Welcome from me to you!

My name is Veerle. And so the story of my interest in language begins with my uniquely Flemish first name.

I was born in Vlaanderen/Flanders in Belgium as the eldest of three girls and moved with my Dutch husband to New Zealand in 1999. I am proud to be an adopted Kiwi.

Dream #1: To speak/understand fluent te reo Māori, the language of New Zealand’s indigenous people. E hiahia ana ahau ki te ako i te reo Māori. [I want to learn Māori.]

My childhood home was filled with comic strips, books and books. My adult home is filled with books and books and comic strips. In New Zealand I studied Children’s Literature. I work part-time in a small town library.

Dream #2: To own a children’s book shop.

I love everything connected to stories and language: from books to word games to libraries, from grammar to editing to proof reading, from etymology to foreign languages to conversations.

Dream #3: To write a book about my sister Inge, who passed away in 2016.

In my spare time (haha) I listen deeply to people’s stories in my private practice as a Clinical Psychologist. When I am not reading or working, I tremendously enjoy being active in the outdoors: mountain biking, road cycling, tramping, walking, running or gardening. New Zealand has it all.