{"id":118061,"date":"2020-09-29T13:16:28","date_gmt":"2020-09-29T11:16:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/?p=118061"},"modified":"2025-12-19T11:25:06","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T10:25:06","slug":"refugee-rami-regards-his-student-mentor-narmin-as-his-big-sister","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.erasmusmagazine.nl\/en\/2020\/09\/29\/refugee-rami-regards-his-student-mentor-narmin-as-his-big-sister\/","title":{"rendered":"Refugee Rami regards his student mentor as his big sister"},"content":{"rendered":"

In a way, she\u2019s like a big sister to him, says Rami Yahya, 22. A Syrian with Palestinian roots, Rami came to the Netherlands two years ago. In order to help him practise his Dutch and find his way in the Dutch education system, the UAF (a foundation that supports refugee students) assigned him a mentor last year: 25-year-old EUR student N.Q.*. \u201cWe still see each other regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\t\n\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n\tImage by:<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmber Leijen<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>

\u201cWhat was school like today?\u201d N.Q.asks Rami at the Woudestein Campus. Generally, they meet at Starbucks, but today they are doing things differently. Rami has embarked on a degree in civil engineering at Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences this month. Together, Rami and N.Q. did their research on how to give Rami the best shot at a proper future. N.Q. accompanied Rami when he attended open days, helped him scour websites and provided input on all the various pros and cons. In the end, Rami opted for this particular degree programme. He is very happy to be a student again, although things are strange, due to the coronavirus epidemic: \u201cWe are doing all our practicals in one single day, which lasts from 8am until 6pm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a mechanical engineering student at the University of Damascus and wanted to do a similar type of degree here,\u201d says Rami. To this end, he followed Erasmus University\u2019s bridging programme. In order to help him sort out some practical issues during that bridging programme, the UAF matched him with N.Q., who is a fiscal economics student. Rami has by now been granted a residence permit, has his own bedsit in Rotterdam and has been given the green light to get a degree, but the road to the Netherlands and obtaining the right papers was complex. He doesn\u2019t really want to talk about it. \u201cIt\u2019s a long story,\u201d he says, sighing.<\/p>\n

Group assignments <\/h2>

Rami would rather talk about how N.Q. has been helping him. \u201cIt\u2019s really great,\u201d he says. The idea behind the mentorship was that mentor and mentee see each other regularly for at least half a year. It worked for Rami and N.Q., who are still in touch. He regards her as a big sister of sorts: \u201cI can tell her everything. Practical school-related issues such as the registration procedure, words I don\u2019t understand, but other things, too.\u201d When the coronavirus outbreak began, it became harder for them to keep seeing each other, but they stayed in touch through WhatsApp. \u201cMy main job was to coach, advise and motivate him,\u201d says N.Q.. \u201cFor instance, I would tell him about his options with regards to his studies. And sometimes he\u2019ll have culture-related questions. For example, group assignments are done slightly differently in the Netherlands. Rami was confronted with someone who was not contributing to a group assignment. I told him how to bring the matter up with the other person, and also told him that it\u2019s completely normal in the Netherlands to tell people if you don\u2019t agree with what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bridging programme Rami attended is a programme taught by Erasmus University\u2019s Language & Training Centre\u00a0(LTC) called\u00a0\u2018Preparatory Year for Erasmus Degree\u2019. The LTC developed the programme to prepare refugees with residence permits for higher education in the Netherlands. UAF spokesman Jasper Vink says that the UAF pays the programme\u2019s tuition fees on behalf of the refugees. \u201cYou see, DUO (the Dutch Education Executive, which issues student loans \u2013 ed.) doesn\u2019t cover the fees associated with the bridging programme, even though it significantly improves refugees\u2019 chances of being admitted to regular degree programmes in the Netherlands.\u201d<\/p>\n

The foundation matches refugee students to mentors: people who are the same age they are, and preferably have similar interests, too. \u201cIn the last five years, we have matched over 750 refugees to students. Initially, it was to be a temporary project, but since it was so successful, we decided to make it a permanent component of our programme. After all, mentors are often highly valuable in learning the local language, getting accustomed to the Dutch education system and learning about Dutch education institutions. Above all, they are buddies who will help you during the first stage of your studies,\u201d says Vink.<\/p>\n

A real fighter<\/h2>

Rami\u2019s mentor N.Q., who came to the Netherlands from Azerbaijan as a teenager herself, saw a call for mentors on the university\u2019s intranet and was keen to join the UAF project. \u201cI know what it\u2019s like to have to get used to a new culture and learn a new language, and I want to help others do so. So I signed up.\u201d She is enjoying the experience. \u201cI\u2019d recommend it to anyone. It\u2019s not a one-way street, as some people think. It\u2019s more like an exchange of thoughts. I learn a lot from him and his attitude to life, as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Such as? \u201cHe\u2019s a real fighter. He simply won\u2019t give up. At his age, he has had to build a completely new social, private and professional life for himself in a strange country. It\u2019s incredible to see how quickly he\u2019s doing it and how he perseveres even when he encounters setbacks.\u201d Rami smiles and says softly: \u201cDank\u00a0je\u00a0wel<\/em> (thank you).\u201d<\/p>\n

The UAF is recruiting new mentors. If you are interested, please sign up on the UAF\u2019s<\/em>\u00a0website<\/a>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

*14-4-2022: In consultation with the editor-in-chief the name has been anonimised due to personal circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\t

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