SU_T_13

[i] Cia [name].
[r] Ciao.
[i] How are you?
[r] Fine thanks, and you?
[i] Fine fine. Would you like to introduce yourself and tell us who you are?
[r] I am [name] and I am from Turkey. I am married to an Italian. In Turkey I am a Japanese teacher.
[i] Interesting.
[r] Yes.
[i] How long have you been in Italy?
[r] I came in August and I haven’t been here a year yet.
[i] Less than a year.
[r] Less than a year.
[i] Where did you meet your husband?
[r] In Turkey, we have a mutual friend. He had come to visit my city and then we….
[i] Met.
[r] Met and after….
[i] Love was born.
[r] Yes.
[i] And when you came to Italy for the first time, what did you think of the country?
[r] Two years ago I came here as part of the Erasmus programme as an intern. I did my internship as a Japanese teacher.
[i] Why did you choose Japanese?
[r] I studied at secondary school, after secondary school as they say?
[i] High school.
[r] Yes, high school, I studied English. But I thought maybe I should find another language for work, as many people can speak English.
[i] Yes, many people speak it.
[r] I first thought about Chinese but in Turkey there isn’t a university for Chinese education. I thought maybe Japanese would be better. I found the university and did it.
[i] Well done, congratulations.
[r] Thank you.
[i] Turkish culture and Italian culture are different. How do you experience the two cultures in your daily life?
[r] Generally people think that the two cultures are similar, but in my opinion they’re not. Northern Italy is a bit too closed for me. Because I’m used to Japanese culture, I like to have some space between me and other people.
[i] Of course, you want some space.
[r] Turkey is similar to the culture of Naples.
[i] Neapolitan.
[r] Neapolitan Sicilian but not the North. It’s a bit difficult to find friends but I need time.
[i] Of course. Have you made any friends in the meantime?
[r] Yes, all foreigners.
[i] What nationalities?
[r] Iranian, Azerbaijani, Arab.
[i] And how do you communicate with each other?
[r] English.
[i] Turkish culture here for example the food the music, do you preserve it or live it here? At home for example what do you cook and what do you eat Italian or Turkish?
[r] A mix of Italian Turkish Japanese Korean. I also like to cook and try food from other cultures. I cook Turkish food when we have guests who are curious to try it. But generally I cook Italian with my husband because it’s easier.
[i] Indeed. What are you doing here now, are you working or studying?
[r] I’m currently looking for work but can’t find anything.
[i] It’s difficult for everyone.
[r] Yes, but I’d like to find work in a different sector.
[i] Like?
[r] Like marketing cells in some company, even in the fashion sector.
[i] Yes, why not. Is there a possibility of returning to live in Turkey with your husband?
[r] Yes, yes, for now we haven’t thought about it but in the future we can return to Turkey if there is an opportunity.
[i] Of course. So have you managed to integrate well into this society? Do you have any problems integrating here?
[r] What do you mean?
[i] I mean, are you able to socialise with people, integrate into this country and feel, I don’t want to say Italian, but feel part of this country? Or do you always feel like an immigrant, do you feel like a foreigner?
[r] When I arrived here everything was wonderful. But now I’ve started to feel the difficult part. For example, when I try to speak Italian I still can’t speak it perfectly.
[i] It’s normal, you’ve only been here a short time.
[r] Some people criticise and you wonder why they speak like that.
[i] So they make it difficult for you when you make mistakes?
[r] Yes, because when I make a mistake… no, somo come si dice…
[i] Do you get embarrassed?
[r] Yes, a little.
[i] What do you do to learn Italian?
[r] I try hard to speak Italian. For example, with people who speak English, I speak English because it’s easier that way. But for example, my mother-in-law speaks very little English, so I have to speak Italian to her.
[i] Of course
[r] I’m trying to spend time with her, I go shopping with her, I help her at home, if she cooks I cut her vegetables or whatever, I speak Italian.
[i] That will help you learn the language, the more you interact in Italian the more you’ll learn.
