Yaseer Ahmad (52) fled from Syria and settled in Annen three months ago. To get to know the Netherlands and Drenthe better, he walks exhaustingly, sometimes for five hours a day. “I love the Netherlands very much,” his phone translates for him. Yaseer – who speaks Arabic himself – already knows a few words, but expressing himself in sentences is still difficult. That’s why he uses a translation machine. “I love the people, the government, actually everyone.”
Yaseer is actually a Palestinian who grew up in Syria. Because of the war he fled first to Malaysia and then to Turkey. From there he went on foot via Bulgaria to Serbia and Hungary. In Hungary he boarded a truck bound for Germany and eventually ended up in the Netherlands. He spent a while in the AZC in Ter Apel and in Assen. He is very happy that he now has his own home in Annen.
In his home country he was not used to being able to walk everywhere safely, which is why he now goes out so often in the Netherlands. And because it keeps him healthy, both physically and physically. With his brightly colored sports suits he is a striking appearance in the village and often attracts attention. For example, he recently appeared with a photo in the Volkskrant Magazine. He wears an orange sports outfit, but today he wore a yellow one.
Final destination of today’s hike? Shafts! There he receives Dutch lessons a few times a week. “We learn all kinds of things about the Netherlands,” says Yaseer. “They are very good teachers.” In Syria, Yaseer was a taxi driver and bricklayer. Actually he did all kinds of things there. After his training in Assen, he also hopes to find work in the Netherlands.