Are you closer to your mother or your father? Both. My mother and I are very close. I have three brothers, so I was the only girl at home. She and I even got matching tattoos: an abstract sketch of two people, symbolising that we’re never alone. But I’m close to my father, too. He wasn’t a fan of the tattoo – he doesn’t like them at all and didn’t even want to look at it – but when I had my ear pierced as a teenager, he was delighted. Otherwise, I was a pretty calm, well-behaved teenager. My parents weren’t strict; they trusted us a lot. We could stay out as late as we liked, as long as we were open and honest with them. It worked well for me, though I can imagine it might not work for every teenager.
Education is my thing. Yes and no. My mother started out as a nursery teacher, worked her way up to school principal and later set up her own educational consultancy, so education has always been part of my world. These days, my main interest is coaching, which is what I do at the faculty. I’m interested in learning what helps people grow and develop.
Describe yourself in five words. Curious, eager to learn, empathetic, cheerful and adventurous.
"I'm grateful for what I have and the life I lead. I'd give my life an 8 out of 10. It would be even higher if I weren’t still dealing with the aftermath of a concussion"
What’s on your bedside table? At the moment, mainly books about plants. And Braiding Sweetgrass by Native American author Robin Wall Kimmerer, about indigenous cultures in the United States and their relationship with nature. I’m taking a course in herbalism. I started it after my boyfriend and I spent a year travelling along the European coast in a self-converted camper van, from Portugal to Greece. We both worked online one or two days per week and spent the rest of our time outdoors. I’m a curious person who loves being outside. Since starting the course, I’ve been noticing so much more around me. Just yesterday, I realised that wild rocket grows along the path where I always walk our dog. I must’ve passed it countless times without seeing it.
What do you see when you look in the mirror in the morning? A cheerful, gentle person, grateful for what she has and the life she leads. I’d give my life an 8 out of 10. It would be even higher if I weren’t still dealing with the aftermath of a concussion. I get tired quickly and can’t work as much as I did before. I hit my head badly while walking the dog last October.
When I lie awake, I worry about… unfinished tasks or conversations I still need to have at work. I can be quite perfectionistic about the things I’m passionate about, like the coaching sessions I conduct here at SBE or my herbalism course. I have to compile a herbarium, which has grown into this huge creative project – I’m making the paper myself and plan to bind the book by hand.
What’s your greatest weakness? Taking on too much. I’m always on the lookout for new challenges to help me grow. During my studies, I was the first to sign up for exchanges and the honours programme. I spent four months in Lisbon, lived in England for a while, and have done a lot of travelling. Alongside the herbalism course, I’ve recently resumed the yoga course I started before my concussion. And last week, I had my first mindfulness training session. It’s hard on my boyfriend sometimes – he notices much sooner than I do when I’m stretching myself too thin, but I can be difficult to slow down. He’s always calm. In that sense, we make a very good team.
"Our dog's big and has a loud bark. I had to learn to project that I'm the one in charge, even though I'm actually quite an accomodating person"
Never fly again or never eat meat again? I could give up either. I’ve been a vegetarian before, and I don’t fly much. But my parents live in Spain part of the year, so I’d go with never eat meat again. Flying is just too convenient.
When was the last time you cried? A while ago, when my godmother passed away. And I’ve shed a tear or two over my concussion. I’m energetic and outgoing, but now I have to think carefully about what I can handle. It’s difficult, but on the upside, it has taught me to say no.
Home sweet home. I was born in Heerlen and grew up in Voerendaal. My boyfriend is from a village called Reijmerstok. After the year we spent travelling, we started seeing South Limburg with fresh eyes. It feels more like home than before. We’ve found peace here and no longer feel the urge to live abroad for a while. We talk a lot about the future. We’d love to buy an old farmhouse, a timber-framed fixer-upper, and renovate it ourselves. I can picture it perfectly – a bed and breakfast, a workshop space, a vegetable garden…
Cats or dogs? I like cats, but I’d have to say dogs. Nothing is more relaxing than taking the dog for a walk. We found ours in Portugal, just lying somewhere with a wound in his neck. The shelter was full, so we took him to the vet ourselves. He wasn’t chipped, so they just let us keep him. Appa travelled with us in the camper van for six months. It was quite a challenge – he’s big and has a loud bark. I had to learn to project that I’m the one in charge, even though I’m actually quite an accommodating person.