Five years ago, Roberta Morais moved from Brazil to the Netherlands with her then-partner and their three cats. He had found a job here, while she left behind her career as a history teacher and started over from scratch. “We arrived during the COVID pandemic. Everything was closed, and I didn’t speak English, let alone Dutch.”

A difficult start
Roberta says the beginning of her life in the Netherlands was anything but easy. With everything closed during the pandemic, it was hard to start building a life of her own. The culture was also completely different. “Before you move, you know some things will be different,” Roberta says. “But there are so many things you don’t think about in advance. Making new friends, for example,
turned out to be really difficult.”

From language course to career
Everything changed when Roberta met Mathilde. “That’s when I really started building a life in the Netherlands,” she says. “I found a job and started building my own network.” Today, Roberta organises events for the students at STE Languages — from workshops about Dutch culture to a King’s Day pub quiz and an end-of-year party. “It can feel lonely when you move to a new country. These events help students feel more at home.”

A sense of belonging
According to Roberta, learning the language and the culture go hand in hand. “The way Dutch people communicate says a lot about the culture. What I found especially difficult in the beginning was how direct people are,” she says with a laugh. “That took some getting used to, but thanks to my Dutch course, I understand it much better now.” She also feels more included at work. “When my colleagues speak Dutch with each other, I understand what they’re saying and I get their jokes.That’s why learning the language matters so much to me. It helps you belong. It helps you feel at home.”

A new life
Roberta is now in the civic integration programme. She’s following a B2-level Dutch course and taking conversation training. “I really want to stay in the Netherlands. I love the cycling culture, and I think the work-life balance here is amazing. I can truly imagine my future here, I feel at home. And I’m not ready to give that up.”