About

About me

Hi, my name is Laura. I am somewhere in my late twenties. I’m born and raised in a very tiny country, named Belgium. Who am I? I guess we are both looking for that answer. What I do know is that I am the result of the places where I’ve lived, and even more of the people I’ve met. I used to think my hometown, Antwerp, is one of the best cities in the world. But after living in different places, I know that each place has it’s charms and it’s flaws, and that there is a time and space for a place to be absolutely awesome.

But my story does not begin in Antwerp. It begins in Mortsel/Kontich, where I grew up and went to school. Here I became a singer and guitar player. It is where I developed my enthusiasm for running and soccer, where I started to love biking, and where I became a very good student (thank you mom!). And not to forget, where I became the dreamer I still am today.

Next to Mortsel, there is another special place where I partly grew up. It’s called Limburg. In Limburg I have a lot of family, and was partly raised here by my dad and stepmother. Limburg taught me to slow down in life, made me more of a family person, made me conscious and grateful and made me a coffee lover.

When I moved to Antwerp during my studies, I changed a lot. Antwerp made me a business engineer, a partner (yes I am talking about my man, Mathias), and friend of some amazing people. This city made me appreciate street musicians, good food, and fashion. She made me outgoing and a Wiking, which changed me from a shy girl, to a woman who is not afraid to take on a little challenge.

During my studies I went on erasmus in Paris. I had never been there before so was absolutely amazed by its beauty. I love Paris. She made me extravert, yet humble. She turned me in to a wine lover and an ‘outdoorsperson‘. Nothing better than sipping wine on a Parisian terrace in wintertime.

After I graduated, I started working in Ghent. Here, I met the most hilarious people with good taste for music. Ghent made me an IT consultant, a house music lover, and a self-assured woman.

2,5 years later, I quit my job and followed my man to Cartagena, Colombia. It was the bravest decision of my life up until now.
At that time, I had absolutely no clue of what I was going to do there, but that was maybe what excited me the most.
No doubt about it that this place has changed me. Cartagena is the city that taught me Spanish, Champeta, Ron de Medellín, pelicans, laughter and a whole lot of patience. But more than that, it completely changed the way I look at this crazy thing called life.

 

About the blog

I started this blog when I moved to Colombia. Life (and therefore this blog) was all about discovering a new country and culture, but it was even more about discovering myself.

After living three years in Colombia, the wind took us back to Belgium again. Weirdly enough, my quest still continues. I am not the same person anymore and I can’t go back to the same life I had before Colombia.

That is why my blog is still about discovering. Every time we start a new chapter in our lives we have to reinvent ourselves. I say “we” because at some point we all have to.

So jump on, discover, and share your story with me!

Do you want to know why it's called Pelican Stories? Read my first post!

 

Disclaimer: The newest pictures on this blog were taken by my dear friend Fabián Álvarez. You can check out his work here.