Stephanie de Noord

South Africa

I was born and raised in South Africa, where I had a wonderful childhood. Perhaps because my parents emigrated themselves (both are British), the desire to see more of the world arose very early in my life. So when I was nineteen I came to the Netherlands as an au-pair, with the intention of going to Australia afterwards. But life sometimes turns out differently than expected. In fact, I met my husband in a local pub and eventually made the choice to stay in the Netherlands. A choice I never regretted, despite missing my family and the difference in weather! I have been living in the Netherlands since 1992 and have two daughters (2003 and 2005) together with my husband.

Hobbies

I still love to travel a lot; cozy family vacations in Europe, hiking vacations, round trips, as well as far away trips. As I have family in South Africa, Malaysia and England, I also have plenty of vacation addresses 🙂 I love to cook and read, am also a real animal lover and enjoy taking long walks with our dog (a Dalmatian). Mindfulness and the connection between 'mind and body' is something I find fascinating and I try to learn as much as I can about it.

Horses

My youngest daughter loves horses and we finally (after a long campaign on her part) changed our minds and bought her a pony and later a horse. This has been a big challenge considering I have no background in horses. I had to learn a lot, get my E license and learn to drive a horse trailer, but very special the bond you can build with a horse and the satisfaction that taking care of an animal gives you.

Working at NOM

I have been working for NOM for quite a few years now, NOM is a very pleasant employer and has always given me the opportunity to grow. I also have a lot of variety in my work and I enjoy contributing to the development of the Northern Netherlands. I am currently web editor and am responsible for the NOM website and social media channels as well as a number of project websites. I find the communication profession fascinating, especially how small nuances can make the difference in how something comes across. Communication is a profession in full swing and there are always new insights and developments. This gives energy because there is still a lot to learn and discover!