How did you get to Estepona? First we flew from South Africa to the Netherlands and then we bought a car and drove all the way down to this town. What made it that you picked Estepona? I liked the streets, it was cleaner and more open then the other towns. The other towns around Marbella feel more like townships, like an ad on. Estepona got it's borders and has a good feeling. I just thought it might be a nice place to live.
What are you doing? I've been working in the kitchen for 47 years this year! My parents have always had a restaurant in Nieuwpoort in Belgium and I was even born in their restaurant. I started to work when I was 11 years old. Well, then you immediately know what your calling is! Hell yes!
What did you do in the Netherlands? I never really knew what I wanted, I followed a one-year secretary course at Schoevers, goal oriented. After that I mainly did administrative work and a lot of reception work, for example at a training institute and a clothing wholesaler, which I really liked, because I love clothing and fashion.
You grew up in Lithuania , what did you study there? Multimedia art, a university education actually, but comparable to an academy of arts. How did you end up in the Netherlands? First I went to Spain on vacation and there I met Mario, we fell in love, he lived there but he went back to the Netherlands and so I went there too. That was easier location for me to combine with studying in Lithuania.
How did you get to know Gerrie? How did you get to know Gerrie? We were 15, 16 years old when we started to be a couple. We knew each other from school. Gerrie always played football, he became a professional footballer, starting at the age of 19. Then we got married, he played football and I stayed at home with our little children and I started to study.
What did you do in the Netherlands? I have always worked in the hospitality industry, especially in Amsterdam. I have worked 11 years as an assistant manager at Grand Café l'Opera, at the Rembrandt Square in Amsterdam. And before and after that I worked in the catering industry. Finally as catering manager at a company in the south of Amsterdam.
How did you end up in Estepona? My girlfriend at the time always wanted to come here and ride white Andalusian horses. Why Estepona? Because this girlfriend had two sisters that had been living here since the early 1990's. When did you start up living in Estepona? Twenty years ago on July 26th.
How did you end up in Estepona? We lived in Coin, Malaga about 15 years ago so when we came back we went to visit friends there and explore the coast. We drove through Estepona and it’s got a beautiful, inviting feel so we thought, we’ll stay here.
How did you end up in Estepona? Mainly because of the weather and we had to leave our house in Amsterdam anyway, because we grew out with three children. But then... Where? I told my husband in the Christmas holidays that I really didn't want to grow old in that nasty Dutch cold weather, I had a vision of myself in the future with my walker, shivering down the street.
