JAQUELINE
With
her big blue eyes, dreamy look and deep dimples,
Jacqueline immediately fitted my stereotype of a
white middle class student from Rotterdam. Her family
is an old Dutch one, and both parents have their
roots in Rotterdam. Though she loves travelling and
fantasises about living in the different cultures she
visits, Rotterdam is her home. When she talks, she
smiles and exudes a poetic glow that I miss in most
‘sober’ Dutch exchanges. She’s smart, knowledgeable
and well spoken; she’s also vulnerable and searching
for love.
Jacqueline has been attracted to refugees since a young age. Partly through her contact with refugees, she’s come to believe that people who have lost everything come closest to knowing themselves. Choosing cultural and social studies after high school was a logical step for her and she lives in a big student house in Rotterdam. ‘One shouldn’t think they can solve social problems, but they can, at least, be part of the process.’
Recently, she spent 6 months in Syria working with female Iraqi refugees. She believes that it’s love that’s missing in the refugee camps and wants to teach the women ways to regain their self-esteem. Using tools like theatre, she hopes to find ways to give it back to them. Since her return to Rotterdam, she’s been appreciating the freedom and equality enjoyed by women, but misses the femininity and respect for gender differences that she found in Syria. She thinks a woman in Rotterdam can get whatever she puts her mind to but believes that women should not try to be the same as men. “We should accept the differences, respect them and celebrate them. Emancipation means that women can decide for themselves, but it doesn’t mean that you have to be like men.” To her. “women are more submissive and they need a lot of love, that’s what makes them more vulnerable”. This counts especially in the refugee camps. Jacqueline thinks that the answer as to how a social system can provide the love is very simple: “We should have more love and support for the hurt and the needy, and less judgement”.
It’s love and self-esteem that Jacqueline misses in herself. She grew up without knowing her father, and then lost him again once she did get to know him, as she and his new wife did not get along. She tries to find joy in the little things in life. Like the refugees, she feels that the fact that she’s lost things means she no longer takes things for granted, and that helps her find the power to stay close to herself.
Jacqueline has been attracted to refugees since a young age. Partly through her contact with refugees, she’s come to believe that people who have lost everything come closest to knowing themselves. Choosing cultural and social studies after high school was a logical step for her and she lives in a big student house in Rotterdam. ‘One shouldn’t think they can solve social problems, but they can, at least, be part of the process.’
Recently, she spent 6 months in Syria working with female Iraqi refugees. She believes that it’s love that’s missing in the refugee camps and wants to teach the women ways to regain their self-esteem. Using tools like theatre, she hopes to find ways to give it back to them. Since her return to Rotterdam, she’s been appreciating the freedom and equality enjoyed by women, but misses the femininity and respect for gender differences that she found in Syria. She thinks a woman in Rotterdam can get whatever she puts her mind to but believes that women should not try to be the same as men. “We should accept the differences, respect them and celebrate them. Emancipation means that women can decide for themselves, but it doesn’t mean that you have to be like men.” To her. “women are more submissive and they need a lot of love, that’s what makes them more vulnerable”. This counts especially in the refugee camps. Jacqueline thinks that the answer as to how a social system can provide the love is very simple: “We should have more love and support for the hurt and the needy, and less judgement”.
It’s love and self-esteem that Jacqueline misses in herself. She grew up without knowing her father, and then lost him again once she did get to know him, as she and his new wife did not get along. She tries to find joy in the little things in life. Like the refugees, she feels that the fact that she’s lost things means she no longer takes things for granted, and that helps her find the power to stay close to herself.