“I really enjoy cycling. I have already done that in France and Peru, but here it is more enjoyable,” Andrea says happily. ‘The Netherlands is a country with many opportunities and a country where I can be myself.’ Andrea was born in Lima in Peru. When she was six, she moved to France. She grew up in Lyon but came to the Netherlands for an internship in Venlo.
Languages
Still, she wanted to finish her studies in Rotterdam. “Because that’s a bigger city. In Rotterdam, I felt I could do more with my languages. For instance, Venlo has more influences from Germany and I don’t speak German. But I do speak French and Spanish and I studied business administration so I thought the port could offer me more work.” And it did. She got a nice job and that’s not all. ‘I made a lot of friends here.’
That Andrea could find her place in the Netherlands so quickly is not surprising. Her grandfather is Dutch. She had therefore already visited the Netherlands once when she was young. “Then he taught me a few words of Dutch. But when I came to the Netherlands and started learning Dutch, I still started with the basics on the course.” So her advice to other newcomers is to learn the language. “That way you can better integrate yourself with Dutch people. You can learn Dutch at the library in Rotterdam, for example.”
Safe
And she insists: ‘You must have a bike!’ she laughs. “Because that way you can get to many different places quickly. And it also feels safer with my bike than walking.” This is especially nice at night in some neighbourhoods, when she feels less safe. “But I feel it’s already getting better.”
Winter
She does not yet know whether she will stay long. “The Netherlands brings many good things, there are many opportunities, but sometimes I think about going to another country. Because the winters are hard, though. Then it’s cold and dark.” Fortunately, she has many international friends to get her through that.