{"id":940,"date":"2018-07-30T14:13:31","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T14:13:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pacetaleninstituut.nl\/?page_id=940"},"modified":"2022-06-13T11:49:30","modified_gmt":"2022-06-13T11:49:30","slug":"stories-our-students","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/pacetaleninstituut.nl\/en\/about-us\/stories-our-students\/","title":{"rendered":"The stories of our students"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_tabs active_section=”1″][vc_tta_section title=”Ana” tab_id=”ana”]

Ana's story<\/h2><\/header>[vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

The biggest transition of Ana’s life wasn\u2019t fueled by politics, war, or money. It was driven by love. I married my Dutch boyfriend and moved to Amsterdam. \u2019m excited about my future here. I can\u2019t wait to see what comes next.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”545″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text]Ana is used to transitions. As a little girl growing up in Georgia shortly after communism fell, she remembers the days when there was no electricity and the family huddled together over candlelight in the living room. She watched her father struggle after his government job as a transportation minister disintegrated; she marveled at her mother, a music teacher, who would bring home her students in order to feed them.<\/p>\n

But the biggest transition of her life wasn\u2019t fueled by politics, war, or money. It was driven by love. In April, 2018. Ana married her Dutch boyfriend and moved to Amsterdam.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe met in graduate school seven years ago in Berlin. But after we received our master\u2019s degrees, our lives took different paths. He went off to work in Canada and I went back to Georgia, where I started my career as a brand manager for Henkel, a global beauty care company. I was responsible for the Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan region.<\/p>\n

I loved my work and I think I was pretty good at it too. So, leaving it wasn\u2019t easy. But at some point, my boyfriend and I decided that we should give our relationship a real shot.<\/p>\n

Moving to a new country is arguably one of the most difficult things you can do. I left my family, my job, my friends, everything that was familiar to me. \u00a0But the one thing I never anticipated was how much my love for him would grow. I think I am more I in love with him now than ever before. He\u2019s the most amazing man and sharing this new adventure with him keeps getting better and better. \u00a0I\u2019m excited about my future here. I can\u2019t wait to see what comes next.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Rawan” tab_id=”rawan”]

Rawan's story<\/h2><\/header>[vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is very difficult now in Syria. I am so grateful to be in a place where I know I can feed my daughter, where I know she is safe. I feel so blessed.\u201d <\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”815″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text]When Rawan talks about Damascus, her eyes light up.\u00a0 She especially loves to recall Thursdays, when her large extended family would gather in the garden of her father\u2019s home for a huge meal and hours of laughter and conversation. But Thursdays took on a different meaning during the height of the war, when soldiers interrupted one of their sacred family gatherings and arrested Rawan\u2019s husband.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy husband was on leave from the army, so he could attend his brother\u2019s funeral. Soldiers mistook him for a different man. They held guns up to our faces and took my husband away. They threw him in prison without realizing they had the wrong person. For weeks, none of us knew what was going on. It was horrible. Finally, four months later, they let him go. That\u2019s when my husband said it was no longer safe for us to stay in our country.<\/p>\n

My husband left before I did and made arrangements for me to join him in Amsterdam. On the way to the airport, we got in to a car accident and my mom wound up in the hospital. I was torn.\u00a0 Do I go to Amsterdam or stay with my mother?\u00a0 \u00a0But mom said to me, \u201cYou have to go.\u00a0 I will be okay. You have to take this chance. \u201c<\/p>\n

So, I went to join my husband.\u00a0 Luckily, my mother recovered and is okay. Both she and I are very glad I made it out. Eight months ago, I gave birth to a little girl named Jouri, which means red flower in Syrian.<\/p>\n

I miss my family back home. But we have met some wonderful Syrian refugees living here. We eat together, visit one another, help each other out. They have become my new second family.<\/p>\n

\u201cLife is very difficult now in Syria. I am so grateful to be in a place where I know I can feed my daughter, where I know she is safe. I feel so blessed.\u201d[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][vc_tta_section title=”Alex” tab_id=”minas”]

Minas' story<\/h2><\/header>[vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

\u201cMy dreams are simple: Learn Dutch. Have a family. \u00a0And be myself.\u00a0 Who could ask for more? \u201c
\n<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_row_inner equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][vc_single_image image=”1072″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3\/4″][vc_column_text]Alex loves color.\u00a0 His clothes, accessories, and even the highlights in his hair are a celebration of vibrant hues.\u00a0 But he wasn\u2019t always able to express himself so confidently. Growing up in Yerevan, Armenia, Alex could never fully be himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy mother still doesn\u2019t know I am gay. I can\u2019t tell her. It\u2019s still such a stigma in my country.\u00a0 \u00a0If you live a very private life it\u2019s ok, you can survive.\u00a0 But to live openly as a gay man, life is horrible.<\/p>\n

Until 2003, homosexuality was against the law. You could be beaten in the street for it. Kicked off your job. Jailed. It was simply not tolerated.<\/p>\n

I got involved with the LGBT community. My ex- boyfriend and I became activists, producing an online site, speaking out in the media, organizing events.\u00a0 That\u2019s when the threats began to happen. Our house was robbed several times; we got horrible phone calls at all hours of the night. We tried to stay in Armenia as long as we could. But when the government military service threatened us if we didn\u2019t stop what we were doing, we knew it was time to get out.<\/p>\n

We chose the Netherlands, since it was one of the first countries to legalize gay marriages. Life here is really good. People are much more open, more tolerant. The nature is so beautiful too.\u00a0 My new hobby is bike riding. I love it. I often ride to Marken or along the canals. I ride everywhere.<\/p>\n

My dreams are simple: Learn Dutch. Have a family. \u00a0And be myself.\u00a0 Who could ask for more?[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_tta_section][\/vc_tta_tabs][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row full_width=”stretch_row” css=”.vc_custom_1532555075183{margin-top: 75px !important;}”][vc_column][vc_separator][vc_row_inner css=”.vc_custom_1511348417220{padding-top: 100px !important;padding-bottom: 100px !important;}”][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/2″]

Read the stories of our teachers<\/h2><\/header>Read them here<\/span><\/span><\/a>[vc_empty_space height=”25px”][\/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”1\/4″][\/vc_column_inner][\/vc_row_inner][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_tta_tabs active_section=”1″][vc_tta_section title=”Ana” tab_id=”ana”][vc_column_text] The biggest transition of Ana’s life wasn\u2019t fueled by politics, war, or money. It was driven by love. I married my Dutch boyfriend […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":494,"parent":922,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-940","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\nThe stories of our students - Pace Taleninstituut<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In our courses we put a big emphasis on a personal approach. Our aim is to help you grow. 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