Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies
Interviews
shouldn ’ t have left the game in the middle . They were split in two different teams and they surrounded us so that they could bully us . We were very sad when we arrived home and my mom wasn ’ t there . She was at the neighbor ’ s house and we were still afraid .
Q : So they scared you ? A : YES ! YES ! Q : Did they push you ? A : Yes , they pushed us against the wall and that scared us a lot . Q : Were they yelling at you ? A : I don ’ t remember . Τhe only thing I remember is the fear we felt .
And then I went to highschool . The same person was talking really bad for me and she was saying that we don ’ t have a lot of money and that we don ’ t get dressed with nice clothes etc . One day she met me in the street and in front of everyone she asked me “ why are you wearing the same clothes again ?”
Q : You are laughing now but she hurt you a lot and you still remember it . A : I can ’ t forget it and I can ’ t get over it . Q : Did you answer ? What did you tell her ? A : No it would make no difference . Q : When did you leave the village ? A : When I was 15 years old . Q : Did you finish high school there ? Which high school did you go to ? A : To the one in the nearby village . Q : How were things there ? Did you have any problems ? A : No . I didn ’ t have a problem . The guys were calm , so there was no rivalry . Q : What about the teachers ?
A : I didn ’ t have any problems . I never had any problems with the teachers , only with one specific teacher in primary school . I remember I started crying when I saw my grades and my mother asked the teacher why I got 9 in some specific subjects and his answer was “ if she doesn ’ t like it , she must study more ”.
Q : What about high school , did you have any problems ?
A : No . In high school I felt a bit bad because I would reconnect with the people I had “ delete ” from my life because we didn ’ t keep in touch and luckily we weren ’ t in the same classes .
Q : Except for the kids who lived in the same village , did you face any discriminative behavior from your classmates ?
A : No .
It made me sad when a classmate told me something . He said that we ( the immigrant ) are the reason they don ’ t have jobs and I asked him “ What jobs ? Would your father go and work for your neighbour for 30 €?” He said , “ Yes he would ”. The neighbor would ask your father first and then mine .
Q : Did you discuss this at class ? A : Yes we did . It happened when I was at secondary school but at that time I was mature enough to answer . Q : Now that you are in the university have you seen something similar happening ? A : No , they ask where I come from because of my name but that ’ s all . Q : How much do you think it has affected you that you are an immigrant ?
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