“Rotterdam is actually the world in miniature,” says Nicola from Serbia. “I’ve met so many people here… I find that really interesting.” He came here in 2009 because of the global economic crisis. First in Eindhoven, where he also graduated in chemistry. Although the city was familiar to him, he still couldn’t quite find his niche. He sought that in Utrecht, The Hague, Brielle, Oostvoorne and finally in Rotterdam. “I wanted to meet new people. Rotterdam has a lot of people from different cultures. And the size of Rotterdam is perfect: big, but three to four times smaller than Belgrade.”
Cold and direct
He did indeed meet new people, but it wasn’t easy. “In Belgrade, people are open and warm. In the Netherlands, they are a bit colder. But if you make enough effort, they allow you into their circle of friends and home. And then you become really good friends. But that takes a bit longer.” He can appreciate the directness of Rotterdammers. Then it is easier to say no. That creates fewer problems. In Serbia, it’s hard to say no.”
Through the dip
He sees more differences than just in the people from his hometown of Belgrade and Rotterdam. “Years ago I would say the food, but I see that the choice of restaurants and food is growing tremendously so I can find everything I need now. I regret that there are no mountains, but there’s nothing we can do about that. Just like the weather. It is grey and wet here. In winter it is colder in Belgrade but not so grey. Anyway. In a university training course, I saw a graph that describes your state of mind when you move to a new country. So the graph starts when you just arrive in the Netherlands. Then you are in a euphoric phase. Then you enter a dip in winter. After that, most people enter a better phase. Then the bars in the graph go up. So my advice would be to just keep going in the dip. It’s not that bad,” he laughs.
To get through that dip, Nikola advises meeting new people. “Who have the same interests as you. You can do that through endless opportunities like different apps. And embrace change. You are here, whether temporarily or forever. Try new experiences.”
Nikola has since bought a house here and a child. It is therefore the intention to stay here for a longer period.