Two weeks ago, in one of my numerous conference calls (dear lord they never end!), my cleverest colleague enthusiastically outburst: “I can’t wait to gather all the best HR practices from our clients. There are going to be plenty of innovative practices arising from this lockdown experience.”  She marked a dramatic pause before carrying on:  “We can think of the basic recognition of working from home. Some companies, which were very traditional on this side, will have no other choice than to institute it. We are entering a new era in the world of work!” she concluded gaily.  ..read more

Three years ago, we got our first baby – an adorable cat. We went to pick him up in a village located in the Dutch bible belt. It might be surprising that such a place exists in this country well known for its legalized drugs and red light districts. Yet in these flat lands everyone is allowed to be in ecstasies spiritually, chemically or sexually.   When my partner and I went to get our kitten, we received a box filled with food, toys and obviously a bible. Was it for us or for our cat? Hard to know. But when we saw the sacred book, we knew that we should never disclose to these cat ..read more

As I am putting down these words, you need to know that my daughter is behind me, on her two feet like a wobbly little lemur, screaming. Not all too different from pre-lockdown life, but so very different at the same time. I will continue writing this article, utterly unperturbed, because this is the kind of person I have become.  Here are three things I have learned during the lockdown:  3. I am a better mum when I work in an office Because children, you can shout at me! I do not care anymore! I am immune to sound and emotions! This infernal rhythm of boinging around in a strict enc ..read more

It was a Saturday evening. It was 8 pm. Our daughter was asleep and my partner and I decided to spice up our life by watching Netflix. And we did what everyone does these days: we watched Tiger king.  There is something highly addictive about this show. Tiger king: the show  I am completely taken away by the slow-motion sequences of a lady of a certain age riding her bike, with her hair too long for her age being blown back by the gentle breeze.  I am pervertedly fascinated by the protagonists’ missing front teeth, reminding me of the passion gap, which eases the sliding in and ..read more

These are strange times we live in. If my one-year-old daughter were to describe her new life in confinement, I am certain it would go something like this: “I used to go to the nursery 4 days a week because mummy and daddy had to go to work. I always thought that work was something pretty and fun because they went there so often and for so many hours.  Since a few weeks ago, mummy does not go to work, but she still needs to work. I want mummy to play with me, but she always says: «Non, non I need to work.» Then she spends all day in front of the phone or her comp ..read more

These days, the Netherlands are a bit like the village of Asterix and Obelix: they have not entirely surrendered to the enemy, Julius Coronavirus, therefore we are only in a semi-lockdown.  This means that everyone needs to work from home, that restaurants and bars are closed – but never fear, you can still get marijuana for takeaway from the coffee shops, and the population is free to walk around if they respect the rule of keeping 1.5m away from the next person. The Dutch, well… being Dutch,  have no issue in keeping their distance. I live in a tiny village called Abcoude, t ..read more

“I cried yesterday.” So began the Whatsapp I received from one of my dearest friends “My partner and I are dividing our time in taking care of the girls. When it is my turn to entertain them, I need to work and I am constantly on my phone or computer. I feel terribly guilty.”  This best friend of mine, my muse as I like to call her, is a young mother of two daughters, 2.5 years and 10 months old respectively. She is one of these rare human beings who are remarkably honest, therefore one way of describing her would be to say that she is highly moral. The other way would be disciplined, and ..read more

  My daughter is going to celebrate her first birthday next week …  in isolation! Good thing that she will never remember it. I am a French expat in the Netherlands and am in a bit of a peculiar position as my partner is a cardiologist in Breda, the epicentre of the Coronavirus in the Netherlands. Therefore, every day he needs to go to work and some nights he needs to sleep at the hospital. We could put our daughter at the nursery, as they allow it when one of the two parents work at a hospital,  but we have decided that it does not make sense. We could be carriers of the d ..read more

While I sit back and watch the US elections starting off again – glass of wine in hand (again) – I can”t help but remember how, just four years ago, Trump kicked off his announcement for candidacy with this very classy statement: “I’m really rich.”  This humble declaration legitimized his application to one of the most powerful positions in the world and made me want to ask him: are you really really rich? That gave way to the million-dollar question: what does it mean to be rich today? Which then brought me to the billion-dollar, really important one: am I rich?  Being rich: what i ..read more

Ten days without my 8 month old baby… all because I was invited to one of my best friends’ wedding in South Africa. It caused me months of stress and a huge amount of guilt.  Each time I told another mother: -”I am off to South Africa for a wedding and I am leaving my daughter with my mother for 10 days.”  Each time I would receive in return: Gasp. .. weird throat noises… and then the “compliment”: -”Wow, you are so courageous. I wouldn’t be able to do that.”  The worst judgement I received was from my own mother who was Frenchly blunt and straight-up told me: -”How could you ..read more