“Many people think I come from Suriname or another Latin American country. They never guess that I come from Gabon,” says Benoit. He came to Rotterdam in 2013 to study international business administration at Erasmus University. “I looked at universities in Europe, visited the campus, and this university appealed to me the most.”
But this wasn’t the first time Benoit had lived in the Netherlands. His father works for Shell, so his family moved around a lot. “We were a real expat family. I was eight when we moved to the Netherlands. I attended the French school in The Hague. After that, we lived in Nigeria for three years and then back in Gabon.” During his time in the Netherlands, he also learned the language. “We only had Dutch TV at home. So I often watched SpongeBob, with subtitles. And I played for a soccer team in The Hague with only Dutch players. That’s how I learned quickly.”
Big and dynamic
This enabled him to get by well and interact with other Dutch people in Rotterdam. But the city was new to him. “So that was quite exciting.” The city gave him a particularly busy, grand, and dynamic impression. “Port-Gentil, the city where I was born, is very quiet. It has a population of no more than 100,000. Everything moves slowly there. Here, things move faster and are more dynamic, which I like. Rotterdam also has residents of more nationalities. Gabon is mainly inhabited by Gabonese, a few other Africans, and French people. That’s because Gabon is a former colony of France.”
Mix of friends
Fortunately, Benoit was well received at the university. “Half of the material is international and the other half is Dutch, which helps. And we started with 400 students of many different nationalities. That helped me connect with people.” He considers the social aspect important. That’s why he joined the African student association. “I made a lot of friends there.” Those friends come from all over the world. “From Bulgaria to Rwanda. I find that mix interesting. Because I’ve also lived in many countries, so that appeals to me. And in Rotterdam, everyone is open to each other. I work in Amsterdam, where that’s less the case.”
Just being together
He is also largely dependent on his friends. Only his brother lives in Rotterdam. His parents still live in Gabon, as do most of his family. “That’s why I try to go once a year, because it’s quite expensive.”
He therefore tries to see his friends often. “I think that’s important. Not necessarily to do something, just to see them. In Gabon, there’s a saying: ‘You can be with someone without having to do anything.’ In Gabon, people can come to your house and then do nothing. That’s an important thing. I sometimes miss that here in the Netherlands. Here, we always have to make plans and do something. But you can also just be; that’s something too. I try to bring that here a little bit.”
To find those friends, he advises other newcomers to go outside. “Don’t be afraid to talk to people. That’s easy in Rotterdam. You can go to events such as the IFFR, where you’re bound to meet someone who has the same stories as you.”