Immigrants Past and Present; Towards Greater Integration?

Made for Europe 2011

2011-05-07T17:59:00.001+01:00

Bianca Juhasz represented Mihai Eminescu National College in the National Competition "Made for Europe 2011", which was organized by the Ministry of Education, at Piatra Neamt, Romania.
After presenting the volume containing materials produced within our project she managed to win the 3rd prize.
Congratulations!

European Language Label 2010- Award Ceremony

2011-03-05T07:41:00.000+01:00

European Label 2010 for Eminescu College

2011-01-31T18:13:00.004+01:00

Mihai Eminescu National College from Baia Mare, Romania, has been awarded the European Language Label 2010.
It is for the second time that the school receives this certificate. This time for this project.

What is the European Language Label?
"The European Label is an award that encourages new initiatives in the field of teaching and learning languages, rewarding new techniques in language teaching, spreading the knowledge of their existence and thereby promoting good practice (see European Label Projects of the Month). The Label is open to all aspects of education and training, regardless of age or methods used, with its main focus being to promote innovation in language teaching. By supporting innovative projects, at a local and national level, the Label seeks to raise the standards of language teaching across Europe. Each year, the Label is awarded to the most innovative language learning projects in each country participating in the scheme. It is co-ordinated by the European Commission, but managed by the individual Member States, with national juries deciding on detailed criteria." ( The European Commission, Multilingualism)

End of the Project

2010-09-24T15:42:00.002+01:00

Dear Friends,
Here we are at the end of our fruitful partnership.
All started 3 years ago when Alasdair invited us to work for and in this inspiring project.
It meant a lot of hard work but also much satisfaction.
We managed to involve hundreds of students, teachers , parents,authorities, who benefited of or supported our work.
While working on the final report I realized once again how wonderful and at the same time how complex our work was.
I want to thank Alasdair, our international coordinator and promotor of the project, for his work.
I also want to thank all the teachers I cooperated with from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Turkey and Romania.
I want to thank all the students for their dedication and for the wonderful products they managed to make.
The films, the interviews, the PowerPoint presentations, the materials for the project reunions, the materials for the Conference volume, all of them are valuable products.
I met wonderful people and I visited wonderful countries with very hospitable hosts.
Let's hope this is the end of the project but not the end of our cooperation.

I am looking forward to meeting you again in new European events.

Warmest regards to all,

Mariana
Romania

Feedback Janina

2010-06-19T16:02:00.000+01:00

Wow- I just can say wow to our trip to Bursa. I’m sure, that we all will never forget this time there. We just met so many nice people in Turkey and in my eyes the nice Turkish students and teachers really tried to make our trip wonderful . I really liked the Turkish hospitality. They all were so outgoing and they wanted us to feel comfortable and happy. So our part, to make them happy was just to eat and say that the meal is pretty good ;). But I’ve to say, that during our trip, I was almost annoyed of the typical Turkish tea, but when I came home, I really missed the students who were saying- “Tea Time”.
So until now, I just talked about the good things there, but there is also one fact, which I don’t like: The rules for the girls. On the one hand I understand, we have to respect the other culture and conventions, but on the other hand, these things made it hard for the girls to talk to the male students beyond the program.
Anyhow, Bursa and the Turkish culture were really interesting for me. It wasn’t my first time in Turkey, but it was the first time I wasn’t in the typical touristic cities. So it was all the more interesting to see and experience Turkish life at close quarters. Especially the Turkish mentality impressed me. Everybody was singing and nobody was ashamed, even if he has a bad voice :D.
So, all in all, I made a great experience with all the other students from the different countries. I think we had a lot of fun together. So, at last, thanks to everyone.

Janina Babst
(Germany)

Bursa meeting - Feedback of the German students

2010-06-16T07:36:00.001+01:00

Comenius Meeting Mai 2010- Feedback of the German students

1. Cem Yada

Before the last meeting of the Comenius Project in Mai 2010 I felt excited as well as nervous, for that there are several reasons: I visited Turkey often before this meeting, but always as usual Tourist and I have only visited my relatives, so I had never got the chance to live in a real Turkish family on my own. This project gave me the chance for that and I feel very thankful to my host family, because they were very friendly to me at all times and it was an honour for me to be Saffets guest for 4 days. All in all the students of the Bursa Polis College were very friendly to us as German delegation. I did not have any problems with any of them. It was really a very interesting stay and I especially enjoyed the talks at the evenings, when students from 5 nations were talking about different themes, their everyday lives as well as about political and economic questions. Of course there were also a few things I did not like very much, but the reason for that is that the life in Turkey is much different than the life I have here in Germany. One thing was for example that it was extremely hot sometimes, especially at the midday it was no pleasure to be on the bus, because it was so much warmer than in Europe. Another point I want to criticize is that I think that at the first day the program was maybe a little bit too much, a little bit too busy as to say but it was great that Mr. Öztürk gave us more free time the following day. The stay in Bursa was all in all very good and I enjoyed it very much, the only real bad thing was that it was so short- maybe it would be better if we had one whole week, because making real friendships takes usually longer than just a few days. The next part took place in Istanbul. This was also real impressive, because the imperial glory of the city with her great mosques and bazaars, her palaces and the Bosporus itself was really a proof for the old Greatness of the Ottoman Empire as well as for the targets the different people can reach if they are working together. As you probably know, at the Ottoman period of the city there were living ethnic groups of different origin in peace and harmony with each other, working and fighting for the Sultan and creating an unbelievable place between two continents, between two worlds. One of my personal highlights also took place in Istanbul, at the Blue Mosque: On Sunday I used the chance to pray there, which was really great and inspiring. In my opinion the Comenius project was one of the best projects I have ever worked for and I would feel honoured if I got the chance to continue working for it, because I see Comenius projects as the first step to a new future of this continent: To a future where the peoples of Europe and Turkey are working hand in hand to create peace for all.

2. Jale Yasan

Yeşil Beyaz- Yeşil Beyaz , Şampion- Bursa, Şampion-Bursa !! Well, I think, this is something we will never foget. The wonderful and proud students who are singing ore better screaming out these words. And there are a lot of other things and memories we will never forget too. It was an awesome and great time which we all spent in Bursa together, and I was and still am very happy to have been able to be a part of this project.
I met so many amazing people and saw so much of Bursa’s culture. It wasn’t my first time there , but I have never seen so many beautiful things. On top, I have never seen so many students who were always saying one phrase aganin and again- Oh no, not again dinner! I’m not hungry ! So, I think the Turkish hosts completely succeeded in trying to make us a “group”- we even had the same thoughts when we heard the words: “ Time for dinner”. But I think the most important aspect ist the turkish hospitality, which I really enjoyed. Their bids for us, to make us feel comfortable really impressed me. But I had the impression that it weren’t really the teachers, more the students who tried this. They always talked to everyone , and tried to make this short time an unforgettable sojourn.
Unfortunately there were some “rules“ for the girls which made it really hard, actually impossible to spend a bit more time with the others and get to know them better after the program. But there was one action which disappointed me most. I was really really happy and glad about the “ Final Meal” in the hotel. I thought it would be a wonderful ending after these days, to eat together with all the other groups. Sadly I was wrong. The turkish students were missing during our meal and so we were really shocked and disappointed about this fact.
Apart from these negative experiences, I really enjoyed our trip to Bursa. With all the police stuff, like driving in the car with the flashing blue light, dalling around with policemen or almost policemen, crossing the streets after someone had stopped the traffic- I really felt like Paris Hilton after some days . But unfortunately there is no one in Germany who stops the the traffic for me ;).
So all in all I really enjoyed our trip to Bursa. It was an instructional and interesting week, with so many fanstastic people.
At the end, I would really like to thank all the involved persons who worked on this project, the teachers, the families and of course the students.
But especially I want to thank all the students of our countries. I really enjoyed our time, and I’ll never forget this trip, where we all made some great expreiences together. You all are very sympathetic and kind persons so that it was impossible not to like you.

Greatings and Kisses from Germany to everyone,
Jale Yasan

3. Vanessa Seifert
My expectations and my cognition

I went to Bursa with mixed feelings.
I already knew some of the Turkish pupils which made me feel more confident.
Of course I was also very much delighted to meet my old friends again.
Because I had already taken part in a meeting here in Germany, I think I knew what would expect me.
I assumed from this that it would be only slightly different from the meeting in Germany, but very soon I had to find out that this was very different. In Bursa we were cordially received and surprised with many program points.
There was so much to see and to find out that you could hardly see everything.
Luckily there were cameras around to take photos of these moments.
Some of the days were very exhausting, so that at the end of these days everyone was very tired and only wanted to go to bed.
All in all, the stay in Bursa was something special and wonderful, because the Turkish hosts have given us an insight into another culture.
This week has helped me to learn something about the culture and to understand some things better, because I have spoken a lot with my host family. My host mother could explain many things to me which perplexed me, because here in Germany you hear many prejudices.
I can say that especially the meeting in Turkey has shown that the different culture cannot be the reason for a lack of integration in e.g. Germany.
All results of the groups and the workshops show to me that the problem is ignorance and lacking clarification what every land should work on. The Comenius project is a very good beginning!

4. Markus Baumeister

It's time for dinner!

Bursa- two million people live in this city, located about 150 km south of Istanbul.
You can recognize these two million people, the city-center is just overcrowded. Bursa is one big traffic jam. Especially on hot days it is difficult to breathe there as a consequence of all the smog.
But that is not the point. It does not matter whether the air is a little bit dirty. What does matter are the people living there and how their mentality is. I really liked the Turkish people. They are communicative and impulsive.
Furthermore, I had the chance to enjoy the Turkish hospitality, for which they are famous all over the world. For instance, we, as guests, received a lot of presents.
Particularly, the food was very, very, very good, but it was too much for my “German-stomach”.
During the stay in Turkey, I learned one important sentence, referring to the meal: “yok, sal”, which means “no, thanks”.
The guys from Bursa Polis Koleji (our partner school) were very interested in telling us something about their culture and their life in Turkey. They even succeeded in bringing the whole group together to sing the hymn of BURSASPOR, the Turkish football champion of 2010.
I really enjoyed spending time together with the whole group (from: Poland, France, Italy, Romania, Turkey and Germany) although there were some language-barriers.
But from my point of view, we had not enough private time with the group of students, because the program was very busy.
We met each other in some restaurants, but every time without the girls. Till today I can't understand why.
There was one point that really irritated me: on the last evening we had dinner together at the hotel where the teachers stayed. It was very nice, with excellent food and excellent furnishings. But where were the Turkish students??? They did not eat together with us. We talked about integration between young people in Europe all the time and then the Turkish group was separated from us. This is not integration!

All in all, I enjoyed the stay in Turkey. It was fantastic to see how real Turkish families live, because I had just known Turkish life from Alanya (in a holiday region). Although there were some problems, we had a nice time together.
At last I wanted to thank my exchange student (Hüseyin Karagöz) and my exchange parents for accomodating me warmly.

