The Ahmadi family, Afghanistan, arrived in New Zealand 2019
SIMPLY arriving in a new country after escaping their own does not automatically make for an easy life, as the Ahmadi family has discovered.
Reza Ahmadi, his wife Abedah Jaffri and three children Sumaya, Ali Sina and Amir Ali arrived in Dunedin in 2019, after leaving their native Afghanistan for Indonesia, and then New Zealand.
He had been living with his family in Iran, but was deported back to Afghanistan while his family remained behind because he did not have the appropriate paperwork.
While travelling to Kabul to get a passport he was arrested by members of the Taliban, who thought he was a spy.
He was able to make a daring escape in the middle of the night and reunite with his family in Kabul.
They travelled to India, Malaysia, and Indonesia before learning they would be accepted as refugees in New Zealand.
The transition to their new country has been difficult for the family. Not only is there a language barrier to contend with, but Mr Ahmadi also has hearing issues. That makes it incredibly difficult for him to communicate in English, as he fears mishearing people, and then not having them understand him.
He was a tailor in Iran, but has been unable to find work in Dunedin.
‘‘I’m not feeling socialised here, and that has resulted in me feeling depressed,’’ he says.
‘‘If I have problems, I need somebody to sit and talk to me.
‘‘I cannot find a Kiwi man and start talking to him about my problems, because I am not fluent in the language and the other person would not understand me.’’
He is struggling with a lack of support, and has already had to move house because the first rental the family went to was in poor condition. He also worries about his children, who have struggled to make friends.
‘‘We have learnt to solve our problems ourselves.
‘‘There is so much pressure on us, I’m afraid that some day we will have to abandon Dunedin.’’