instamaart

1 - When March came, spring came!
2 - I met up with an Oslo-friend in Belgium, where we found more spring.
3 - We spent most of the weekend in my Belgium-favorite: Ghent. ❤ De Krook offers a new, pretty view.
4 - But the best thing about March: i got a new job! And spent one of the last afternoons at home with a new book.

& more!

instafebruari

1 - I always say i've seen most of my country, and i have, but it was a shame i had never been to Leiden yet. Now i have!
2 - Grasnapolsky festival was magical, with this location and most definitely with the snow. Ohhhhh the snow.
3 - I also finally saw Unge Lovende season 2 (and quite some movies, check my Letterboxd if you'd like to know which ones).
4 - And i visited another Dutch city for the first time: Hoorn. This is De Zwarte Olifant, a super cute café.

& more!

instajanuari

1 - I started the year with 3 weeks of almost daily job coaching/training. Every day in another (cute) café, like this one.
2 - There was snow! Just a little bit, but there was snow!
3 - There was quite a bit of anxiety, too. On the worst day this cutie was waiting when i came home (and made things less hard).
4 - I've been working 24h on a fun project, which is fun. There's no office i have to go to, so i go to Het Huis instead.

& more!

A winter night in the forest

Velp. Last weekend, I took my parents out winter camping in my favorite national park! We got to stay in a pod at this lovely camping spot, and seriously felt as if we ended up in a fairy tale. The weather was amazing, the sky blue, the air crisp, and the Veluwe more lovely than ever. I'm pretty sure there couldn't have been a better place to wake up on the last day of 2016.

This also is a little preview of this new year that's here now: I got selected to test 7+ cabins across the country (and maybe even outside, too) and write a bit about each visit! I can't wait to pack my bags and wake up in nature again.

instadecember

1/2 - I basically spent all December looking for a job. Often in cities I don't visit that much, followed by a coffee and a walk.
3 - One weekend was spent in my very favorite city: Oslo! Pust is a new favorite coffee bar.
4 - On the second-last day of the year I packed my bag to go glamping in a cute little cabin in the forest. More about that soon!

Happy new year, lovelies!
<3


& more!

2016 - október november december

Again, it hasn't been the easiest year but damn have I tried. Some of my biggest work-related dreams came true, I've seen lovely places, had amazing people around me, felt loved and supported and sometimes lonely but who does not? I took all chances, have been a crazy lot outside of my comfort zone, found a new home and mostly: I have not given up. There's been panic attacks and anxiety, but I'm still standing and still smiling. I am proud - and so so ready for a new year.

So, here's to the good things, the last 3 months of twenty sixteen:


^
In October, I saw Moddi play / had the best housemate holding my hand while hunting mice with me / had a little fun (late) birthday party! / saw the documentary i interpret and subtitled on national tv! / went for the best mushroom lunch / did some interviewing / had lots of job interviews and basically crossed the country because of that / met up with foreign friends in the Netherlands! / had another fun party / built my own little plant-furniture / enjoyed more food & coffee dates with friends / took a plane to Iceland! and Akureyri! / saw snow! / ate lots of liquorice chocolate / went dumpster diving (and found lots of chips).


^
In November, I was back in Reykjavík and went on a roadtrip along the south coast! / enjoyed Seljavallalaug (lots)! / enjoyed Airwaves too, especially Árstidir and Of Monsters and Men / was happy to go back to daily life again, too / read books my friends wrote! / got (even more) crazy into Skam / finished uutflükt / spent a weekend in Groningen! / visited the nijntje museum / took photos of one of my writer-heroes / had a little plant exchange with a friend (which made me super happy).


^
In December, I started off with a day full of job interviews (and no luck) / enjoyed NRKs Christmas calendar Snøfall lots! / got to hold uutflükt! and launch it! and sell it! / was even interviewed because of uutflükt / enjoyed the cold weather a lot / enjoyed Skam a lot, too / went to Oslo to spend time with my friends, walk around and drink lots of coffee! / sold uutflükt at a Christmas market / had more job interviews... / sang in the middle of the city with my choir / had a first little writing assignment! / spent a lovely long week in the south! / spent a day at the Veluwe and slept in a pod! (because of a writing assignment!) / GOT A JOB!

Let's stay honest: some mice started to live in our house which made me nervous 24/7 and i spent so much time writing job application letters and going to interviews and not getting a new job (until the last day of the year!)... And almost no money left. There's been panic attacks (at parties), the big cold i got in Iceland went into sinusitis which got me for some more weeks (...) and i felt lonely, bored and sad. But luckily things changed a bit and i got (way) more positive towards the end of the year.

