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?
The Dutch world has taught me, above all, that today is the most important day of my life, and that I should cherish it in all its splendour, especially as it draws to a close.
“Where is home? Wherever your family is. That can be anywhere.”
I have learned to get better every day but also accept more easily that I cannot be perfect. […] I have learned to be strategic on the long term. When I was in Romania, the plans were always short-term, while now I think as far as the next generation.
“I’ve learned to be tolerant and to have other goals. I want to become a complex person, I want to be more in touch with nature – ironically, since in Romania there is so much nature, but it’s not given to us. I’m happy here, the Netherlands is humane.”
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