Just TRUST in People and the World | ExpatWoman.com
 

Just TRUST in People and the World

Posted on

16 June 2015

Last updated on 23 June 2015


"Just TRUST in People and the World"


Elke and Louka are a mother-daughter gymnastics duo who are living in Dubai. We got the chance to talk to Elke about appearing on TV and about their lives here...

It was only two years ago that mother and daughter, Elke and Louka took to doing aerial silk gymnastics. It was only one year ago that they both decided to combine their talent and perform duets together.

Image credit to VTM
Image credit: VTM

Of course it's understandable to be a little mind-blown when you learn that the duo, who call themselves TRUST (understandably when both have to trust the other completely to ensure no accidents happen), recently found themselves in the semi finals of a popular television show in their home country. 

In fact, the pair ended up being one of 32 finalists on Belgium's Got Talent, but were voted out by the Belgian public earlier this month, with 18 finalists remaining. 

So what made them start performing as a duo and embark on what has been a very exciting journey for them both? "Louka really likes to perform", Elke explains. "When a friend asked us to perform at the Belgian Gala Dinner last year, we did not hesitate and said yes! Since then, she has always been looking for more opportunities to perform and when she found out about Belgium's Got Talent, we registered for the talent show!

"She's (Louka) is an absolute fan of America and Britain's Got Talent, and watches little sketches of the shows on YouTube all of the time. It was her dream to have her own little YouTube clip in such a show. 

"So when she found out about Belgium's Got Talent, we just had to participate."


You might also be interested in:
Both mother and daughter have been and do train very hard, and continue to do so despite the Dubai desert heat! Then again, living in the Emirate for 12 years now - we suppose they're used to it! 

"Continuous hard work and motivation are a must", says Elke. "In preparation for Belgium's Got Talent, we woke up almost every day for over 3 months at 5.30am to practice our strength and specific skills before school. 

"After school time, Louka would be very tired and then she'd have her gymnastics training with Aspire Gymnastics, which finishes at 7.30pm every day. So afterwards she's too tired to practice silk together.

"The last couple of weeks before the show, we took off - it was too hot in the morning to train outdoors. Nevertheless, when we train in the afternoon we have longer training sessions. Unfortunately, there are too few indoor options as well!"

It sounds like a very strenous daily routine, especially for Louka who is 11 years old now. But besides gymnatics and aerial silk, Louka - alongside three brothers, sister and stepsister - and her family enjoy plenty of other aspects of living in Dubai, as Elke explains.

Image credit VTM Image credit VTM
Image credit: VTM

"The weather, the sport opportunities for us adults and the children are great. I personally play rugby for the UAE Female National Team, and all the kids play club rugby, swimming and gymnastics. We have great friends here, and life is more relaxed than back home in Belgium. Partly because we like to live outdoors, go camping, go to the beach, go to Hatta and so on..."

Despite not making BGT's finals, the duo's hard work and dedication as TRUST and in what they do won't go to waste after being voted out. 

"We had and still have a very good relationship with the eventual winner of the show. All the other participants as well were very supportive and admirable. It was such a nice experience that we cannot really feel disappointed for not going through with the final 8.

"Besides, the judges were very supportive and even announced just before they announced 2nd place that they were very surprise we, as TRUST, did not get enough votes." 

And what about general expat life for Elke, Louka and their family?

What do you wish you'd known before moving here? 
"This is quite a funny question for me. I live life as it comes - I do not worry very quickly, and I know there is a solution for everything. So I've never actually felt like there was something I should have known before moving here. 

"If I do not immediately have an answer to something, I will ask around, and there are always friends who know how to help you or if not, they will do their best to help and even ask their friends. 


SEE ALSO: Do you want to be featured in an Expat Interview?
"I think living abroad makes people more helpful, and you learn to ask people for help. When you are an expat you sometimes have to reply on people you have not known for very long, and this challenges your TRUST in people and the world, but because everybody is in the same situation more or less, it works out pretty well." 

What's the best thing about being an expat? 
"For us, it does not feel as much of an expat's life as it did in the beginning - we have been here 12 years now. Of course, the opportunity of growing up in a multicultural environment is the biggest asset for the children! There are so many lessons of life to experience in this part of the world that they wouldn't get back home."

Elke, Louka Vinck and Family

How do you keep a little bit of home with you as an expat?
"I have a blog - www.curl-up.com - I post stories about our life here and what we are doing, I also regularly post pictures about the kids on Facebook and Instagram, and follow my friends and family on social media to stay up to date with their lives and their challenges. 

"Also for me, home is where my family is. The five kids make sure I do not miss my family abroad too much, although with the summer holidays around the corner, we can't stop thinking about our trip home in a couple of weeks!"