«I think people are complex beings with complex interests. Not something you can pinpoint down to one particular niche or topic. That’s why I haven’t set any boundaries for The Navigatio»
«I think that in your journey of becoming a content creator you have to stay true to yourself. If you start writing articles or create videos just to become “famous” or “rich”, you aren’t doing it right«
«for now I’m planning to build a great connection with my readers and provide them with awesome content»
Entrevista a Nele en Español – clic aquí – Interview with Nele in Spanish – click here
Our achievements and goals always have a motive, a dream that we have always pursued, a longing.
Knowing our guest and her great enthusiasm, and desire to go forward without surrender every day, shows us that day to day perseverance leads us to success.
She is a native of the Netherlands and since 18 years of age in England, it is an honor to introduce Nele Van Hout, Creative Communicator and blogger at The Navigatio where she tells us about her great experience, her hobbies and life in her New house, United Kingdom.
A lover of video games and Japanese culture, we invite you to know:
1.- Nele, you were born in the Netherlands and you live in England today. Tell us about your hometown, what memories do you have of your city? How has the city of Manchester treated you since your arrival?
My hometown in the Netherlands is a small countryside village near the Belgium border. It’s quiet, pretty isolated and surrounded by forest, but the community has always been great. I’ve always lived close to my family – including aunts, uncles and cousins – and made lots of friends during my time in high school. Moving away to Manchester was definitely a big and crazy decision, especially coming from such a small town. Manchester has been an absolutely wonderful new home to me, though. Most people I’ve met in England have been nothing but supportive and kind to me. I’m very lucky to have met such great people and have gained so many amazing friends. I do love visiting my old hometown from time to time to see my Dutch friends and family.
2.- Is the culture of the Netherlands different or similar to the English Culture?
Even though England isn’t that far away from the Netherlands, there is definitely a lot of cultural difference that I had to get used to. One thing that stood out to me was the British politeness. Being Dutch, I have always been quite straightforward about my opinions and the way I speak.I really had to tone myself down! Sometimes I still mess up and say something that may seem a little harsh, but I’m learning! Another thing that I’m still getting used to is the English cuisine…. Not a massive fan of baked beans and fish&chips just yet. Maybe one day haha!
3.- Nele, tell us what are your favorite hobbies? What gives you joy or makes you smile?
Besides reading and writing – the hobbies I’ve chosen to get a bachelor degree in – I love making music. I’ve been writing songs and creating covers for years and I love taking my guitar to an English pub for an open mic night, where you can get on stage and sing some songs. When I get stressed, I just take up my guitar and play some songs. Another thing I love doing is play video games. Mainly titles as Pokemon and Animal Crossing, but I also like playing some online games with my boyfriend and his friends.
4.- Creativity, Japanese culture, music and video games are part of you, and we are part of your experiences thanks to your website The Navigatio. What motivated you to create your blog, and how have you received the readers and followers?
My blog is a little piece of internet where I feel I can express myself best. I always see websites that focus on one particular topic – like travel, beauty, fashion, gaming etc. – but I hardly see blogs that cover all these topics. I think people are complex beings with complex interests. Not something you can pinpoint down to one particular niche or topic. That’s why I haven’t set any boundaries for The Navigatio. It’s a website about anything that I enjoy and I think most of my readers will enjoy too! So far I’ve been getting very great comments and feedback. It’s nice to see there are other people out there who think travel is just as interesting as beauty and beauty is just as interesting as video games!
5.- How do you like to interact with your followers? What is your favorite social network? How important are social networks for a blogger?
In my opinion, the right social media strategy is crucial for bloggers. You can have amazing content, but without the right tools to promote them, you won’t get very far. Instagram is by far my favorite. I love how you can put so much creativity in your photos and have a little “mini-blog” as your caption. I follow some awesome other bloggers on Instagram and their feeds are always very inspiring! It’s a nice platform to interact with your followers too, reply to their comments and like their photos.
6.- In The Navigatio we can also learn from the life of a young student and worker in England.
I try to include a lot about my life in England in The Navigatio. It’s been such a big adventure for me to move to a different country at the age of 18 and I love sharing the experiences with my readers. I do try to keep things as real as possible, not everything goes perfectly smooth all the time! Sometimes being a foreigner is a real struggle and those things are all part of my life abroad. But I try to focus on the positive side of my life abroad and share the great experiences I have.
7.- What is the personal seal of Nele, which is what distinguishes Nele in each experience in The Navigatio?
The fact that I moved abroad at the age of 18 to get a bachelor degree in England seems quite unique to me. I hope that my life story appeals to others and hope that they can learn from the mistakes that I have made if they ever plan to do the same!
