Posts

Austin – Feb 20 2015

Varda Tamoulianis – the lovely owner of the Russian House – will be celebrating her birthday! Vladimir & Co will treat her fellow EuroCircle members with a cake and a free glass of champagne to honor Varda.

The first two hours are reserved for conversations & cocktails – no loud music.

Until 7 pm yo will be enjoying fantastic happy hour pricing from $4 infused vodka, house wine $3.50, Fried Pelmeni – 5
Minced meat wrapped in this dough,  Meat Blini – 3, Traditional Russian crepes with meat filling, Russian Burger – 3 and MUCH more…

After 8 pm you will dance to one of her favorite bands- Vana Mazi followed by Dj Max !

Our Slavic & Balkan members will be hosting the event with EuroCircle team ( Asia Gonczar/Austin Polish Society, Irina Boulyjenkova, Varda Tamoulianis, Andrew Draw, Irina Boulyjenkova etc)

Members, please LOG IN with your email and password to sign up and find more details. (if you are not a member yet, register below — it is FREE.)

Slavic population is mainly in Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, the Republic of Macedonia, and Montenegro.

TAKE THIS WELCOMING AUSTIN SURVEY (at the end of a video) – every European in Austin, and certainly all EuroCircle members MUST participate!

Share this EuroCircle event and invite other Europeans to join EuroCircle.com – it’s free.
REGISTER HERE AS A NEW MEMBER

Austin as a Welcoming City: Angela-Jo Touza-Medina, Spain – Chair, Commission on Immigrant Affairs

Watch the short video below that Kambiz (a refugee himself) and Angela-Jo – the Chair, Commission on Immigration Affairs, put together for us.

Our fellow Europeans – SPEAK UP. Tell the City what is YOUR opinion on how welcoming Austin is towards European immigrants (total 15 questions – the last 6 are simple multiple choices)). The survey at the end of the video is CRUCIAL for you to complete. Please make sure you submit your email/first name – those will stay with EuroCircle (NOT provided to the city) as we ask them only for raffle prizes.

RAFFLE PRIZES FOR SURVEY PARTICIPANTS

We shall raffle among (completed surveys) the participants ten $50 gift certificates by Jewelry by PinkCalyx.com and a gift certificate of 50$ at the brand new Italian restaurant Numero28Austin (2nd Street).

dilogr-placeholder-video

The interactive video survey technology by DilogR.com (Austin, TX)
Austin Welcoming City Summit @ Palmer Events Center
Austin Commission on Immigrant Affairs
Monday, February 23, 2015 at 7:45 AM – Tuesday, February 24, 2015 at 2:30 PM (CST)
Austin, TX

Registration for Austin Welcoming City Summit
www.InternationalAustin.org

Austin – Jan 29 2015

It’s time to celebrate EuroCircle’s (as an organization) 16th Anniversary. Our first event took place on on Jan 11 1999 in New York City. We welcome all international groups to join us for this memorable evening at W.
Members, please LOG IN with your email and password to sign up and find more details. (if you are not a member yet, register below — it is FREE.)

TAKE THIS SURVEY (at the end of a video) – every EuroCircle member should do it!

Share this EuroCircle event and invite other Europeans to join EuroCircle.com – it’s free.
REGISTER HERE AS A NEW MEMBER

Austin – Dec 04 2014

Photos by Rafael Vela.  EuroCircle Austin group at FACEBOOK has more photos there: https://www.facebook.com/groups/35431344432/10152932602449433/

This is the season to celebrate love and friendships and to be jolly. Let those special to you known you appreciate them by coming out for a drink or two before we all go a thousand different ways. Let’s kick off the season right! So come join EuroCircle for the last event for the year at Whisler’s bar on East 6th and join old friends and make new ones. Happy holidays to all!!

***This is also an unofficial 4th anniversary celebration for EuroCircle AUSTIN (Nov 20 2010)

Whistler’s Happy Hour includes with a wide selection of White and Red wines in addition to $6 specialty cocktails like:
– Moscow Mule: vodka, lime, ginger beer
– Whistler’s Old Fashioned: rye whiskey, demerara syrup, angostura bitters
– Aviation: gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, lemon
– High Plains Drifter: tequila, campari, lime, honey syrup
– Hemingway Daquiri: rum, maraschino liqueur, grapefruit & lime
– Brown Derby: bourbon, grapefruit, honey syrup

