. Even though we can find more and more good products but they remain still expensive. Paris offers so much to do and see in term of history and culture, we really miss that here in Austin. However the nature gives us beautiful shows frequently.

We really miss Family & Friends !!!!!!!

When you think about what did you think about life in Texas before you moved there ?

When we first heard about Austin, TX, as French, we idiotically thought locals wore cowboy hats and boots and lived on their  ranches with their horses.

Silly stereotypes, the same to think that all French are romantic, men wear beret etc.

Knowing more about life and having lived with your decisions for a while (like work) – would you still choose to be there and why? Why not..

We would like to live here few years for sure as we want to build a business and raise our future children here. However we would travel back to our country at least once a year as we are very attached to our family and friends.

What cafes or restaurants do you recommend to tourists to go to here  and why? Or to do something else.

Experience a great Texan steakhouse at Steiner Ranch and enjoy a breathtaking view over the Lake Travis. The rooftop bar of Handle Bar on the 5th street is fun and gives you a nice insight of Austin Downtown. Should you prefer a muted place, have a well-done cocktail at the iconic Driskill hotel’s bar.

What would be your ideal life – with no monetary issues to make it happen!

Have a beautiful family perfectly bilingual, a house with a nice garden and pool, a very interesting work with a good balance with our private life and time to travel all over the world.

Would you move back to your country fulltime – yes or no (why and why not)?

Not yet! We have so much to do here and have invested a lot. We cannot simply leave everything behind us and restart from scratch in our own country.

What has been the most difficult issue/s to deal with here in Austin for you?

To understand the bank system and to still deal with healthcare system.

How to connect with you:

Facebook:
Bastien
Solene

Website: www.bastienleguen.com

LinkedIn: Bastien Le Guen
Solène Lablans-Fontvieille

Instagram: #BastienLeGuen

IN FRENCH – FRenchMorning.com
https://frenchmorning.com/nouveau-reseau-entrepreneurs-francophones-a-austin/

Chicago – Feb 17 2019

EuroCircle’s Apres Valentine’s Day Mix + Match!

MARCH EVENT – March 13 at at D4  RSVP HERE

Due to icy weather moving in the area we wanted everyone to be safe so we will keep our arrows sharpened for our new date – SUNDAY, Feb 17 5 to 8 pm

Join us at Baptiste and Bottle with a great view of the city scape below!
We’re kicking off the 2019 event season with our favorite- and most anticipated- event of the year!
Join Chicago’s most eligible int’l professionals for some networking fun as we help Cupid sharpen his bow and arrows!!
Please wear RED if you’re looking to be a target! Fabulous co-hosts to be announced SOON, but in the meantime, make sure to spread the word and save the date!!!

Let’s celebrate EuroCircle’s 20th Anniversary in style.

ABOUT THE VENUE:

Approachable, bourbon-centric restaurant, serving an elevated American menu in an environment that is reflective of bourbon’s true American roots.

 TOO MUCH OF ANYTHING IS BAD,

BUT TOO MUCH GOOD WHISKEY IS BARELY ENOUGH.

– MARK TWAIN

New York – Jan 25 2019

EuroCircle’s 20th Anniversary Drinks with Style at PHD Terrace at the top of Dream Hotel Midtown

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20 years ago the new CEO of Telemundo Ibra Morales had a dinner with a bunch of friends at Henry Meer’s new restaurant in Tribeca called City Hall.
When the owner came by to say hello Ibra smoothly made sure to get his friend Kaisa a space to get started with her idea – EuroCircle. She had talked
about for years so it was time for action. 6 days and many frantic calls and faxes later on Monday, Jan 11 1999 the first EuroCircle event took place in Tribeca.
There was no social media, no emails – she had to bring minimum 100 p otherwise she’d pay the rent.
185 people attended the event – Ibra Morales, Louisa Kennedy, Pierre Battu, Nora Kerppola, Eric Faltraco, Meike Schmidt, Christa Schantz, Jean-Yves Charriau, Rikard Strom,
Victoria Vinoku, Jim Kreissman and many more. They had great time – and the word of mouth starting going around NYC.

