“In terms of structure, it is better here, but in Mozambique there is less stress,” says Samsson. He is from Mozambique, where he met his current Dutch wife with Cape Verdean roots. When the flames spilled over between her and Samsson, she was an intern at the WHO there.
After some holidays back and forth, he came to the Netherlands permanently in 2012. Earlier, he did study in California in America, but he had not been to another western country. “The lifestyle here is different from Mozambique. It is more organised here. It is also more touristy. This country is more developed. There are many businesses and schools. And I also found it special to see all these different colours, which we don’t have in Mozambique. One of the nicest things I saw was in the first week here. Then I had to go to the train station and I saw all these different colours and clothes of people. And everyone knew what to do, so organised,” he laughs. “I still enjoy seeing that.”
Don’t worry
In Mozambique in particular, the lifestyle is very different, Samsson explains. ‘There, the motto is “Don’t worry, it will be fine”,’ he laughs. “Here there are rules and you have to follow them. That’s okay too, but in Mozambique you have time to have coffee with your colleagues and friends. Here, you go home straight after work because you have so much to do.” Fortunately, he retains the carefree mentality of his homeland and you won’t get him up a tree so easily. “I do sometimes have to solve problems, but then I calmly think about how I am going to do it. I don’t stress right away; I let a lot slip away from me.”
Spangen
Meanwhile, he is married, has two daughters and lives with them in Spangen. “There we saw many different people and cultures. We found that interesting.” Now he is working on a Spangen in Action project to help young people. “We want to hear from young people why they stopped school or work and reconnect them with that. I love that; social work is my drive.”
Dutch
Because Samsson is married to a Dutch person, he does not have to do an integration course. “But I do want to learn the language myself. So I took private lessons in Alexandrium and later group lessons at Albeda College. But it was hard to keep up because sometimes I had no job so no money to pay for it and sometimes I had to work in the evenings. That is why I am still learning the Dutch language.” At home, the couple speaks Dutch, which is also the most commonly spoken language with the children. “I worked very long days for nine years. So I did not see my children often. Then I prefer to enjoy and talk Dutch with them rather than spend the time learning them Portuguese.”
Now he notices that English is spoken more in Rotterdam than before. “Because young people also like to speak English. I like that. And I think it’s easier for newcomers. Because Dutch is hard to learn.” He therefore advises newcomers to find people who speak your own language as soon as possible. “They can explain to you how everything works: from school to work to the municipality. Or find Dutch people who have also lived abroad; they understand how it feels when you live in another country and want to help you.”
Not just helping, but learning from each other
Samsson plans to stay in Rotterdam. “Rotterdam feels like home but I love Mozambique; I go on holiday there almost every year,” he says. He has even set up a foundation to help the country move forward: The Seeds. “Because I think we are the seeds for tomorrow. The idea is that you not only come to Africa to help people, but you can also learn something from people there.” Ultimately, Samsson wants to change the mindset. “You can come from Europe with a lot of euros while people in Mozambique might only have 1 euro, but it’s about what you do with that one euro.” He still has a lot of work to do for the foundation, but in doing so he keeps calm, as a true Mozambican. “It will be fine.”