Niloofar, a refugee from Duinrell, finds her happiness again in Wassenaar

The Niloofar Taheri that looks at the mossy shoes today is different than the sad one who first spied the stone footwear 8 months ago. For Niloofar, the change was a positive one and she has blossomed from the woman who arrived in the Netherlands just over one year ago from Iran. Niloofar says she owes her dramatic change to a decision she made four months after arriving in Wassenaar as a refugee. As she walked home from the Taal Cafe, where she practiced her Dutch, she passed a statue of shoes, covered in green moss. She took a picture, but she could not stop thinking about those shoes.

By Megan Walch

She was at a difficult point in her life. She was living in a new place, with a new language, and a new culture. It sometimes felt like too much to bear and she was unsure of what she should do and where she should go. As she had done for most of her life, she wrote about it, penning a tale of a shoe feeling forgotten, but wanting to contribute and keep going. It was at that point, Niloofar says, that she made the decision that would change her: she would stay in the Netherlands, and she would view every challenge that came her way as an opportunity. 

According to her Dutch teacher, Marie-Anne Koopman, the change was transformative. Niloofar went from sad and questioning to confidant and happy. It was with Marie-Anne that Niloofar first showed her writings to, and it was the encouragement and support of Marie-Anne that empowered Niloofar to share her gift of writing with others. Bravery is not something new to Niloofar. As a girl growing up in Iran, her choices for the future were limited because of her gender. However, Niloofar’s father, a teacher, knew the importance of education and encouraged Niloofar to pursue higher learning. She did, completing a bachelor’s degree in economics and continuing on to complete her MBA, overcoming a system designed to keep women and those without power out of the universities. 

After her education, she went on to become a teacher and successful business owner in a country where women cannot even legally ride bicycles. And it was her continued pursuit of further education that brought Niloofar to the Netherlands. She arrived for a training, expecting to shortly return to her home country when the training was over. Unfortunately, things suddenly changed. For her own safety, Niloofar cannot be specific about what occurred, but she was notified by family that it was not safe and she could not return home. In addition to running a successful business, she had also been an activist, and she was no longer safe from her own government. 

All her friends, all her family, her entire life had to be left behind. All she had was what she had brought with for her training, never imagining the goodbyes she said to her family would last for so long. But out of her hardship, she recognized new opportunities lay ahead of her. In Iran, she had been unable to accomplish many things that she had wanted to, because women were simply legally unable to do them. But in Wassenaar, she found new freedoms. 

Her first experience on a bicycle was going alone to Katwijk, using Google Maps to guide her way. It was upon her return to her new home that she realized what she had done. She says she felt an incredible sense of accomplishment, describing it as her biggest achievement. “I could never have done that in Iran, especially dressed like this,” she says, gesturing to her pants. What had been illegal for her to do before, she was now allowed to pursue. It was in the Netherlands that Niloofar was offered her greatest opportunity, the ability to choose. 

She continues to hope for world peace, and that someday she can return to her home country to be with her family again. She misses the moments of coming together that make up everyday life, the smell of her city in the warm sun, and the way the life and sounds of the city never stop. But she has grown to love the Netherlands as well. Her greatest hope is that she can continue to learn in the Netherlands and bring back knowledge to her home country. When asked what knowledge she would want to bring back, she responds with conviction, “Democracy, freedom, and respect for differences.” 

She recognizes she has a long road ahead of her. She continues to write and has recently received a BSN and sent out CVs looking for work. While she waits to hear from a future employer, she volunteers helping new refugees adjust to life in the Netherlands, as they begin the journey she has been on. Niloofar says she’s still not sure if there’s a place for her in Dutch society, but whether she ultimately stays or leaves, the important thing is that she now has a future of her own choosing.