With greetings to all Comenius students and teachers,
Markus Baumeister (Germany)

Feedback from French students

2010-06-09T15:23:00.001+01:00

Feedback from French students

1/ Quiterie Landèche-1ES3

I had an opportunity to spend one wonderful week in Turkey. Thanks to the Comenius project I met students from Poland, Romania, Germany, Italy and of course Turkey. I am convinced that these meetings are the best way to get to know each other, to discover new cultures and to eliminate sterile stereotypes. For me, Turkey was, for sure, one of the countries I knew the least about. What I did know about Turkey was what is broadcast by the media, what is said by politicians and teachers. I knew that Turkey had problems joining the European Union, I also knew that Turkey had a very rich history with the Ottoman Empire and that, once, Turkey had been the cultural center of the world. This was what I had heard about, so I realized that I actually really knew very little.
After spending six days in Turkey, after visiting Bursa and Istanbul, after meeting Turkish families, Turkish students and teachers I now have a completely different idea. Since coming back to France I keep sharing with others what I discovered in only six days. What I will always remember is the way we were welcomed and hosted. I do not have enough English vocabulary to describe how amazing and how extraordinary Turkish people were. They showed us a different image of Turkey; a country with an impressive culture, a country where dancing and singing is part of every day life, a country where History is in every street, bazaar and mosque… Visiting Bursa with our Turkish hosts was very important for me because they told us their story, a story we had sometimes never heard about. All Turkish people were very kind and friendly toward us, we were received by the Governor and the Mayor and we actually felt important for a few hours! I really want to finish this very short report by saying that these meetings and projects do change mentalities. Thanks to the internet we continue to keep in touch with other students who were in Turkey with us, and the words that we exchange help us understand different cultures than ours and I am sure these relations will last !
I really want to thank each person who contributed to and participated in this project.
‘Immigrants Past and Present - Towards Greater Integration?’ This project was a step in the right direction, towards a change in mentalities. Today I hope that I will be able to go back once to Turkey and I also hope that other students will have the chance to participate in this kind of project.
çok teşekkür ederim

2/ Ines Fresko 1ES3

Thanks to the Comenius project, we had the opportunity to spend six wonderful days in Turkey, that we’ll never forget.
Before going to Turkey, we had worked on the issue of immigration: we met a French ‘pied noir’, an immigrant who moved to mainland France from Algeria in 1961 during the war of independence. We made a film about her story and her integration into French society. This preparation helped us to understand some interesting things about immigration and integration in France, before going to Turkey. Then, after presenting our film and by listening to the other students, I realised that immigration was a very important topic in our society, and that migrants had lots of things to teach us. It opened my mind and made me more tolerant.
I had never been to Turkey before and in my mind, the Muslim religion was very important there. In reality, it wasn’t what I thought: lots of Turkish women don’t wear a veil, Turkish people don’t pray as much as I had imagined …
But finally, I changed my mind : I saw a country which looks like mine in some respects and I discovered a new language, new customs (such as having tea ten times a day… !) : a new culture.
But especially, I discovered Turkish people, and I think I will never forget that. Turkish people are very friendly, they always take care of you, they always smile, they always joke ! We were treated like Very Important People : we were impressed but also very happy to be there and to meet students from the Police College.
That’s why I would thank all the Turkish people for this wonderful week. It was such a fantastic experience, and be sure I will never forget that!

3/ Louison Muller

I was very happy to spend one week with you in Turkey. This comenius project was a great success. It was very pleasant to present our movie and our project to all the other students from all the other European countries. During the Comenius project we had learned a lot of things about immigration and integration. We also discovered Turkey which is a fabulous country.
For me Turkey was a new country I had never visited it before. Before visiting this country I thought Turkey was a country where the religion was very important and that Turks were more radical on this issue, especially on the womens’ rights issue. Thanks to this project visit I have changed my mind, I see Turkey as a very modern country where some cities look like some Western European cities.
I was very impressed by the way Turkish people welcomed us; they really are very friendly and kind. Thanks to them we had the opportunity to visit amazing places and to understand a different but a wonderful culture. Students of “Polis Koleji” were extraordinary and they hosted us in a way I had never experienced before. I will always remember the show they prepared; I just loved their performances. This evening was awesome!
The meetings with students from different countries helped me to improve my English, it made me realize some things about immigration and integration.

I’d like to thank everyone for everything! I spent amazing moments in Turkey!

-

The Fourth Project Meeting in Bursa

2010-06-09T15:20:00.000+01:00

The fourth project meeting took place in Turkey and was hosted by the Polis Koleji in Bursa

Participants
The Romanian team (Mariana Hudrea and Florian Nechit plus their pupils) arrived on Monday 24 May followed by the remaining teams the following day;
Alasdair Watts and Isabelle Roy from France, Wolfgang Mertens , Till Winkler and Rolf Albrecht from Germany, Monica Meneghelli and Patrizia Tommasi from Italy, Jola Prodanowska and Dorata Boryczko from Poland. Altogether 15 foreign pupils attended the project meeting from these five countries.

Accommodation
All staff were accommodated at the Bursa Kent Hotel in the centre of Bursa and pupils by host families. Teachers all expressed satisfaction regarding the choice of the hotel which was ideally situated in the heart of Bursa and offered an unrivalled view of the City. Staff had very positive feedback from pupils concerning host families.

Wednesday
The official meeting began on Wednesday 26 May. We were first received by the Governor who greeted us warmly in the Governor’s Palace on behalf of the regional authorities. The Governor stressed the importance Turkey in general and Bursa in particular attaches to such European projects as ours. After the reception the group visited the Bursa Kent Museum and was introduced to the local Bursa history, architecture, economy and civil society. We then made our way to the Town Hall where the Mayor of Bursa received us in his office. The Mayor provided us with invaluable information about the city, notably its rapid expansion, the growing importance of manufacturing industry etc. A sign of this confidence is Bursaspor’s recent winning of the Turkish football championship in which the Mayor expressed his pride.
In the afternoon students made their presentations on the theme of immigration in the premises formally serving as a Haman or Turkish bath and now used as a cultural centre.
(short summaries of the presentations can be found in the annex)
The day’s activities concluded with a Classical Music Concert at Tayyare Kultur Merkezi in the centre of Bursa.

Thursday
We spent Thursday morning at the Bursa Polis Koleji, initially in the lecture theatre where the school director made an opening address to welcome us to his school, outlining the school’s ethos, aims and ambitions. This was followed by a round table discussion similar to those we have held at each of our four project meetings. Ethnic Turks from Greece and Bulgaria as well as an Italian immigrant from Turin related their experience of leaving their country of birth to settle in Turkey. Students and teachers had an opportunity to dialogue with them.
We were then divided into groups and some teachers and students were taken to the school’s shooting range in the basement to practice their shooting skills while others took part in English classes.
In the afternoon we were taken to the Karagöz Museum to enjoy the traditional Turkish shadow puppet theatre involving the two characters Hacivat and Karagöz. The resident puppeteer is responsible for all aspects of production, including the creation and design of the puppets themselves, the writing of the scenario as well as the manipulation of the puppets and the different voices.
We moved on to visit the 600 year-old Historical Plane Tree in the picturesque village of Inkaya and the day’s cultural activities concluded with an impressive performance of rock music, dance and traditional Turkish music given by the students of the Bursa Polis Koleji in the school lecture theatre to rapturous applause.

Friday
We made an early start on Friday and were driven to Cumalikizik Village in the Yıldırım sub-province where, after a copious Turkish breakfast, we were able to examine the perfectly preserved characteristics of Ottoman architecture.
We then returned to the Bursa Polis Koleji where students were placed in mixed nationality groups, this time with the task of producing and presenting in mixed groups posters promoting the underlying message of tolerance and anti-racism that has been prevalent throughout the two years of our project.
After lunch students and teachers were divided into two groups and taken to the headquarters of two NGOs in charge of assisting ethnic Turks returning to their homeland as well dealing with problems of discrimination faced by ethnic Turks living abroad.
Back in the centre of Bursa we were offered a Sema or Whirling Dervish Show in which dancers dressed in flowing white robes whirled around for forty minutes accompanied by prayers and holy music amazingly without showing the slightest signs of dizziness.
In the evening all participants attended a dinner at the Bursa Kent Hotel. The director of the Bursa Polis Koleji honored us with his presence and gave a final speech thanking us for participating on the project and hoping future collaboration would be possible in the years to come. The local press published various articles on this Comenius project and even the Turkish TV broadcast parts of the fourth meeting.

Saturday
On Saturday we returned to Istanbul, crossing the Sea of Marmara this time by the express ferry from Mudanya. Students and teachers were delighted to discover on arriving in Istanbul a police escort awaiting us to accompany us to the Istanbul police restaurant overlooking the Bosphorus where we enjoyed a hearty breakfast before setting off to discover the beauty of Istanbul (the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Tagpapi Palace as well as a memorable boat trip on the Bosphorus).
Teams returned home on Saturday 29 and Sunday 30 May.

A word of thanks
All colleagues and students expressed their delight at all aspects of this fourth and final project meeting. Our Turkish hosts offered us wonderful hospitality and were constantly concerned that all our needs were attended to. The programme was rich, varied and very professionally organized.

Alasdair Watts
Project Coordinator

Annex

1/ The German Presentaion

Many topics related to immigration and integration are frequently covered by the German press. One are the so-called “honour killings“, a term that is used when a family drama occurs in an immigrant family. It enhances people’s fears of immigrants, just as the topic of fundamentalism among immigrants, such as the Turkish neo-fascist movement of the “Grey Wolves“.
However, the media more and more also cover topics that evoke positive feelings with regard to immigrants, for example successful integration projects. One of them is the “mentor project“ supported by the German government. Committed citizens help individuals with a migration background, especially students with school problems. Another example is the “Ernst-Reuter-Initiative“ which supports German-Turkish cooperation.
On the local level, the city of Seelze has, just like other communities, developed various programs that provide help for immigrants. The local newspapers cover these efforts continuously.

2/ The French Presentation
The four French students first showed a film they had made entitled ‘I’ve had Three Lives’. It features a ‘pied noir’ or white French Algerian called Denise Vabre who was forced to leave Algeria after it gained independence in 1962. She expresses the love she feels for the land where she grew up and the difficulty she experienced adapting to life in mainland France.
The second presentation was called ‘We work, we strike’ and dealt with the protest movement in March 2010 which saw immigrant workers in France and across Europe down tools to raise awareness of the discrimination they face

3/ The Italian Presentation
Islam and Western culture meet together through immigration. Is the integration a problem or a phenomenon In Italy?
Our presentation is a synthesis of our work of analysis and discussion about newspaper articles and interviews which reflect different Italian points of view on this topic. In this period the debate in the Italian media about the difficulties and positive aspects of immigration and possible integration between people of a different culture and religion is open and vivacious. In our classes of “responsible and active citizenship” we made deeper our research interviewing people who know and live personally integration among people of different religions. A theology and philosophy teacher, a Catholic priest who worked for a long of time with immigrants, a Turkish lady living in Italy. The point of strength of the project is the comparison and synthesis concerning the situations in the six different countries involved in this project .
4/ The Turkish Presentation
As the hosting school of the final meeting the Turkish team decided to reflect on the theme of immigration in two ways. The first one consisted of Interviews and presentations of the immigrants (Ethnic Turks from Greece and Bulgaria as well as an Italian living in Bursa) and visits to NGOs connected to Immigrants.
We also thought it would be worthwhile to give inclusive information about the immigration from Turkey to European countries. Germany was the leading country with Turkish immigrants so we studied on “Immigration of Turkish citizens to Germany” with three subtitles “Guest workers, Family Unifications and Incentives for Returns”.
5/ The Polish Presentation
The first presentation made by Polish students was a film about one of the largest groups of immigrants in Poland – the Vietnamese. They come for many reasons, but particularly economic ones. The journey is very expensive, costing about 4000 dollars and is organized by special agencies operating in Vietnam. The film outlines the difficulties some face integrating into Polish society but it also shows that there are many success stories.

