Ramon Stoppelenburg's Blog

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 ...

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 ...

I paid Upwork over $5,000 in fees last year. And guess what? I’m not even mad about it. As a matter of fact, I’m about to tell you why I’ll happily keep paying these fees in 2025 and beyond. But before you think you have lost your mind, let me share what four years of freelancing on this platform has taught me. (advertisement) With nearly four years of working on Upwork as a freelancer, I have come across many opinions, good and bad, about the platform. Some people just love... Read More

The pos...

I paid Upwork over $5,000 in fees last year. And guess what? I’m not even mad about it. As a matter of fact, I’m about to tell you why I’ll happily keep paying these fees in 2025 and beyond. But before you think I’ve lost my mind, let me share what three years of freelancing on this platform has taught me. With nearly three years of working on Upwork as a freelancer, I have come across many opinions, good and bad, about the platform. Some people just love the freedom... Read More

The post Is Upw...

The Problem of Expectations that Are Not Achieved Working with clients can be emotionally draining, especially when we can’t meet their expectations despite our best efforts. Even though we know some things are beyond our control, we often blame ourselves when we fall short of our performance goals. The above, in particular, is the experience I recently underwent with a freelancing job and I was reminded of my friend Gloria: “Just do your due diligence and leave the rest to the universe.” It rea...

I paid Upwork over $5,000 in fees last year. And guess what? I’m not even mad about it. As a matter of fact, I’m about to tell you why I’ll happily keep paying these fees in 2024 and beyond. But before you think I’ve lost my mind, let me share what three years of freelancing on this platform has taught me. With nearly three years of working on Upwork as a freelancer, I have come across many opinions, good and bad, about the platform. Some people just love the freedom... Read More

The post Is Upw...

As a freelancer who has been working through Upwork for almost three years, I often hear mixed opinions about the platform. Some people rave about the flexibility and global opportunities it offers, while others grumble about the fees and the competitive nature of the marketplace. But here’s the thing—despite the criticisms, I genuinely love working on Upwork. And if you’re considering diving into the world of freelancing, I think it’s worth sharing why.   Wait! What is Upwork? Upwork.com is a l...