After living for so many years in the Netherlands, we started to appreciate the idea of a community of Romanians, we started to understand that it would be very good to find out about one another, who we are, why we are here, why we feel good in this country.
And so the project Noi Rădăcini – New Roots – was born: a format based on short interviews, which will be published every week for a year. 52 interviews in total.
Who is it for? First, to say that Romanians feel good when living in the Netherlands. We can collect their stories, some different from the culture and traditions they left behind, and we can learn from them. We, Romanians, want to learn about other Romanians, to understand the different facets of living and being successful in the Netherlands.
Second, Noi Rădăcini wants to be a credible source of information for the Dutch people, focusing on the good things Romanians actually do in the Netherlands, from things that are tangible and easy to appreciate, to less tangible things that nevertheless make the Dutch society work.
There is also a third reason for Noi Rădăcini to exist, a reason perhaps only meaningful to the authors: we were and remain curious about Romanians living in the Netherlands. Who are these beautiful and courageous people?
“To me, success means not to feel any longer the need to justify myself every moment. Not to feel that I have to choose between here and there – it’s to simply be at home right there where I’m at. It’s to be able to live by the values which I deem important, without bothering anyone. It’s no longer feeling lonesome during important life moments, whether good or bad.”
These past years have been full of opportunities, most of which arose in the Netherlands. When my parents left the Netherlands, I decided to stay because my life was already here. Later on, I went abroad for a few years to study and work. I decided to return to the Netherlands because I missed having a certain lifestyle, a certain balance between my professional and personal life. I don’t regret any of my decisions.”
“I get agendas as a present from the Dutch, from the Romanians, the habit just doesn’t stick to me. When someone asks something, now I’ll say out of fear “I’ll check my agenda”, but, in fact, I’ll check the agenda in my head.”
“Amsterdam is my city. I came here in 2001, to audition in the Hague, and I stopped by in Amsterdam for a couple of days. Ever since I’ve been in love with this city. I told myself that, at some point in my life, I would have to live here. And here I am, six years later, that dream has come true.”
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