Dio is from New York and is a logistics coordinator at A Beautiful Story. Her friend Loreen is from Chicago. They’ve only known each other for 1 year but had an instant connection.
Dio: "Loreen makes friends everywhere. And she's there for you when you need her. She makes me feel like a better person."
Loreen: "In 2019, I was on my way to Denmark. I was alone, with one more week to kill. And then I thought, I'm going to Amsterdam. The weather was terrible at the time. But I loved every minute I was there. I didn't want to leave at all. I had this gut feeling: this is where I belong, this is where I want to live. Because of Covid, I didn’t return until August 2021. I thought, I'll give it a try for 3 months. That's long enough to find out if my gut was right. Or that I had gone completely mad. Since there was nothing for me here. No friends, no plan, no job. Just that feeling. After an endless amount of networking, I got in touch with Signpainters&Co. Now I freelance there."
Dio:"Signpainters is located next door to the premises of A Beautiful Story. That's how we got to know each other. I think what Loreen has done is so cool. I only moved here when I met my boyfriend and had got it all together. Loreen was just following her dream. Leaving everything behind in America wasn't easy. And yet that’s what she did. Another life, another country, another language. The fact that we are both from America also creates a bond. We are from the same culture and come across the same things here."
Loreen: "The beauty of our friendship is that we understood each other right from day 1. We understand each other without words. Dio is like a sister. Open and honest. I can share everything with her. We’ve only been friends for a very short time. But it feels like we've been connected for years. It's wonderful to have a friend like Dio. I can completely be myself with her. She has no judgement, no reservations. Because of her, I know I'm heading in the right direction. Dio is getting married soon and I am so excited to be there. That we can share that as well."
Dio: "There is quite an age gap between us, but it doesn't feel like that at all. It feels familiar. I can always count on Loreen. We are really there for each other."
