SU_T_25

[i] Ciao [name].
[r] Ciao. Assalamualaikum.
[i] Assalamualaikum. How are you?
[r] I’m fine. Thank you.
[i] Who is [name]?
[r] [name] is… I’m from Pakistan, the capital Islamabad. And Islamabad is situated in the foot of mountains.
[i] How old are you?
[r] I’m 26, and I’m doing a Masters in Computer Engineering from Politecnico di Torino.
[i] How many years are you here?
[r] I’m in Italy for around two years, and it has been a good two years. I have travelled to multiple countries. Before these two years, I have only travelled to one country, Pakistan only. And I like to travel. I have been to all the borders of Pakistan. To India, the Indian border, to China border, to Afghanistan border, and to Iran border. But you cannot cross the borders, mainly because of the situation. But here in Italy, you can go across the borders without any difficulty. Multiple borders are borderless. That is the best thing. I have travelled to Barcelona in these two years. I have been to Switzerland, Germany, Romania, and Greece.
[i] Do you like this country?
[r] Yeah, definitely. I like Italian people, and I like this country a lot. Because of the mountains, and because Italians are loud people. It is being said that Italian people are more like Pakistan, like in Europe. They meet a lot. Pakistani people have a lot of time to spend with their friends and family. So Italians are like in between. They have time for their work, and they also have time for their family and friends.
[i] So, how is your life in Islamabad?
[r] In Islamabad, I used to travel on motorbike daily. On a daily basis, I used to travel like 100 kilometers. I used to go on a seven-day trip on motorbikes. And I have been from Pakistan to the China border. It is like 700 kilometers on mountains, on motorbike.
[i] Do you have fathers?
[r] I live with my family. I have a father, one brother, and two sisters. Both of my sisters are married. I have two children. One is two years old, and the other one is four years old. And I really miss them. The main thing is that I want to go back to Pakistan because I want to teach them how to live their life. I am really missing them.
[i] Do you study only or do you work?
[r] I study and I travel a lot. Those are the two things that I do.
[i] Why?
[r] I have to study. I have a scholarship to study. So when I got the scholarship from the Pakistani government, my family was very happy. They said that these opportunities come once in a lifetime. And I asked my teachers and my elders. They also said that I would like to travel. So I thought, why not? Two things in one.
[i] How did you find Italy the first time when you came to this country? How did you find it?
[r] When I landed in Milan for the first time, I was shocked. It is a fashion capital. Everyone was so dressed well. That was very different for me. In Pakistan, everybody is not always ready. But in Milan, I was shocked. The other thing was very important. Everything was clean. In Pakistan, if you are traveling on a bike, there is so much dust. So in Italy, it was great. And the weather is also very different here in Italy.
[i] We know that the two cultures, the Italian and the Pakistani, are very different. How do you live this thing?
[r] The Italian culture is different from Pakistan. My friends and family, we used to meet every week. And my friend came to my home in Delhi. And we like to spend all our evenings together. In Italy, everybody does their own work. They meet at a specific time. That’s a big difference in Italy and Pakistan.
[i] After the studies, what do you want to do?
[r] After the studies, I would like to go back to Pakistan. I have to do my Masters and I have to do my PhD. And I came here also because I want to learn how Italy is getting better. How they improve their standard of life. I want to see this with my eyes and I want to experience it. And then I want to go back to Pakistan and try to improve my society, my home.
[i] Have you got Italian friends?
[r] Yes, last year I went on a summer internship in Greece. There I was with two Italian people. One is from Turin and one is from Pavia. And they are like my best friends. I invited them two weeks ago for a dinner at my home, a Pakistani dinner. And I made chicken biryani and char gosht. Two Pakistani dishes. It was very spicy for them, but they liked it.
[i] What do your family think about your studies in a European country?
[r] My family thinks it’s very good to have an education outside of Pakistan. So they are very happy for me. They miss me a lot. That is the biggest thing. They want me to come back.
[i] How is your life in Italy, in Turin? For example, the music, the food… Do you like Italian food?
[r] Yes, of course I like Italian food. I used to eat pizza in Pakistan, but it was completely different. It was not pizza. If Italian people try that pizza, it is not pizza. It is something else. It has so much chicken and so many spices in it. I was shocked when I ate pizza. And there are so many different types of pasta.
[i] Do you know some…
[r] Yes, I know… I have a friend who makes Italian food. I have a friend also from Naples. And she makes pizza. And the pizza is from Naples. So once I was trying to make the pizza and she said no. She said, let me make the pizza. You cannot make it. You cannot make pizza.
