About me
This page is about Florence the person. If you’d like to read about Florence the professional, you can have a look at these pages about my editing, translation and communication and content-writing work. You can also have a look at my resumé.
Background
I grew up bilingual, speaking both English and Dutch, but I also know some French and understand German. Languages were always very important in our family and I've travelled extensively all my life. More than half my life ago, I ended up backpacking alone through Australia, a country I now call home. I travel to the Netherlands at least once a year. Here are some cool facts about The Netherlands.
Word Nerd
Another thing my mother, a communication professional, and also my grandmother, a passionate bookstore owner, instilled in me as I was growing up was a love of words, language and communication. I studied the English language from a very young age – I was particularly intrigued by English literature and read Shakespeare in its original form when I was very young, loving the complexities. After living in Australia for two decades and studying how to write and edit the English language for another seven years, five of which at a postgraduate level, I would say that English and I are intimately acquainted.
Traveller
Both travel and communication are vital to my life as an expat and as a person. It’s how I connect to people, those I love and those I am yet to meet, even those I struggle to understand. If there is one thing I treasure the most in my life it’s my connections to people and places. I travel to Europe annually to see my family and friends. (Except during a pandemic, which is hopefully never happening again.)
Balanced
I place value on the inspiration that comes from having a balanced life. One's personal life and cultural heritage add immense depth to your professional attitude and energy. Diversity brings incredible richness to any industry, and the publishing industry is no different.
By combining the different parts of what makes me a balanced person, my work time and my playtime, the Dutch and the Australian cultures, the words and the fabric, I can confidently communicate as a person and a professional.
Happy
I feel that I’ve found a balance between working to live and living to work. My life is rich. I have a happy marriage, amazing friends, a supportive family, two cultures, children around the world whom I love and a Dachshund who makes me laugh every single day. I don’t want much more besides world peace.
*If you are confused about the difference between The Netherlands, Holland, and who the Dutch then must be, I recommend you watch this video. Yes, we eat chocolate sprinkles on bread for breakfast.