Josphine Ogugua is originally from Nigeria. Born and raised in the most populated country in Africa. Located in the western part of the continent. She moved from Nigeria to England. Lived in the UK for a couple of years.
Then she moved from England to the Netherlands a couple of years ago. She joined her Nigerian husband here in the Netherlands. They now live in one of my favorite cities in Western Europe, Delft. It is a very beautiful and peaceful city.
They started a family. Now, they have a healthy and handsome son. One of the cool things that she has done is starting her YouTube channel. No, she did not start her YouTube channel from here in the Netherlands.
According to the registration date on her channel, she joined YouTube before she arrived here in the Netherlands. She started her YouTube channel back in 2014. That was 8 years ago. Since we are now in 2022.
Here is how she described her YouTube channel. “A Naija (Nigerian) Babe living in the Netherlands 🇳🇱. I’m just documenting my way through life🧘🏾♂️” And that is exactly what she is doing with her YouTube channel.
When I started my Rotterdam Holland website in 2020 ( www.Rotterdam-Holland.com ), I wanted to write and publish about everyday life in my hometown of Rotterdam and around The Netherlands. The buildings, roads, health, culture, people and more.
One of the things that I did was subscribing to YouTube channels that talk about different cities and life about The Netherlands. I wanted different perspectives. Especially from those who are not necessarily Dutch natives.
Writers, commentators, expatriates, immigrants, refugees, tourists, bloggers and YouTubers. Josphine is one of my favorite Nigerian YouTubers because she is based here in the Netherlands. She was not born here. She migrated here to join her husband who is an expatriate working in The Netherlands.
Therefore, her perspective is different and very important. The fact that she has not been living here for long makes it even more interesting for me. Another aspect that I like about her documentary is the fact that she has lived in three countries.
Nigeria, England and now the Netherlands. I also like the fact that she is not a Westerner. She comes from a developing country. She can compare her life here, infrastructure, governance, education, transportation, healthcare with her own country.
I found her YouTube video above very interesting and insightful. Mostly because I can very much relate to everything that she says she loves about the Netherlands to Rotterdam. Basically, she describes my hometown. Below is how she titled the YouTube video above.
10 Reasons why I love the Netherlands
“10 Reasons why I love the Netherlands - As a Black Nigerian Girl. “ I changed her YouTube video title to the title of this post above. 10 reasons you will love the Netherlands by a Nigerian YouTuber.
Because to me, her 10 reasons are some of the most important and interesting reasons that I love my hometown Rotterdam, the people and and the rest of the Netherlands. And guess what? Most people that moved or visit the Netherlands do.
And I am 100% sure that if you move or visit my hometown of Rotterdam and the rest of the Netherlands, you will love Rotterdam and the Netherlands because of those 10 reasons. Now, what are the 10 reasons this Nigerian woman loves the Netherlands?
Reason #1) The size of the country
Josphine said in her video that the first reason she loves The Netherlands is the size of the country. I can imagine because she comes from Nigeria. Which is a very huge land. Her country is roughly 22 times bigger than the Netherlands.
Reason #2) Bicycle paths everywhere
She said she has never seen a country that is well organized like the Netherlands. It is the opposite of Nigeria where she is from originally. She feels like you can literally cycle from anywhere to everywhere from north to south of the country because there are bicycle paths everywhere.
Reason #3) The architecture is beautiful
When she first arrived here in the Netherlands, it was the first thing that she noticed. The architecture is beautiful and different. Right from the airport she noticed the difference in building designs. As she travels through Amsterdam, the Hague and Delft.
Reason #4) Netherlands is a safe country
She said compared to even the UK and where she was raised in Nigeria. When it comes to safety and security, it tops her list. It is as though people don’t care much about your business. Nobody is interested in hurting or attacking anyone.
Reason #5) Cost of living in the Netherlands
Another thing that she loves about the Netherlands is the cost of living. Her video was posted before Russia invaded Ukraine. Global inflation makes living very uncomfortable for most of us since the invasion. She uses the word “ok” to describe the cost of living in The Netherlands. But not “amazing”.”
Reason #6) The people of the Netherlands
They are amazing. She said that she has had some of the best experiences when it comes to interacting with the people of the Netherlands. Humanity, kindness and receptivity. Those are the words she used to describe the Dutchies.
Reason #8) Dutch are patriotic people
It might shock many people who know the Dutch. She said because they are used to complaining about everything from the weather to the smallest things. However, she loves the fact that they are very patriotic about their country.