The second deals with the story of a woman called Swietlana, who came to Poland from The Ukraine in 1995 to earn a living after the Ukrainian factory where she worked started to pay its employees in kind (cloth instead of money). Shortly after settling in Poland she discovered she had terminal cancer. The film focuses on her quest for a foster family in Poland to avoid her four children being sent back to Ukraine after her death.

6/ The Romanian Presentation

700 Years of Turkish-Romanian Relationships

At the end of the 14th century the borders of the Ottoman Empire reached the Danube River
The relations with the Romanian Principalities were often tense till 1877 when Romania became independent.
Many Turks remained to live in the south and south east of the country.
Today the majority of the Turks live in the historical region of Northern Dobruja (Turkish: Dobruca), particularly in Constanţa County, where they number 24,246 and make up 3.4% of the population, in Tulcea County : 3,334 (1.3%), in Bucharest : 2,473 (0.1%).
As an officially-recognized ethnic minority, the Turks have one seat reserved for them in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies.
After 1989, a significant number of Turkish entrepreneurs started investing and establishing business ventures in Romania, and a certain proportion chose to take up residence in Romania.
At the same time many Turks living in Romania immigrated to Turkey to live with their relatives there.

Feedbacks from Poland

2010-06-06T15:53:00.006+01:00

Dear Turkish friends,

my journey to Turkey was the best experience in my life. I did not expect Turkey to be such a beautiful country. The programme of our project meeting was simply perfectly prepared, all the meetings, trips, special activities so relevant to the topic of our project . Thanks to you I have seen a lot of interesting places and monuments, I could participate in so many wonderful activities which I will always remember. I learnt so much about Turkish people, their system of education and their culture. I could meet a lot of wonderful people, so warm , caring ,friendly and hospitable. I learnt a lot during the meeting and I hope that our friendship will last for ever.

Thank you for everything.

Joanna J. Poland.

Dear Turkish Friends,

At the begining I would like to thank you all for hosting us with such warmth and hospitality.
If I had to choose the thing I liked most I'd choose You - Turkish people because I was very nicely suprised by your hospitality and the way you treated us - like your family :). Apart from all activities prepared for our project meeting which we enjoyed so much, I also liked sightseeing - I've seen a lot of interesting things which I'll never forget, for example beautiful mosques, exotic cities of Bursa and Istanbul so different from the ones I've already been to. I would like to mention that I really loved the family who hosted me . They were such warm and friendly people that I really miss them now. We appreciate so much all your effort you put to make us feel so good in Turkey that it is difficult to find words to describe how much we loved the project meeting, all people whom we had an opportunity to meet and everything you prepared for us .

At the end I'd like to send greetings to all of you my Turkish firends and I hope we'll meet again soon :)

Jakub P. Poland

Why Reading?

2010-06-04T22:49:00.007+01:00

A little boy was standing on the pavement, reading a history book about one of the last Sultans.

He was waiting to guide us to a very special place. The puppets' show.

To see a boy patiently reading on the street was amazing for me.

Later I met his father who confessed the boy had to read three books a week if he wanted his pocket money.

Imagine: 3 books/week, 12 books /month....

Education is a major preoccupation for the Turkish parents. The fact that the boy got pocket money to read is immaterial to me.

The fact that he reads hundreds of books is a proof that that boy will be able to find his right way in life.

I am no longer surprised why our Turkish hosts know how to behave themselves, how to be so nice with their guests.

And their country does not look like a country facing an economic crises. On the contrary, it looks like a modern country inhabited by diligent people who know what is good for them. A country with smiling faces and warm hearts.

Meeting the Governor

2010-06-04T16:54:00.001+01:00

Dear Friends,

Your comments on our meeting in Bursa made all of us so happy, thank you very much for your sincere feelings...

But it is not only our students who miss you all :) I and my friends talk everyday about you and the wonderful time sharing with you ...

It was a pleasure for us to organize this meeting in Bursa, and we would love to see you again :)) (as soon as possible) :)

Here, on this link you will find the TV interview which was recorded at the Governorship of Bursa.

http://www.olay.com.tr/Sayfa.php?Git=Videolar&Sayfa=Oku&id=1089

I and my friends greet all of you as we say in Turkey " kucak dolusu selamlar" :)))

And what about your Turkish ? Does everybody keep on studying Turkish ??? :))))

Huseyin Ozturk

Our Project Meeting in Bursa

2010-06-03T19:34:00.006+01:00

Even before going to Bursa I knew that our last project meeting would be a very successful one.
Two years before I had the privilege to be the guest of Ozel Uftade Liceci from Usak.
Both our colleagues from Usak and from Bursa proved to be very hospitable.
Their hospitality is total and it starts from the souls of a very warm and nice people who are capable to make you feel among real friends.
This project managed to gather together 6 teams from France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania and Turkey. Along these two years of the project we cooperated very well and managed to develop a project useful not only for students and teachers but for the local communities, too.
The spirit of friendship and tolerance was present all the time.
The climax was however in Turkey where we all discovered it was our last meeting and we had to do something about continuing to work together.
I have been all over Europe in the last 10 years.I cannot say that a meeting was better than another. All meetings and all host teams did their best to make us feel great in their countries.
I want to thank all my partners for their effort not only to achieve the tasks of the projects but also for offering us the joy of discovery of new cultures and of wonderful European peoples.

700 Years of Turkish-Romanian Relationships

2010-06-03T15:00:00.003+01:00

Historical Context

In 105-106 Dacia, which was on the present day territory of Romania, was conquered by the Romans led by Emperor Traianus.
The Romanian people was formed up to 1859 when we can speak of Romania as a state, when Moldavia and Wallachia united.
The ancestors of the Romanians are the Dacians and the Romans to which were added all the peoples that crossed its land.

Short history of Romanian-Turkish relations

At the end of the 14th century the borders of the Ottoman Empire reached the Danube River
The first diplomatic relations date back to that time, consisting in sending messengers to the High Court.
During the 16th century there emerged the tradition of representing the Romanian noblemen at the Ottoman High Court through agents named “capuchehaia”
The relations were interrupted in the year 1877 in the context of the Russian-Turkish war, to be resumed in November 1878 at legation level and in 1938 at embassy level.

Romanian-Turkish Relations Today

Since 1989, relations have been evolving continuously.
Turkey has invested in the fields of banking, insurance, food industry, textile industry and tourism.
Romanian consulates were opened in Istanbul and Izmir
7 visits of the Turkish president were organized in Romania and 8 of the Romanian presidents in Turkey.
There is collaboration in the field of culture and education as well.
There have also been many projects and programs done together.

18 minorities live in Romania today

Hungarians (incl. Szeklers) 1,431,807 6.6% Transylvania, Bucharest
Roma( Gypsies) 535,140 2.46%
Ukrainians 61,091 0.28% Bukovina, Maramureş
Transylvanian Saxons, Swabians 59,764 0.28% Sibiu, Braşov, Bistriţa, Timiş, Caraş Severin
Russians/Lipovans 35,791 0.17% Tulcea County
Turks 32,098 0.15% Dobrogea
Crimean Tatars 23,935 0.11% Dobrogea
Serbs 22,518 0.10% Timiş, Arad, Caraş-Severin, Mehedinţi
Slovaks 17,199 0.08%
Bulgarians, Croats,Greeks, Jews, Czechs, Poles, Italians, Chinese

Total: 2,276,138 = 10.5% of Romania's population

The Turks of Romania

As the entire Balkan Peninsula became an integral part of the emerging Ottoman Empire (a process which concluded with the fall of Constantinople to Sultan Mehmed II in 1453), Wallachia became engaged in frequent confrontations and, in the final years of Mircea the Elder's reign, became an Ottoman subject.

Mediaeval Times

Iancu Corvin of Hunedoara, the governor of Hungary and Voivode of Transylvania( the battle from Belgrad 1456 succeeded to stop Mahomed the 2nd's army)

The anti-ottoman fight was continued under:
Vlad Tepes, Prince of Wallachia,1456-1462; 1476
Stephen the Great, Prince of Moldavia (1457-1504)
Michael the Brave, Prince of Wallachia, 1593-1601
Constantin Brâncoveanu, Prince of Wallachia, 1688-1714
Dimitrie Cantemir, Prince of Moldavia, 1710-1711

Who was DIMITRIE CANTEMIR?

(1673-1723)

His education began in Moldavia , where he learned Greek and Latin and acquired a profound knowledge of the classics. Between 1687 and 1710 he lived in forced exile in Istanbul, where he learned Turkish and studied the history of the Ottoman Empire at the Patriarchate's Greek Academy, where he also composed music.

Modern Times

The majority of Turks live in the historical region of Northern Dobruja (Turkish: Dobruca), particularly in Constanţa County, where they number 24,246 and make up 3.4% of the population
in Tulcea County : 3,334 (1.3%)
in Bucharest : 2,473 (0.1%).
As an officially-recognised ethnic minority, the Turks have one seat reserved for them in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies.

After 1989, a significant number of Turkish entrepreneurs started investing and establishing business ventures in Romania, and a certain proportion chose to take up residence in Romania.

Because of the large Turkish population, Islam in Romania also has a historically significant Muslim minority concentrated in Dobrogea, who are mostly of Turkish and Tatar ethnicity.
An important Turkish community also used to live until 1970 on the island of Ada Kaleh.
Islam in Romania is followed by only 0.3 percent of population, but has 700 years of tradition in Northern Dobruja, a region on the Black Sea coast which was part of the Ottoman Empire for almost five centuries (ca. 1420-1878).
In present-day Romania, most adherents to Islam belong to the Tatar and Turkish ethnic communities and follow the Sunni doctrine. The Islamic religion is one of the 16 rites awarded state recognition.

Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/

Ovidiu Craciun
Patrick Bohony

The Impact of Immigration upon Religion

2010-06-03T14:43:00.002+01:00

The impact of immigration on religion in the context of globalization

Everyone realizes that contemporary society is in a permanent state of renewal and transformation.
The phenomenon of globalization was discussed over and over in the past few decades, even though thoughts on it can differ from one another. Some see it as something the world should welcome it with open arms while others deem it harmful for their society and culture as a whole, regarding it with fear and distrust.
The root of this fear is planted deep within the soil of interaction. With the clash of so many different cultures, religions, perspectives and views there is a permanent risk of conflicting ideas.
Freedom of speech and expression of one’s own rites and rituals can lead to dire consequences, since religion is a more delicate matter than politics for example (greater fervor being involved in the matter).
In Romania there are few cases of immigrants that decide to settle down. It’s more like a transitory country for them, a “gateway to Western Europe” as it was often referred to along time.
Romanians or any orthodox Christian for that matter hasn’t had many problems outside the country thanks to capable religious administrations and government, they being given places of worship for temporary or permanent use.
In Romania the ethnical mix and that of religious groups is quite big (even more so in the south-eastern part of the country) but no serious conflicts have come to pass. Faith in a higher power is definitely something that brings religious people together and helps toward a better coexistence, but as much as it is a uniting link, the many differences in rite is the thing that sets everyone apart.
Every religious man is taught that their way is the right and as such, each tries to convert the other to their own religion, the problem of conversion is again a very delicate one (like not letting one openly practice their religion, as mentioned before) since many are not willing to convert and the reactions can be even violent, feeling offended.
Europe is divided into 3 main religious groups: the Catholics, the Protestants and the Orthodox, with many neo-protestant groups and sects trying to gain new members, with the adding of religions brought by immigrants, some consider it already too much and are suspicious that the new religions might want to spread more than “allowed” by certain countries.( Switzerland is such an example, banning outright the immigration of Turks into their country). One’s religion should be treated with respect and as God (or Allah) gave us free will we can choose if we wish to embrace a new religion if offered or politely refuse. The philosopher Platon affirms that “there is only one truth” and until this one truth is unearthed. We might as well respect each other’s faith and not look down upon them, even if we might consider them misled. If religion teaches us some things, then those should be at least PATIENCE and TOLERANCE.
As for the states regarding foreign religions as dangerous, their fears are bred by misconception and misinformation, even exaggerated stereotypes. A better understanding of these “foreign” religions is the solution to the anxiety looming over us.
Only when we have a better understanding of each other will we make steps towards a better integration.

Priest and teacher Nechita Florian

Article translated by Patrick Bohony

Presentation of the German team in Bursa

2010-06-02T21:45:00.001+01:00

The topic of integration in the German media

Honour killings
by Vanessa Seifert

Our first topic are so-called “honour killings“. This is an important topic in the German media with regard to immigrant families.

First of all I would like to explain in a few words what the meaning of honor killing is and what you should know about this subject. The word “honor killing“ describes the intentional homicide or murder of a mostly female member of a family to prevent a social lowering by breaking a gender-related rules of etiquette.

According to estimates of the world population report of the UNO at least 5,000 girls and women are yearly murdered worldwide because of " moral honour “. The justification of these murders are traditional codes of honor which fix certain rules of etiquette. The honor of a person or the family, a group or even the land is classified as an especially high and protection-worth norm which they want to protect and to defend.

In other words: A woman has broken traditional rules of behaviour. Often, her life-style is regarded as too Western, too liberal or too independent by male members of her family. So maybe she has had her own mind, has visited dance clubs on her own, has had German friends or even boy-friends and so on.

In the German press nearly every family drama which has happened in a Muslim family is called an honor killing. Why the press only speaks of honor killing when the culprit is a Turk or Kurd is not clear while reading the articles. When there is a report about such an honor killing, they don’t make a difference between Kurdish and Turkish families, either.
In the press they only speak of Muslims or Turkish families.

I would like to introduce here a rather untypical example of an honor killing.

Some day during the 25 years of marriage Recai became drug addicted. Because he was already without occupation, he went back to Turkey. But he came back to Munich, began drinking and terrorising his wife.

In March 2008 his wife obtained the right that he was forbidden to enter the flat of the family.
Recai moved in a man's hostel and planned his revenge from there.

On the 15th of July, 2008 he waited for his wife in the middle of Munich. She picked her young daughter up from school. First he kissed their daughter. After that, he hit Ayse with a bottle on her head. She broke down. But Recai did not desist from her. Instead he continued to hit her with the broken bottle on head and neck while she lay on the ground in her blood.

Two passers-by could pull him away and hold him on the ground. Recai shouted: “ Hopefully she is dead, hopefully I have hit the nerves.“ He was drunk, but he still knew what he was doing. Maybe he had drunk because he hoped for a milder punishment. Later he could be arrested without resistance by the police.

On the 15th of May, 2009 Recai was found guilty of attempted murder and dangerous physical injury by the district court of Munich. He was convicted to 12 years of prison and hospitalization in a drug clinic.

Fortunately the young woman was not killed, often such attacks end deadly. Nevertheless, it becomes clear, that there are typical motives. The woman defends herself against her brutal man, goes to a court and does not allow him to come home any more. The man feels injured in his honor and wants to revenge himself.

Turkish neo-fascist movements in the Federal Republic of Germany
by Cem Halil Yada

In Germany there are living millions of Turks at the end of 2009, they were relatives of the first emigrants which came to Germany as part of the great labour migration in 50ies. Radical political groups, neo fascist as well as islamist groups, have a lot of influence under the Turkish community in Germany. In this text, I am going to write something about the neo fascist movement. The ultra nationalist Turkish movement was founded around 1968 and the time after it as a response to the ultra left groups which were based on communism.

This movement was founded by the former army sergeant Alparslan Türkes and it is very racistic, enemies of them are Armenians, Americans who are called crusaders, Jewish People who are called Zionists, also Communism and especially the Kurdish People and the terroristic organisation PKK. The political party of the Turkish fascists is the MHP (Milliyet Hareket Partisi), which were elected as the strongest party in some provinces (for example Adana) in the last election campaign in 2007.

The first Grey Wolves, as they call themselves, were militias, which were trained in military camps in the Middle- and Eastern parts of Anatolia. (It is possible that this idea of training young people and indoctrinating them was inspired by the Hitlerjugend in Nazi Germany, in general it is possible to say that the MHP works in the same way as the NSDAP did it in Nazi Germany, for example the MHP leader Türkes said one time that Hitler was “a good man” and that he is an example for him).

The members of the Grey wolves are very brutal and know no mercy to their enemies, it is said that the organisation is responsible for thousands of deaths between 1968 and 2008- often they were tortured before death. The Turkish Secret Service thinks that the Grey Wolves are also working together with the Turkish organized crime. In the years after 1968 and also in the 70s the organisation fought a kind of civil war in Turkey against left organisations and parties, this conflict was also a reason for the military activity in 1980 under General Evren. This shows one fact: The Turkish Nationalists are maybe one of the biggest threats of Turkish Democracy and Freedom.

The Party searched new members and tried to expand to Europe, also to have better relations to the mafia and to sell drugs, this is one of their biggest ways of making money, so the leader Türkes ordered some of his followers to go to Germany and also to France, especially as Germany had been target of massive labour migration since 1955. Their profession was to infiltrate the Turkish communities. Today the Grey Wolves are very popular under Turkish young people, reason for that could be the crisis of identity of the young people, because they are neither real Turkish nor real German, they belong to both cultures and nations and a lot of them have problems with that fact.

In the German media, the Grey Wolves and other extreme right- wing parties are seen very critically, because of German history. The activities of these Turkish Nationalists are very different, they are organizing for example demonstrations against the Armenian genocide in 1915 or against the PKK, but also they are building football places for the young people. But they are also made responsible for a lot of different honour killings and for attacks on Kurdish people in Germany as well as on Communists.

It is also rumoured that some of the Grey Wolves belong to the Turkish Mafia and have got a lot of influence in the market of drug trafficking. The biggest problems they bring to Germany is that they are also partly responsible for the failure of the integration of the Turkish community in the German Society. So to sum up one could say that the Turkish nationalist movement is a threat for both nations, Germany and also Turkey.

“Aktion zusammen wachsen”
by Jale Yasan

Germany has got a large list of integration programs. One of the most important integration program is called “Aktion zusammen wachsen” (“Growing together”) which includes many different projects and initiatives.

It’s an education project in association with godparents. Committed citizens support children and teenagers of immigrant families by helping them to learn the German language, doing their homework or by advising and attending them on the way from school to occupation.

The program’s aims are e.g. to advance the integration of people with migration background and to invigorate, stabilize and to mobilize the civic commitment. There are also other aims like the invigoration of the existing projects and to start some new ones, or to support the social co-existence of migrants and ethnic Germans. Another very important aim is to stop discrimination and hostility against foreigners.

To realize all these things, the program has got a lot of things to do. The tasks are to provide attorneyships for migrants and of course to help with orientation and integration - especially for new migrants. Also to give advice about school and occupation and questions concerning further migration or return to their home countries. As well the support for organizations and the formation of some new ones.

Ernst-Reuter-Initiative
by Janina Babst

The Ernst-Reuter-Initiative was founded in Istanbul in 2006 by Frank Walter Steinmeier (then Foreign Secretary of Germany) and the Turkish Foreign Secretary at that time, Abdullah Gül. The aim of this initiative is the strengthening of the German-Turkish collaboration and the intensification of the intercultural dialogue of these two countries.
In the end of 2008, 16 projects had the symbol of the Ernst-Reuter-Initiative. These projects support the cooperation in art-culture, politics-media, economy and science.
One of these projects is called “Bundesmigrantinnen” - pictures of migration in public space. In this project, migrants are showing in art-style, what they are hoping and dreaming for. In workshops, the migrants talk about their experiences in the new country where they live and each oft them makes sketches about how they feel.
These sketches are developed into pictograms and are shown on advertisings and digital animation screens in the underground, on flyers or on bags. This project has staken place in the cities Berlin, Hamburg and Köln.

Integration in Seelze
by Markus Baumeister

7% of the 34.000 people, living in our town Seelze, are immigrants. But if you take into account immigrants with German nationality, especially ethnic German emigrants (e.g. from Russia), the rate is about 10%.

For this presentation, we read the local newspaper of Seelze, called “Leinezeitung” with special regard to articles about immigrants and integration projects. There were many reports about different activities and projects by the city of Seelze. These articles show that our city does a lot to improve the integration of immigrants.

The most important target of the integration work in Seelze is defined as follows: To create a good atmosphere by fighting against any hatred and hostility against immigrants.

Targets of integration in Seelze:
There are three ways in which the city of Seelze tries to reach these aims:
 personal support
 projects
 integration pilots

1.The social service does help persons in different situations individually. First of all, the immigrants make a “living-plan” together with the social workers, by taking into account the individual needs of every immigrant. Furthermore immigrants have the chance to ask for help whenever they have problems. The most important indicators for integration are education and language skills, immigrants who accept the German culture and even learn the language, have better chances to integrate themselves fast and to become independent of the state-facilities.

2.The integration is additionally promoted by special projects, supporting the approach of immigrants and Germans. In Seelze, this work is attended by a delegated woman for integration. From 2005 to 2010 she realized more than 7 projects together with the administration and immigrants. Moreover, especially children and teenagers are supported in their integration, for example by doing sports in a club, because in this age integration succeeds better.

3.Since 2009, two women support immigrated families in their every-day-life. These women work voluntarily and additionally to the staffs of the administration. Because of the short while they have been working, there are no solid results of their work yet.

