This is how to persevere in a hopeless situation

How do you create opportunities when there are none? And how do you persevere in a hopeless situation? In our latest Different Thinking Podcast, Bashar Alsayegh(26) answers. He fled from Syria to the Netherlands in 2015. Here he taught himself the language and picked up studies. "98 percent of the time people say no to me. It's ultimately about that 2 percent. That's where opportunities come from."

In 2015, in addition to his father and many friends, Bashar lost his freedom. "I could no longer safely go outside and was called to military service back home. Therefore, in consultation with my mother, I decided to flee the country with my seriously ill brother: on to Europe. We flew to Turkey, looked for a smuggler and sailed for $900 on a boat to the Greek islands. From there, we traveled overland to Holland. Arriving here, we ended up in an asylum seekers' center."

No home

For a year, the Bashar brothers were transferred, month after month, from one AZC to another. As they kept moving from city to city, it was difficult to feel at home anywhere. "I really wanted to learn Dutch to be able to make myself understood. But the Dutch language course at the AZC was only for minors. I was 19 at the time, so I went to the library. There I taught myself, from different books, a little Dutch." When the brothers finally got housing, Bashar immediately enrolled in an official language course.

Why am I doing this?

At 19 in a foreign country, with a sick brother: the situation seemed hopeless. Still, Bashar held out hope. "You always have to keep asking yourself why you do something: why did I flee to the Netherlands? Because I had no freedoms and want to build a future here, so I can support my family. When I feel myself sad or depressed, I get my motivation and perseverance from that thought."

Creating opportunities

Bashar had very few chances in the Netherlands. He often had to create them himself. "If I sat still and did nothing, nothing happened. After all, I didn't know anyone, so I had to force opportunities. I did that by changing my environment. I put myself in a place where there were opportunities. I did that by starting conversations. And yes, that was very exciting and often very disappointing. 98 percent of the time people said 'no' to me. But it was all about the other 2 percent. A first, and later several times, 'yes' came out of that."

Thinking differently

Bashar is now in college and will graduate soon. Then he will enter the business world. "I hope for inclusiveness and equality. So not Siar the pathetic refugee, but Siar the graduated professional. Why someone should hire me? Because of my perseverance and ability to think differently. I bring a different perspective with me. That can be very refreshing.'

Curious about the whole story of Bashar Alsayegh? Listen to the Different Thinking Podcast!