Kees & Jelle Hofstede
Jelle Hofstede is born in Utrecht in 2002. Just a year later, his parents receive an offer to write their doctoral theses at the University of Maine. The family moves from the Netherlands to the USA together. In 2005, Jelle gets a little brother: Kees is born. Following a job offer at AWI in Germany, the family packs their bags again three years later. This time, they head to Bremerhaven. The beginning in the seaport is challenging and sometimes isolating for the two brothers, as they first need to learn German. Jelle starts attending a German course twice a week, and Kees learns the language in kindergarten. However, their multilingualism quickly becomes an advantage: Jelle helps with translations during a school trip in the Netherlands, and Kees notices that other kids find it interesting that he comes from the USA and speaks different languages fluently: “With our parents, we speak Dutch. My brother and I just mix everything together. We switch in the middle of a sentence from English to Dutch to German.” Jelle passed his Abitur in 2020 and hopes to begin a physics study at the University of Groningen. Kees continues to attend school and uses his language talent for voice acting in self-written short films. At home, the family maintains Dutch traditions. The celebration of Sinterklaas is particularly special for them, as the day is celebrated in the Netherlands – similar to Christmas in Germany – as a large family festivity. Jelle and Kees feel connected to multiple cultures. Jelle says: “I don’t think there is a label for me like, ‘I am Dutch, I am American, or I am German or from Bremerhaven.'”
Kees and Jelle Hofstede are among the faces that have been visible on the facade of the new German Emigration Center since June 2021. Before the opening of the extension building with the artistically designed facade, the Nordsee-Zeitung introduced the individuals to these faces. You can watch the corresponding film portrait of Kees and Jelle Hofstede here.