***NOTE: All guests MUST say  “EuroCircle” at the door in order to receive a stamp/wristband for the drink special.

Cash Bar

$10 vodka drink special

HOSTED BY:

Jelena Ignjic
Sherry Kumar
Jane Schluter
Valev Laube
James Kähn

Invite more Europeans and Europhiles!! Word of mouth is still our only way of finding new members.

Houston – Jan 23 2019

EuroCircle Houston Presents: 2oth Annniversary Cocktails at Bar Victor

Join the EC Houston for the new year for a fun evening at Victor.

The belle epoque lounge boasts:

French chic and decor
Vibrant atmosphere with eclectic live music
Crafty cocktails and plenty of fizz to accompany lite bites
Happy Hour prices until 8:00 PM

Please bring a friend and do RSVP

Location: Victor Bar 4321 Montrose Blvd Houston, TX 77006
Date and Time: January 23, 2019
from 6:30 – 9:00 PM

A famous quote for the month:
“I only drink champagne on two occasions: when I am in love and when I am not” Coco Chanel

Cheers to all for a healthy 2019 from the EC family, Shahla, Venere, and Michelle

Denver – Jan 19 2019

EuroCircle’s 20th anniversary

Let’s celebrate EuroCircle’s 20th anniversary at the Lobbyist! This bar is located inside the Le Meridien in Downtown Denver! We can’t wait to see old friends and new faces to celebrate. Please RSVP and let us know if you are joining 🙂

Meet Veera and Brandon in Austin

We love to feature our members as you all know.  So just before our 20th anniversary party we wanted you to meet brand-new Austin members whom you will meet at W Austin on Friday, Jan 11 2019.

Vera and Brandon recently moved from Dallas to Austin.
They both are health professionals, Veera as a Master Movement Trainer and Brandon as a Holistic Health Coach.

WHO IS VEERA
Originally from Finland, Veera has a lifetime of athletics and fitness under her belt. Veera is a Master Fitness Trainer who was a professional volleyball player before becoming a Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor. Veera has traveled around the world as a Fitness Director on luxurious cruise ships helping people from different countries to stay fit while traveling. She received her Master in Kinesiology* degree from UNT and has her own Personal Training business in Texas and Online. She specializes in Mobility, Functional Training, Yoga and Zumba. Veera loves sharing her expansive knowledge and specializes in helping expats restart a safe, personalized exercise program with proper techniques. She makes exercising convenient for the people, and coaches them at their houses or parks close to them.
*”Kinesiology is the scientific study of human or non-human body movement. Kinesiology addresses physiological, biomechanical, and psychological dynamic principles and mechanisms of movement. Applications of kinesiology to human health (i.e., human kinesiology) include biomechanics and orthopedics; strength and conditioning; sport psychology; methods of rehabilitation, such as physical and occupational therapy; and sport and exercise. Studies of human and animal motion include measures from motion tracking systems, electrophysiology of muscle and brain activity, various methods for monitoring physiological function, and other behavioral and cognitive research techniques. Wikipedia.”.

VEERA’S BUSINESS – VEKEFITNESS

The training business is called VekeFitness. Veera’s sister called Veera as Veke since she was a child and shortly became a popular nickname for her. Veera decided to open her own fitness practice as she understood that she has so much information related to fitness and nutrition that people are unaware of. What also drives Veera to help and share the information is that when she played competitive volleyball she was never communicated WHY they were doing all the exercises. Now that she understands how the body works and what exercise works on what, she wants to educate her clients that they have a better understanding of their own body.

Veera believes any success in life starts with yourself. Everything starts with a thought and determination. Once you commit to them and consistently work towards it you will succeed sooner or later. If you have decided to change your exercise habits or nutritional habits, next step is to commit to change your current habits. Once you commit, consistent work will result in your success. If we set unrealistic, unattainable goals the road to success takes longer or might not even ever happen. Life happens outside the comfort zone and our goals need to be set outside of them but not too far away.