Illustration of one project to integrate immigrants:
In 2008, seven immigrated boys and one German build a cargo rail station model, under instruction of the joinery and administration in Seelze. There were 3 Russian boys, 1 Turkish, 1 Albanian and 1 Polish immigrant in the project. This project had the following targets:

practical:
- learning technical skills
- focusing local workforce

educational:
- supporting solidarity
- working for the commonwealth
- supporting the understanding for each other
- establishing new social contacts

The result:
This model was issued during the 100th celebration of the cargo rail station. The boys were very proud of what they had achieved. The rail station is the biggest one in Northern Germany and one of the most important places in Seelze. Today the model is placed in the museum of local history in Seelze.The EU has supported this project financially.

Interviews by German students

2010-06-02T20:56:00.002+01:00

From Bukarest to Berenbostel

Question: Could you please introduce yourself?
Answer: My name is Andrea, I am 32 years old and I come from Romania and I emigrated from Bukarest to Berenbostel, Germany, eight years ago.

Q: What were your reasons to emigrate? Why did you choose Germany?
A: I had personal reasons for my emigration. I got to know my husband, who comes from Germany. Eight years ago I followed him.

Q: What was your impression of Germany before you went there? Were there any personal imaginations or opinions of your family / your friends?
A: No, especially for Germany there were no imaginations. Certainly it was something special to live in a foreign country for such a long time. A few times people got jealous when they listened to my stories.

Q: How did the settling down proceed? Did you have major problems with the integration? How did you manage the unknown language?
A: I used to study German in Romania. But this basic language didn’t help me a lot. Because of my German husband my integration was immensely relieved. I was introduced to his friends and his family. I forced the people to speak with me in the English language in Germany the first time.
But my first impression of Germany was really negative. After six o’clock the streets used to be almost empty here in Berenbostel, so I asked my husband for the reason for that, because I was really confused. I lived in the capital of Romania before my emigration and I did not know anything like this. For me it was usual to go out with a friend into a cybercafé even at two o’ clock in the night.

Q: What was your entrance in the work life like?
A: After a few months I started with my first job as a waiter in a café, although I almost couldn’t speak any German. I took the menu and learned it by heart. But when costumers had any requests I understandably had my problems. Because of my husband, who works at the police station, I got my current job as an interpreter at the police station.

Q: What do you think are the differences between Germany and your mother country Romania?
A: The most differences are between the people here in Germany and the people in Romania. People in Romania are considerably friendlier and more open hearted. Also the people in Romania are more hospitable; regardless of whether he or she is poor or rich, immediately the guest is offered something. In my eyes the German people are cold, stingy and reluctant. For example when I could not sleep, I went to my friend in the middle of the night, threw stones at her window and did something with her in the city. Something like this would be inconceivable here in Germany, while this is natural in Romania.

Q: Please remember your first time here in Germany. Would you say that the integration was difficult because of the different traits of the people?
A: Yes, at the beginning it was really difficult. It took me almost two years to meet friends. In the first years I used to be homesick, especially at the holidays like Christmas. I thought a lot of my family and often I cried.

Q: Is there any longer a connection to your family and friends in your homeland? Do you keep in touch with Romanian clubs or associations here in Germany?
A: Still I keep up the contact to my family and friends in Romania. Also in Germany, I met some Romanian friends, but my best friend here in Germany is German and no, I don’t keep in touch with Romanian clubs.

Q: Looking back at the eight years you now live here in Germany, would you say that it was the right decision to immigrate to Germany?
A: I can only answer this question inaccurately. Maybe it would have been better to build up my life in Romania before immigrating to Germany.

Interview by Jan Helle
Translated by Andre Krahl

My interview with Ufuk Özer

Why does your family live in Germany?

My grandfather was a guest-worker in Germany. 1970 he came to Germany and was the whole time bus driver. Through a reunion of the family my father came to Germany too. I was born in Germany.

What is your impression of Germany?

In comparison to many other countries Germany is the best country in which you can live. But the contact among people is often very cold. It is a pity that many people are so cold to one another.

What was the best and what the worst experience here in Germany?

I have experienced many things here in Germany, but I have to think about it, which was good and what was bad… I will begin with my worst experience here in Germany. I was approx. 6 years old. One night a neighbour rang the doorbell. When my mother opened the peephole, the neighbour battered with a hammer against the window. He said that since we lived there it stank and we only produced trash. One evening father attacked this neighbour. Since that day there was only hatred and we couldn’t go out alone to play. It was so wicked that we had to move away. My best experience was in the time at elementary school. In elementary school was a teacher who helped me with my linguistic problems and explained much to me. She gave me much advice which often helped me. Altogehter I think I learned so many negative things.

Do you feel accepted in Germany?

In principle I would say no. I have learnt, that I was treated different than others in police controls. A policeman called me a “goddamn Döner”. I told him “I am a potato” (because I own a German identity card and the German citizenship.) My sister is medical secretary and meets, time and again, people who don’t acknowledge her as medical secretary or say, that they don’t want be examined by a Turk.

Were you ever discriminated or personally attacked because of your culture?

Oh yes, very often. Once, such things like in question three. I was often named as unprogressive and conservative because I am proud about the things I believe in.

Would you say that you are integrated into the German society?

Yes of course! I see no differences between me and a German boy. I play in a German football team, go often to a German bakery to buy my buns, visit a German speaking grammar school and live my life like a German child. And just because I celebrate Bayram instead of Christmas, because I drink tea instead of beer to celebrate something or because I go to the Turkish corner instead of discos I should be different? I follow the rules of the society but I don’t want to assimilate.

Is it possible for you to live according to your religion?

In my opinion my religion is tolerated in Germany. I think this is great.
I can exercise my religion freely. I mean, in the school I wait for the break and go to my car to pray. This is the best solution and I am not constricted.

Would you go back to Turkey or do you plan to? When, why?

No, I don’t. I was raised here. When I go back to Turkey today it would be very complicated for me to adapt to the rules there. In Turkey live different people. There the “German-Turk” is named “Alamanci”, this is very pejorative. In Turkey we are treated like foreigners. I can think about living in the Turkey, but not at the moment.

Where do you see yourself in 20 years?

I can’t say that to 100%, I have plans. The best is a job to support a family and be of use for society. I only can say that I have wishes and dreams…. But what will happen und what not, will be decided by God alone.

Please make a ranking with the words: Family, religion and culture.

On top of the list is for me my religion, in the second place is the family and then the culture. On the bottom of the list under all the other points is “fun” and all the things, that have to do with it. With this I mean the people who live from welfare money and at the cost of the normal people, those who only want to drink and party. Those people who ruin our reputation.

Interview by Vanessa Seifert

Interview with A.

My name is A. and I am the child of repatriates of German origin, who came back from Russia to Germany in 1990. I was born in Germany (Hanover) and I don’t talk Russian, although I understand a large part of the language. Both of my parents were born in Russia, but they speak nearly perfect German. My mother has a noticeable accent.
In the 1980s my parents were thinking about going to Germany because of the fact that the political and social situation was very difficult in Russia. Basic human rights were only partly given, e.g. the right to vote. Besides, my parents had to live with prejudices as Russian Germans. They were called traitors and “Nazis” and they were not allowed to speak German.
The fact that my grand-parents and other relatives had dared to leave their country of birth heartened my parents to go back to Germany, too. They needed much courage for a big step to something new. In 1990 they sold their farm and left for Germany. At this time my mother was pregnant with me in the eighth month and many of the relatives were afraid whether she could travel without any difficulties.
After arriving my parents and sister had to live in a house for asylum seekers for two years. They lived in different three-room apartments. My parents had to visit a language course to be able to talk to the Germans and my sister was in kindergarten. After the language course my father worked in the same job which he had in Russia. My mother does not have a professional education, so she is still a housewife. One of the problems my mother had was her accent so, for example, she didn’t go to parents’ evenings at our schools. Furthermore the teacher said that they had to speak German at home.
I try to help my mother often because she thinks that the Germans don’t like her because of her accent. I was afraid of prejudices so I never talked about my parents’ origin. Nowadays I am more open with this issue.
I don’t want to learn Russian because I feel like a German citizen. I am glad to live with two cultures - it’s an enrichment for me.

Translated by Sarina Steinborn and Ghadir Ballout

Interview with a third generation Turkish immigrant

Hello Burak, maybe you can tell us something about yourself before we start with the interview.

My name is Burak and I am 18 years old. I was born in Hanover and now I live in Seelze, with my mother, my father and my three younger siblings. My family owns several houses. At the moment I visit a vocational college.

Burak, the first question deals with your family. Where are your parents from and what was their job there?

My parents came from a small town near the city Izmir at the Aegean Sea. These people hadn’t a lot of money and they were working as farmers. Today you would say that they belong to the lower class.

When did your parents come to Germany and how old were they?

My maternal grandfather was a first-generation immigrant worker and he took my grandmother and my mother to Germany. She was two years old at that time. My father met my mother in Germany while visiting friends. He was 20 years old when he came to Germany. My siblings and I were born in Germany.

Why did your parents choose Germany as their homeland and how did they get here?

As I said before my family didn’t have a very comfortable life in Turkey. In Germany there was a great economic boom and they searched for workers. In the 1960s they hired immigrant workers from Turkey and my parents expected a better life. The papers were taken care of by the employer and they got an apartment provided.

Did they come alone or with their family?

First my grandfather came to Germany as an immigrant worker and he should return after five years. But the companies wanted to keep the immigrant workers for a longer time because they didn’t want to educate new workers constantly. So my family followed him.

What did the parents of your grandparents think about this?

The people from the Anatolian villages didn’t have much money and because of that they were very proud and they expected wealth from the homecoming money.

Where there any problems leaving Turkey?

No, because there where special treaties between Germany and Turkey.

How did your parents imagine Germany to be and how did they prepare to live here?

My grandparents didn’t know Germany very well. The people from Anatolia knew that the living conditions were much better and they thought that Germany was a very rich country. Before the immigration they didn’t prepare themselves because they meant to stay only temporarily. My grandparents learnt to speak German here. My parents also visited language classes, although my mother grew up in Germany.

Did they accept the qualifications of your parents?

My father studied in Turkey, but that wasn’t accepted.

What are your parents’ professions?

My father has worked for VSM for 18 years. My mother has a small bakery in our town.
Which citizenship do your parents own, Turkish or German?
My parents and I have both citizenships.

How did you grow up? Did your parents speak Turkish or German with you and your siblings?

I was in the swimming team and now I play football in a football club in Letter. On the one hand I have got a lot of Turkish friends but on the other hand I made German friends in school. During my childhood I often visited Turkey and because of that I met other friends from there.

What would your parents say if your girlfriend was German? What would happen if you married her? How do you think about it?

I don’t care which nationality my wife might have. Sure she also can be German. But honestly I have to say my parents wouldn’t take it that easy and they may wish to have a Turkish daughter- in- law.

What do and what don’t you like about Germany?

I was born here and I like German discipline and orderliness. However, Turkish casualness can be a nice change from that as well. I don’t like the fact that many Germans are prejudiced against Turks. I really hope this will change in the future.

Do you want to move to Turkey one day? Maybe as a pensioner?

