On Thursday the 29th April, under the guidance of religious teacher sister Marija Hijacinta Matanović, second grade students of the Sisak Gymnasium on Thursday met with their peer, a young man from Iran who arrived in Croatia two years ago.
Here are some more of their impressions:
“We liked communicating with Yazdan. He shared his story with us, which was sad at first but has a happy ending. We were surprised at how well he speaks Croatian and we would never have guessed that he started learning Croatian only two years ago. We have learned that we need to value what we have more: education, a safe home, children’s rights, etc. ”M.L.
“I am very happy to have had the opportunity to participate in the CHANGE project and talk to Yazdan. I have to admit that I gained some new experiences and knowledge since I had never had the opportunity to meet a person who was forced to embark on such a long and difficult journey and, ultimately, to turn a new page in life. Yazdan is very polite, kind and friendly and I was honored to talk to him. I think that projects like this are very necessary for our society, which is affected by numerous prejudices, not only towards foreign, but also domestic people. I can say that I really enjoyed it and that this is a special experience that I will definitely remember. ”I.C.
“I liked participating in the CHANGE project for several reasons. In addition to learning something about Iran and the culture of that country, I especially liked being able to hear it from the person who lived there. I was very surprised by Yazdan’s excellent knowledge of the Croatian language and his enthusiasm for our culture. I’m glad he decided to share his story with us. ”P.K.
“Through this project, I learned how difficult it really was for refugees to be in their country and get a better life. I am sorry that in their homeland they cannot be relaxed, they cannot thrive and enjoy the things they love. I was very shaken by the story of the difficult life of Yazdan’s family. I am glad that they got the opportunity for a better chance in Croatia and that the community accepted them . It is interesting how very grateful they are for every little thing that is given to them. They adapted well to our way of life and presented their customs and culture to the Croats. I believe that the path by which they came to Croatia should not be passed by any man. Unfortunately, in many countries there is no system that will protect its citizens and I hope that this will improve in the near future. ”D.Ž.
“I am touched by Yazdan’s life story. I think he, his sisters and mother are very brave and strong people. I must admit, I am delighted by the fact that he has found peace and contentment in Croatia; in a state that many are leaving today in search of a better one. I think it is very important to hear his story so that, as a community, we can better understand what people are going through to save their own lives and know how to provide them with appropriate help and support based on that knowledge. I am glad that after a long time of hard life of violence, they found safety, a home and friends. I wish them all the best in their future lives! ”K.G.
Croatian version
SUSRET MLADIH UČENIKA IZ SISKA S YAZDANOM – 2. DIO
Učenici drugih razreda Gimnazije Sisak, pod metorstvom vjeroučiteljice s. Marije Hijacinte Matanović, susreli su se u četvrtak, 29. travnja, sa svojim vršjakom, mladićem iz Irana, koji je u Hrvatsku stigao prije dvije godine.
Ovo su njihovi dojmovi:
„Svidjelo nam se komunicirati s Yazdanom. Podijelio je s nama svoju priču koja je u početku bila tužna, a na kraju ima sretan završetak. Iznenadile smo se koliko dobro priča hrvatski i ne bismo nikad pogodile da je počeo učiti hrvatski prije samo dvije godine. Naučile smo da trebamo više cijeniti ono što imamo: obrazovanje, siguran dom, dječja prava itd.“ M. L.
„Naime, jako sam sretna što sam imala priliku sudjelovati u projektu Change i razgovarati sa Yazdanom. Moram priznati da sam stekla neka nova iskustva i znanja budući da ranije nisam imala priliku upoznati osobu koja je bila prisiljena zaputiti se na tako dalek i težak put te, u konačnici, i okrenuti novu stranicu života. Yazdan je vrlo pristojan, drag i prijateljski raspoložen te mi je bila čast razgovarati s njim. Smatram da su projekti poput ovog vrlo potrebni našem društvu koje je pogođeno brojnim predrasudama, ne samo prema stranim, već i domaćim ljudima. Mogu reći da sam doista uživala te da je ovo jedno posebno iskustvo koje ću zasigurno pamtiti.“ I.C.
„Sudjelovanje u projektu CHANGE svidjelo mi se iz više razloga. Osim toga što sam naučila nešto o Iranu i kulturi te države, posebno mi se svidjelo to što sam to mogla čuti od osobe koja je živjela ondje. Bila sam jako iznenađena Yazdanovim odličnim poznavanjem hrvatskog jezika te njegovom oduševljenosti našom kulturom. Drago mi je što je odlučio svoju priču podijeliti s nama.“ P.K.
„Kroz ovaj projekt saznala sam koliko je zapravo bilo teško izbjeglicama biti u svojoj državi i doći do boljeg života. Žao mi je što u svojoj domovini ne mogu biti opušteni, ne mogu napredovati i uživati u stvarima koje vole. Jako me potresla priča o teškom životu obitelji mladića Yazdana. Drago mi je što su baš u Hrvatskoj dobili priliku za bolji život i da ih je okolina vrlo dobro prihvatila. Zanimljivo je kako su jako zahvalni za svaku sitnicu koja im se pruži. Dobro su se prilagodili našem načinu života i predstavili svoje običaje i kulturu Hrvatima. Smatram da put, kojim su oni došli do Hrvatske, ne bi smio proći ni jedan čovjek. Nažalost, u mnogim državama nema sustava koji će zaštititi svoje državljane i nadam se da će se to u skoroj budućnosti popraviti.“ D.Ž.
„Dirnuta sam Yazdanovom životnom pričom. Mislim da su on, njegove sestre i majka vrlo hrabri i snažni ljudi. Moram priznati, oduševljena sam činjenicom da je u Hrvatskoj pronašao mir i zadovoljstvo; u državi koju danas mnogi napuštaju u potrazi za boljim. Smatram da je vrlo važno čuti njegovu priču kako bismo, kao zajednica, bolje razumjeli kroz što ljudi sve prolaze da bi spasili vlastiti život te im na temelju tih saznanja znali pružiti odgovarajuću pomoć i potporu. Drago mi je što su nakon dugo vremena teškog života u nasilju pronašli sigurnost, dom i prijatelje. Želim im svu sreću u daljnjem životu!“ K.G.