“I like adventures and getting to know more cultures,” says Keanz from Uganda. He does business in Europe. “And I wanted to embrace that journey. You can do business with other countries better if you have been there. So I wanted to see other countries.” So he travelled around the world; for instance, he also lived in the UK for a while. But Rotterdam is the only city that felt like it was right. “And in this big world, it’s hard to find a place like that. So yes, so I stayed here longer than I thought,” he laughs.
Now Keanz feels right at home here. This is not surprising, as Uganda, with 40 peoples and tribes and even more domestic languages, is a bit like Rotterdam. “This city has many colours and cultures so I recognise myself in that. That’s why you can experience a lot here. It vibrates, you know you are not alone. And at the same time, I don’t feel like a tourist like in Amsterdam,” he laughs.
Observing people
When he arrived in 2013, he felt some panic at first. “That’s always in a new place. Then you wonder what to do and start searching. But I soon realised that I wanted to take it easy here and observe people and energies. Because the people make the city, not the buildings. That’s how I saw the beauty of the city and was able to embrace it.”
Communicate
He just couldn’t always understand people yet. “I was very curious what all the people were saying on the street,” he laughs. So he took a Dutch course. Now he speaks Dutch, but does not see the language as the main way to communicate. “Because we communicate with different things, also with your body or other sounds,” he says.
Integration
So he integrated in his own way. “Integration to me means embracing who you are and being open to embrace another culture. Some interpret it as forgetting where you come from and adopting another culture. I know where I come from and am actually proud of that. That also helps me to be open to learning new people, cultures and languages.”