About Marieke.
Welcome to my Blog; I am Marieke van Asten. Born and raised in Heeze, a little village in the south of the Netherlands. I love to paint, primarily abstract, and be creative in general. And I am passionate about working with children. One of my favorite activities is making things for them like Valentine’s card or a cut-out template for their happy box.
I love to read; particularly biographies, I enjoy meeting new people, both on and offline. And I am a first-time solo writer, expecting to publish my book Unboxable, the power of not fitting in.
Living in Dominica.
I moved to Dominica, a small island in the Caribbean, in November 2016. Initially, to live with my partner on his farm. That bubble quickly burst after I arrived. Having given up my life in the Netherlands, I took some time to contemplate what to do. Should I throw in the towel and go back to the Netherlands or stay and give life in Dominica a chance. After a lot of soul searching and endless conversation with family and friends, I decided to stay and see what life on this island had to offer me.
It proved to be my best decision ever!
Fast forward four years, I now live comfortably in a lovely house, and I am building my Breadfruit House Foundation after Hurricane Maria destroyed our island in September 2017.
I am inviting you to be part of my daily life here on the Nature Island through my Blogs.
I recently read this quote: “It is not bravery unless you are scared.” Often others call me brave for staying here; to me, it never felt like that. Not that I never felt scared, of course, I did. Yet my heart told me I needed to be here, my purpose in life is here on Dominica, so I listened.
Dominica.
Dominica is an island republic of the West Indies. The official name is ‘The Commonwealth of Dominica’. Not to be confused with the Dominican Republic – another island entirely – situated about 1000km North West of Dominica. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is part of the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles Archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. The island is located near Guadeloupe, to the North West and Martinique to the South East. It’s area is 750km2 (290sq miles) and the highest point is Morne Diablotins, at 1447m (4747 ft) above sea level. The population was 71,293 at the 2011 census.
