Peter Okumbe

Peter Okumbe arrived in the Netherlands in July 2025. Read more about Peter’s journey and first impressions of living in a new country.

Peter, why did you emigrate to the Netherlands?
When summit developers reached out to me, I had actually just returned from going on a work trip to Europe earlier in the year but to be honest, I cannot say that I had any concrete plans or dreams to leave South Africa and relocate elsewhere at the time. My direct family, friends and everything that I grew up knowing was all in South Africa. I was comfortable. Maybe a bit too comfortable. This opportunity really came as a surprise for me.

But I believe that everything happens for a reason, so I took it with an open mind and after having conversations with summit developers, I think that is when I started to realize that maybe this might be the path that I am being directed towards. It started to feel like the right time and opportunity to grow, both in my career and as a person: to leave home and start to build a life on my own for the very first time. I am also someone who likes to learn from and interact with people from different cultures and backgrounds, which this opportunity would allow for. And as an added incentive for myself: being an avid football fan, I now have greater chances to finally go and visit all the beautiful European football stadia and live matches that I have been watching on TV and playing on video games since I was a child!

Can you tell us something how you do like the Netherlands?

• I was fortunate to have stepped foot into the Netherlands once before on a High School Hockey European Tour but wow, I must say that visiting the Netherlands as a tourist and working and living here are two completely different experiences.
• I recently learned that, as the name describes, the Netherlands is a very flat country, so you can travel to any part quite easily! Also not being as big of a country like South Africa does make the distances between numerous things around the land shorter too.
• The public transport is quite straightforward, available and easy to use. I have also never seen so many different types of bicycles in my life and they come with their own bicycle lanes on the roads! They are definitely crucial vehicles to own in this country, so start riding those bicycles again! You can get to any point in the country (or even other neighbouring countries) that you would like to without having to own or rent a car. A bicycle and public transport and you are all set to go!
• My favourite part has to be making the move in the summer, which meant experiencing the longer days on this side of the world with the sun only setting in the very late evenings, I’m still getting used to not thinking that it’s only 5PM when it’s actually 9PM! The food is also different to what I am used to back home in South Africa, I will miss that the most!
• But most importantly, the overall safety in the country is quite good. One is able to walk around leisurely without having to constantly worry or check over their shoulders but of course, always staying vigilant anywhere in the world is good practice and each and every country does come with its own pros and cons. Nevertheless, the people have all been quite welcoming and some already know quite a bit about South Africa too! This is of course always nice to feel welcomed into any new environment. And having fellow summit developers from South Africa living in the Netherlands brings that home feeling and connection as well.

Please tell us something about the projects you are currently working on.
I have only been working here for 2 weeks now but I am working as a Mendix Developer at BRIS B.V in Rotterdam. I will be helping the team develop and maintain applications that help digitalize construction building laws and regulations, as defined by the Dutch government for all parties involved in construction projects to use.

Did the process of emigration go smoothly?
It was quite quick! A lot of administration and paperwork of course, as it always is the case with such life changing decisions, but summit developers have a nicely structured format of conducting and guiding you through the entire process. Relocating and starting a new life in an entirely new country and continent is definitely tiring and comes with its own challenges relative to each individual, but it was very much clear to see that summit developers are well experienced in handling the entire process, which definitely made a lot of things much smoother. I did feel that it was also a bit easier for me to finalize everything in South Africa, as I was making the move on my own directly from still living at home with my parents and sister.

Can you explain to the South Africans who are considering to go overseas how you did experience the support from us?
I know that I still have a lot of years to live and life to see but I would say that so far, summit developers are probably the most caring and supportive company group that I have ever worked with! They were genuinely there to guide and explain every single step of the entire process to me. They have always been ready and willing to answer all 1000 or more questions that I had before, during and even after making the move to the Netherlands! They are not only supportive but willing to listen as well, not just in the formal aspects but also in the mental side of things, which I feel that as humans is always important. They have always made sure that I was comfortable with everything and continued to check up on me, which I have always appreciated and still do!