8.- How is Brexit seen for young students and people from the European Union who currently reside in the UK?
Most of my friends in England are English, but even them were very shocked by the outcome of the referendum. The EU nationals that I do know are, just like me, worried about what will happen. I’m trying my hardest to stay positive and wait until we know more about the outcome of the Brexit negotiations. That doesn’t mean that I’m not worried about it. I’ve got a real life in England, a boyfriend, great friends and my education. I’m really scared this is all going to be taken away in the future!
9.- What do you think should be the main virtue or quality of a blogger or digita communicator? Do you think we can all be bloggers or youtubers?
Start a blog or becoming a content creator is something everybody can do! You do need the right mindset, motivation, dedication and a lot of luck to become successful. I think that in your journey of becoming a content creator you have to stay true to yourself. If you start writing articles or create videos just to become “famous” or “rich”, you aren’t doing it right. You have to do it because you like to do it and because you’re happy to share these things with your readers/viewers.
10.- What projects do you have in the medium and long term with your website, and once you finish your studies of Creative Writing, English and Japanese?
I’m starting my last year at university in September, where I study English and Creative writing with Japanese classes on the side. It’s been quite intense but I love my course! The Navigatio is my side project and I hope to grow it as much as possible before the end of my degree.
As my website is fairly new, I’m still testing the waters! But I would love to work with brands that would be useful for my readers but for now I’m planning to build a great connection with my readers and provide them with awesome content.
11.- What do you think that YouTube has become the platform that discovers talent and that allows to generate economic income to the creators of content online?
YouTube is one of my favorite websites! I watch a lot of content creators on it and love discovering new channels that inspire or entertain me. I think it’s a great way for people to share their talents and interests with the world. It creates room for so many opportunities.
12.- The Internet has created new forms of employment, the so-called «Digital Nomads», many of them travel while generating income from a computer. Does the Internet open many job opportunities?
Even though the internet has its disadvantages, I think the internet is pretty great. The fact that we live in a day and age where we can basically create our own ways on income via the internet is simply amazing. I know tons of people who have created jobs through the internet. Whether it’s via music, photography, writing or making art, the internet has played a crucial role in getting their work out there.
13.- How is digital communication in Netherlands compared to the United Kingdom?
The digital communication in the Netherlands is fairly similar to that in the United Kingdom. The only real difference that I’ve noticed is that writing in English is obviously a way to reach a much greater audience than when you only write in Dutch.
14.- Worldwide, women have acquired a greater role even though there are societies where they are still abused. What is your opinion of the role of women in the future in these societies?
I count myself very lucky to have been born in the Netherlands. Even though there’s still some issues even in western societies about gender equality, it’s great to see that’s getting a lot better! It’s awful to see that there are places in the world where this isn’t the case, though. And I really hope that women all around the world will be given the same opportunities as men.
15.- Nele, what is your motivation and what do you feel grateful for every day?
My main motivation to work hard every day is that I firmly believe that effort will never betray you. I like growing as a person and get better at things. I’m very grateful for all the opportunities that I have been given and the wonderful people in my life who support me through the rough patches. I really couldn’t have done anything without them.
16.- Would you advise young people who have talent but do not dare to take the next step? What would you advise parents who do not support their children’s talents?
It’s very difficult to take your talents to the next step. It’s scary taking yourself serious enough to actually do something with your talents. But I always remind myself that if I don’t try something, I will automatically fail. If you never try, you’ll never know what might happen!
Parents always want the best for their kids, and I think it’s sometimes hard to understand how much the job market has changed over the last few years. Who would’ve thought that you could make money playing video games? Look at PewDiePie now, the most successful YouTuber, who makes millions playing video games. I think it’s important to support your kids in their talents and make sure that they choose for happiness.
17.- What would you recommend us to visit in the Netherlands and in England? What would you like to know about Peru if you could come?
Amsterdam is always on the list of things to visit in the Netherlands! Another thing I’d recommend is come and see the beautiful tulip fields in the spring, they’re magnificent! I’m still playing the tourist role in England, but in Manchester I would recommend to visit Afflecks Palace and the Northern Quarter. There are lots of cute, independent shops there which are all worth a visit!
I’ve always dreamt about visiting Machu Picchu in Peru! Hopefully I’ll be able to visit it one day.
18.- Finally Nele, a greeting for our readers and followers throughout America and Europe.
Thank you so much!
*** Thank you very much Nele for allowing us to meet a young fighter who pursues his dreams, and above all is happy to achieve each goal.
We can meet, talk and follow Nele & The Navigatio in: