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?
“… by learning the language I could understand the group, the community, the society. An important milestone was when I started getting the neighbors’ jokes and I could reply. I think this is an essential aspect of being able to enjoy other people’s company in a new place, it made me feel at home.”
“… ‘home’ can be anywhere, there’s only as much value in a place as people themselves create. If people want to, they’ll succeed.”
“I had to go through some moments when I had to accept my cause, to understand that I would not become a world-famous soloist, that I wouldn’t be such a big name, as it is, in fact, expected of you in the schools in Romania. But success does not reside in these things, but in the perseverance with which you build something.”
“Here, I feel there are no limits, the sky’s the limit, as the saying goes. It’s all up to you and the chances that you create for yourself. I feel free to do what I can, without having the feeling that I give up too much of what I am.”
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