SU_T_51

[i] Hi, [name].
[r] Hi.
[i] How are you?
[r] Fine.
[i] Welcome.
[r] Thank you.
[i] Could you introduce yourself, tell us who you are, where you come from?
[r] So, my name is [name], I’m from Ecuador, I’m 44 years old, I’ve been in Italy for about 19 years.
[i] 19 years, that’s a long time.
[r] Yes, it is a long time, yes.
[i] And why did you choose to emigrate and why did you choose Italy, out of all the countries in the world?
[r] Well, when I came to Italy, I came for the holidays because my brother is here. And while I was here he told me that if I wanted a job, before returning to my country, I could try for a job and they would accept me. But I was working in my country.
[i] And what did you do in Ecuador, what job did you have?
[r] In Ecuador I was the secretary of a telephone company, just for the summer.
[i] Of course. And when you came here the first time, how did you experience this change? Let’s talk about a young guy who comes from a, let’s say, Latin country, and comes to Europe. What was the impact like?
[r] Even from Ecuador I liked the shape of Italy, you know. They said it was beautiful, my brother said it was all beautiful. I preferred coming to Italy on holiday, for this reason.
[i] And let’s say, how did you experience it on the first day?
[r] To tell you the truth, on the first day, comparing my country with Italy, I saw everything as old. For me it was all old. In this country I wanted to see what America was like, everything new, buildings, I don’t know, huge buildings, more or less like they’ve done now, now that they’ve done the Sao Paulo bank. That’s what all the buildings in my country are like.
[i] So, you found yourself a bit… the reality you saw was different from your imagination.
[r] Yes, yes, I thought Italy was different, but I’ve already spent a month, two months, I’ve started to like the people, who were a bit… a bit like this, a bit like that, but…
[i] So, [name], during this time, especially in the first days, first months, how did you manage to integrate, to fit into this society? What were the first steps?
[r] The first step is that you always have to be nice, be nice and be, I don’t know, be kind to people. And learn Italian quickly, too.
[i] Of course. And let’s see… Did you think about staying here before?
[r] No. Otherwise my brother didn’t tell me that I needed a person in his job, and I went back to the village, because I was working. But the difference, let’s say, in salary was different.
[i] Of course. And let’s say, I’ll go back a bit with you, talking about when you came here, how long did you stay before going back to Ecuador?
[r] I’ve been here almost five years, because before that I was an immigrant. No, yes, because they gave me my papers in 2003, during the amnesty. I got my papers in 2003, but I liked it there because I had a good boss.
[i] So how was your first day back in Ecuador after all these years here?
[r] It was emotional, seeing my family again, my daughters, it was a bit… I mean, I missed them a lot.
[i] Of course. And let’s say, the culture of your country, have you managed to preserve it here, or have you adapted so much to Italian life that you feel more Italian than South American, than Ecuadorian to be precise?
[r] Let’s say that… the culture is the same, only the music is different, but I see that here now everyone dances South American, so let’s say that I’ve adapted a lot. Then the way of eating, only pasta, which is different, because we, we eat rice, in Italy they eat pasta, only that. Then the rest of the way of eating is always the same.
[i] Of course. And let’s say, [name], has it ever happened to you during this period that you’re here, that any of your friends have asked you to let them taste some typical Ecuadorian dish?
[r] Yes, I have many friends, I have many Italian friends, from my work, they are close friends, and yes, I have let them taste some of my dishes, and I liked it. But only for breakfast, because for lunch and dinner Ecuadorian dishes are a bit complicated, because it’s like making a tris, it’s not like in Italy where you put meat, pasta and another dish. We do everything together. A tris.
[i] OK, I understand. And let’s say, if we talk about Italian cuisine, is there any particular dish that you like and that you’ve learnt to cook?
[r] Well, I’ve learnt to cook all sorts of things here. Pasta asciutta, let’s say la . . . I mean, anything you can do with pasta, we do. Then risotto . . .
[i] You chose the easiest dish.
[r] Yes, because when you’re working you don’t have time to do other things. Chicken… Everything is a different matter.
[i] And let’s say, [name], here in your work environment, among your friends, how do you feel? Have you settled in? Do you feel like one of them? Or have you ever felt a bit isolated, or discriminated against?
[r] Never. No, because when I arrived at work, everyone accepted me. All you need here is to know how to play football. Yes, everyone’s best friend.
[i] Oh, yeah?
[r] Yes, here all you need is to know how to play football. The first one who picks you up and takes you to play football in a field, you see you score a goal… I mean, you’re everyone’s best friend. Everyone is looking for work. And thank God, because of this gift that God gave me, I got a good job.
[i] Ah, so can we say that you’re a good footballer?
[r] I was.