Veera is known for her energetic and encouraging personality. She has learned to meet people where they are at through her experience working with over 1,000 personal training sessions and teaching over 3,500 group exercise classes. The biggest lesson she has learned along the way that every single person is different and there is no one size fits for all. Veera believes training to be a wholesome practice, not just a physical practice. Improving the physical, mental and emotional health is vital for the growth as a human being.

“She was with me in my up and down moments, helping me to keep up my strength and not forget my health, and control my nutrition. She taught me how I can listen and understand my body. She has a very positive and motivational approach that helped me to reach my goals and get over my body fear. With Veera, I accomplished my first 5k and now she pushed me to the 10K long distance. I am confident she was the essential ingredient of my adoption to a healthier lifestyle.”

Marwah Halwani, Saudi-Arabia

Veera plans to build her training business both locally in Austin and online.

Veera is active on social media platforms and has her YouTube site for Movement, Yoga and Zumba videos. Currently Veera has Movement Training Challenge 2019 – YouTube video series available where she launches a new movement everyday for the month of January, 2019.

Veera loves connecting with people from different cultures and going to coffee shops. Veera also balances her work and life by cooking nutritious dishes, going Latin dancing and developing herself in multiple areas of life. Veera is excited to connect with EuroCircle members and explore Austin together.

WHO IS BRANDON
Brandon, originally from Dallas, is Certified in Functional Nutrition, Yoga, Eating Psychology, and Qigong.

Combining ancient eastern healing modalities with advanced western science, Brandon also has a Bachelors of Science in Exercise Sport Sciences from Texas Tech University.

Previously a Senior Consultant for the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL and Arizona Diamondbacks of MLB, he now primarily helps conscious entrepreneurs who are having health issues around their weight, energy levels, or mental performance. His coaching uses a combination of functional lab tests, mindfulness, and body awareness, in order to empower his clients to not only better understand their own unique bodies, but also have sustainable tools to keep it operating at its best. He loves traveling internationally, foreign/independent films, good wine, and connecting with other like-minded individuals who are passionate about personal growth, human connection, and conscious living. He looks forward to meeting and learning more about the diverse group of EuroCircle members in the near future.

CONNECT WITH VEERA AND BRANDON

If you would like to learn more about their stories and businesses, links to their websites and social media are below.

www.vekefitness.com
www.youtube.com/vekefitness
https://www.facebook.com/VekeFitness/

brandonbennett.com
www.linkedin.com/in/brandonbennett18
www.facebook.com/brandonbennettcoaching/

Philadelphia – Jan 31 2019

Eurocircle’s 20th Anniversary Party at Pyramid Club

Note from Sherry:
There are some people in these photos who I’ve known since the start of Eurocircle PHL. Thank you all EC members, and co-hosts who have helped me grow the circle, thank you Brian Hunt of Ethimo Photo for capturing our best moments, Maureen Coyle of the Pyramid Club without whom this tradition would not be possible, and all you wonderful people who have become true friends.

Tickets: https://eurocircle.ticketleap.com/eurocircles-20th-anniversary-party/

It has been 20 years since a few European expats threw a tiny get-together in their small Manhattan apartment hoping to meet like-minded Europeans and make new friends. The group grew quickly through word of mouth and became the biggest global friendship network with chapters in every major city around the world.

Today, we party and travel the world together.

Join Eurocircle as we celebrate our 20th years of global friendship.

Drink Specials: The Eurotini
Light hour d’oeuvres
Dress code: Cocktail

Our International Co-Hosts are:

Valeria Khmelnitsky: Ukraine

Sherry Kumar
Eurocircle
Moving In The Right Circles

Tickets: https://eurocircle.ticketleap.com/eurocircles-20th-anniversary-party/