Country of origin: syria
Year of settlement: 2018
Age on arrival: 55
City: turin
Gender: male
Language of the interview: Arabic
[i] Hello [name]
[r] Hello
[i] Do you want to introduce yourself and tell us who you are?
[r] My name is [name] of the city of Aleppo
[i] How long have you been in Italy?
[r] I’ve been here in Italy for almost 9 months.
[i] Before you came to Italy, where were you in Syria?
[r] I was in Syria in the cities of Aleppo
[i] And then you came here to Italy, how?
[r] No, I was in Lebanon as you know because of the war in Syria we went to Lebanon we stayed there a while ‘time I have a sick daughter has a kidney failure and Lebanon life is dear and there is no work and God sent us this association that brought us here
[i] So you came here through this association?
[r] Yes, to treat my daughter
[i] How old is your daughter?
[r] She’s 15 years old.
[i] Do you need a transplant operation?
[r] You need a transplant, and for this reason they brought us here for the operation
[i] When did you get here, where did you settle where they put you?
[r] We’re in a rented house and we’re looking after my daughter.
[i] Where are you with your daughter’s choir?
[r] So far every Monday and Friday dialysis has been 7 months since dialysis
[i] What’s your dialysis been doing for seven months now, two days a week?
[r] Yes twice and sometimes three times a week
[i] Does your daughter go to school?
[r] You go to school, but when a dialysis and she’s a little sick if you feel tired she doesn’t go to school
[i] When you first arrived in Italy, how did you find the situation?
[r] Italy is a beautiful European country but we are not able to adapt to the environment of the city because we speak a foreign language for us and I do not know especially for an alphabet as months we have a little ‘difficulty in learning but we are doing everything to learn so learning the language we can work, but it is a bit ‘difficult especially at this age
[i] Are you going to school making an effort to learn?
[r] Of course I go to school I don’t have just one but two schools.
[i] Good. You told me that you’re only here to look after your daughter, so once you look after your daughter, you’d go back to your country?
[r] Now I’ve gotten sick and I’ve discovered that I’m not well but for my daughter if you heal and I also and Syria if it’s better we can come back but now with the crisis that there is in Syria is difficult life there
[i] So either you stay here or you come back to Lebanon because in Syria there is still war and it’s hard to go back there?
[r] Life in Lebanon is also hard, in Syria it is hard because of the war and in Lebanon it is difficult because life is dear and one of my age who can work beyond my dear life.
[i] And here’s the association you bring to help you find work or what?
[r] For the moment they put us in this house and we are going to school to learn so if one day we find work it will not be difficult.
[i] So language is important to be able to work?
[r] Of course why if you don’t learn the language how could you work if you have to talk to someone like you do? this is our difficulty
[i] In these 9 months have you managed to adapt to this European environment with the Italian people, especially the people of Turin?
[r] Yes enough, the Italian people are good and ingenious not if they can say otherwise it’s just a matter of language that completes things.
[i] So can you say that to integrate well into this society the most important thing is the language?
[r] For me the language and the care of my daughter
[i] Well, well, when you were in Syria, what was your job?
[r] In Syria, I was a white player.
[i] It means you’ve got a wealthy mystify
[r] Yes, thank God.
[i] And you come here for a job of this kind?
[r] You work
[i] Don’t you have a problem?
[r] No problem
[i] And in these 9 months how did you experience the Syrian culture? for example at home food music you can preserve the Syrian culture or not?
[R] So sometimes I listen to music and sometimes I don’t, so we have to integrate here so we leave some space for new things without forgetting our listening to ours but I try to hear things in Italian too to learn the language and be able to work because one year the association will give up and when it does it will be a problem where we go?
[i] How to give up?
[r] In practice they brought us here to take care of my daughter and from the beginning they told us that for the first year they will give us a monthly amount and the second year they will block the payment but they will pay us the rent after the second year they will totally give us up so in these two years if I can’t learn the language for example and I haven’t found work my sick daughter and I what will happen to us? On the way for example? Those of the humanitarian runner have brought us to the care of my daughter but after that there will be of us?
[i] Quindo your arrival here is related to the care of your daughter but how do you say if in these 2 years if you do not care your daughter and you can not find work what happens to you and your family?
[r] And to this question I can’t find an answer to the question of who gives me an answer.
[i] It’s a problem.
[r] I’d like to ask this question to some of the people in charge in this country to make me understand what our distino and my daughter’s will be like.
[i] So you don’t know and they haven’t told you what will happen to you after two years?
[r] They don’t tell us
[i] Why
[r] They’re not telling us anything. They’re just telling us that we have to take care of our daughter.
[i] So after the two years you’re in danger of going down the street if you don’t have an income, don’t you have a job?
[r] Of course if I don’t have a job and I don’t have a language, how can I live, of course I’ll crack on the street.
[i] How does your daughter feel about her illness? And how does Italy live its daily life in this country?
[r] My daughter is sick and is only 15 years old and wants like any girl to live having fun laughing but spends most time in hospital, the day you have to go is like going to hell tells me pappà I’m tired and cloth I’m 15 years old until I have to do dialysis and take medicine have promised us the transplant but not if you know when we are waiting tomorrow after a month a year we do not know when
[i] Let’s hope for good.
[r] Let’s hope for good.
[i] I’m gonna ask you a question that’s a little far from all these things.
[i] For example, what is the typical Syrian dish?
[r] The Syrian food my mother!! then there are so many good and delicious dishes but if you want the truth just a piece of bread and a woodchip and a tomato if you eat it serene in your homeland is better than a lamb baked
[i] Sure.
[r] Syrian cuisine is rich but as I told you it takes little for you to eat in your land is better than everything we can eat now here
[i] True.
[r] The country remains the motherland is very expensive
[i] Do you miss Syria?
[r] Do you miss your mother and father?
[i] Sure.
[r] Syria is my mother and father now I have been 7 and a half years outside Syria, but I have spent 50 years in Syria until now I remember the floor of my house how many steps has our house how many traverses there are in the ceiling all near in my memory
[i] The motherland never deafens and her love is dear
[i] Do you still have any relatives in Syria?
[r] Yes I have relatives but unfortunately we have been displaced each is in another continents not another country but just another continents I have relatives in Sweden in Turkey and I have a sister still in Syria I am here and two daughters in Lebanon
[i] Are you in touch with them?
[r] Of course, I’m always in touch with my daughters.
[i] How long has it been since you’ve seen your family?
[r] For 8 years
[the] 8 years is a long time, let’s hope that in the day you will meet with them.
[r] Let’s hope for good.
[i] I wanted to ask you, when you arrived here what did you notice is missing for immigrants and above all for refugees? What would you like it to be here for immigrants and especially for refugees?
[r] Some things are missing but for me now the important thing is to take care of my daughter and know what will become of us after the two years these 2 things are now the most important
[i] Let’s hope you find a donor for your daughter as soon as possible so she can cover her health.
[r] Let’s hope so.
[i] Another question
[r] Please.
[i] If she wasn’t sick, would your daughter have left your country?
[r] No
[i] So can we say you’ve been coerced?
[r] Of course we discovered my daughter’s illness in Lebanon and if I had to work day and night I wouldn’t be able to buy even a bottle. The work of a month wouldn’t be enough since I was a concierge in a building.
[i] So the war and poverty push people to take decisions even if against his will
[i] [name] thanks for this interview and thanks for answering my questions
[r] Thank you and pleasure to have met you.