After living for so many years in the Netherlands, we started to appreciate the idea of a community of Romanians, we started to understand that it would be very good to find out about one another, who we are, why we are here, why we feel good in this country.
And so the project Noi Rădăcini – New Roots – was born: a format based on short interviews, which will be published every week for a year. 52 interviews in total.
Who is it for? First, to say that Romanians feel good when living in the Netherlands. We can collect their stories, some different from the culture and traditions they left behind, and we can learn from them. We, Romanians, want to learn about other Romanians, to understand the different facets of living and being successful in the Netherlands.
Second, Noi Rădăcini wants to be a credible source of information for the Dutch people, focusing on the good things Romanians actually do in the Netherlands, from things that are tangible and easy to appreciate, to less tangible things that nevertheless make the Dutch society work.
There is also a third reason for Noi Rădăcini to exist, a reason perhaps only meaningful to the authors: we were and remain curious about Romanians living in the Netherlands. Who are these beautiful and courageous people?
“In the collective consciousness in Romania, success means having a steady job, a family, a house, and a car. To me, success is achieved the moment you attain what you’ve set your mind on, although the journey, the process leading up to that attainment is much more important. Success can be exactly what you’ve learned from that journey.”
I have adopted much from the Dutch. Now, I’m a mix of Romanian and Dutch but I’d like to believe that I have not lost the Romanian fondness and spirit.
“… For us, it is important that we are very well integrated into the Dutch society.”
“Maybe the biggest change in perspective I’ve had since arriving here was that I changed my definition of success. I am successful now but I don’t have either money or cars. What I do have is impact on other people’s lives and I believe that, eventually, this is what success is about”
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