Hope to see all of you there, hopefully in your cheesiest holiday sweater 🙂

Adnan & Szilvia

“The secret formula for Whisler’s? A thoughtful and unpretentious approach to cocktails, and a large space perfectly balanced between an intimate interior and a large, lively patio scene.” AustinEater

BRITISH CONSULATE IS PLEASED TO INVITE YOU
STEMFEST at Abercorn International School on the morning of 12 December from 9:00-10:30am. More info at our forums and EuroCircle Austin Facebook group. RSVP: haileigh.meyers@mobile.ukti.gov.uk by 5 December

EuroCircle Austin group at FACEBOOK (more photos there):

https://www.facebook.com/groups/35431344432/10152932602449433/

Austin – Oct 23 2014

Food sponsored by FOUR SEASONS Austin- www.triorestaurantaustin.com

Photos by Alejandro Carrasco.

It is that time again! Another great EuroCircle event is around the corner! We will have an extended happy hour for our members at Icenhauers’ (you will receive a wristband when you check in).

All drinks on the happy hour menu will be named after the artists: a red/white/sparkling wine, one wheat beer and 4 cocktails…surprise, surprise…
We will have some cheese and sweets sponsored by FOUR SEASONS/TRIO Restaurant for you to enjoy while looking at the artwork throughout Icenhauer’s. We will be using the whole space, so make sure you go explore all areas!

We will be having an Art Show featuring 7 very talented local artists (2 photographers, 5 painters). Please feel free to view their works and read about them prior to the show.

Below are links to their profiles:

James: http://thomascbrookscreations.zenfolio.com
Marlene: https://www.facebook.com/ArtistaMarleneJorge/photos_stream
Luba: http://lubacain.com/
Nima: http://photo.net/photos/Nima_Ostadi
Michelle: http://www.michellesaintonge.com/Home2.html
Julia: http://jgzaremba.com/
Austin: http://austinartdesign.weebly.com/

Lastly, but not least, we are having a raffle! Each artist will have one piece to auction off. One raffle ticket will be $1, so be sure to bring some cash (one dollar bills, please) with you. You can pick more than one artist, and buy more than one raffle ticket to increase your chances of winning! (proceedings will go to the artists)

FOUR SEASONS is sponsoring CHEESE PLATES & SWEETS for you to enjoy throughout the evening. Be sure to go visit them and thank them personally for there contribution towards local art in Austin – great happy hour at TRIO restaurant, keep up with the events:
http://www.triorestaurantaustin.com/

We always look forward to seeing everyone!

Merci a tous!

Allison Berguin and EuroCircle team

SPECIAL DRINKS: (may be slight changes)!
The Austin: Tequila, mango puree, fresh lime juice, spicy simple syrup ($6.00)
The Nima: pickle infused vodka, pickle juice ($5.50)
The Michelle: Gin, fresh lemon juice, bitters, simple syrup ($5.50)
The James: Live Oak Hefeweizen ($4.50)
The Marlene: Choice of chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio ($5.50)
The Julia: Choice of cabernet, pinot noir, malbec ($5.50)
The Luba: Hibiscus liqueur, prosecco, lemon juice, lemon ginger simple syrup ($7.00)

Austin – Sep 26 2014

Emma has organized an evening for us at House Wine, her favorite gem in Austin.
They have great wine, chocolate and cheese – and offer us $5 glasses of wine, $18 bottles and $2 off cheese plates all night.

The food menu is simple, they offer cheese plates, Mediterranean plates, mmmpanadas, salmon, olives and desserts. The beers are mainly local with a few added Belgium-style brews and ciders. The setting is at once contemporary and extremely comfortable.

AND – as always, invite a few new Europeans to join!

Hosted by Emma Cartmell (Hochman) & EuroCircle Austin Team

About House Wine:

Their delicious and intriguing wines are thoughtfully chosen from vineyards all over the world! Their wine selection is constantly changing. The food menu is simple, they offer cheese plates, Mediterranean plates, mmmpanadas, salmon, olives and desserts. The beers are mainly local with a few added Belgium-style brews and ciders. The setting is at once contemporary and extremely comfortable. House Wine plays proud host to local charity events, and local artists’ works. They provide a place for local musicians to entertain which keeps Austin’s proud tradition of great local music thriving.

Austin – Sept 07 2014

Photos © Eurocircle. For privacy reasons we ask you not to copy these to Facebook or other social networks

All international groups hosting the picnic invite you to enjoy an afternoon of great food and entertainment in the company of GlobalAustin volunteers and International Austin Events Calendar members.
Check Austin Parks!!

