Personal Stories

Our personal stories bring you honest, warm and inspiring experiences from people who have found their new home in Estonia. Everyone has their own journey – their own path to integration and adaptation.

Meet Cees

Welcome, dear reader — we’re so glad you’re here. Let us introduce you to Cees — our very first guest. He’s got Dutch roots, Estonian soil under his nails, and enough good stories (and even better recipes) to keep you happily listening long after the coffee’s gone cold.

Cees is 65—sharp-minded and wise, but with a sparkle in his twinkling eyes that hints at a lifetime of collected so many unspoken jokes long enough to fill a library. He moved here with a clear mission: to raise his two sons, now navigating the teenage years with all their glorious challenges.

There’s something deeply comforting about being around him — like sitting beside a fire on a cold day.

His sense of humor is like little sparks from a fireplace — quick, bright, and always right on time. Just when things start to settle, he’ll drop a line that crackles — sharp, clever, and guaranteed to make you laugh. He never overdoes it — just tosses in the perfect joke to warm up the moment. Even in quiet times, his wit flickers in and out like firelight — playful, a little surprising, and full of life. It doesn’t need to be loud; it just dances there, like glowing embers you can’t help but smile at.

„Cees is related to Cornelis, which is related to Cornelius. He was one of the empires from Rome around 2000 years ago. In Holland Cornelis or Kees or Cees was a common name in the 60s, and also had it roots in my family. I was namen after my grandfather, who was also Cornelis Witkamp. I also had a nephew with the same name. They all died, so now I am the only one on this planet. I AM UNIQUE“.

„There is a lot you dont know. Be happy about that

Nestled quietly in the countryside near Haapsalu, Cees still carries the spirit of his Dutch roots wherever he goes.

„ Why you moved to Estonia?” is a question I heard already many times since I settled myself here in August 2019. Coming from Holland, it seems more “normal”  to move to that country, as is the other way around. In Holland there was also a lot of doubt when I told my plans: you are nearly 60…..not a bit too old to move? Yes, I know I was 60, but sometimes there are more important things as an age. So I left Holland, sold my house, packed my stuff and settled myself in a sovchoz appartment with two of my children. So now you know why 🙂

The first years were not that easy. Used to live in a country known for its direct communication (sometimes maybe a bit too direct), I noticed a kind of communication here which I should call very indirect: if you know how it works, it could work, but nobody tells you how it works.  It was, and sometimes still is, a struggle to find your way here especially in all kind of administrative processes.

So I was glad having some friends here I knew from many years ago when I worked here, who helped me a lot when getting confused or desperate. But not only the friends were a great support. I also noticed especially young people like to speak English, my familydoctor speaks German, and my former language teacher French“.

A Different Kind of Normal

The first three words that pop into your head when you think of Estonia?

„Safety, being relaxed, low populated.

I can give an example. I bought a bike in winter. Because when you become a 65 years old, in Dutch constitution, you have to buy and ride e-bike… It’s a joke. I’ve had that feeling, that I should to buy by myself it,because my left knee is not good anymore. I went to shop and bought it. I past the rail station, parked there and took many pictures. And send them to my formal colleagues: „Thank you very much, I bought my bike“,- because I’ve got nine hundred euros from them. And I had my backpack with me and I didn’t want to took off my camera it was in my backpack and i drove away. And 10 kilometers after I wanted to take another picture, but there was no backpack. And I thought: „ Oh, God, I lost my backpack. Where was that the last spot I’ve had it? Near the train station.

I was cycling like hell. And there,  on the bench, was my backpack. And there was a man, next to it, sitting on the same bench, on the other side of it. And I showed up, grabbed my pack, and he was smiling and was talking to me in Estonian. I said: “Thank you“. And then I left.

It would be impossible in Holland, really impossible“.

A Life with Many Chapters

A man of many passions, he finds joy in both the simple and the adventurous — and let’s just say his career path never stuck to straight lines.

„I am retired now. But in the past I worked as postman, administrator, selling coffee machines, doing land improvement projects, worked with farmers, did lobby work for people from parliament and worked as ecologist. Guess the last one is the most relevant.

I did small projects with mostly farmers to improve the quality of bird life on their farms. We did it in Ukraine also“.

Cees may not call himself a farmer, but let’s be honest—he’s pretty close. No cows, no chickens, just an old, wise dog who keeps watch over the yard like it’s royal property. Every spring, like clockwork, Cees rolls up his sleeves and gets his hands in the dirt. This year, as in many before, he planted peppers and tomatoes—not for trophies or farmers’ markets, but simply to feed his family and, maybe, some of his friends, with something grown with care.

