Three Months In
Lalita and Nico evaluate their new life in Utrecht

Before the crack of dawn on April 20th Lalita and Nico arrived at Schiphol from Colorado. In just three short months, they’ve gotten settled into a lovely apartment on the outskirts of Utrecht. Nico, a DAFT visa recipient, has started his own American sign language tutoring and translation service and they are both on their way to speaking fluent Dutch.

 

Lalita is managing a vegan pizza restaurant while she is working towards speaking Dutch fluently enough to get a job as a teacher in a Dutch public school. In their before-DAFT lives, they were both teachers. Lalita was born in South Africa, although she is now a US citizen. 

 

Lalita’s Story

 

“Of course, this move has been one of the hardest things I've ever done, and has set us back financially. But I'm glad we are here because in the long run we will have a better life than we would've ever had in the US, even if the election had ended differently.

 

I'm finding that my values really align with Dutch culture in ways I didn't expect, and every day I find more things to love about living here. Nico and I truly want to stay here forever.

 

My coworkers and bosses are all wonderful people who believe in me. There are clear work-life balance boundaries. It's been easy to build community. We enjoy riding our bikes everywhere. Cafe culture and the use of public transportation instead of sitting in a car by yourself creates a feeling of togetherness you don't get in the US. There's not this extremist, partisan mindset - Dutch people are happy to consider good arguments and adjust their opinions accordingly. 

 

Food is high quality and affordable. People really value sustainability and improving their communities. Kids can be independent and thrive here. We love living so close to nature and how beautiful it is. There isn't the feeling of constant danger and chaos. Freedom is truly valued here. 

 

And I'm really enjoying learning the language and the way it's helping me to understand the culture, which then gives me insight into my roots.

 

People have been so welcoming, and I have not received any hate for being an immigrant.”

 

Nico’s business, Coda Communications, can be found here.