About me

Hey there! Time to introduce myself.

My name is Jonathan Van Nieulande, 26 years and always 'on an adventure' for as long as I can remember.

It all started when I was still in diapers.

As a child my parents had a small bakery and besides the delicious bread and oven fresh coffee cakes, growing up in a bakery was growing up in an exciting world where there was always something to do.

Admittedly it wasn't all sunshine and roses - as a child you can't help but feel lonely when you're sitting at a lavish festive table with the whole family on Christmas Eve, while your mum and dad are nowhere to be found - but I wouldn't change it for the world!

As a counter reaction to all that hard work, we took our family out for a few weeks every year during the summer vacations. A few weeks of hard-earned quality time! If the 'fire for adventure' had been a small, smoldering pile before that, it was ignited during these many trips into a roaring blaze that still rages lustily to this day.

At school I was a mediocre student, someone who had to rely on his enthusiasm rather than his talent, something that would prove to be a recurring theme later in life. I steered myself through secondary school, added a successful bachelor’s degree in 'Secondary Education' and the rest is history as they say.

Now I stand in front of the classroom, am addressed by my students as "sir" and try to motivate and inspire them every day to give the best of themselves. I try to provoke, challenge, seduce and chase their biggest dreams, no matter how wild or unattainable they may seem at first glance.

But what kind of teacher would I be if I did not put my money where my mouth is? How can I ever expect to make an impact on these young guys if I don't even live my own dreams?

Therefore -under the motto 'lead by example'- I am now packed and ready to kick off my own dream, my own adventure.