“People tend not to approach me because they find me intimidating. It’s frustrating because in reality I’m a big hugger.”

*After our conversation he walked up to me and asked do you mind? Then I got a big hug..

“I’m an intern at the Dutch institute of brain research.”
“What do you like most about brains?”
“They are fascinating. Through our brains we can keep learning new things and that’s how we can change constantly. By using the right tools we can change the structure of our brains and our thinking patterns. This means that for example, criminals could change their mindset by using these tools. These tools could possibly be used to fight evil. That might sound a bit naive but i admit I’m a bit hippie.”

“I just went to Science Center NEMO.”
“What did you do there?”
“I went in to the laboratory to do research..”
“What did you research?”
“Which fruits contain most vitamin C.”
“Which fruit is that?”
“An orange.”
“What exactly is vitamin C?”
“I’m not quite sure yet..”

“My name is Amir.”
“What does it mean?”
“It’s a Persian name. It means prince..”

“A few years ago I had a near death experience. It was an extremely difficult time but it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.
Why is that?”
“When you are so close to dying your entire outlook on life changes. I now realize how precious life is. I have learned to enjoy the small things and care less about things that don’t really matter. I used to be an introvert person. Now my fears do not determine who I am anymore.”
“What do you do different now?”
“I have always loved to sing but before the accident I only dared to sing in a choir. There nobody could hear or see me perform. Now I started vocal training to become a solo singer and I’m even recording an album. If you had told me last year I would be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed you.”

“I’m from Italy. I came to Amsterdam be more free.”
“How are you more free here than in Italy?”
“For example, In Italy it’s illegal to smoke marihuana. I don’t understand why our government makes such a big deal out of it. I think they should be more worried about alcohol consumption, which in my opinion is a much bigger problem in our society.”