Haroon Rezaie (24) remembers every moment as if it happened yesterday. The deafening sound of the motorbike engines which were chasing him. The terrifying machine guns carried by the motor bikers whose face he couldn’t see. The sweat, the fast heartbeat, the fear for his life.
He, then 16 years old, was on his way to school. All of a sudden, men on motorbikes began chasing him. They were Taliban fighters, who had been threatening his father, a pharmacist, to hand out poisoned medicine to government officials. After his father denied, they were now trying to kidnap him. “It was the early morning, there was no one on the street I could have turned to. Then I saw a hospital. I ran in, the Taliban with their machine guns just metres behind me. I was shaking. When I was inside, past the security, I saw the Taliban taking off, slightly before they reached the entrance. I held my breath, until I couldn’t anymore. I burst into tears. I was still alive. And I was so happy about it! Then I called my father.”
Tents for 3000 people
A few months later, Rezaie’s family decided to flee. “A very difficult decision. We left behind everything we built up, the place where we have been living for generations. But what should we do?” They then embarked on a long journey. From Afghanistan to Iran, to Turkey, and further across Europe. “After months, we landed in a refugee camp in Zwolle. Massive tents for more than 3000 people on a former military base. And I was so thankful.” Rezaie and his family were sent across the country, from one camp to another, made friends, and lost them again. Over and over. In early 2016, they ended up in Maastricht. “Again, I had to leave the people behind who I just met. But fleeing means saying goodbye on a regular basis. And I was looking forward to my new home.”
Constantly in panic
Barbed wire, metres high concrete walls – that was Rezaie’s first impression of Maastricht. “They brought us to a former prison, a dull apartment building.” Having no place in school and nothing to do in the first weeks, Rezaie was bored. After a while, he and his siblings were offered a place in the ISK, a school class for foreigners where learning Dutch is central in all lessons. “I was grateful. But being an ambitious person, I needed more than just language classes. It really frustrated me after a while.” Then, an unexpected chance came along. The United World College (UWC) joined an open day at the refugee centre. “I knew directly that I want to go to the UWC as I read their information and heard about it from my friends who attended this school. ‘But it’s not that easy’, they told me.” After all, Rezaie still had no residence permit. And it was far from clear that he and his family would get one. Any day they could be sent back to Afghanistan. “I was constantly in panic. What should I do, other than praying?” Praying helped, he thinks. After months had passed, Haroon could join the UWC via a scholarship, and in the end also the residence permit was given. “I started to feel at home. Made friends in school and in the Refugee Project, whose volunteers came to the refugee centre often and organized activities.”
New chapter
After two years at UWC, a new chapter began: university. “I chose European Studies here at UM, because it’s a broad degree that prepares me for my future. I enjoyed it a lot.” After class, Rezaie kept himself busy with volunteering, namely organizing activities for other refugees and translating. “It’s nice to be able to give back.” Over the years, he made friends, many friends, but he doesn’t see most of them anymore. “That’s Maastricht: you always meet new people, but when you start embracing them with your heart, they go again.” But overall, he doesn’t complain. “I have a good life here. Sure, Dutch directness can be difficult. And all the Duo-paperwork! I have three big folders full of letters telling me that a decision about something will be taken soon”, he laughs, shaking his head. Then, all of a sudden, he gets silent. “What I am most grateful for is my wife, actually. I met her here in Maastricht, when I volunteered. She’s German, but despite the cultural differences it just clicked”, says the 24 year-old. Yes, it’s unusual to marry at this young age, he admits. “But it was the right thing for us. Now we can grow with each other, having a long-lasting bond.” Thinking about the future, the master student European Studies has his mind set on Brussels. “I will finish my studies next summer, so I’m starting to look for a traineeship in Brussels or Luxembourg. There, I can learn more about the EU on a practical level and really have an impact. But at the same time, I don’t want to leave Maastricht. My family and I found our new home here. So I see myself commuting every day.” Besides that, Rezaie needs a EU-citizenship for the traineeship he wants so dearly, as for all other traineeships with the EU. “I’m applying for a Dutch one, but that’s easier said than done. There are many conditions to fulfil, like passing several exams to prove your knowledge of the culture and the language. It’s a long and complicated process.” Many obstacles to overcome. But for Rezaie, that’s nothing new.