Do you enjoy living in Amsterdam, and were your born there (and if not why did you move)?

Yes, I enjoy living in Amsterdam tremendously. It is a “human sized” city, meaning, I can either cycle, walk or take public transport everywhere. There is a rich and varied cultural life. The city is populated by a healthy variety of people (Dutch native, minorities, a very active LGBTQ community, etc.) and Amsterdam is also pretty much central in Europe, which means I am a couple of hours away from most other European capitals.

I am, though, very worried by the current political developments in The Netherlands, of which Islamophobe extraordinaire Geert Wilders is the champion. I am not sure how the very fabric of this society is going to be affected in the next 5+ years. This country gave asylum to Rene Descartes when he was expelled from France, allowing him to produce some of the fundamental works in Western philosophy; also, the Spinoza family, upon being expelled from Spain in the 15th century, took asylum in Amsterdam. The Netherlands has a proud tradition of giving spaces to intellectuals and artists. Wilders is doing his best to see all of that go to hell in a handbasket and it pains me tremendously because, after 14 years living here, this is home to me.

I am born in Buenos Aires. I moved here for love (of my partner and the city). When we had to decide where we would live, he was very willing to move to anywhere in South America I would choose, but I really wanted to give this city a try (he is Dutch, born and raised in Amsterdam) and so many years later, here we are…unless Dutch politics take a turn for the worse, this is also where I/ we want to live.

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