“In the beginning of the ‘60s he stood in front of my door in Chili: Arnold, a Dutch sailor. He worked on the same ship as my brother and they became friends. During a vacation he came to visit. Sadly, he only stayed one day, though shortly after I received a letter in which he declared his love for me. I hesitated. Wouldn’t he, as a sailor, have a different lover in every port?

In hindsight, I know better. Arnold became the love of my life. We’ve been married for 57 years and we have been living in Assendelft for almost forty years now. I went to an evening school to learn the language. I didn’t want to be an outsider and later I even helped new arrivals to learn Dutch, because I knew exactly what it’s like to be from a different country.

Chili has a great variety of cultures and residents: the original inhabitants, Spaniards, Germans, Palestinians, Yugoslavs, Italians, English and also many Dutch people. That’s why our people are so open to others. I see this a lot in people of Zaanstad too, who have an interest in other worlds. Borders fade away and room is created to live together in peace.”

Teresa is mother and grandmother. Sadly, her son passed away in early 2022 due to a serious illness.