A year on from moving into Stratford’s Grosvenor Hotel Iranian refugee Saeedeh Mohammadzadeh, 34, shares an update on her situation
A year ago this month Iranian refugee Saeedeh Mohammadzadeh, 34, shared with the Herald the story of how she came to be living in the Grosvenor Hotel in Stratford. Here, to mark Refugee Week, she has written a heartfelt update on her situation
I LIVED in Tehran with my parents, who are in their 60s. I have an older sister and brother. My parents were frightened for their children living in a dangerous country.
I trained as an artist – a painter and graphic designer – and also in acting. The government watch everything, and you are not free to be creative.
Strange times are passing in Iran. The people of my country cannot protest for their rights in the streets, and if they protest, the government will easily kill them or take them to prison and torture them. People with any religion other than Islam are killed by the government.
This is why I left my beautiful and historical Iran and came to your beautiful country.
In 2017, I entered Serbia by plane as a tourist, travelling with my sister and brother-in-law.
Many things happened to us on our route, which were not pleasant and sometimes dangerous. You are at the mercy of smugglers and have to obey everything they say and pay them in order to cross countries.
We spent five years in a refugee camp, until eventually we paid to be taken from France over the Channel to England. It was an inflatable boat with 40 people on board. I was scared, but we were rescued by a ship in English waters.
I could actually fill a whole newspaper with my story, there are so many details.
When you immigrate, when you become a refugee, you have to go through many things, and this word ‘crossing’ is very difficult for us refugees. We leave and come where we belong.
Someone asked me yesterday, did you bring souvenir photos with you? I paused for a few moments and answered ‘no’.
We refugees care more about every word than before. For example, a word like ‘home’, this word is my biggest concern these days and even brings me to the border of depression and fills me with stress and anxiety every day.
But the great news that I would like to share with the good people of Stratford is that after many ups and downs, and by the grace of God, I have been given asylum in this country.
These days, all of us refugees need your emotional support, we need a listening ear, and I am still very happy to receive your support.
It must be accepted that when you are in a new country, everything is blurry in the first years, like someone who has weak eyes and needs to wear proper glasses to see better. I need to adapt to the laws of the country, the new language that I have and learn to get to know more to reduce my stress. I need to know more people around me and socialise with them so that I can understand the meaning of a normal life again.
These days I try to return to my art, acting, painting, graphics and even singing. I’m trying to find a way to get back to my art and my love in art and it’s very important to fight everything that wants to stop me and think only about my goals – things that bring a smile to my lips. Any help anyone can offer in the arts would be appreciated.
I am so very grateful for everyone’s support, especially the two families who helped me in everything and continue to do so, especially as I don’t currently have a house of my own. A special ‘thank you’ to dear Mary and dear Janet.
And thank you, the good people of Stratford and the Herald team.
I love you all.
