About

I grew up in a small village in the Netherlands where I was always playing on the farm or scrolling around in the forest. So, at the age of 18, it felt natural to study Forest and Nature Conservation at Wageningen University in The Netherlands. For a while, I doubted if I should become an accountant who would earn a lot of money, but I decided that I preferred to be out in the fields rather than working inside at a desk. After studying for a couple of years, I decided it was time for me to explore the world and went to live in Spain for some years where I worked as a researcher, both in Madrid and the south of the country. Even though I loved it, it was not so easy to adapt to the culture and I decided to pursue an international Master in European Forestry to connect with highly motivated people who had the same passion as I did. This greatly worked out, several of my colleagues from the Master are the ones who I still have meaningful contact with.

During the second year of my Master, I had the feeling that I had to work in the Amazon rainforest. At that time, I did not know exactly why or what it was, but it was a strong feeling and I had a vision of me walking the trails of the forest. This started a journey for me exploring Central and South America. During these trips, I worked in several countries doing different jobs to better understand what was happening in the fields of agroforestry, ecotourism, agriculture, etc. Amongst others, I worked on agroforestry in Brazil. I was a tour guide in a coffee farm in Colombia. I helped at a rural care farm in Argentina, climbed mountains in Ecuador, and studied the behavior of termites in the jungle of Costa Rica. This gave me a good insight into the richness of the land, its nature, and its culture.

So, now with this combination of theoretical knowledge obtained at universities and practical field experience, I have committed myself to explaining to the world the greatest importance of this natural area. I will do so through my blog, and when ready, through a podcast interviewing experts.

Besides this passion for nature, I love to bike, hike, read, write, and have meaningful conversations with people I feel close to.