“In the beginning, I cried a lot; I wanted to go back to Nicaragua,” confesses Tania. “People think it is easy to migrate, but it is not. For instance, we don’t speak Dutch when we come here. But I’m glad I overcame the challenge.”
Tania came to the Netherlands in 2013 for her master’s degree. “Studying in the Netherlands is cheaper than in America, for example,” she says. She chose Leiden University. “Because that is one of the best universities in the Netherlands for Dutch law.” She even did this study in Dutch. That’s why she studied Dutch prior to that. “And then it was still a challenge,” she laughs.
Despite studying in Leiden, she immediately lived in Rotterdam. “It’s cheaper for students and close to Leiden. Besides, it’s super international here, you don’t have that in our capital Managua. Here you do so you can learn from other cultures and enrich yourself.”
Working hard
And now she never wants to leave. “I love living here. It is beautiful here, Dutch people are welcoming, there is work and salaries are good. With that, I can support my family back home.” Nicaragua is a poor country. That’s why many people migrate. Often to America or Spain, not to the Netherlands. “But we never forget our roots and always support our families.” To do that, she works hard.
She started at a call centre but then found work as a consultant at an embassy and is now a manager elsewhere. “I am happy to be able to work in the Netherlands. Thanks to the Netherlands, I was able to finish my masters and found my husband.” Unsurprisingly, her husband is also from another country; he is Japanese.
Helping the city grow
She may enrich herself with other cultures, but she will never forget her own. And she advises new Rotterdam residents to do the same. “You should never forget where you come from. Hold on to the good values of your country and your own identity. Don’t be ashamed of who you are. Rotterdammers don’t want you to become like them. Everyone takes the diversity of their country and shares it with this city. So you have different ideas from them, that’s good. With that, you can help the city grow. Migrants are the backbone of the Netherlands.”