“I had no job, no food for my children…” says Manuela from Portugal. With her then 2- and 9-year-old children, she searched help from her aunt in Rotterdam. She had also lived there for eight years in her childhood. “So that felt like my home. She helped me pick schools and creche and a job. She knows a lot of people in the Netherlands, which helps. I was really well taken care of and I am really grateful to the Netherlands.”
She herself also worked hard for a better future. She started working as a cleaner and worked hard. After a few months, she got a house of her own. She also tried to learn the language, but that was very difficult. “I found the Dutch language difficult, but I also had little time to go to school. Because I worked a lot; I often left home as early as five in the morning. At one point, I asked my boss if I could leave earlier to take Dutch lessons. That was allowed, but I was so tired that I heard little of the lessons. Sometimes I even fell asleep on the table. I think I lasted four months before I quit.” But she did not give up. “I learned by talking Dutch to Dutch people and watching Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden. Many others still watched Portuguese television; I didn’t. Because I think it’s important that when you’re in another country, you learn the language. I know I still make a lot of mistakes now, but that doesn’t matter, I try.” She also thinks it is important to learn to understand the culture of the country she lives in. “So I read a lot about that, including about the Royal Family, for example. And I pass it on to my children.”
Less beautiful than before
By now, therefore, she feels completely at home in Rotterdam. “It’s a beautiful city. Especially all the nationalities here. I have Moroccan, Turkish, Syrian and Spanish friends. I think it’s important to deal with people from different backgrounds.” Although Manuela does see Rotterdam becoming a little less beautiful than it used to be. “I see people sleeping on benches or in the street these days. I think that’s a shame for such a beautiful city.” Still, she is not leaving. “My husband sometimes says he wants to go somewhere else, but I always say I’m not leaving!”
Portugal
But she remains Portuguese and she still appreciates that too. “For instance, I still cook Portuguese and my children also still talk Portuguese. And I try to learn them things from the Portuguese culture. I also used to sing Fado, which I no longer do.” This art of singing originated in working-class neighbourhoods and pubs in Portugal. It therefore sang of the poverty-stricken life and is sung in the darkness. It has since evolved into a recognised and comprehensive style of music. The style is a symbol of the Portuguese soul and has even been designated immaterial heritage by UNESCO.
Easy
Manuela sees that other newcomers want to achieve many things right away. “Things that people who have lived here for 30 years haven’t even achieved. You can’t do that so quickly. You can’t find a job ánd a house right away. It’s not as easy as it was 30 years ago. So you have to go slowly, not wanting everything right away. Then you can enjoy Rotterdam, because it’s great.”