Magazine website - Aartsen - 2023

Tijn (6) will
be the next
Freek Vonk
Jill (9) sings,
dances and
improvises
A snake around your neck? A
tarantula on your arm? For Tijn, son
of colleague Niels van Nunen, that’s
all his heart desires. His dream? To
become like Freek Vonk. Luckily, Tijn
is anything but afraid.
Tijn: "I am a total 'animal lover. I
especially like scary animals like
snakes, spiders, cheetahs and
jaguars. I had a snake around my
neck for the first time. Scary? No, not
at all. It was cool! Mom sometimes
thinks it’s creepy, all those animals.
Luckily, dad is less afraid and even
held a giant yellow spider in his
hands. He also has to go to Africa for
his work. Recently he was in Africa
with a car in the wilderness and
saw elephants walking there. When
I grow up, I want to do the same.
Maybe with daddy. Becoming like
Freek Vonk (famous Dutch biologist)
when I grow up would be very cool.
My favourite animal is a jaguar,
which I recently saw at the zoo for
the first time in real life. Jaguars are
so beautiful! All my friends want to
become football players when they
grow up, but I prefer to dive into my
dinosaur books in my free time, and
I want to work with animals when I’m
a grown-up."
Singing, acting and dancing…Leave
the performances up to Jill, daughter
of colleague Roy Mureau. Her dream?
A career as a singer and actress.
She is already well on her way, with
her first performance in the Efteling
(amusement park) recently.
Jill: "Last week, I performed my
own version of The Lion King for my
parents. Together with my cousins and
my little brother, who had to be Simba.
At the last moment, he decided he
didn’t want to be Simba anymore,
and I had to grab a stuffed animal.
Improvisation is also part of acting! I
have enjoyed singing and performing
since I was a baby. I sing everywhere,
and sometimes classmates want
me to stop singing. But I just like it
that way. When I sing, I automatically
always have to laugh. One day I hope
to participate in The Voice (TV show).
And when I grow up, I want to play in
musicals. A while ago, I was allowed to
act in a musical of the Efteling, which
was great. It was a small role, but I
loved it. After high school, I want to go
to art school. My mother always says:
singing and acting are fun, but also
make sure you have something else on
the side. Because earning money by
singing is not that easy. My favourite
singers? Suzan & Freek, Snelle and
Flemming!"
46 | AMBITION AMBITION | 47