Ps:
2015 - oktober november december.
2014 - oktober november desember.

+

Happy 2017, lovely readers! Let's hope at least a couple of your dreams will come true in the upcoming 365 days.

My only wish is to not lose a job again, get a proper daily life again and earn enough to be able and live the life i'd like to (or maybe first just to be able and pay rent and food) again. I have a winter festival planned in the most pretty surroundings, have big plans to explore my own country a lot, be offline a lot, smile a lot, hopefully spent a week or two in Oslo in May and attend my friend's (summer) wedding in Sweden. Aaaand there's this dream of visiting New York in autumn - we'll see how things go. :)

❤

2016 - juli augustus september

Again, it hasn't been the easiest year but damn have I tried. Some of my biggest work-related dreams came true, I've seen lovely places, had amazing people around me, felt loved and supported and sometimes lonely but who does not? I took all chances, have been a crazy lot outside of my comfort zone, found a new home and mostly: I have not given up. There's been panic attacks and anxiety, but I'm still standing and still smiling. I am proud - and so so ready for a new year.

So, here's to the good things, those 3 months when the weather was best and things changed most:


^
In July, I enjoyed some more dinner (and coffee) dates with friends / volunteered as a reporter when the neighborhood park turned into a camping / had friends visiting / spent a complete evening writing postcards / went for lots of walks, with (and without) my parents / got my long-expected summer holiday! / went to Oslo! / (randomly) met one of my political heroes, Jens Stoltenberg / discovered new Oslo-favorites, like Vettakollen and Oslovelo / visited my old-hometown Trondheim for the first time in 3 years and mostly enjoyed Superheroburger (and the cute houses).


^
In August, I finished my second big(ger) reportage for a magazine / celebrated my contract not being extended with cake and a friend / got visitors from both Oslo and Belgium! / visited Radio Kootwijk! / loved the heather / started this project called uutflükt and for the first time in months i was excited about something work-related again! / immediately had some fun job interviews! / enjoyed some last after-work events at work / had some awesome colleagues to get me through the shitty last weeks / had my last day at work! / played games, drank wine and ate chocolate with two lovely friends on the evening i became jobless.


^
In September, I took a little "holiday" to destress from all the work-stress / started writing on uutflükt / went on the best hike of the year: Connecterra! / celebrated my 27th birthday in Amersfoort and with amazing food / was sent to Liverpool by srprs.me! / went on my first ever high tea! / bought all my favorite British things for normal British prices! / joined a choir! / had fun work meetings and job interviews / spontaneously went to Den Bosch and had a Bossche bol for dinner / was surprised by getting Tony's limited edition chocolate in the mail / explored The Hague / had fun "work meetings" with friends in cafés, too.

Let's stay honest: although my work didn't make me happy, it wasn't easy to lose it without a proper reason and be at home without finding something new. I also was ill when in Oslo and basically super tired all the time because looking for a new job apparently is (more than) a full time job - and it's not exactly easy when you get rejected time after time after time...

Ps:
2015 - juli augustus september.
2014 - juli august september.

2016 - april mei juni

Again, it hasn't been the easiest year but damn have I tried. Some of my biggest work-related dreams came true, I've seen lovely places, had amazing people around me, felt loved and supported and sometimes lonely but who does not? I took all chances, have been a crazy lot outside of my comfort zone, found a new home and mostly: I have not given up. There's been panic attacks and anxiety, but I'm still standing and still smiling. I am proud - and so so ready for a new year.

So, here's to the good things, the second part of the first half of the year:


^
In April, I saw my own words in print in a real magazine for the first time! / enjoyed spring coming closer / went to a pretty Postcards from Mars-concert / moved! / explored my new neighborhood and loved it so much (already) / made my new little home be more like my new home / enjoyed nice little (after work) parties at work / tried this new hotdog place that soon turned into one of my new Utrecht favorites / liked my new home so much / celebrated reaching our work target with gin & tonics.


^
In May, spring arrived for real / I ate the first ice cream of the year / felt even more at home in my new home, especially when I bought my first dining table ever! / loved all the wistaria blooming / played a little kubb competition and won! / started teaching Norwegian again / had more fun events at work / bought lots of pretty flowers / saw the year's best concert: Highasakite!


