ISU international students will have the chance to experience Dutch culture with Dutch tour guides this weekend at the Pella Tulip Festival.

On May 4, 2013, the International Students and Scholars Office is sponsoring a bus trip to Pella. Students will be led by Ed and Margreet Van Ouwerkerk of Ames.

Ed and Margreet are originally from the Netherlands and moved to Ames in 2002. For eight years, Ed had a research position at Iowa State until he retired in 2010. Ever since then the Van Ouwerkerks have worked with a national agency called International Students, Inc.

Although Ed and Margreet work primarily with Chinese and Vietnamese international students in Ames, they encourage all international students to attend the tulip festival trip.

Dick Redman, chairman of the Pella’s Steering Committee, the volunteer committee that helps put on the festival, believes that the Pella tulip festival is unique to Iowa and would be an interesting sight for international students to see.

“They have this festival as a way to recognize the Dutch heritage and community. They realize they have a unique situation here,” Redman said.

However much the festival is unique to Iowa, it represents a large tradition in the Netherlands.

“We plant tulips in many places around the community which is a unique attraction in the Netherlands. In fact, in the Netherlands you’ll see fields of tulips,” Redman said.

Ed said that he and his wife have been attending the Pella tulip festival for years and this is not the first year they are acting as tour guides.

“We did it already for many years on a voluntary basis to show some things about the Dutch heritage that was here since 1847 in the city of Pella,” Ed said. “Every year we went to Pella and then the university asked us because the students said, ‘Yeah, we know about a couple in Ames who know a lot about Pella. Let’s ask them to be official tour guides.’”

The couple has been guiding the tour for three years now.

“In the parade there is a lot of Dutch culture going on,” Ed said. “We know from our youth the differences between cultures and the different provinces, the national anthem is being sung there so we can explain. I explain during the trip why the buildings are that way.”

Because of his background and experience with Dutch culture and lifestyles, Ed said that a someone from another culture will recognize and appreciate the Dutch culture more because of his explanations.

“That is something they don’t hear or see when they don’t have a Dutch tour guide,” Ed said.

Not only will there be a parade, traditional costumes, bakeries and other attractions in historic Pella, Redman said that the focus of the Pella tulip festival is also to connect the past culture of the Dutch to the present day culture.

“This year we have 15 high school students coming from the Netherlands, coming to the schools [in Pella] to speak,” Redman said.

Both international students form Iowa State and the visiting Dutch students will show visitors from all over the country that Pella is a unique city that represents a particular culture.

“People from other countries get to see not only America but how we respect European countries and the ancestors coming from those specific countries,” Redman said.

Ed said it would be beneficial for international students to see this unique cultural tradition.

“Most international students here in Ames are not from Europe; they’ve never heard anything about European culture. This is a wonderful time to be introduced to European culture, which is the basis for American culture. If they know something about American culture while they study here they ask themselves, ‘Where is that coming from?’”