[r] Yes, yes.
[i] How did your husband’s family, his mother and father-in-law, react to their son’s choice to marry a Turkish woman?
[r] It wasn’t something special, it was normal for them, no I don’t know, we didn’t talk about it.
[i] You mean they didn’t ask him why he chose a Turkish woman?
[r] No, my family were also fine with it.
[i] What do you like about Italian culture? What aspect do you like the most?
[r] The food is delicious. I gained
[i] I gained 6 kilos.
[r] I gained 6 kilos.
[i] So you like it a lot, you gained weight.
[r] Yes.
[i] Did you learn how to cook any dishes?
[r] I’m currently studying to learn how to make pasta sauces in general. I’ve also learnt how to make the Piedmontese ‘bagna cauda’ dip.
[i] ‘Bagna cada’ is a very strong and very difficult Piedmontese dish.
[r] No, it’s not difficult, you just have to prepare a sauce, which for me is easy.
[i] How did your family in Turkey take your marriage to an Italian?
[r] At first they were a bit nervous.
[i] Why?
[r] Because he’s a foreign guy and he’s not Muslim.
[i] So you’re Muslim?
[r] Theoretically, yes.
[i] But you don’t practise?
[r] No.
[i] But your parents are?
[r] My mum is. But then I married my husband and brought him to my city.
[i] You introduced him to your family.
[r] Yes, and my mum liked him a lot because he’s not a strange man, he’s simple.
[i] He’s good.
[r] Yes, he’s good, quiet and he can speak Turkish.
[i] He speaks Turkish?
[r] Yes, my mum really liked it.
[i] So it’s a pleasure.
[r] Yes.
[i] Has your family come to see you since you came to Italy? Have they visited you?
[r] No, not now but in the future they will.
[i] Would you like to have children?
[r] I’m a bit scared.
[i] Why are you scared? Are you scared of giving birth?
[r] Yes. I like working, and I want to advance in my career.
[i] Would you like to fulfil yourself first?
[r] Yes, advancing in my career is very important to me. It will be a bit difficult with children.
[i] Let’s say that you as an immigrant, because after all you are an immigrant, how do you see this mass of immigration today?
[r] Mass?
[i] Let’s say with all this immigration that there is now, how do you see it?
[r] I don’t know, but in my opinion… excuse me, I feel like talking in Japanese.
[i] It’s okay
[r] In my opinion Italy has a great responsibility from outside. When everyone arrives here for the first time the Italians try to do something But they don’t do enough for the others this won’t fix the problem you have to do something.
[i] What do you advise them to do? What can they do what should they do?
[i] For example how can they manage immigration here? What is missing?
[r] People immigrate here because they have economic problems, war. I think they should help these people in their own countries. Because it’s not easy for someone to go from one country to another because it’s a risk because they can die during the journey. So they should have a better solution to come here and live. So they should help them, but I’m not just talking about Italy or Europe, but other countries in the world. They shouldn’t help them to wage war, but they should just recognise this problem so that everyone can live in peace.
[i] Of course. So the best thing is to stop the war.
[r] Yes.
[i] Because people are fleeing from war to guarantee themselves a more peaceful future.
[r] There are also many Syrian immigrants in Turkey now. One day at the post office I saw someone who wanted to collect some money that relatives had sent him. He tried to collect the money but he didn’t know Turkish and it’s not easy for Turks, it’s not easy for anyone, I don’t want to accuse anyone. And a bit if he behaved badly towards her and told her you have to speak Turkish. At that moment I felt really bad.
[i] Of course, because it’s not easy for someone to escape from war, go to another country and not know how to speak the language. But on the other hand you have to have a little patience to be able to understand these people here. Marve, do you want to add anything else?
[r] I don’t know.
[i] Whatever you want.
[r] I hope I can fix something about this, I hope so. I’m really trying to put up with some of these organisations, I’ve started and I hope.
[i] Thank you for your time and for answering my questions.
[r] Thank you.