[i] Can you explain the difference between Italy and Pakistan? Not only for the language, the culture, but only the customs. Habits.
[r] In Pakistan, we all used to live with our family. So I never make anything in Pakistan. I never make a simple egg in Pakistan. So when I come to Italy, I have to make all of my dinner dishes and everything. So I started learning it. Now I can make all the dishes. I can make chicken biryani and char-grilled. And then I have to change. In Pakistan, we used to eat very oily things in the breakfast. But here, after living with my friends from Italy, I learned how to eat healthy food. I changed my habits and now I’m going towards healthy food. I try to change my breakfast. My first breakfast and second breakfast are totally healthy. But after that, I have to eat spicy food. Because my body is so used to spicy food.
[i] Do you like in future stay here in Italy ?
[r] I would love to stay here, but I want to go back to Pakistan. I have friends here, but my family is very important for me. My family are my friends also. So I want to go back to Pakistan. And I want to improve the society and do good for my home and society. I have some friends here. After living with them, I have friends. So I’m scared that maybe after five years from now, I’m going to miss them. They will become a part of my family.
[i] The Italian language is very difficult for you?
[r] Yes, the Italian language as a whole is very difficult for me. I speak my Urdu language after a long time. So the language as a whole is very difficult for me, but I’m trying to learn the Italian language. Because of my professor [name], she is the best.
[i] So what do you do to learn Italian language?
[r] I’m taking the classes regularly. I’m trying to do all the exercises. And then also I’m trying to listen to Italian songs. And trying to watch one or two Italian movies in a week.
[i] With your friends do you speak English or Italian?
[r] Yes, until now I speak English with them. Because I can only speak some things. And I cannot ask like Italian people, where are you from?
[i] Now, if I try to speak Italian with you, you can answer?
[r] I can try. If you speak slowly, slowly, piano, piano.
[i] Are you in contact with your family?
[r] Yes, I contact my family every day. Because of social media, it is very easy. It starts from good morning from my brother. And I used to talk with my children, my sister, daily. Before, they won’t talk on telephone. But now I use the Facebook feature of making faces and other things. And now it’s better.
[i] Let’s say, the Pakistani community here in Turin. Do you have contact with them?
[r] Yes, here I live with Pakistani people, in my home where I live. And we daily make Pakistani food. Like in the morning, in the lunch I can eat other food, but at dinner we need some spicy, we eat a lot of spices We’re used, so we have to eat. Like Pakistani dinner, at least at one time. When I was living in Greece for two months, it was difficult to find Pakistani food. So after coming back from there, I try to make Pakistani food daily. And I have to eat like once in the day.
[i] Did your family visit you here in Italy?
[r] My family want to visit here, but it is very difficult for them to get visa. I asked my friend if somebody get tourist visa to meet the family. But I do not find anyone who got a visa. But I will try, my father want to come and visit me. And I will love them to travel here and to see Torino, to see Europe.
[i] How many years do you need to finish your studies?
[r] I have studied two years and I have to study three years more. I have to do my PhD, also.
[i] So, as soon as you finish, you go back to Pakistan?
[r] Yes, after finishing my studies, I will go back to Pakistan.
[i] And after you return to Pakistan would you return one day here in Italy maybe even as a tourist?
[r] Yes, definitely after getting settled in Pakistan, I will come back to Italy, specifically Turin. And also, I definitely want to go back to the Amalfi coast. Sicily and the south of Italy, I really want to visit them. Because it is more like, you can say, the people have more time, like in Pakistan. So, I would like to go there.
[i] Have you visited other cities in Italy besides Turin?
[r] Yes, I have visited Rome.
[i] Do you like it?
[r] Of course.
[i] That’s a very nice place.
[r] I have been to Florence. In Rome and in Florence, the history, everywhere you see, there are some historic places, some museums. And also the culture, the food, Italian food you can find. In Napoli, you can find the best pizza.
[i] Always the pizza?
[r] Yes.
[i] Do you want to tell us something else? Do you want to tell us something else?
[r] Sorry.
[i] Do you want to tell us something else? Anything.
[r] Ok. I like the way Italians are trying to manage the pollution. And how the car industry, they are blocking the cars with smoke and everything to make the world a better place. And also, like in Italy, it is a lot different. There is a lot of greenery. And there are a lot of roads that are in between the mountains and there are a lot of tunnels. That is like, you can go through the tunnels at a great speed.
[i] Ok. Thank you, [name]. And thank you for answering my questions.
[r] Grazie, ciao, arrivederci.
[i] Arrivederci.