^
In June, I got the loveliest visit from Oslo and spent some days biking in the national park / finally visited the botanical gardens in Amsterdam / had lovely dinner dates / drank more gin & tonics / had lots of lovely coffee and lunch dates, too / discovered Gü-desserts! / finally felt good enough to do some traveling again! / spent a long weekend in Belgium, cheering for the Belgian soccer team and seeing lots of friends / was a guest in a podcast! / saw the documentary i subtitled in the cinema!

Let's stay honest: I enjoyed spring a lot and had many fun things to do outside work (and sometimes after work), but damn how exhausting are colleagues who don't do (or give) a shit?! I very often felt sad, slow and simply scared, was afraid to get a burn-out sometime soon and had more panic attacks in those 3 months than an average person in their complete life - i guess.

Ps:
2015 - april mai juni.
2014 - 4월 mei juni.

2016 - januar februari maart

Again, it hasn't been the easiest year but damn have I tried. Some of my biggest work-related dreams came true, I've seen lovely places, had amazing people around me, felt loved and supported and sometimes lonely but who does not? I took all chances, have been a crazy lot outside of my comfort zone, found a new home and mostly: I have not given up. There's been panic attacks and anxiety, but I'm still standing and still smiling. I am proud - and so so ready for a new year.

So, here's to the good things, the first three months of the year:


^
In January, I got to see the Munch + Van Gogh exhibition in the end / officially quit my mail sorting job! / spent a weekend in Copenhagen with both snow and Yayoi Kusama's awesome exhibition! / made new friends / played offline Pac-Man / make my first big reportage for Utrecht-magazine De Dakhaas, on the city's best views / saw even Utrecht in snow! / was flown into Northern Norway to interpret and subtitle a documentary movie! / saw northern lights ánd nacreous clouds! / celebrated the return of the sun with hot chocolate / discovered (and got addicted to) Skam / unexpectedly spent some days in Oslo.


^
In February, I had the best "extra" days in Oslo / was happy to go back home as well! / started a new job, my first "real" one! / enjoyed my morning walks to the office / saw some first little signs of spring / enjoyed my 1 day off a week mostly with homemade soup and magazines / enjoyed the weekends a lot too, often with cake and friends.


^
In March, I got a little more used to working 32 hours a week / found the swing along the Utrecht canals / found out about the perks of working in Amsterdam: foreign friends are here sometimes, and I can catch up with them during my lunch break! / enjoyed early spring in the botanical garden / went for a graffiti walk in the neighborhood / found a pizza place I actually like! / spent a lovely day in Maastricht / had the best little house party with my housemates when our electricity broke down / saw Kakkmaddafakka / discovered Amsterdams game hall: TonTonClub / found a new place to live!

Let's stay honest: besides lots of fun stuff, lots of crappy stuff happened as well. It was super hard getting used to having a proper job (and the daily traveling), my health wasn't as its best (dentist horror, first aura migraine, first panic attack(s)) and scary things happened (a friend in a car accident on the other side of the world, the attack in Brussels and my former street looking like a war zone, water hit the electricity and my home became "unsafe"). So well, jep, not the easiest months.

Ps:
2015 - januar februar mars.
2014 - januari februari maart.

ísland, ii

Reykjavík. I flew back for a short week in the capital, incl. Iceland Airwaves festival and a little roadtrip along the south coast. And again: it was magical. Also listening to all the pretty music (here's a little playlist with my discoveries), seeing Of Monsters and Men in their home country again after 5 years and the coffees, the pastries, the people. The liquorice chocolate!

My best Reykjavík tips:

- rent a car and explore. Seljavallalaug, the swimming pool in "the middle of nowhere", definitely was my highlight;
- coffee at Reykjavík Roasters;
- cinnamon buns at Braud & Co;
- food and cakes at Babalú;
- buy wool! I'm no big knitter (yet), but the quality is amazing and the price so low;
- go swimming! If not in Seljavallalaug, try Laugardalslaug (in the city) or some other place;
- this app, the best I could've downloaded.

ísland, i

Akureyri. My second time in Iceland was just as magical as before - it's still a crazy country. Crazy pretty, crazy impressive, crazy amazing. From Reykjavík i took a plane further up to Akureyri, where my friend Ingeborg lives now. I arrived together with the first snow (!) and enjoyed the cute little streets and houses, the colorful walls, the walks and this great cake at Kaffi Ilmur.

instanovember

1 - November started in Reykjavík, with Of Monsters and Men (and more) at Iceland Airwaves.
2 - Back home, 16 pages in the new Dakhaas were filled with my words, a long long piece about sleeping rooms.
3 - I finally finally went back to Groningen, which was my hometown between 2008-2012.
4 - And autumn was still here, pretty as always <3

& more!

instóktober

1 - Autumn arrived in the Netherland and looked super good, as usual.
2 - I joined a choir a little while ago and I enjoy practicing the songs so much - sheet music makes me so happy.
3 - It has been a busy month, with lots of writing deadlines. The minutes I spent in this corner with a book were extra lovely.
4 - In the end of the month I took a plane to Iceland! I arrived to Akureyri together with the first snow.