WHAT TO BRING:
Bring a dish or your favorite food (enough to share with 8 people), chairs, and a picnic blanket.
Swimsuit if you’d like to swim (and the nominal fee for that)…

Plates, glasses, utensils, napkins and water/lemonade will be provided

Glass or styrofoam containers are strictly prohibited (environment/safety).

Entertainment provided by Come Drum For Fun

Parking: 77 parking spaces plus 3 handicap and a small overflow parking area – also a bit of parking on the street
You can also get there by bus (Lake Austin Boulevard)

The main attraction here is Deep Eddy Pool, but there is also a toddler play area, an ADA accessible ramp to the hike and bike trail, and dock onto Town Lake for fish and bird-spotting. There is a new smoker available in the park area.
The pool will be open and accessible from picnic area.
$3 for adults $2 for juniors $1 for children.

Deep Eddy Pool is a historic, man-made swimming pool in Austin, Texas, United States. Deep Eddy is the oldest swimming pool in Texas and has a bathhouse built during the Depression-era, by the Works Progress Administration. The pool began as a swimming hole in the Colorado River, became a resort in the 1920s, and is today a popular swimming pool operated by the City of Austin.

Deep Eddy began simply as a swimming hole in the Colorado River that flows through Austin. Cold springs rose from the river l.

Deep Eddy Pool is listed as a historic landmark on the National Register of Historic Places and has been the inspiration of various works of art. Texas musician, Jimmie Dale Gilmore wrote the song “Deep Eddy Blues” about the pool and the nearby bar, the Deep Eddy Cabaret.

Hosting groups include:
(others will be added as soon as we know for sure they ARE attending):
Global Austin
AIN – Austin Intercultural Network
Casa de Espana Austin
and
EuroCircle

 

Austin – Aug 08 2014

Photos © Eurocircle. For privacy reasons we ask you not to copy these to Facebook or other social networks

Please dress in all white attire to attend and celebrate summer with EuroCircle!

Any shade of white will do! 🙂

Rio Rooftop will provide us some cooling drink specials such as:
$3 Beer
$5 House Red/White Wine
$5 Vodka Cocktails

We liked the white party last night – and August is the perfect time to do it.

Szilvia & EuroCircle Team
Email Us

Austin – Michele Aubry, How To Live Your Life in Harmony (Czech Republic)

1. Please introduce yourself.

My name is Michele Aubry (Michele Ubryova) and I was born and raised in Prague, the Czech Republic. My mom and I moved to Austin in August of 2000 for her now ex husband. The rest of our family still lives in the Czech Republic.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice here in Austin, TX and I have a son, Maxx, who is 3 years old.

2. When/where did you move to USA – how did you choose those cities/career?

cities/career? We moved when I was 16 years old straight to Austin where I finished high school and then I moved to Santa Barbara, CA to start college. I moved back to Austin a year later and have been here ever since. I finished school at UT of Austin.

3. What did your family do and where are they now?

Now? My mom worked as a paralegal in Prague. In Austin she has worked for Saks Fifth Avenue and now Neiman Marcus since they opened their doors at the Domain.

4. What is important to you in life – money, freedom, food, family, hobbies, friends, travel — Why? Since you are more multicultural in my opinion you may have more varied likes/dislikes.

I grew up traveling all over Europe and I see how much those experiences taught me and enriched me. I was raised eating healthy food and spending time with friends. A deep friendship is something that I value highly, especially because it has been harder to find here. I see money as a means to security and something that I would like to have enough of for traveling purposes, so I can continue adding on new experiences.

My hobbies are fitness and food. I love to try new food and I very much enjoy cooking various types of cuisine!

5. Do you try to go back to Europe every year? The language and the culture are different than in TX for sure. What is home for you outside US, What do you miss the most – and the least?

I used to go back to Prague at least one a year but ever since I had my son, I went only once. Traveling with a toddler alone is not on my list of desired things to do. I miss seeing my family more often but nowadays, skype and Facebook make it easier to talk, see each other and share. I still speak Czech at home with my mom and my son.

We don’t miss the food much but we do miss walking around, we miss the architecture and ease of public transportation. One thing we don’t miss a bit is the jealousy and negativity that is now obvious to us – but was not when we lived there.

6.Workwise – how do you see Europeans being different from Americans – also culturally, what stands out in your chosen profession? You studied psychology. I lived 17 years in Manhattan. I recall thinking there how many people were super neurotic. I have been to dates where the guy tells you if you do have a therapist or have had some type of psychotherapy/analysis you have a problem! I prefer talking about my problems with friends and family though I am sure there are times we all could use a therapist (major changes in life, drama, illness, loss of job, death).

