“Rotterdam was the city that seemed best for us to spend our retirement,” says Minna from Panama. She was always interested in the world, other people and other cultures. That’s why she studied international relations and went on holiday to Indonesia. There, she met her current Dutch husband. They married, lived in Jakarta for 4.5 years and had two children there. After that, they moved to much more places, divided on four continents.
“When retirement age came around, we thought about where we would spend our retirement. We also thought about Panama, but we saw more opportunities for our children in Rotterdam. For their masters, for example. And Rotterdam is the city where my husband is from. The city is very comfortable and modern. It is also a multicultural city, you can do what you want here, eat what you want, find all kinds of things in the shops and meet people from different circles. That is incredible, really nice. I love the openness of people. So you never feel like a foreigner here. That’s nice. Plus, the city has good facilities like public transport, lots of cycle paths and greenery. And you can do so many different activities here. So that’s why we chose Rotterdam.”
Learning from difficulties
In 2012, the family moved to Rotterdam. But she no longer compares with other cities she lived in. “After so many years of travelling, you see that each city gives you different opportunities. I’m just grateful for that. Of course, there is no better country than your own, but I can now appreciate other places very well. Sometimes I face some things that are difficult, but I have learned that you can learn from them. And when you learn, your mindset opens up and you get better.
Always happy
Her positive attitude also stems from her Panamanian roots. “People from Panama are always happy. We enjoy everything, whether we have much or little. And we like to share that too.” That’s why it’s not surprising that Christmas is a celebration she really appreciates. “That’s when we make a big dinner with the family. But everyone is welcome at our table then. Anyone who needs help, we like to help and with that we also like to share our food.”