Going back

As soon as Ayoub heard that he could legally stay in the Netherlands, he immediately booked a trip together with Renée to see his family again. It was too dangerous for Ayoub to go back to Herat, so they travelled to Mashhad in Iran. Ayoub’s family, about twenty people, all managed to obtain a visa to also travel to Mashhad and meet them there. It was a very emotional trip: for two weeks they shared meals and talked, and everyone there got to meet Renée and their son Kees for the first time. Ayoub says it was nothing like a holiday, more like a farewell trip: Ayoub’s father had been sick for a long time. He often doubted whether he would ever see his father again. This put a lot of pressure on Ayoub’s admittance to the Netherlands, as staying in the Netherlands illegally kept him from seeing his father again.

Ayoub’s father was brought from Herat in his wheelchair to Mashhad by taxi. During their precious time together they looked at each other’s rings, and Ayoub’s father expressed his admiration of his son’s ring. As a symbol of their intimacy, they switched rings: the one with the blue stone on Ayoub’s finger belonged to his father. “I think it’s so beautiful that I have his ring and he has mine: I proudly look at it every day.” It is believed that the stones in these rings have special powers. Looking at the blue stone is good for eyesight and gives you positive energy. It is a charming memento of his trip and his last reunion with his father: he passed away in the beginning of 2021.