„Here (in Estonia), I am, in fact, only doing the things I like to do. So I take care of two boys, go birdwatching, cycling, walking, catching moths, looking butterflies, visit friends, go to concerts, and twice a year on holiday: one holiday with boys, one without. And I have two farmhouses which takes time and money for renovation, mowing et“.

Living the Good Life his way

Cees is the kind of person who feels like the older brother you never had—the one who listens patiently when you unload your workplace woes and offers steady, thoughtful advice without missing a beat. Easy-going and open-hearted, if you suggest a day trip, chances are he’ll be the first to say, “Count me in.”

„After five years I still enjoy it here very much. Ok, living on the third floor is maybe not ideal but Estonia is for me a relaxed country. Surrounded by 1 million people or 18 million makes a lot of difference. Here I can walk in a forest for 3 or 4 hours without meeting other people. In Holland this is impossible, there are always people around. So do I miss Holland somehow? Yes, in some things I do. Most obvious is the personal space estonians keep for themselves: don’t mind my business, so I don’t mind yours. In a Dutch shop it is normal to talk with each other. In Holland it is normal to have a coffee with your neighbours, etc. These are for me the small things which make the difference between being on yourself or being part of a community. But still, I will stay here and find my way“.

Meatballs, Memories and a Taste of Home

Cees kindly shared with us his family’s treasured meatball recipe—passed down from his mother, and packed with so much love, coziness, the warmth of home in every bite (and a secret dash of magic) that even his boys can’t resist sneaking an extra helping.

And here’s a little secret: Cees didn’t actually invite us over—no fancy RSVP or anything. We just gave him a heads-up with a friendly warning: “Tomorrow, we’re crashing your place. And you better have some Dutch food ready.” True to form, he rolled with it, cooked us a delicious dinner, and those meatballs? Absolute perfection. Not too salty, packed with that deep umami flavor, and basically the kind of dish that makes you want to ask for seconds (or thirds).

Lõimumise ja kohanemise tugi Haapsalus. Hollandist Eestisse kolinud Cees jagab oma integratsioonilugu

Integration – Dutch meatball

One of the targets for this integrationproject is also to share each others culture. I had the honour to receive two guests who were curious about how traditional Dutch food tastes. To be honest: it doesn’t taste that much. When I grew up in the 60s of the 20th century, a Dutch diner consisted of vegetables (mostly cabbage in winter), boiled potatoes and some (pork)meat. That’s it. No herbs, only salt to give it some taste. So, when Svea and Tetiana announced to show up, I became a bit nervous about it. I choose for a somewhat other way of serving the same: cauliflower instead of curled cabbage, fried potatoes instead of boiled ones and a meatball instead of bacon. Btw, I forgot the sauce….sorry. It was a very nice evening and a few days later there was a question: could I share the receipt of the meatballs? I was a bit surprised. My meatballs had to be perfectly round, but they moore looked like the cobble stones from Haapsaluus Posti Tee. But Ok, the taste seemed to be good. But where did this receipt came from? In the sixties mothers didnt learn their sons to cook. My life should have been: school, study, girlfriend, wife, house and children. And when you have a wife, why bother about cooking yourself? But, life in the 70s in Holland was different from what my parents were used to. My girlfriend (she never became my wife) didnt like the cooking so the kitchen was mainly my territory. And because my whole family was vegetarian, meatballs were never served. So, sorry to say, there is no traditional family receipt for meatballs, I just grabbed it from a local cook in Holland. But, here it is:

Mix the meat, the eggs, the breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, mustard, unionpowder, paprikapowder and worchestershiresauce in a bowl, and knead them very well.

Divide it into the amount of balls you want to make of it: 4 big ones, or maybe 10 smaller ones. Make your hands wet, so you could easily turn them into balls of the same size.

Put these balls on a plate and store them 30 minutes in a fridge.

Heat a pot with a thick bottum on middlehigh fire (like 6 on a scale of 10) en add some rapeseed oil. Put the balls in the pot and turm them frequently during 10 minutes so they get brown on all sides.

Add some butter after 10 minutes and heat the fond in a small pot.

When the balls are equally brown, add the warm fond, add the soya sauce and put the cap on the pot during 20 minutes. Turn the balls frequently.

After 20 minutes serve them. Guten appetit!

Lõimumine ja kohanemine Haapsalus. Persoonilugu Hollandist Eestisse elama asunud Ceesist