SU_T_45

[i] Peace be upon you, [name].
[r] Peace be upon you.
[i] Welcome.
[r] Welcome.
[i] Can you introduce yourself?
[r] I am [name], from Syria, born in Aleppo, born in 1998. [name].
[i] How long have you been here in Italy?
[r] I have been here for 3 months and a little over 4 months.
[i] Why did you come to Italy?
[r] I came because of the war. I was in Lebanon for about 6 years. We were brought here by the parliament. We can’t celebrate in Syria. We celebrated, but we were besieged a lot. We saw a lot, we saw the beatings. We can’t celebrate. When we came to Lebanon, we saw even more beatings. We saw a lot.
[i] So, because of the war, you had to come to Lebanon. You stayed 6 years in Lebanon. How were those 6 years in Lebanon?
[r] The first year was okay. The second year, they forced us to work in a neighborhood. They didn’t give us a salary. We hated our work. Even the teachers didn’t give us a salary. We didn’t work.
[i] It was hard.
[r] It was very hard.
[i] How did this association bring you to Italy?
[r] The association introduced us. It was a group of doctors who took care of children. I had a younger sister. They introduced us to the association.
[i] What did your younger sister suffer from?
[r] She had a fever. She had a fever. They introduced us to the association. We wanted to study. We didn’t study in Syria. The association brought us here.
[i] When you came here for the first time, what did you think of the situation?
[r] The people here are different. They are very different. Their treatment is good. They are good people.
[i] Did you come alone?
[r] No, I came with my family. It was very hard.
[i] What have you been doing for the past four months?
[r] I am studying to continue my work.
[i] Are you studying Italian?
[r] Yes, Italian.
[i] How do you spend your days? Do you try to adapt to the Italian people?
[r] Yes, I try to learn how to speak Italian. The people here are different. Their (Lebanon] treatment is very bad. Thank God, we arrived here safely. The people here are very kind. We thank the association for bringing us here.
[i] How is your sister’s health?
[r] Thank God, she is doing well. She is not sick. Thank God, she is better than before.
[i] What do you want to achieve here in Italy?
[r] I want to finish my studies. After that, I want to continue my work.
[i] Did you ever think of leaving your country?
[r] No, I never thought of leaving my country. I never thought of leaving my country.
[i] You told me that you were born in 1998. How old were you when you emigrated to Lebanon?
[r] I was 15 years old.
[i] You were still young. How did you survive?
[r] I met a man who was married in Lebanon. He took people from Syria and brought them to Lebanon to work. He brought them to work and took their money. He took their money and brought them to Lebanon. That’s how it was.
[i] If time were to go back, would you leave Syria and go to Lebanon? Would you stay in Lebanon or leave Syria?
[r] Lebanon used to be better. Now it is not as good as it used to be. I have people in Lebanon who have no job. They are waiting for me. If God wills it, they will come here. I hope all the people there will be happy. God bless them.
[i] We know that the culture of Syria and Italy are very different. How do you live this difference?
[r] What do you mean?
[i] You are an Arab young man from an Arab country. Your culture is different. You came to a foreign European country. Your culture is very different. How do you live this difference? How do you live your days here in this environment?
[r] We are forced to live here. If we are not forced, we come here. We are forced to come here.
[i] What were you doing in Syria before you left Syria?
[r] I was studying and working.
[i] I want to ask you. You are a Syrian young man here in Italy. Do you still keep your identity? Did you bring your culture with you or did you leave it?
[r] No, I still keep it. God willing, we will keep it for a long time. Our culture and our old traditions will continue. God willing.
[i] I want to ask you a question that is a little far from these things. For example, Syrian food. We know that Syrian food is very delicious. This young man that you have here in Italy, and of course you met the Italian world, did any of them ask you to taste a Syrian dish?
[r] A lot. They love Syrian food here. There were days in Lebanon when Italians came to us and enjoyed the food we made. It was very delicious. We enjoyed it a lot.
[i] Did you ever cook for someone in Italy? Did you cook for your country?
[r] Yes, we cooked.
[i] What did you cook?
