THIS IS MY STORY
This is me!
My passion for urban planning
When I was seven years old I used to build entire cities with Playmobil and Lego in the attic each week. Each week I created a story that went along with what I built. I never really played with it; as soon as my “world” was complete, there was no fun anymore. When I’m older, I’m going to be an architect, I thought. This seemed the best solution to design whatever I wanted. But as time passed I found out I like areas more than objects or buildings, so architecture was off the table. In my third year of high school I looked into urban design for the first time. However, I let go of that idea rather quickly as I never managed to get ideas that were in my head on paper.
When I had to pick a career, or at least a field of study, at the end of high school I knew for sure I had to do something that had to do with building(s) or built environment. But the mathematical side didn’t seem like a good idea and I wasn’t too interested in real estate. So then what? I wanted something in that area, but more aimed at people than at objects. I was also interested in infrastructure, logistics, management, sociology, politics and area development. When I heard about urban planning every piece of the puzzle suddenly fell into place. I decided to go for it and have happily walked every step of the way. My passion for the field has only grown since.
Read.
As a kid I always liked reading. All sorts of books I devoured. The classic Grimm fairytales, Astrid Lindgren, Roald Dahl and Dutch authors such as Tonke Dragt and later Thea Beckman, I loved them all. The richer the fantasies in the books, and the more alien the worlds in them, the more I liked them. Nowadays J.K. Rowling and Tolkien are my favourites.
Write.
It didn’t take long for me to discover how fun it can be to write. I have been doing things with poetry since I was about eight years old. In the final years of high school I had an IB-English course, which differs from the regular English classes. Text analysis of poems, prose and literature became daily routine. We also had to write a lot. Not just essays that explored the theoretical side of the course, but also creative pieces. This contributed a lot to my love for writing and the development of my (English) writing skills.
It is in that period that I started working on a story line for my own book(s), but because I have always been busy with all kinds of things, I never got any further than a few short stories. It is, however, still one of my big dreams to finish it!
Discover.
My parents took my to many corners of the world. In a campervan we have seen most of Europe. During many trips we were always on the road, so I have seen a lot of different places. When I got older I started to travel with friends. Now I am busy exploring the world, you can read more about that here. To travel a lot, means to discover a lot. The more places I visited, the bigger my hunger became to see even more and learn more about those places.
OTHER
FUN
FACTS
ABOUT
ME
I grew up with music!
I started out playing the recorder and did that for three years. When I was eight, I started playing the French Horn. I still love it! Nowadays I play with a local orchestra in my hometown called Stedelijk Orkest Lebuïnus (SOL).
In high school I was part of the debating team. We did several competitions, amongst which the Dutch Championships. Even though my speaking skills have become a little rusty, I do still visit tournaments, mainly as a member of the jury for school teams.
My friends are really important to me. I love hanging out with them and having a good time.
I recently bought a racing bike and fell in love with it. I like to cruise through the region and enjoy nature at the same time.
As someone who likes stories, I also like good movies and series. Favorite genre: fantasy.
At home I have two guinea-pigs, Boson en Quark (yup, really named after elementary particles) and a fish. My cat, Munchkin, still lives at my parents’ place.
