½ “I was raised with the idea that you should study something that gives you a high chance of employment. I have always had a passion for filmmaking but to make my parents happy I decided to study International business. I am a hard worker so my grades were really good but I was deeply unhappy. One day I was sitting at the breakfast table and I couldn’t stop crying. That is when I knew something had to change. After a few tests I decided to study Media and Communication. It was a perfect match and I felt so happy. When I graduated I decided to take a one-year break and just work full-time to think carefully about my next step. Again, I felt the need to please everyone around me and I decided to apply for university to become an English teacher. I was supposed to start this September but then something happened that changed everything.”

“Not too many people know that I am a graduated doctor. Even though I loved studying medicine, the hospital wasn’t the right environment for me to work in. When I graduated, a friend of mine who had just finished his studies in business asked me to become his business partner. He had this idea to open a Tea Bar here in Amsterdam which is quite revolutionary since here in The Netherlands there is mainly a coffee culture. It was quite a switch from studying Medicine to becoming an entrepreneur but I was really excited to start this adventure. We worked incredibly hard to visualize what we had in mind. The beautiful thing about tea is that so many countries have their own tea and tea-traditions.
I myself have Moroccan roots and my business partner is Pakistani so we both try to bring a bit of our own culture through tea. At the same time we are constantly exploring the world through tea-traditions. It is really a beautiful way to get to know the world.”

“Sometimes I see pictures on Facebook where people are on a beach and jump in the air. Because of my physical condition I am not able to jump, so when I see those photo’s I am reminded of the fact I don’t have all the physical freedom I would like to have. However, despite of my condition I still feel free. I was born with this condition but it is up to me to decide how I live my life. I play music in a latin band, I volunteer and I am part of the national 4 and 5 May youth committee, a committee who draws attention to the Dutch Memorial and Liberation day. Together with a multi-cultural group of young people we organise a yearly memorial service in Amsterdam at the Van Woustraat. Where there used to be a ice-cream shop named Koco. The owners, Alfred Kohn and Ernst Cahn were both Jewish. In Februari 1941 Alfred Kohn was deported to a concentration camp and one month later Ernst Cahn was executed by the Nazis. The story really touches my heart because it shows what it is like to lose all your Freedom. I never been through war but I do realize how important it is to be reminded of the freedom that we have. That is why I am involved in the committee, so people don’t forget.”

“About a year and a half ago, someone knocked on my door late at night. When I opened it, my mother was standing there with tears in her eyes. She didn’t have to say anything – my father had died. He had a rare heart condition, so we knew, at some point, that he would just go. It was peaceful, apparently, and very quick. My mother found him in his favorite chair at home with a book in his lap and a coffee on the table. My world collapsed. Growing up all I wanted was for him to be proud of me. I was so afraid he’d die and think of me as a disappointment. But three days before he died, during our last phone call, although we didn’t know that yet, he said “kid, the world is yours for the taking, and I’m so proud of you, and my work here is done.” I had just graduated with a bachelor’s and I was making plans for grad school. When I was younger, because of his condition, he was always trying to impart wisdom just in case he wasn’t around when I needed it – so for example he gave me serious relationship advice when I was twelve and it made no sense to me. Six months after he died I went through a really difficult breakup, and his decade old advice suddenly came back to my mind. He did everything he could as a father, to prepare me for the world.
I came to Amsterdam a year ago to do a master’s degree. The first few months were really hard. I was afraid to make friends of get attached, I think, because I was afraid to lose more than I already had. But there’s something about Amsterdam that either forces you or encourages you to just figure things out, and slowly I reached out and made friends and connected to family and really settled in. And Amsterdam became home. Coming here when I did turned out to be the best thing I could do for myself. This city has healed me. Right now I’m on my way to meet my Mum. She’s visiting because tomorrow is my graduation. That my Dad isn’t here as well is – is really hard. But today would’ve been his birthday, so we’re going out to get cake and celebrate.“

“When I told my mom I wanted to quit my studies she wasn’t mad or disappointed. I explained her that I needed more freedom in order to grow and she understood. I created a plan, I wrote everything down and she promised to financially support me for a whole year. I promised her that I would be able to stand on my own feet after that. That year I was able to experiment and try out new things. I started writing, presenting and making short films. Soon I discovered that I love sharing stories and film became my favorite medium to do so. That year led me to become a freelance filmmaker. My office is here right around the corner and I come here to this little spot a few times a day. To me this is the most beautiful place in Amsterdam. Whenever I am editing and I need a little break I sit here to think. I try to remind myself on daily basics what I am thankful for. It is so easy to lose yourself in the every day chaos. I personally am most thankful for the freedom that I have. That I can come and sit here whenever I want to. In a way that freedom is a present given by my mother because she always believed that I was able to make the right decisions for myself.”