Ramon Stoppelenburg's Blog

Most freelancers do not fail on Upwork because they lack skill. They fail because they become invisible. And there is a difference worth understanding. Browse the platform for ten minutes and you will see what I mean. Hundreds of profiles offering writing, design, translation, development, marketing. Many of them competent. Many of them experienced. Most of them never hired. Not because the platform is broken or clients are unreasonable, but because Upwork operates on a logic that most freelance...

Two weeks ago I published an essay on the Cambodia-Thailand conflict and how I could not be silent about it as a foreigner living in Phnom Penh. It was liked by the thousands and shared by the tens-of-thousands. People even copied and pasted my words to appear under their names. It was shared by very important people too, by Cambodia’s former Minister of Information, by the former editor-in-chief of the Kampuchea newspaper, by senior figures in the Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) and even recomme...

I usually try to stay out of international politics. Not because I don’t care, but because there are always more sides to a story than any one person can fully grasp. Still, I feel compelled to speak up now. Not to preach, not to claim absolute truth, but to start a conversation and share what I see happening between Thailand and Cambodia. The two countries have a long history of border disputes, many of them rooted in French colonial-era maps. That much is not new. What is new is the... Read Mo...

I believe good writing should transport you. Whether I’m translating, editing, or telling a story, I aim to bring you closer to the heart of the subject. This poem is my love letter to Cambodia, and perhaps the best way to understand how I work: attentive, layered, and transformative. Fragments Between the stone faces of Bayon and the silent fields where bones still whisper, a country emerges from morning mist, carrying its ghosts with quiet dignity. Ancient temples breathe in jungle air, while ...

Between the stone faces of Bayon and the silent fields where bones still whisper, a country emerges from morning mist, carrying its ghosts with quiet dignity. Ancient temples breathe in jungle air, while motorbikes weave through Phnom Penh streets, vendors call out with rhythmic precision, and children play along the Tonlé Sap’s edge History sits heavy on tired shoulders, not a burden but a testament to survival’s extraordinary art. The Mekong flows, indifferent to sorrow. Cambodia does not ask ...

I paid Upwork over $5,000 in fees last year. And Honestly? I’d Do It Again. When I looked at my Upwork earnings report at the end of last year, one number stood out in bold: over $5,000 in fees. That’s how much I paid the platform just to be able to do my job. Just to show up, send proposals, work with clients, and get paid. And strangely enough… I didn’t feel angry. I wasn’t frustrated or bitter. In fact, I felt – dare I say it? – okay with... Read More

The post Is Upwork Worth It in 2026? A Fr...

There are moments in a humble online copywriter and translator’s career that catch you completely off guard. Last week was one of them. I was deep into proofreading a client’s book draft about the early years of the internet, the kind of meticulous work that pays the bills between translation projects. After the author’s preface, I turned to the opening chapter. There, staring back at me from the text, was my own name. Not as the proofreader, but as the subject. Ramon Stoppelenburg. Letmestayfor...

The Bland Truth: A Critique of Portuguese Cuisine Portuguese don’t really appreciate critique. Especially not from a foreigner! So here you go, their responses on various social media and my replies. “You clearly don’t understand Portuguese food.” It won’t go on about the reasoning for this question, which will equally be countered if you have an opinion on politics, or even football. On the contrary, on Portuguese food again, I understand it so well that I could probably prepare bacalhau in at ...

I wrote an unsalted opinion on my experiences with the Portuguese kitchen, “The Overcooked Truth: My Critique of the Portuguese Kitchen“ and it published by the Dutch newspaper De Volkskrant on February 28. Below the English version of this article: The Overcooked Truth: My Critique of the Portuguese Kitchen Portuguese food is great — when it wants to be. After living in Portugal for nearly two years, the Portuguese cuisine remains a culinary enigma to me. With fresh fish and seafood that would ...

As a 48-year-old Dutchman who has made his home in sunny Portugal, I view Mark Zuckerberg’s recent turnaround with mixed feelings. From my house in the Algarve, I closely follow global news, and the developments surrounding Meta’s policies are nothing short of fascinating. What Zuckerberg is doing now feels like a late, and perhaps even cowardly, attempt to make amends for years of mistakes. But hey, better late than never. On January 7, Zuckerberg appeared with a remarkable message on Facebook ...