“Water, so much water!”’ exclaims Claudia as she considers what struck her about Rotterdam. This is not surprising, as she studied at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences on Coolhaven. “When I drive up the Brienenoord Bridge and arrive in Rotterdam and see that water, I feel I am at home,’ she says. Water has deep meaning for this Chilean. “Because of its waves, it moves, has peaks and valleys. It is not static. That makes me calm. So when I want to have a quiet moment, I go by the water.”
Invited by the queen
This Chilean has lived in the Netherlands since 1989. “Two years earlier, my father fled Chile because of the dictatorship there. In the second wave, he was exiled from the country so he had to look for another place to live. He was a teacher and with other teachers was invited by the Queen of the Netherlands to come to the Netherlands because of a project.” Claudia and the rest of her family joined her father in Waddingxveen two years later. By then she was 13.
Grey, flat and stockings
“My first impression of the Netherlands was grey and flat. I missed the mountains of Chile. I didn’t see any colour either. Everything so neat and tidy , even the houses looked like they were built in stacks. Nor did the houses have different colours. I did see a lot of green. We lived in the middle of meadows, arable land and cows; that was the first time for me to see that type of landscape.”
Claudia and her family were surprised not only by the landscape, but also by the people. After all, they lived in what is known as the Bible Belt. “We saw a stocking community and the black church community. Those hats were surprising to us, though. That was really the first time. But we were also distinct to them. We were the first “exotic residents”. Yet the people were very protective, friendly and warm. They helped us a lot. We had nothing. They brought us clothes and things, so I felt welcome from day 1. A much softer landing than the people who are now accommodated in an asylum seekers’ centre.”
Yet she also felt really different as a child. “I’m not that tall. Everyone here is tall. I did find that very confronting. I really felt looked at as an exotic child. I was also sad to have to leave everything behind, especially missing my family. But I was also happy with and grateful for the new place that was safe. This, of course, is contradictory.
Sesame Street and apples
The reformed community also taught Claudia with learning Dutch. “Then my fellow pupils came with a glass and an apple and told them what it was. After school, volunteers from the neighbourhood gave us free private lessons.” Outside school, she had to continue learning hard, as her younger brother and sister did pick up the language faster. Fortunately, she was eager to learn and there was TV. “”Children’s programmes help in learning a language because they use approachable words. Like Sesame Street. It seemed like abracadabra at first but then suddenly I had mastered it,” she laughs.
In love with Rotterdam
In ’97, she came to Rotterdam to study at college. “In the second year I got pregnant already. I was the only one walking around there with a fat belly and not attending night school,” she laughs. With her partner, she found a house in Rotterdam Zuid and they haven’t left there since.
“Sure, the choice of Rotterdam was obvious because of my studies, but I really did fall in love with the city. I loved the diversity of types of people and cultures. It gives a bit more colour and chaos, it’s not so structured then. I also like the contrast between old and new in the city. And I found the history interesting. I found it fascinating; the city seems so big but once you live there, it’s so small.”
In recent years, Rotterdam has changed a bit. “But not much. Now you just see an even bigger mix of cultures. Think about food, nightlife, languages, customs, clothing. It is becoming more and more visible. I always feel like I’m abroad when I walk outside.” She therefore advises new Rotterdam residents to experience it to the fullest. “Not from your brain, from what you think you already know about cultures. But from your heart and senses. Smell, see hear and taste. Then you will naturally find out how beautiful Rotterdam can be and how people shape it.”
Space
She therefore hopes the city will keep that space. “Because now a lot of houses are being built. Very tall towers sometimes block what is beautiful to see about Rotterdam.”