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Couple moves to Southwest Oklahoma from the Netherlands to run Mangum Bed and Breakfast (by Kathy Ishcomer - Altus Times April 27 2008).
Most people would agree that Southwest Oklahoma is a great place to live. Apparently, Will and An Sanders think so. They moved to Mangum from the town of Geldrop in the Netherlands to run The White House Bed and Breakfast.
Will and An said their son Willem always wanted to take a vacation in the United States. They were able to put him off by promising him that when he turned 18, they would take a vacation and drive across the United States. Other family members had been to America and the Sanders had already seen pictures of the usual tourist places such as Las Vegas, etc.
Willem grew tired of waiting, though, and convinced his parents to let him become an exchange student. He had his choice of going to California or the east coast, but he wanted to live in the Heartland of the United States, so he chose Oklahoma. Willem attended high school in Altus during the 2003-2004 school year.
Will and An flew over to visit their son. While they were here, they rented a car and drove over 6,000 miles, checking out places such as the Grand Canyon and Elvis Presley’s home, Graceland. After seeing over 6,000 miles of country, the Sanders decided that southwest Oklahoma was the best.
Willem knew that when he graduated from college, he would return to the United States to live. Later, he and his father Will took another 6,000 miles trip. An stayed home to care for an aged dog. Again, southwest Oklahoma won out and Will began negotiations to purchase the White House Bed and Breakfast in Mangum. The Sanders purchased the home without furnishings. All of the furnishings in the home came from their house in the Netherlands. When Will and An arrived, the house was empty except for a bed. They had to live that way for four weeks until their furnishings arrived.
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