SU_T_19

[i] Good morning.
[r] Good morning.
[i] Would you like to introduce yourself, please?
[r] Of course. My name is [name], I’m 21 years old, I’m Malian, I’ve been in Italy for two years and I live in Sant’Antonino di Susa, in the province of Turin.
[i] Good. You were saying that you come from Mali. Is there anything you’d like to tell me about your life there, your family, how you spent your life? Can you tell me, please?
[r] Of course. I lived with my family. When I was a child I started going to school at the age of eight. So I did primary school for six years, then secondary school for three years. During this school, in my free time, I went to play with my friends, I also went to help my mum, but my mum ran a restaurant, she worked in a restaurant. I also started to learn a little with my mum.
[i] Right. Why did you only do three years of secondary school, then you stopped going to school?
[r] Yes, but my father was old, so I decided to leave school to help my father, but he was old.
[i] Right. So what did you do as soon as you left school?
[r] When I left school I went to work, I worked in the forest for the farmer, I also went to look for, how do you say, some things to help my mother. But I also worked in the restaurant when it was Saturday and Sunday I helped my mum.
[i] Good. Then how long did you stay there before leaving?
[r] How what?
[i] As soon as you left school you went to do these jobs, so did you spend a long time there before leaving your country?
[r] Oh yes, but I left school in 2014, so I did it in 2015. In 2015 I left the country.
[i] When did you arrive in Italy?
[r] I arrived in Italy in 2016, yes in November 2016.
[i] When did you arrive in Sicily?
[r] I arrived in Sicily, Catania, then they sent me to Turin and then my cooperative, called Frassati, picked me up here in Sant’Antonino, now I live here.
[i] In Sant’Antonino?
[r] Usually in Sant’Antonino.
[i] So you didn’t live in Catania for a long time?
[r] No, I was only in Catania for four hours, just to enrol, and then I moved here.
[i] Then you came to Settimo first, didn’t you?
[r] Yes, to Settimo. I spent a month in Croceo Rosa.
[i] In Settimo?
[r] Yes, in Turin, in Settimo.
[i] Then from Settimo the Frassati cooperative took you to bring you here?
[r] Yes, of course.
[i] To Sant’Antonino. Yes, but only for two years. How did you learn Italian so quickly?
[r] Thank God I go to school, and I also have friends here that I go and play with and they explain many things to me. How do you say this in Italian? I have to remember this. But I also went to school, I had training, then I did some work with Italians. They say this is called this, that is called this.
[i] Yes, but in my opinion you at least went to school here to learn Italian, didn’t you?
[r] Oh yes, I went to CIPIA to learn the language, then after that I did the third media, now…
[i] So now you’ve finished the third year of secondary school?
[r] I’ve finished the third year of secondary school.
[i] Yes, but before you came to Italy, were you married, did you have children?
[r] No, I’m not married, I don’t have children.
[i] And now here in Italy you’re still not married?
[r] No, I’m not married, I don’t have children.
[i] Ah, interesting. What did you do after school? Did you do other things?
[r] School, I’d like to study maths at school, but I want to increase my experience up to this point, but I haven’t studied well yet. I want to learn more.
[i] Yes, but other than CIPIA, have you done other training or are you working or going back home?
[r] Yes, I’ve done training, a multi-purpose collaborator course in accommodation facilities, I did that course in Giaveno. Then I did the cafeteria course in Turin. Now they’ve given me a diploma for what I did, so I can make all kinds of coffee. Caffè macchiato, cappuccino, mocha, even black and Americano.
[i] Well, you can do a lot of things then. So now are you continuing to study this training or are you working or are you doing an internship?
[r] Yes, I’m doing an internship, but I’m still studying too. I want to learn a lot of things, I’m not finished learning yet.
[i] Yes, what would you like to learn again or do you want to continue with what you’re doing now?
[r] Yes, I have to be a famous chef, you know? So I haven’t started yet, I have to learn more.
[i] Well, so do you have anything else to tell me? How do you feel here in Italy since you arrived in Sant’Antonino? How do you like it? What are the people like?
[r] Yes, I’ve had some difficulties here, but when I arrived in 2016 I didn’t understand any Italian. I had some difficulties, but now I like it here. I’ve made lots of friends here, we even go to school together, we go out to play together and so I’m happy here.
[i] So would you like to continue your life here in Italy or do you want to go somewhere else?
[r] Yes, I’d like to stay here, but now I can say that I can speak Italian better than French. I studied French, but I can speak Italian better than French, because French is a bit difficult.
[i] And is there anything else you want to tell me that maybe I forgot to ask you?
[r] Maybe yes.
[i] Tell me something then.
[r] Well… I don’t remember some things.
[i] Yes, but do you keep in touch with your family?
[r] Yes, we talk all the time.
[i] Do you miss them?
[r] Well, of course I miss them.
[i] Well, I think that’s enough for us to understand who [name] is, don’t you?
[r] Yes.
[i] Well, thank you for the interview.
[r] Thank you.