{"id":8820,"date":"2020-11-18T15:57:41","date_gmt":"2020-11-18T15:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/?post_type=story&p=8820"},"modified":"2022-12-13T15:51:00","modified_gmt":"2022-12-13T15:51:00","slug":"elleke","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/justiceandpeace.nl\/en\/stories\/elleke\/","title":{"rendered":"Elleke"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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18-11-2020<\/p>\n

Written by: Patrick van Wersch<\/a><\/em>
\nTranslation by: Lot Brouwer<\/em><\/p>\n

Chasing their dreams, together<\/h2>\n

The doorbell rings. Elleke greets Wael as if they have known each other for years. In reality, it has only been six months since the two met. This was together with the rest of the Welcome Group, as well as Wael\u2019s wife Rana and their two boys. The start of their Samen Hier<\/em> adventure only felt uncomfortable for a split second, now there is friendship and involvement in each other\u2019s lives. A life in The Hague that is so different from that in Syria, where Wael worked as a constructional engineer and Rana as a teacher. Now, the couple has new ambitions, and is chasing their dreams together with the five members of their Welcome Group \u2018De Zinzoekers\u2019 (\u201cThe Sense Seakers\u201d) \u2013 \u00a0tackling every obstacle along the way. Elleke and Wael talk about it at Elleke\u2019s dining room table.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHow I would describe Wael?\u201d Elleke Bal (34) doesn\u2019t need a long time to think: \u201cVery ambitious and welcoming, and he has a great sense of humour\u201d. Wael Yazji (39) chuckles in agreement: \u201cI make a lot of jokes. I even do this right before bedtime, so that we can go to sleep cheerfully.\u201d Wael has only just found out that he will not be able to start his degree in Integral Construction Management at the Hogeschool Rotterdam this year. A missing language certificate \u2013 which was not listed as mandatory \u2013 stood in the way. It was a hard pill to swallow for the engineer, who had agreed with his wife that they would get a degree before applying to any jobs.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to build a good future for our family\u201d, Wael says. \u201cAnd a degree will help us do just that.\u201d He will have to try again next year. But to sit around and wait doesn\u2019t fit Wael\u2019s character. He is working hard to find an internship as a BIM modeller. Together with group members Anne-Ruthi and Swana he has updated his CV and made a LinkedIn profile. With Elleke he has searched the internet for suitable internships, and a professional photoshoot \u00a0is being planned. Wael has sent out a few application letters, but so far he has only received one response: \u2018No positions available due to Corona\u2019. Right after that, Wael received the message that he couldn\u2019t start studying.<\/p>\n

Elleke: \u201cIt was very frustrating for our group that we weren\u2019t able to do more to help Wael start with his degree. Thankfully, he is a go-getter. Now that Rana is doing a Master\u2019s Degree in French at Leiden University and is teaching at the Gymnasium Haganum, he has taken on the household chores and is taking care of their two sons.\u201d Group member Jeltsje, who is also a teacher, is helping Rana navigate the world of online teaching. It might be a small gesture, but it means a lot to the ambitious couple and their family.<\/p>\n

\u201cAlways try your hardest\u201d, is what Wael and Rana tell their two boys day in day out. Both come from an entrepreneurial family, and they have learned to work hard from an early age. They try to maintain this attitude in the Netherlands. \u201cI don\u2019t know if we will manage\u201d, Wael says candidly. \u201cWe had a good life in Aleppo, and could do anything we wanted. Here, things go very slowly \u2013 much more slowly than in Syria. We have to wait a long time for everything. But it is up to us how we deal with our new life. That is something we do<\/em> have control over.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elleke describes the family as optimistic and realistic. \u201cIt is very admirable to see how they deal with challenges. First their escape to Lebanon, then to the Netherlands, trying to find work, and now Corona.\u201d Wael says that the last few months were the hardest of his life. \u201cWe couldn\u2019t have any contact with anyone. Even during the war this was still possible. At the start of the Corona period, Elleke showed up on our doorstep. So nice \u2013 it immediately felt comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"

Eating \u2018poffertjes\u2019 in the Dutch miniature parc Madurodam<\/p><\/div>\n

Due to Corona, the group is seeing each other less, and mostly one-on-one, but the contact is warm and good. In July, they all went to the Dutch miniature parc Madurodam together. Eating \u2018poffertjes\u2019 and further getting to know the Netherlands. Wael and Elleke have fond memories of that day. Wael\u2019s eldest, George, spotted a painting by Johannes Vermeer and said: \u201cThis is a painting by Johannes Vermeer. His most famous painting is \u2018Girl with a Pearl Earring\u2019.\u201d Wael: \u201cThe kids help us to better understand the Netherlands and the Dutch language. We help each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

The name \u2018Zinzoekers\u2019 was taken from a network in The Hague, which consists of people in their twenties and thirties who are searching for meaning, and who want to make a positive contribution to the city and to each other\u2019s lives. When Elleke started with Samen Hier, one of her main motivations was to meet people who are different from her. \u201cNow that I have gotten to know Wael and Rana, I realise that, in reality, we are the same\u201d, she says. \u201cWe all try to build up a good life. Our cultures are different, but our dreams are the same. I think that the meaning of life is ultimately in how you relate to others, not only how you relate to yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wael agrees, and adds: \u201cThe most important thing for me is that my kids grow up to be good people. True meaning lies in their happiness, their future. That is what we work for.\u201d<\/p>\n

The <\/em>Samen Hier group \u2018Zinzoekers\u2019 consists of Elleke, Anne-Ruthi, Lisette, Jeltsje, Wael, Rana, George, and Charbel<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

\n Read more about Samen Hier <\/a>\n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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