“I came to Rotterdam for the music,” says Daniela from Costa Rica. At the age of 24, she followed her favorite teacher across the world to the Netherlands. There, in 2020, she could choose between Rotterdam, Zwolle, and Maastricht. “Rotterdam seemed more attractive to me; more lively.” It was not only lively, but also modern and international. “I had visited European cities before, but old ones. And I knew that Rotterdam would be more modern because of the city’s history. It had to be rebuilt because of the bombings. But I still didn’t expect all those modern buildings that I saw when I walked out of the central station. It looked like the future.”
The future also had more color than in Costa Rica. “We don’t have such an international environment there. People mainly come from neighboring countries. Here I found it so impressive to see all those nationalities living together in one city. I thought that was really beautiful.”
From classical to Latin music
All those different cultures inspired her so much that she changed her studies. “I actually came here to become a classical musician in an orchestra. At the time, I thought that was the only way to make music. But Rotterdam has a mentality of experimenting and combining. We share space and time with so many different types of people. They keep their culture but also adopt cultures from others. That motivated me to stay true to my own culture but also to mix it.” Now she studies Latin music. “Funny, huh? For someone who comes from Latin America?” she laughs. “But it also makes sense. In Costa Rica, we don’t study this music at academic schools. Because everyone there just get to know and learn that music during life. That’s not possible in Europe, so you have to learn it at a school. So that’s what I do here in Rotterdam. And I’m really grateful to the city for that. Because this could only have happened in Rotterdam, nowhere else.”
Family and network
Apart from music, she also likes to surround herself with other people. “I have built a community of people around me. I would advise other newcomers to do the same. You have to let go of your thoughts and prejudices and be open to learning about yourself and others. Because you need people when you live far away from home, far away from your family and network. But other people in this city can also become your new family aGrowing
She has now completed four years of study. In that time, she has grown enormously. “It is incredible how much you can learn by going to a new place and adapting to the environment. I can’t think of many other situations where you can grow so much. I also feel privileged that I was allowed to come here, a place other than my hometown.” Is it time to leave again? “Of course it did cross my mind. But for what I do, this city is a nice place. And I feel very comfortable here. That is why I would like to stay here.” And to be precise; in Delfshaven. “I really like this neighborhood, I’m lucky that I ended up here.”