That is very unlikely, having grown up here. But I wouln’t rule it out to 100 per cent as we have many relatives in Turkey to whom we hold up the contact. My grandparents go to Turkey every year for about two months, whereas I only go every other year.

Where do you want to be buried after you die?

We have a family grave in Turkey where my grandparents and parents want to be buried. So that counts for me as well.

Thanks for the interview.

Interview by Peter-Christian Betke, translated by Vanessa Reinhold and Philipp Werner

Interview with Elisabeth Wilk

Hello Mrs Wilk. First of all I want to thank you for your agreement to give us an interview. Please tell us, at first, something about yourself!
Wilk: Hello. My name is Elisabeth Wilk. I’m German but originally I come from Poland, near Warsaw. I was born there on 15th September 1956.

When did you come to Germany?

Wilk: At the beginning of 1960 we left Poland and moved to Hamburg.

And why did you leave your native country? Were there any special reasons for leaving?

Wilk: Of course. To cut a long story short: we left because my father got a better place of employment. In addition to that, we had relatives in Germany. So it wasn’t very hard for my parents to leave our country, especially for my father as a native German it wasn’t a problem.

Your father was German? So why did you live in Poland before?

Wilk: As far as I know he left at that time because of employment, but don’t ask me about the details. I don’t know them precisely. That’s what he has been telling me all the years. There he got to know my mother and in 1949 they married. After the marriage they stayed in Poland first, where we, both of my brothers and sisters and I, were born. We also grew up in Poland till my father received a job proposition in Germany and that was the reason for going back to Germany.

Do you remember your first impressions when you came to Germany?

Wilk: I don’t remember a lot, because I was only three years old. But what I can bring back to mind is that I was really missing my friends. There were some kids from the neighborhood that I played with. My mother told me that at the beginning I was really petulant because I wanted to see my friends. So therefore I think my first impressions weren’t very good. But from my point of view now and from my situation today I definitely would say that it was a good decision to move to Germany.

Why do you think that your decision was good?

Wilk: I simply think that my brothers and sisters and I had better chances for our futures. And of course our financial situation was better than before because of my father’s job. Moreover we have got family in Germany and in Poland. So all in all I think that the decision to move to Germany was good.

Did you experience any problems as an immigrant?

Wilk: No, as far as I know I didn’t. Because of the fact that my father was German it wasn’t a problem for us to get a German passport. We also had no problem to move into our new apartment after members of our family that live in Germany had already prepared everything for us. And as far as I know from tales there were no complications with our immigration.

Did you miss Poland after you left, apart from the fact that you missed your friends?

Wilk: We children only missed Poland because of our friends. My father was very glad to be back in Germany. Of course there were some friends from Poland he would have been happy to hold the contact to. I think my mother was the one who was hurt the most. She had never been anywhere else than in Poland. But she never blamed anybody although she had to leave her family and had to start from the beginning. Later she found an employment as a shop assistant. From that point I think she neither didn’t want to go back.

Was it hard for you to find new friends and to integrate?

Wilk: No. For us children it was very simple. Especially for my little sister who was born here in 1961 it was no problem because she was already born in the ‘’German culture’’. My other brothers and sisters and I were also already speaking German because of the fact that we were educated bilingually. And that was another point where my mother was in the worst situation. She didn’t speak German very well, but after a short time she learned to speak German and also got familiar with the new ‘’culture’’.

Did you have problems with prejudices?

Wilk: I have never experienced anything like that. Maybe because some people don’t even know that I come from Poland because I speak better German than Polish. But I remember an incident with my sister. In the beginning she spoke a lot of Polish with my brother, so they were insulted by another girl. But that was not anything grave.

Do you live here more than a German or more than a Polish person?

Wilk: German! I see myself as a German. We even lived like Germans in Poland. I would never go back to Poland. Apart from some relatives, I have no connection to that country. My sisters see it in the same way and even my mother doesn’t want to go back.

Thanks for the interview.

Interview by Jasmina Tews
Translation by Gabriele Bubula

Interview with Erdem Savas

Which generation of your family emigrated to Germany and which were the reasons for their emigration?
Erdem: My grandfather and my grandmother emigrated in 1967 together with my father, who was born in Turkey in 1964. To begin with, my family lived in the city of Canakkale which is near the antique city of Troja. My grandparents have seven sisters and brothers. The main reason for their emigration was the unemployment in Turkey. In addition, my grandfather did not want to work in agriculture. As a result, they abandoned their domicile and came to Germany. Fortunately, my grandfather had a qualification from Turkey, which was accepted by the German government. As a simple guest worker, my grandfather worked for Continental, a company that produces rubber tyres. There, he had to melt the rubber. In general, this work was very difficult because of the stench, which was the reason why the foreign workers had to do this work. His qualification was very good; as a consequence he was able to work in higher positions later. Furthermore, he got a master degree in his job because he went to a master school. Accordingly, he was allowed to educate other workers in his business. After years of hard work, he went into retirement in 1995.
How did your parents’ and your journey through life continue in Germany?
Erdem: Well, my father ended school with the Certificate of Secondary Education and worked in many cities in different businesses. In the year 2000 he decided to stay in Hannover with his parents and the other family members and he began a job at VW. Fortunately, all family members are able to speak German. Only my mother and grandmother speak a lot of Turkish with me. I´d like to point out that my life was normal, as that of German people. I was born in Hanover on June 10th 1987. My parents and my older sister taught me German and therefore I was able to speak German with the other children in kindergarten. In particular, I learned Turkish from my grandmother and my mother. But I did not have to go to Koran school. After the basic education I went to junior high school. What is important is that I finished school as the only foreign person. I changed the school and went to gymnasium. I´d like to stress the point that I finished my secondary school education with the high GPA of 1.4! Now, I’m doing a “dual studies” education at VW: for three days in a week I go to the technical college in Hanover, on the other three days I work in my company as a technician. It is essential to say that I am very proud of my education because I am the first family member who finished school with a secondary school education. In the future, I am going to work in the foreign department of VW and visit a lot of countries all over the world.

So you are not the typical immigrant. Don’t you want to live like your family and have your own big family?
Erdem: First of all, I am not a typical family man and therefore I want to see the world and travel through all countries. In addition, I will create a plan for my future. I might marry in my future, too, but at the moment I have other preferences.

Does your family live like the Germans or do they have a traditional life?
Erdem: Basically, one can say that my family lives a modern, German life. Not only the German families live in a modern way, but also the Turkish families. I would like to add that my mother cooks German and Turkish food. Moreover, on Easter and on Christmas my whole family gets together like most German families. Nevertheless, we celebrate the Turkish public holidays.

Are you more a Turkish man or a German one?
Erdem: Well, I am more German than Turkish, but I feel good in both countries. This is due to the fact that I know both cultures very well, thus, I can use both advantages. To give an example, I am able to speak Turkish with my assistants. It is very helpful to explain something to them in their own language. When I was able to decide, I chose the German passport. This can be explained by saying that I feel at home in Germany. Apart from that, I have the right for work and live in Turkey. To be more accurate, I am allowed to have all rights, except the right to vote. In Germany, I always go to a Turkish hair dresser where I can practice my Turkish. It bothers nobody there, whereas I do not speak Turkish on the streets where it might bother people. What makes me Turkish is my temper and my stubbornness, but I have also German traits such as punctuality and diligence.

Has your family ever faced discrimination?
Erdem: Nobody in my family was received badly by the Germans. But al the members of my family have done a lot to adapt to German life since they came. My grandfather and father worked very hard and I am the first one to have a good starting point in life. I was brought up bilingually. And I was lucky not to look to Turkish, with my blue eyes. Many Turks still have a lot of problems at school because they don’t speak German well. This is due to the fact that they stick among themselves. They do not know where they belong. Generally, mistakes are made by both sides, Germans and Turks. A better looking after would give many a better perspective. Education is the only way, but you have to do something for it, too.

Will your parents ever go back to Turkey?
Erdem: My parents have always spent time in Turkey, so they will never lose the contact to that country. I don’t think they will ever leave Germany for good, having friends and family here and having built a house. But they might “commute” between the two countries in the future, spending the summers in Germany and the winters in Turkey. Which is what many German Turks do. It is also true that they prefer BMWs.

Interview by Saskia Sack
Translated by Nele Fischer and Svenja Struß

Interview with Natalja K.

For the subject "Integration" I had an interview with an immigrant called Natalja K. . She was born in Russia but today she lives in Germany. She and her family, her husband (Andrej K.), her son (Dieter H., birth name Dimitrij K.) and her daughter (Maria K.) emigrated from Russia to Germany in 1996. She reported something about the background, the integration and experiences which she and her family have made.
In the beginning of the interview, I asked her what were the motivation for Natalja and her family to emigrate. She told me that the main reason were their children and the future. She explained this statement with the fact that during this time the crime rate was very high in Russia and that they as parents had fears about their children. In addition, her son would have had to start the military duty in the red army. The main reason for the thoughts of emigration was the instable economic and political situation of the land. Based on this answer I asked her, why they chose Germany. The mother and the grandmother of Mr. K. already lived in Germany, so they chose Germany to reunite the family. Accordingly, I wanted to know, what the first impression was which Natalja and her family had about Germany.
Mrs. K. answered that she has to make adistinction because before they emigrated, she and her family had visited their mother and grandmother in Germany in 1994. She said that she and her family had liked it so much that they did not want to go back. The politics and economy in Germany were more stable and the circumstances were much better than in Russia. My next question was how the impression of Germany was after the emigration and whether it was still positive. She told me that the impression changed through the acute troubles like linguistic problems, no work and the increasing bureaucracy. Natalja K. said that it mas no more like in the vacation. To secure her own future and the future of the children was the only concern at that time.
I wanted to know how Natalja K. and her family were received here in Germany. She reported that there were different reactions. During the passing through the departments they met people which were very friendly to her and her family, because it was a normal situation to them. But there were also persons who showed antipathy and prejudices. After a linguistic test Mrs. K. was classified as a foreigner and according to this she got a Russian identity card.
My next question was whether she feels integrated or if there are still problems.
She answered that she feels integrated, but that there also problems: She still is considered as a Russian. Natalja and her husband recognized the prejudices and the social exclusion especially with their children. Their son changed his birthname into a German name because of problems in school, in everyday life and also because of the unsuccessful search for a traineeship. Mrs. K. said, that her family and especially their son recognize that this was the right decision, because with his German name he is treated differently and is respected by some people. Many people even don’t recognize that his parents are foreigners and he was born in Russia.
“A change of name?” I asked. Furthermore I wanted to know, whether anyone can do this or not. She answered that this is only possible in Lower Saxony at the moment. First you have to make an application for the change of the name at the civil registry office giving a written ground for the change. The base for the approval of the change of the name is that the applicant has a family member who is German citizen and is considered as repatriate. She also said, that this is a complex procedure and her son had to go often to the civil registry office and show the documents of the family and the documents of his grandmother, a copy of the identity card of his parents, the birth certificate and the documents from the late emigration to change his name from Dimitrij K. to Dieter H. This isn’t only a complex procedure, it is expensive too. You have to pay 500 Euros. Despite this complex and expensive procedure they also want to make it possible for their daughter. During the interview I asked Natalja K. whether there is still contact to Russia or if it is totally dismantled. Mrs. Natalja K. explained that the contact will still continue because her whole family still lives in Russia.
Her family still likes their home country after all these years. They watch Russian shows on TV and it is very important for them, to raise the children with two languages.
My last question was, if they plan to go back to Russia. She answered me that she doesn’t want to go back to Russia these days. She and her husband said that if the situation in Russia will continue to get better while the situation in Germany gets worse and Germany shows an instable economic and political situation they could think of going back to Russia for retirement.

