art & culture | street art | travel | London | expat life
Once a month I blog in Dutch. Today I talk about how exhausting and stressful it is being a perfectionist. // Op de eerste zondag van de maand blog ik in het Nederlands. Te veel moeten van jezelf. Ken je dat? Vandaag vertel ik je hoe mijn perfectionisme me vaak in de weg staat.
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In today’s personal review of November, brought to for you from my parents’ sofa in the Netherlands: my trip around the world, the blog posts I wrote this month and also my personal art and film recommendations!
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In celebration of his 30-year long career, iconic American street artist Shepard Fairey recently returned to London for a special gallery show. Here are some photos of his characteristic artworks, including some of the murals he painted in East London.
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It’s funny to realise that while I might be a first-generation immigrant here in the UK, growing up in the Netherlands I was in fact a second-generation immigrant. I don’t think I’ve ever been discriminated. I’ve only experienced some of your ‘normal’ degree of prejudice at the most. But there are some moments that I still remember to this day that made me realise I had a different ethnical background than most of my Dutch classmates.
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On the first Sunday of the month I always write a Dutch-language blog post. // Vandaag de eerste aflevering van de nieuwe blogserie ‘The Expat Files’. Hierin deel ik niet alleen mijn eigen ervaringen als een Nederlandse expat, maar ook van andere Nederlanders in het buitenland én ook van immigranten in Nederland. In deze eerste aflevering vertel ik je over hoe mijn emigratie niet alleen mijn leven, maar ook mijn beeld op Nederland(ers) heeft veranderd!
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In today’s personal review of October, brought to for you from Braga in Portugal: when a family emergency makes expat life less glamorous and of course my film and TV tips and travel stories.
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Tell me, do you use the name ‘Holland’ or ‘The Netherlands’ when you speak of my mother country? Despite its common usage, the Dutch government recently announced they want to ban ‘Holland’ and rebrand the country’s name internationally. Why are they so eager to initiate such a huge and expensive undertaking? Find out in this blog post!
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Once a month I write a Dutch-language blog post. Today’s post is about National Brother and Sister Day. // 30 september was het Nationale Broer en Zus Dag. Daarom vandaag een blog over mijn broer!
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In today’s personal review of September: today I’ll be fighting my way out of an immense art maze for adults, while earlier this month I went to my first networking event and visited one of the most exploitative museums I’ve ever been to.
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They say children are the future. Witnessing this week’s global climate strike I think this saying has never been so appropriate. What started with the 16-year old Greta Thunberg Friday’s for Future weekly one-person demonstrations, has now grown into a global movement.
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Do you sometimes push yourself to step outside of your comfort zone? I did so this last weekend when I attended my first networking event. I absolutely dreaded it beforehand, but in the end it turned out to be a life-changer. How? Find out in this personal blog post!
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With the shorter days and fickle weather these last days, there’s no escaping that autumn is coming. And what better way to escape from the gloomy outside world than immersing yourself in the magic of cinema? Get some great film tips in today’s post about 5 films to look forward to this autumn!
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In today’s personal review of August: my first solo stay in a hotel, our day trip to magnificent Bath in Somerset, art & film tips and so much more!
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What is your favourite science fiction film? Mine is Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’. Just like me, this iconic film turned 40 this year. And to celebrate this special event, director Alexandre O. Philippe made the documentary ‘Memory: The Origins of Alien’, showing never-before-seen materials, interviews and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage.
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It’s already over 7 years ago I dragged three suitcases full of my belongings on a plane from Amsterdam to London. Although I still feel very Dutch and am often baffled by certain British habits, by now I might be more integrated than I realise. From the way I answer the phone to greeting friends, here are 5 things I’ve had to relearn being Dutch in the UK.
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