[i] Why were you?
[r] Because three years ago, playing only a friendly match, I almost broke my knee.
[i] Ah, so now you can’t play anymore.
[r] Yes, I play, but not much. Not like before, when I played in league 8, in Colegno, with my friends. We have three pairs, but that’s it, you can’t play anymore.
[i] Of course. And let’s say, [name], the South American community here in Italy, how are you doing, let’s say, do you meet when there are national holidays in the country, do you get together?
[r] Yes, let’s say yes, but we meet when we have to vote, when it’s the President’s vote, a vote, I don’t know, for the mayor, to change something, you ask for a lot of votes and people turn up to vote, and we get together. Or in a park, called Rufino Park, where Ecuadorians often meet.
[i] Sure. Let’s say, in this time, [name], have you studied something here, have you got any qualifications, have you learnt any skills, or was what you did in Ecuador enough for you?
[r] No, no, thank God I’ve learnt many things in Italy, since I never thought about learning in my country, because sitting in front of a computer, I didn’t know that here there was a soldering iron. Now I’m a soldering iron man, I’ve studied to be a soldering iron man, I’ve studied to be an electrician, and I’m also a plumber. I’m a bit of everything.
[i] Let’s put it this way, [name], do you plan on staying here forever, or can you consider going back to your country of origin?
[r] I’ve considered that I need to be with my family, but it depends on fate, nobody knows what fate is.
[i] Of course, of course. Let’s say, you told me that you are married, that you also have children here with you. Let’s say, are you able to pass on your culture to your children?
[r] I think so, but culture is the good part. But if they also live in Italy for a while, it’s still the good part. Any custom, as long as it’s the good part.
[i] Of course. I’d like to ask you another question, a bit different, but also about immigration. What do you think of these young girls who come by sea, risking their lives to reach Italy? How do you see this phenomenon? And what can you say to these girls?
[r] I would say that you should think before you do these things, because then no one will be in their own country and all of Italy will come to you. Definitely, because there will be a lot of work there after there will be a lot of work in your country. Because there, if there is nothing, you have to build the walls from the bottom up.
[i] Of course.
[r] That’s all I can say. Those who stay there, stay there with money. Because those who leave become bums or thieves. Unless you find a job like the one I found.
[i] Of course. Let’s say, since you came by sea, in my opinion, have you travelled around Italy enough or have you only been to Turin?
[r] No, no. I travelled all over Italy because I had a job and my first job was making deliveries. So I travelled all the way to France. Then I got to know Milan, Genoa, Florence, Ancona, Bologna, Naples, Rome, Pisa, Viareggio…
[i] You travelled enough.
[r] All of them. Veneto, Venice, Udine, I’ve been to Austria, Romania, Russia, Belgium, that’s the only one I haven’t been to. Oh, I’ve even been to Switzerland.
[i] Of course.
[r] The only one left is Germany.
[i] Well, I hope you get to visit Germany one day. And what, shall we say, is your opinion of Turin and the people of Turin? Well, if I’m being tolerant, have you ever had any run-ins with people in the city who always make you feel like a foreigner, or even unwanted?
[r] No.
[i] Has that ever happened to you?
[r] It has never happened to me, because I am a person who adapts to everything. How they talk to me, I talk. How they treat me, I treat. And I am not a closed person, I am open. An open person finds friends even in the trash.
[i] Of course. And let’s say, what can you say to these people who, let’s say, judge a person only according to their belonging, according to the colour of their skin and maybe even their religion? What can you say to these people who judge only according to these things?
[r] They say it because they don’t know us from the inside, they only know us from the outside and not from us, the others. And looking at other people, they think we’re all the same. And it’s not like that.
[i] Of course. Let’s say, do you have anything else to add?
[r] Yes, another thing, because when I got my second job, the one that hired me, the one that kept me in work, it was a 76-year-old man who was the only foreigner in my workplace and he would call me the foreigner. And no, yes, yes, he would call me the foreigner.
[i] Of course.
[r] And I felt proud to be the only foreigner in that company. And I still am.
[i] Of course. And are you still working in that job?
[r] Thank God, yes. I’m still going strong.
[i] Of course.
[r] Because when I think someone is good, when someone does things well, I think the least I can do is to welcome them in all respects.
[i] Of course. And let’s say, [name], do you have any goals, any dreams you want to realise here in Italy and maybe you haven’t realised yet?
[r] I hope to have many expectations. But I’m the kind of person that I come I hope that I come slowly. Things are done slowly. And I hope for the will. I don’t hope for what I think. Because if I want to achieve something, I can achieve it now. But I don’t know how it will end.
[i] Of course. I thank you. Thank you for this interview and I wish you all the best.
[r] Ok. Thank you.