& more!

Without sun

Honningsvåg. Let's turn back time to January, when i was in the far far north of Norway helping a film crew (!) to interpret (!) seriously everything. The people we talked to were either refugees who didn't speak English or old, so i needed to translate all the Norwegian into Dutch and the other way around. It was extremely exhausting, but also so - much - fun.

And tonight, that documentary movie will be aired on Dutch national tv, with my subtitles.
It's crazy and i'm crazy proud - crazy nervous too, although i know it's all good as i've luckily seen it myself already. But still.

23:45, NPO3.
And from tomorrow viewable all over the world, here. Mostly Norwegian sound, Dutch text.

instaseptember

1 - I didn't have work to go to anymore, but i started a super fun project (on hotspots in Utrecht). Follow here if you'd like!
2 - One day, my parents and I went to one of my favorite places: Connecterra offers the closest proper view to home-home.
3 - Like last year, i volunteered at Snor festival.
4 - And my brand new business cards arrived! I'm so happy with the way they turned out.

& i went to Liverpool,
and did even more! Despite the unemployment, September was a good one. Happy October!

Tea, scones & a meeting between old meets new

Liverpool. What a surprise! If you ever end up in this city (Englands 3rd biggest?!!) please make sure to:

- use lots of money at Utility;
- use lots of money on things that are cheaper in England, like tea and Curlywurly-chocolate and British magazines;
- join the Free Walking Tour and learn about the city, the club and the band (obviously called The Beatles);
- spend time in Bold Street and the area around LIPA University, so cozy and nice (and perfect for lunch, dinner, drinks);
- enjoy the combination of traditional and modern architecture around Albert Dock;
- enjoy the (mostly) free museums, like Tate Liverpool (and its amazingly pretty and interesting museum shop);
- drink tea infused gin & tonics (!) at Goodness Gracious' rooftop garden;
- whenever you get a bit tired of all the awesome/cheap tea: drink coffee at 92 Degrees Coffee;
- go for Afternoon Tea at Oh Me Oh My.

Liverpool streets

Liverpool. After tough months with a job i didn't really like, panic attacks, being afraid for lots of things there's no reason to be afraid of (and more i don't really feel like writing about), things are ok again. I'm 27 now, unemployed and (mostly) happy, motivated, inspired, full of ideas and plans and for the first time in months - excited to see new places and meet new faces.

Last weekend i went to the airport without knowing where my friend and i would be going - we ended up in Liverpool. A lovely pocket-sized city, perfect to explore in one weekend and filled with lovely people, pretty houses and super cheap tea.

*

I can collect some addresses and write a tiny city guide, if you'd like?

instaugustus

1 - I got the news of my first real job contract not being extended, so i celebrated (?) with a good friend and cake.
2 - Karolien and her boyfriend visited me in Utrecht. Our walk in the city turned into a hunt for nijntje(s)/miffy.
3 - Finally made it to Radio Kootwijk! Extra luck the heather was blooming.
4 - And i finally put up this magazine page that i've been liking for the last months. Home becomes more home every week.

& more!

instajuly

1 - The best thing about this rainy summer we're having is how pretty pretty green the whole world is.
2 - And the best thing about this time of the year: all the animals enjoying the outside(s), too.
3 - July's last days were spent in Norway! I finally visited Trondheim again, the city where i did my exchange in 2010.
4 - I enjoyed Oslo again, too. Mostly old favorites and good friends, but Oslovelo is a new favorite place.

& more!

instajune

oops, i forgot to post here last month
- so first out: june!



1 - A friend from Oslo visited, so i showed her the botanical gardens in Amsterdam - amongst lots of others!
2 - It's been tough months, but somewhere halfway june i felt like i might be able to face the world a little better again. Finally.
3 - I spent a weekend in Belgium and came home with plant & paper presents.
4 - And this was the Amsterdam-view i woke up to, the day after the documentary i subtitled (!!) had its premiere.

& more!