First of all, psychoanalysis is a type of an approach to therapy and is quite outdated nowadays. Psychotherapy however, is something that has bad stigma in Europe and it makes me quite sad. Most people don’t understand the difference between the roles of a Psychiatrist and a Psychologist, or a therapy. Truly, I think that we all can use talk
therapy as some point in our life, whether it is to resolve unfinished business or to make a positive change that will help us reach goals and feel happy.

Therapy is not for CRAZY people, those are referred to a Psychiatrist who is also a medical doctor.

Note by Kaisa: I have a friend – Dr. Byron Wilkenfeld, who is a psychiatrist here in Austin – a brilliant man, a very interesting topic to discuss the use of meds in the USA with him.

7. When you think about life in Europe (the CR) vs USA before you moved to the USA – did you have misconceptions that turned out to be wrong?

I saw on TV as a teenager. I moved from Prague to Austin. It was a culture shock and a huge surprise. I have also never seen so many homeless people and that was very shocking because people always spoke of USA as the country of the rich.

8. Is there something with the American culture or customs that you think Czechs you learn from – and vice-versa?

I think Czechs could learn from Americans to be more optimistic and more friendly towards strangers. Also, philantrophy is something that I would like to see more people in the CR do. What I would like for the US people to learn from Czechs is to work to live life, not to live to work mentality.

9. What is your favorite food/s and drink?

Sushi and wine. I could have that every day.

10. How is the European/Czech (your country’s) community in Austin vs. USA? Who do you think are the Czechs the average American may know?

The Czech community here in Austin is actually quite large. I started a Czechoslovakian group on FB few years ago and at our last Easter get together, there were around 60 Czechs I would say. Many of us have blended in this culture and enjoy this place for what it is. Many go back to the CR on regular basis to see families but I think that except our accent, we aren’t so different from the locals. Maybe, we are quite a bit more direct with others;-)

11. What would you like anyone know and appreciate about your country? (food, music, culture, people, history….)

I personally don’t care for Czech food but I have adopted the gluten free dairy free diet for personal beliefs. However, I do think our pastry is outstanding. The architecture and the way the country preserved that over all the years is admirable.

We Czechs make very loyal and trustworthy friends, I believe.

12. Would you ever return to live there full-time?

No, I would not, but my mom is also here with me so that makes my decision much easier. I lived there for 16 years but I have been here for 14 years now, so I have had time to build relationships here.

13. Could you share with us what are your plans for the future? What is it in life that makes you happy or content – that means different stuff for all of us.

In the very near future, I would like to continue growing my private practice and present on the topic of happiness and success. Throughout my journey of coming here in my teens, my marriage and divorce, my motherhood, I have found myself in the study of happiness and what drives us and makes us more resilient. I would truly enjoy reaching a larger audience
to share my knowledge and personal experience. And as a mom, I would like to focus on being the best I can be to help him achieve his full potential and help my son Maxx grow into a warm hearted, respectful man.

Connect with Misa (Michelle):
micheleaubry.com/
Misa at Facebook

Austin – July 23 2014

La V happy hour (ends 6:30pm) features discounted cocktails and wine (by the glass and bottle) as well as an assortment of small bites all priced $7 and under.

In addition to happy hour they also still serve our full dinner menu during that time. PLEASE TRY TO GET THERE BY 7 PM – SPACE IS LIMITED.
If anyone in our group wanted to order an appetizer or small plate off our dinner menu they would be able to do so at the regular price. Those dishes include simply a spectacular cheese selections as well as their famous chicken liver pate. The wine bar is a fun, convivial space designed to encourage tasting and conversation. Adjacent to the Wine Bar is La V’s front patio which can also be utilized if some of you choose to sit outdoors.

If our group grows beyond a smaller group, La V’s team will do what they can to accommodate accordingly. July is usually our smallest, more intimate events due to many Europeans going home!
La V will also offer complimentary valet for EuroCircle guests.

Note: LA V opens at 5:00 PM and runs Happy Hour in the Wine Bar until 6:30 PM on regular basis.
Next to us is another Blue Lounge and in the back their more formal “dining” room – and a special wine room reserved for wine events. La V’s sommelier is a lovely European lady, Vilma.
For me La V is one of the nicest looking restaurants in Austin, a cool mix of modern and classic fine dining. I took Gary there for his b-day in May, had steak frites which I liked. Their desserts were great – and the wine list is excellent.