Interview and translation by Claudia Fischer

Timea

2010-01-13T18:40:00.000+01:00

Emotions

It was a lovely autumn day as I arrived at school. The morning was pleasant and I didn’t have a problem getting up so early.
I entered the classroom and four of my colleagues were anxious and nervous. I immediately understood their state of spirit as we were talking about Petruţa, Florina, Roxana and Paul. You could see the excitement on their faces as the big day was approaching.
I remembered than, the first school day after the summer holidays, when the whole class gathered and decided, together with our form teacher, who was going to go to Germany with the project “Immigrants, past and present”. Those were the four pupils selected to happily represent our country and city.
On that autumn day, the emotions were high. We tried to encourage our classmates, telling them that everything will be all right. We were sure that they would have a wonderful time in Germany with the other pupils and teachers. And so it was. All four of them got back from the trip filled with positive thoughts and feelings. We were all proud of them because they managed to proudly represent our College. The period 1st – 6th of December 2009 offered the participants involved in the project a rich and powerful experience. As our classmates expressed in their feedbacks, this trip was all worth, despite their anxiety and maybe even fear. They came back and shared with the rest of us all their positive energy and wonderful experiences from Germany. The satisfactions from working in the project and visiting the beautiful cities of Germany were big. We even saw photos of the participants working hard doing their job as good as possible.
Those days have gone by quickly but they will manage to stay unforgettable in their hearts.
Horvath Timea

Third Project Meeting in Germany

2009-12-30T11:02:00.001+01:00

The third project meeting took place in Germany and was hosted by Georg - Büchner -Gymnasium Seelze.

Participants
The Romanian team (Mariana Hudrea, Simona Dicu and Flavia Costin plus their pupils) arrived on Monday 30 November followed by the remaining teams the next day;
Alasdair Watts and Colette Bourgeois from France, Huseyin Öztürk and Rafet Akay from Turkey, Monica Meneghelli and Patrizia Tommasi from Italy, Jola Prodanowska and Dorata Boryczko from Poland. Altogether 16 foreign pupils attended the project meeting from these five countries.

Accommodation
All staff were accommodated at the Hotel Waldersee in Hanover and pupils by host families. Teachers all expressed satisfaction regarding the choice of the hotel which offered excellent value for money. It should also be pointed out that staff had very positive feedback from pupils concerning host families.

Wednesday
The official meeting began on Wednesday 2 December. The head teacher Mr Gerold Muller greeted participants in the school auditorium with a short speech before a group of musicians offered us a rousing performance of some songs they had specially prepared for the occasion.
We were offered a brief tour of the GBG in groups and all were struck by the pleasant working atmosphere that pervades. Pupils remarked in particular how agreeable it was for works of art to be exhibited around the building.
We returned to the auditorium where the ‘serious business’ of the conference could begin. The Polish, Italian and Romanian groups presented films they had made interviewing immigrants. The two French pupils made a presentation, illustrated with photographs and a short video, of the ‘Jungle’ in Calais where hundreds of illegal immigrants, mainly from Afghanistan, are currently based with the expectation of somehow, or anyhow, crossing The English Channel to reach the UK. There followed a lively exchange of views particularly from those German pupils who have been studying this question in their English classes having watched the British film ‘It’s a Free World’ (on last year’s programme of activities) and the French film ‘Welcome’.
The first morning’s activities concluded with the opportunity for pupils and teachers alike to observe classes. Teachers noted the ease and the frequency with which the German pupils participated in class.
In the afternoon we were taken on a guided tour of Hanover and the day concluded with an evening meal for teachers at the “Ständige Vertretung”.

Thursday
Thursday was devoted to the question of German immigration. The political scientist Franziska Woellert from the prestigious ‘Berlin-Insitut für Bevölkerung und Entwicklung’ offered us some fascinating insights into the question illustrating her talk with graphs and statistics.
We were then introduced to three groups of immigrants (mainly parents) representing the different waves of immigration to Germany over the last thirty years; two Gastarbeiter (from Spain and Turkey), two ethnic migrants (Aussiedler from Kazakhstan and Romania) and two so-called economic migrants from Poland. Teachers and pupils were divided into mixed nationality groups and each group given the task of interviewing their immigrant. In the afternoon, groups had an hour to prepare the presentation they would make to the plenary session that followed. Pupils appreciated having the chance to express themselves in English at such length and share knowledge gained from ‘their’ immigrant with fellow participants.

Friday
Friday morning concerned the Turkish question. Wolfgang Mertens and Till Winkler started by showing us a film that they had made the previous summer starring our Turkish colleague Hüseyin Oztürk.
Hüseyin spent the first eleven years of his life in the town of Vlotho about 60 kms from Hanover before his parents decided to move back to Turkey. The film showed Hüseyin returning to the town of his childhood rediscovering places and people he hadn’t seen for over twenty years. The film was very moving and taught us much about how uprooting an experience emigration must be.
A round table discussion involving two parents of Turkish origin and chaired by Canan Topcu, a former pupil of GBG and now successful journalist working for the Frankfurter Rundschau, dealt with the Turkish question. The debate was animated and informative with many pupils, particularly those of Turkish origin, joining in to relate their experience of living in Germany.
In the afternoon pupils were given free time. Teachers in the meantime were shown an excellent film made by the Romanian team of the second meeting in Baia Mare.

Plans for Bursa
We then got down to the business of discussing plans for Bursa. The first item on the agenda was the dates. We agreed that participants would arrive on Tuesday 25 May and that the official programme would begin on Wednesday 26 May and conclude on Friday 28 May with participants leaving on Saturday 29 or Sunday 30 May.
We discussed activities for the meeting in Bursa. Hüseyin explained that he would build his programme around the theme of immigration while also offering teams an opportunity to discover Bursa and Istanbul. Between now and May our pupils will prepare presentations on news items related to the theme of immigration or emigration covered by the media in our respective countries. These will be shown in Bursa. It was also agreed that we would continue the tradition at each of our meetings of placing pupils in mixed nationality groups, this time with the task of producing posters promoting the underlying message of tolerance and anti-racism that has been prevalent throughout the two years of our project.

Saturday
The official programme concluded with a visit to the Museum of Emigration in Ballinstadt where pupils learnt the importance of Hamburg as a port from which millions of Germans, East Europeans and Scandinavians left Europe in search of a better life in the ‘New World’.
Teams returned home on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 December.

A word of thanks
On behalf of all teams I wish to thank our German colleagues for producing such a rich and varied programme that none of us shall ever forget.

Alasdair Watts
Project Coordinator

Interviewing Immigrants

2009-12-12T07:46:00.005+01:00

Project meeting- Germany

Interview with Irina Schaad

• 44 Years old
• born in Kazakhstan
• has been living in Germany now for 19 years

Historical Background of Germans in Russia
In the 18th century Catherine the Great needed more workers for her land in Russia. Catherine the Great had a German Background and the economic situation in Germany was not very good. Therefore many people from Germany moved to Russia to find jobs and to work on the fields.
For more than 100 years the immigrants from Germany lived and worked in Russia, but they still spoke German and lived in German communities where only Germans lived.

Beginning of World War II
When Hitler invaded Russia, during Stalin's dictatorship, Stalin was afraid that the Germans who lived in Russia would assist the German troops. That is why he decided to make the Germans leave Russia and move to Siberia and Kazakhstan as a punishment where they were forced to work in labor camps.
Stalin was very cruel and arrested and murdered many people in Russia, too, when they seemed to be against the government. During this time Irina Schaad's grandparents were killed.
In the new countries where they were forced to live now, Germans did not use the German language in public anymore, because they were hated and mocked because of Hitlers politics.
Irina Schaad was born in Kazakhstan and learned the German language from her grandmother, who still spoke German as did many other older people.
When Stalin finally died, people got the opportunity to start a life in freedom and decide on their own. Unfortunately they did not know how to behave and how to use their newly earned freedom.

Irina's Arrival in Germany
When Irina arrived in Germany she was 25 years old and already had a 3 months old child. Irina and her husband were both well qualified. Her husband couldn't find a job corresponding to his qualifications, so he worked in a factory. Today he is very happy in his job, but he has more problems speaking German. Irina herself worked for an insurance company and did a training course to do her new job. She stopped working for 3 years to have another baby and bring up her child. After 3 years of maternity leave she went back to her work. Now she is in charge of the new recruits and apprentices and has many responsibilities.
When she arrived in Germany she suffered a cultural shock, because many things were different. Her parents had brought her up in a very strict way, so she had always done what her parents told her to do. In Germany children are more free and talk back to their parents. In school they can eat and drink in the classroom. And young couples live together before getting married.

Interview by Roxana Serba, Saskia Sack, Audrey Miege, Christiane Staub, Ibrahim Ozdemir, Lukas Thum, Sascha Remus, kayleigh Kirwan
José Carrascosa

We have interviewed José Carrascosa who has been living in Germany for almost 50 years. José was born in Barcelona, Spain, in 1933. His mother died when he was a baby, he only had a father and a sister. He emigrated because it was a difficult period for Spain because of the civil war from 1936 to 1939 which ended in Franco's dictatorship. Spain was isolated from the rest of Europe. The most important reason to leave Spain was that his personal freedom was restricted because of corruption in Franco's regime. After he finished his military service, he decided to emigrate. He chose Germany because of the propaganda in Franco's dictatorship. Due to the connection between Franco and Hitler during the Second World War, the image of Germany in Spain was a positive one. José thought that Germany had a great landscape with beautiful blond girls. Before leaving he prepared himself by studying German on his own. He had to decide whether to buy a dictionary or a coat and he chose the dictionary. That shows his will to integrate into German society even before he arrived in Germany.
He came to Germany by hitch-hiking and reached Frankfurt in one night. In Germany he got some problems, for example to find a flat or a job. At first he lived in a hostel and shared his room with other immigrants. Then it was easy to find a job because workforces were needed and Spanish people were well liked. While doing several jobs and traveling through Germany he got good impressions of the country. Germany was different than he had imagined. People were always on the run and the lifestyle was faster than in Spain.
In 1958 he came to Hanover where he wanted to work as surveyor but he only got a job as builder. He started working at Volkswagen in Stöcken in 1959.
José lived together with German workers to improve his language skills. In 1961 he married a German teacher. The only problem was his father-in-law because he had prejudices against foreigners. He has two children: a daughter and a son. The daughter is a German citizen and speaks Spanish, and the son is a Spanish citizen and doesn't speak Spanish.
José still has a Spanish citizenship but loves both Germany and Spain. He is well integrated in German society and he sings in the church choir and he knows almost everyone in the village he is living in.

