For me, the best times to fit in with my family life are...
For me, the best times to fit in with my family life are the classes from 6.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Sometimes I also take part in the kettlebell training, which helps me build up extra strength. That’s really important to me, because, especially at the start, the classes made me realise just how weak I was as a woman. The fact that men are often so much stronger, even when they don’t train, made me feel defenceless. That’s becoming less of an issue now, although I realise I still have a lot to learn before I really know what to do if I find myself in a dangerous situation.
For now, my goal is to earn my green belt, but in the distant future I think it would be really cool to reach the very highest level. Just to get my green belt, I still need to pass two more grades, so I’ve got a long way to go. It would be fantastic if, eventually, it didn’t feel so difficult anymore. If I could perform the moves so much better that they become second nature, rather than having to think about them so much.
The North Star
Having fun and enjoying life are really important to me. A North Star to guide me, even though I often forget about it. I used to want to be an archaeologist – a classic choice. Now that actually seems terribly boring to me, although, come to think of it, I suppose I am a bit of an archaeologist of the soul. I find it fascinating to be able to discover: what lies beneath? How does that work for you?
I wouldn’t want to do anything else either. In the future, I’d still like to continue working for myself, but preferably without all the burdens of, for example, marketing, administration and that sort of thing. What I’m particularly proud of is that, at the age of 28, I started a pre-master’s course in special educational needs, followed by a master’s degree. Looking back on it, I’m glad I did it and, at the same time, I can hardly believe I actually started it back then. Purely through sheer willpower. It was a bit of a slog, but it’s paying off now.
Dreams and plans for the future
If it were possible, I’d love to meet Thich Nhat Hanh. He passed away recently and seems to me to have been a very interesting man. I wouldn’t necessarily need to ask him anything, but I’m curious to know what it’s like to be in his presence. I’d also like to meet Uma Thurman. Just to be a fly on the wall and see what she’s like. I could think of countless other people like that – I’m very curious.
One day, I’d love to fly over the mountains in a small plane. Preferably the Himalayas. That seems so beautiful and magical to me. And it would be a lovely experience with my family. Who knows if it’ll ever happen, but first we’re going on a six-month sabbatical in April. We’ll start with two months in Bali and then spend four months in Italy – perhaps even a little longer. My husband is Italian, so we’ll be visiting family there too. We’re really looking forward to that.
In the future, I’d love to lead a more hybrid lifestyle – one where we can live in both Italy and the Netherlands. That’s still a bit tricky, though, especially once our daughter starts school. So I’m not sure to what extent that’s actually possible. However we end up shaping our future, I’d definitely like to have a home in Italy. In a lovely spot, surrounded by lovely people. Perhaps even in a community, although I’ve no idea yet what that would be like. It would also be great if everything went smoothly with my work and I didn’t have to go back into salaried employment. That would make it all a bit easier and more flexible.
Ultimately, everything is still up in the air, but these are lovely things to dream about. I think it would be wonderful to live in a warm country, and my husband would also like to return to Italy, but I’d miss my friends terribly. I’m curious to see what the future holds for us.
Kiki Verschuuren
Year of birth: 1988
Occupation:
- Psychologist
- Owner of: Venus on Sunday
Place of residence: The Hague
Read more here: Humans of Wing Chun
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