[r] As they say, the dessert. Of course, we cooked stuffed, with kebbeh and rice.
[i] And how did they find? How did they react?
[r] They enjoyed it. It was the first time they ate Syrian food.
[i] Now let’s leave the Syrian food and look at the Italian food. Did you learn any special food that you like?
[r] The special food here is pizza, most of all, and pasta.
[i] Did you learn anything?
[r] Yes, I learned how to make pasta. I didn’t eat it in Syria or Lebanon, but here I have to eat it a lot.
[i] Do you exercise or do you have a hobby?
[r] I have a hobby of playing football. Now I’m going to the gym. I’m training.
[i] Brother [name], what do you think about the immigrants who come from Libya and leave their homes? What do you think about them?
[r] If they are forced, they don’t come. But we force them. Death is not an enemy. Death is not an enemy. They come. They want to rest. If they are forced, they don’t come here. They are living their lives. Before we came here, we didn’t want to leave our homes. We are a big family. In Italy, there are very few houses. If you want to find a big house, you will have to leave your family. We thought we would go to Turkey through Tehrir. To the sea. All of us and our family. Italy is special. We will fix your situation.
[i] If you go through the sea, do you know that those who go through the sea will be able to talk to you?
[r] Either they can or they can’t.
[i] To this extent, the situation was so difficult that you forced your whole family to go through the sea?
[r] Yes. We were forced a lot. We saw a lot. We are the barriers. We can’t renew the papers. You need 600 dollars or I don’t know how much. There is no work. The barriers always hold you. They put you in prison for 3 years. If you don’t have a security, you stay in prison until you renew the papers.
[i] What can you say to the people who see you in this situation? who see you in this situation?
[r] Here or… In Syria and everywhere. The circumstances you are living in make you leave your country.
[r] God will help them. God will help them. God will help everyone.
[i] Do you have a family in Syria? Do you still have family in Syria?
[r] I have an uncle. He can’t go to Turkey or Lebanon.
[i] Why?
[r] He has a daughter and a wife lost their identity cards in Syria during the war. During the war, they were lost in the air. They can’t go.
[i] There is no possibility for them to renew their papers?
[r] We tried. It happened.
[i] He is living without an ID.
[r] Yes, without an ID. From one place to another. We always talk to him. Thank God.
[i] Are you in touch with him?
[r] Yes, for days. He doesn’t have internet. We always talk to him. How is he? Asked him how the situation was now there are fewer attacks. His son is in Turkey. They fled to Turkey. He was arrested for the first time. They arrested 200,000 Syrians. He was with 200,000 Syrians. They arrested him. I don’t know who. They returned him to the borders. He was arrested again. He risked his life and was released. Why? I don’t want him to go. In Syria, if he goes, they will withdraw the army.
[i] If he goes, they don’t know what will happen.
[r] They don’t know what will happen. You don’t know who will hit you. You will be hit from your country. We know that. We are hitting the enemy. No one left Syria. We are not hitting the enemy. We are hitting each other. This is [name]. And here in Turin, are you in contact with the Syrian community. Do you meet up during parties or other events? If there is a meeting, do you meet?
[r] Here, in my uncle’s house, we have a meeting in the evening. In Rivalta. Sometimes they come and sometimes they leave. This is the situation here.
[i] Do you meet with your friends?
[r] We don’t have friends yet.
[i] Did you try to get along with your Italian friends?
[r] Yes. We want to learn. We want to learn.
[i] Of course. Is there a possibility that one day you will return to Syria?
[r] It is difficult. Very difficult. If they say it is over, no one can return. No one can guarantee that. No one can guarantee what will happen.
[i] They are afraid.
[r] Of course. But the army is strong. Look, the people are withdrawing. In 40 years, the people are withdrawing.
[i] When you came to Italy, did you stay in Turin or did you go to another city?
[r] Now I am in Turin. I haven’t left yet.
[i] How do you see Turin?
[r] It is good. Thank God.
[i] [name], thank you for this interview. I hope you achieve all your dreams and all you want to achieve in Syria. Thank you.