“It was the hippie era, the flower power era. Everyone was traveling. You met so many people along the way and shared everything with each other. That made the journey just as valuable as the destination,” says 73-year-old Tony. His smile betrays that his younger years are still vividly present in him. In the 1970s, he left Sri Lanka with a friend, hitchhiking and traveling through India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran.
Adventure
After two and a half months, he reached Germany. “I hitchhiked and only had $200 in my pocket,” says Tony when he left Sri Lanka. But he made it anyway. “It wasn’t about money, it was about adventure.” He lived in our neighboring country for ten years, learned German, married a Sicilian woman, and became a father. But when he visited his brother in the Netherlands, everything changed. “I saw how beautiful it was here and immediately felt at home. So I stayed.”
Rotterdam as home
Tony has lived in Rotterdam since 1980. “I felt welcome here from the start. Rotterdam is multicultural, and that suits me. When I sit down at the table with five people, they often come from five different countries. Everyone brings something beautiful to the table.” For him, the key to feeling at home is simple: “Stay positive, learn the language, and socialize. Then you feel connected to the people around you.”
Smell of spices
In Delfshaven, he built a new life with his current wife, who is Sri Lankan. They had a daughter and speak their mother tongue at home. They had a daughter and speak their native language at home. “My wife often cooks Sri Lankan dishes. The smell of spices in the house takes me back to my childhood.” He celebrates holidays in the broadest sense. “For me, every holiday is a celebration. Christian, Buddhist, Hindu—it’s all about enjoying time together. I don’t have a preference; I enjoy everything.”
Talk about problems
At 73, Tony looks vital and energetic. His secret? “You have to live more, enjoy more. That means socializing. If you have problems, talk about them. Then you’ll discover that others have their worries too. You’re never alone.”
His advice for new residents of Rotterdam is therefore clear: “Be social. Learn the language. And always be yourself, even if someone else looks grumpy. If you smile, a door will open.”