Drie Stapjes Meer

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My stories

  • Obesity, listening without judgment

    Obesity, listening without judgment

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    by

    Carine
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    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Obesity, listening without judgment. Okay. My BMI is slightly above 30. I already talked about it on my previous page. So I have an obese body. The word alone feels heavy. Not that I am an exception. Apparently, 50% of the Belgian population is overweight, and 20%…

  • Travel blog about Lake Balaton

    Travel blog about Lake Balaton

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    by

    Carine
    in

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Travel blog about Lake Balaton We spent ten days cycling around Lake Balaton in Hungary. In this travel blog about Lake Balaton, I share our experiences and tips. We also stopped at various places during the journey there and back to go on cycling trips and discover…

  • Tips for Western America

    Tips for Western America

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    Carine
    in

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Roadtrip Western America Discover the story of our roadtrip through Western America in june 2026. Discover what we saw, experienced and find lots of helpful tips voor your upcoming trip to America Emma

  • Give blood, save lives: but who still gives blood?

    Give blood, save lives: but who still gives blood?

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    by

    Carine
    in ,

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Give blood, save lives. But who still donates blood? A lifetime of blood donation Recently we donated blood again. Four times a year, the Red Cross organises local blood collections in municipalities all over Belgium. Something my husband and I have been doing since our young adult…

  • Dutch vs Flemish reality shows: patterns and clichés

    Dutch vs Flemish reality shows: patterns and clichés

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    by

    Carine
    in

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Reality shows unraveled: the difference between the Dutch and the Flemish If you, like us, regularly watch Dutch and Flemish reality shows such as B&B Full of Love, Winter Full of Love, First Dates, Meester Visser, Behind Closed Doors or Ik Vertrek, you eventually start to recognize…

  • Together with the cafés and restaurants, the daily special also disappears

    Together with the cafés and restaurants, the daily special also disappears

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    by

    Carine
    in

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Together with the cafés and restaurants, the daily special also disappears Wishful thinking Together with the cafés and the restaurants, the daily special has also disappeared in our village. However, I had always thought that, once we were retired, we would go out for lunch more often.…

  • The curious logic of bullshit jobs

    The curious logic of bullshit jobs

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    by

    Carine
    in

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) The curious logic of bullshit jobs When work makes you wonder Lately, I’ve been reflecting on a book I stumbled upon in the library: Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber. The title struck me because it put words to something many of us have quietly felt but rarely say…

  • Customer service a game you can’t win?

    Customer service a game you can’t win?

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    Carine
    in

    I treat customer service like a game of Stratego these days. Not for fun, but out of self-protection. Screenshots, e-mails, file numbers… Every promise, every date: my game pieces. Every employee on the line is a new move. Sometimes you hit something, sometimes you just go back to start. It’s frustrating. It’s exhausting. But it…

  • If you have to, you have to. Toilet crisis or not.

    If you have to, you have to. Toilet crisis or not.

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    by

    Carine
    in ,

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) If you have to, you have to, even if finding a toilet in the city is an undertaking You rarely think about it. Until a simple walk suddenly becomes a calculation and the city no longer invites you, but sets conditions. If you have to, you have…

  • My first watercolor course

    My first watercolor course

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    by

    Carine
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    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) My first watercolor course From Pinterest inspiration to urban sketching Getting started with watercolor can be exciting. Follow my journey from inspiration on Pinterest to a real course and creative urban sketching. For years I had collected countless watercolor inspirations on Pinterest, but I had never actually…

  • New Year’s letters: a Flemish tradition full of memory and family

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    by

    Carine
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    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) New Year’s letters: a Flemish tradition full of memory and family Did you know that the ritual in which children recite a New Year’s letter is a Flemish custom and tradition ? Even in the Netherlands it has fallen into disuse. Nowhere else are writing, reciting, family…

  • Winter circus and memories in Ghent

    Winter circus and memories in Ghent

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    by

    Carine
    in ,

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Winter circus and memories in Ghent Tasty mezze in Ghent After the panel discussion about hearing loss we attended to recently, we took a long walk through the city. We wanted to go to the Turkish restaurant Ankara, Oudburg 44. Nowadays you can hardly get anywhere in…

  • Two quicksilvers staying with grandma

    Two quicksilvers staying with grandma

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    by

    Carine
    in ,

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Two quicksilvers staying with grandma Two quicksilvers staying with grandma, a few days of creative work! This week I have two grandchildren staying over. They run around the house, everywhere at once, laugh loudly and disappear again. I try to keep track of where they are, but…

  • Children of successful parents

    Children of successful parents

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    Carine
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    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Children of successful parents What is it like to be a child of parents who have achieved everything? Read about pressure, fear of failure and finding your own way. Don’t look at the parent, but at the child “A famous name often resembles a coat, which, made…

  • About street vendors, phishing and hacking

    About street vendors, phishing and hacking

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    Carine
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    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) About street vendors, phishing and hacking Stay alert and protect yourself From physical street vendors to phishing emails to hackers: discover tips on how to spot unwanted sellers. Learn how to keep digital scams out. Street vendors Everyone knows them: street vendors, or door-to-door salesmen who try…

  • Creativity against fear

    Creativity against fear

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    by

    Carine
    in ,

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Creativity against fear About fears and phobias: do you sometimes suffer from them too? Everyone has fears from time to time. This is normal, human and often even healthy: fear protects us, makes us alert and helps us make choices. But phobias go one step further. A…

  • Women through time

    Women through time

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    Carine
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    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Women through time Discover the indispensable role of women in the Plantin-Moretus printing works in Antwerp. See how their strength, collaboration and flair still inspire today. Exhibition Plantin-Moretus Books have always had a special place in my life. As a child, they were expensive and precious. Literally…

  • Make a watercolor

    Make a watercolor

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    by

    Carine
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    Start painting slowly: learn watercolor and urban sketching techniques, create a warm color palette and draw your first creative sketch.

  • What Being Generous Really Means

    What Being Generous Really Means

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    by

    Carine
    in

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) What being generous really means Being generous is more than giving gifts. Discover how small, sincere gestures of time, attention and kindness make a huge difference. Find out what being generous really means. What do we usually understand by generous? When you think of being generous, you…

  • Healthy eating starts today

    Healthy eating starts today

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    by

    Carine
    in ,

    This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch) Healthy eating starts today Every time is a good time to start eating healthily Have you, like me, been wanting to lose a few pounds for a while, but you keep putting it off? Believe me: Any time is a good time to start eating healthily. You…