interviews with immigrants Tom

Interview with an immigrant



What is your nationality ?
I’m Italian.
Where were you born ?
I was born in Palermo, in Sicilia.
Why did you come in France ?
I came to France because I didn’t have a really good job and you know that in Sicily there is the mafia and they were very violent with my father who had a small shop near my house.
Also I had a friend who was living in France and she told me that the salary was better.
When did you come to France ?
I came to France in 1986 with my parents, my brother, my sister and my wife, I was 38 years old.
Do you like France ?
Yes, I do. I think that France is a very beautiful country and I like the mountains that’s why I live in Savoy.
What was your journey like ?
I came to France with my father’s car, the journey took a lot of time. At first we went to Milan, in Northern Italy. After we decided to go to Paris because we thought that life was better there and we lived during two years. Then we went to Lyon because we had a cousin who had a flat as in Paris, the house was too small for us. In Lyon I found a good job in an oil refinery, this job wasn’t great every day, but it was well paid. In 1994, I saw an ad to work at Chambery’s town hall and I applied as a secretary. Then I bought a house. Now I’m living in Chambery and I’m retired.
What difficulties did you meet ?
At first, the most difficult was to learn the language, French is a very difficult language ! Also at the beginning, it’s wasn’t very easy to make new friends. But year after year, you meet a lot of people and you make new friends.
Do you think one day you’ll return to your homeland ?
Yes, I’m used to returning to my homeland every summer holidays since my family (my cousins and uncles) still live in Italy.
Do you prefer your homeland or France ?
I don’t know because Sicily and France are very different. In Palermo, the climate is warmer than in Savoy, but in winter, I can ski because it’s colder than in Italy but there is snow and I like it.
What was the attitude of other people towards you ?
In general, they ignored me, but in Lyon a man was very nice to me and my family and he tried to help me to find a good job, so thanks to him, I found the job at the refinery.
What do you like in France ?
I like France for the various and beautiful landscapes, such as Paris, which is the most beautiful city in the world, the very high Eiffel Tower. In Savoy, mountains are very beautiful with snow. Also, the climate is very temperate.

Tom STARNINI 1ES3