Reason #9) Netherlands is a family friendly country
The family friendliness of the Dutch and the Netherlands mirrors how they have designed their roads, transportation, healthcare, production and housing systems. They accommodate people. Create a better society. She loves the idea.
Reason #10) Egalitarianism in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is an egalitarian society. The Dutch practice egalitarianism. It is the last reason why she loves the Netherlands. At least for now. Everyone is treated equally under the eyes of the law of the land.
Those are the 10 reasons why a black girl (Josphine Ogugua) from Nigeria who is a YouTuber loves the Netherlands. I could not have agreed with her more with the fact that those 10 reasons are also some of the reasons most immigrants love the Netherlands.
YouTube Comments
It is one thing for a YouTuber like Josphine to shoot a video about her experiences of living in the Netherlands and share it on YouTube with the world. It is something completely different, when other people who watch the same videos leave their comments about their personal experiences on the same about the Netherlands
They give you unfiltered, unedited and real life insights about their experiences, disappointments and satisfactions about the Netherlands that you will never find anywhere. Now, let’s take a look at some of the comments left below her YouTube video by so many viewers.
I was born and raised in the Netherlands – Dodo
I was born and raised in the Netherlands. It’s all normal for me with the bike paths and safety, but after watching your video I can once again appreciate how organized the Netherlands is and how neat it is here. Maybe you could tell some differences about the Netherlands and Nigeria. And I am also very curious about what your negatives are about living in the Netherlands! ❤❤ Commented 7 months ago by Super Sexy Dodo
This video makes me miss my home country so much – Yasmina
I was born and raised in the Netherlands but my family moved to Germany when I was a teenager. This video makes me miss my home country so much 😢 I really miss the safe bike roads. I'd love to visit Nigeria one day too, as I wrote my bachelor thesis about a Nigerian book and have friends there ☺️ thanks for this video! 😍 Commented 6 months ago by Yasmina
The Dutch like to make things as complicated as possible – J.J.
I have friends and family in the Netherlands and for many years, this was probably my favorite country on the planet; I visited every time I got a chance; the architecture is truly second to none and I love the canals too. But I was also very drawn to the language. One of my friends who lived there said the Dutch motto is ‘Waarom makkelijk als het moeilijk kan’ 😆 hinting that the Dutch like to make things as complicated as possible. They also strongly believe that their language is extremely difficult to learn but I totally disagree 😊Commented 6 months ago by J.J
I love the Dutch! – Isa
The Dutch are very funny! They are very friendly, and use any excuse to celebrate with beer drinking. They "Baila malu pasa bon" which means, they don't care how they look when they dance, as long as they are having fun. And they are the most honest and helpful people I've ever experienced from any country. I love the Dutch! - Commented 7 months ago by Isa dlC
Everyone over here is equal – Robin van Schie
As a dutch person who’s lived here my whole life, I wanna thank you for your video ♡ I agree with almost everything, yes all our education is paid for until you finish high school. Right now I’m in university and it is quite expensive for someone who’s only 20 and pays for most of it myself 😉 Again thanks for showing me all the reasons I should be grateful for where I live in the world. ♡♡♡ (especially as I queer person, I feel really safe here as well and couldnt be happier 🙂 🏳️🌈) Everyone over here is equal and in the eyes of (most) dutchies it doesn’t matter if you’re royalty or homeless, everyone matters ♡ – Commented 6 months ago by Robin van Schie.
Germans are equally direct – Ronald de Rooij
Another thing often misunderstood about Dutch directness is that it is only in the moment. Germans are equally direct, but if they tell you you did something awful, you know they will hold that against you in the future. Not in the Netherlands. If you bought awful shoes, we just tell you the shoes are awful, and then it is gone. Over. Done with. History. Fresh start. THAT is unique about the infamous Dutch directness. Many Anglo-Saxon and German people cannot understand this. They think that if you get such a direct remark, it is not only about the shoes, but also (a bit) about you as a person. No. It is about the shoes, nothing else. I agree that the same words can be rude. But then you hear it in the voice, the same words then spoken sharply, or sarcastically. That is true. - Commented 7 months ago by Ronald de Rooij
Big cities in the Netherlands hardly represent the Dutch – Devils Maiden
I like how your views aren’t solely based on city life in the Netherlands. Sure, in multicultural cities things like status and designer clothes are a thing, but the further you move from the “Randstad” (Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague basically), the less it’ll matter. Big cities in the Netherlands hardly represent the Dutch, because it’s such a mixture of many cultures all over the world. – Commented 7 months ago by Devils Maiden