Interview by Boga Petruta, Christian Galert, Sarah Waldhauer, Christian Betke, Nils Düppers, Alice Arduini, Janina Babst, Halil Ibrahim Sunac
Renata Kurowska

Renata is an immigrant from Poland. She came here in April 1989. She used to live in Poznan, where she studied zoo technology. The reasons for her emigration were economical and personal. She traveled by car to Berlin before she moved to Hanover. At first she did many illegal jobs but she didn't want to work as a laborer so she started a course after which she had the opportunity to work in an old people's home, where she has been working for 12 years now. Her job is a pleasure for her because she always wanted to help other people. She is also very satisfied with the salary, which is very high in comparison with Poland.
When Renata first came to Germany she was very impressed by the beautiful landscape, nature and the infrastructure. She easily integrated into German society and always had a friendly relationship with other people. What she really liked was the anonymity in the big city and the way people behave. Despite of being away from her home country for many years she considers herself as Polish. As a result she refused to have a German passport. She visits Poland very often.

Piotr Kurowski

Piotr is Renata's brother. He has left Poland when he was 17 years old. It was in 1977. He has emigrated because of economical reasons. Piotr has finished his studies in Berlin. Then, he wanted to start a political career. At first, he used to work in a German Embassy. Because of his marriage with a student, he couldn't continue working as a politician. As a result of this decision he has started to work as a construction supervisor. He was doing that job for about 20 years. Now, when he is retired he has the opportunity to travel all around the world.
Piotr's first impressions when he came to Germany were very positive. Germans treated him in a very respectful way and as an equal part of their society. So he thinks that Polish people are well integrated and accepted due to the similar cultures of both countries.

All in all, we can say that both our guests are happy in Germany but they have never forgotten their Polish roots. For family reasons they are always looking forward to visiting their homeland but they are not planning to go back there for the rest of their lives.

Interview by Natalia Pawlik, Vanessa Seifert, Patryk Urbas, Markus Baumeister, Justine Laboret, Sarina Neumann, Claudia Fischer, Maria Frangou

Lotte Henz

During the Comenius project we interviewed five immigrants in mixed international groups in order to find out the specific experiences, motivation for immigration and their general views on integration.

Our group, consisting of Armin Bernsee (Germany), Paul Craciun (Romania), Florina Fanea (Romania), Jan Helle (Germany), Huseyin Karagoz (Turkey), Esther Klann (Germany), Saskia Pabst (Germany) and Adelina Steer (Germany), interviewed Mrs Lotte Henz, an ethnic German from Romania who emigrated to Germany after about ten generations of her family had lived in Romania.
She was born in 1961, is married and the mother of two children.
Mrs Lotte Henz emigrated in 1985 at the age of 24. Her motivation for emigration was family reunion and she moved to Hanover because her husband was offered a job in this area. Actually the decision to emigrate to Germany was made by her parents when she was four years old, but it took them 20 years to receive the permission.
Regarding her family history, her ancestors were settled among with a group of Catholic Germans in the South-West of Romania in order to protect the borders from the Ottoman Empire in 1783. There they formed a German community with their own churches and schools. Within this community, the German minority preserved their culture, language and traditions.
Mrs Henz said that they had no problems integrating into German society due to the facts that she spoke the language and that she was introduced by friends and relatives. That is why she considers herself special and privileged.
Thinking of her home country, she only gets nostalgic during Christmas time. Though she keeps in touch with Romanian friends and she is still interested in local politics. Mrs Henz only uses Romanian to communicate via e-mail with one Romanian friend. Also, she did not teach her children Romanian, because she did not consider it necessary. Her children only know some Romanian songs and proverbs. Still she cooks Romanian food from time to time.
She does not want to return to Romania as changes took place and there are no more family members left to visit.
Mrs. Lotte Henz pointed out that she was raised with the belief that the German minority in Romania was better than other minorities which lead her to form prejudices. But by coming to Germany her mentality changed by integrating into German society.

”I now look at the person and not at the place they come from.“
Mr. Sahin

Kemal Sahin was born in 1947 in Germany. His father came from Yugoslavia and his mother was from Germany. After their marriage they lived in Germany for a few years. He passed most of his childhood in Turkey. In 1964, when he was 17 years old, he went back to Germany. Three years later he had to go back to Turkey for military service. In 1971 he married a Turkish woman and they went back to Germany together to get work. At the beginning he had many different jobs, for example as a technician. He has got two children and three grandchildren. Today he is working for a mosque and there, he guides some tours, for example for school classes. This organization is called “Sura”.
When he came to Germany he had many language problems and so it was difficult for him to integrate.

Here are some aspects which he thinks are important for a great integration:
1. to respect the foreigners
2. to socialise with other people so prejudices can be banned
3. to be able to speak the language

In his eyes the integration starts nowadays. When he came to Germany there was no real integration for immigrants. He also thinks that equality is one of the most important preconditions for integration. In our interview he said that the integration has to start early, for example at school or kindergarten. He thinks that teachers have an important role for the children during their integration. His point of view is that religion plays a big role but it's not everything for a great integration. He expects that language is the base for communication. Everyone should be able to speak to the foreigners. He mentioned the danger of a “parallel society”. One reason for this is that the children only know their mother tongue because their families just watch the TV channels of their home countries.

Jale Yasan, Farina Meyfarth, Cem Yada, Tobias Leidig, Cecilia Moratelli, Ramazan Ozfidan, Berkay Tutuk, JasminaTews

Feedback- Paul

2009-12-08T22:46:00.001+01:00

Nervousness. I think that is what I felt before leaving my house. Getting into the right mood was a hard job for me as it was my first time out of the country. Slowly excitement took over and all the tension dissipated as me and my family waited for the arrival of the whole group. Talking to my aunts and my mother was interesting as they showed another kind of nervousness, they were scared and excited at the same time. But as the group gathered the tension seemed to be erased. “Goodbye”, “Be careful” and “Take care” were the phrases used by our loved ones as we got into the van that took us to Cluj.
After a two hour drive to Cluj, we arrived at the hotel where we spent the night. It seemed that phones kept ringing and even now mothers, fathers and loved ones kept telling us to take care and have fun in Germany. It was only then when I realized that I was really going to another country. Thoughts kept coming and leaving my head. After the phone finally went to “sleep” it was my turn to sleep.
We woke up at 4 in the morning to get the plane. We got at the airport in Cluj at half past five with a smile on our faces. As time passed by we kept talking and changing impressions of the “adventure” that was about to unfold in front of us. Being the first time I travelled by plane, it was really exciting for me as I experienced the sensation of flying. I guess you can compare it to a car that drives at 800 kilometres per hour. During our flight we all kept talking, some of us tried to sleep and it seemed it was all in preparation of touching the German ground.
We arrived in Dortmund at about 8 o’clock, we took the bus to the train station where we took the train to Hannover, the city where we would discuss about immigration, emigration and integration. I guess at the train station was the place where we had a taste of German hospitality as a nice lady gave us some pointers regarding our trip to Hannover.
As time passed by when we travelled by train, we were getting more and more excited as we were preparing for the moment when we would meet our hosts. We arrived in Hannover at around 12 o’clock where we met them.
It was then when Armin greeted me with a great smile and I felt relaxed and almost like home. It seemed that somehow this new and exciting place for me slowly became like a familiar spot where I usually came to visit friends.
When we arrived at Armin’s home I was greeted by a man with a smile that was full of warmth and he introduced himself as Armin’s father. Because I was tired I went to sleep in order to be more active and more focused during the project reunion.
It was after my short nap when I really got to see how open Armin and his folks were. I was welcomed into the family as a friend and not as a stranger. So I have to thank the Bernsee family for making my stay in Germany an extremely pleasant one.
The first day of the meeting was another reason of excitement that took over us as we were the first group that presented their interviews. So after getting over the anxiety and butterflies that seemed to keep flying around in our stomach, we managed to deliver our introduction speech and the short film was seen by the participants. It was still on this day that the Polish and Italian group presented their work and we could all see that everyone worked hard for this conference. After that we were given a very nice tour of the school by out German hosts, consisting of Armin, Esther, Saskia and Sarah which we have to thank.
After the meal we had at school we left for a tour of Hannover where Mr. Albrecht and Mr. Winkler acted as our guides showing us Hannover’s beautiful architecture and history. After the tour we all went home and prepared for a nice evening out with everyone and some international bonding. WE all talked and exchanged opinions and impressions.
The second day a presentation of the situation of immigration and integration in Germany was presented to us. It was interesting as it presented statistics that some of us didn’t know about and as we tried to see how the integration problem could be solved we realized that we all had the same problem regarding integration of immigrants, the only thing that was different was the number.
It was on this day that we had a very interesting interview with Ms. Lotte Henz, an ethnic German (aussiedler) who lived in Romania until the age of 24 and after that she came to Germany. Hearing her story was really interesting as she told us that she had no problems integrating as she knew the language, but for other immigrants this couldn’t really apply. So she considered herself blessed and privileged for her smooth integration in the German society.
Again stage fright took over me as we had to present our interview to the participants again. But the international team that was made I think managed to deliver an interesting presentation of the interview.
On the third and last day of the conference we had to write a presentation of the interview, an activity that all the members enjoyed as everyone had their input and the product of this multicultural team was introducing himself with pride as a good result of a tiring day. After this group work the interview with a journalist and two parents took place regarding the integration of Turks in German society, the interview was multilingual and sometimes hard to follow but nevertheless interesting and informational.
On our last day in Hannover, we took a trip to the “BallinStadt” Museum of Immigration in Hamburg, where we could see the place where immigrants came into Germany and the emigrants left. The introduction was really informational and interesting as it was very thorough and presented by an immigrant. The museum was well organized presenting the evolution of the migration phenomenon in Hamburg. I found it all very interesting as it was new for me and it got me captivated. After a short visit in Hamburg we had to go back to Hannover as we had to leave for Dortmund and after that to Romania. We swiftly took off to catch the train and we were bound to Dortmund. I think it was then when homesickness really took over and we really felt tired for the first time in the last week.
The next day when we arrived in Cluj, the phones started ringing again.
Overall the conference was a success and we all had to learn new and interesting things regarding the migration phenomenon in Germany, but we still have to start accepting all persons that immigrate to our country as we are all human beings that feel and breathe. We all have the same problems, but the difference is that they are on another level.
I have to thank Armin’s family for showing me kindness and accepting me into their home for a whole week, the Georg-Büchner-Gymnasium in Seelze for hosting the conference, the participants for taking a step towards integration, even if it is only a small one,. And last but not least to my form teacher for giving me the chance to participate in this reunion and the teachers that acted as our guardians in this trip.
Paul-Cristian Craciun
Romania, Maramures, Baia Mare
“Mihai Eminescu” National College

Feedabacks - Project Reunion in Germany

2009-12-07T18:33:00.002+01:00

I consider myself a very lucky student because I was offered the chance to go to Germany for a week. I am part of the Romanian team and I was very proud to represent my country. First I want to congratulate everyone involved, especially those who have organized this project reunion.
For me the whole experience, from beginning to end was a new one and unique.
Firstly, I had never travelled by plane, it was the first time and I was a little scared. But I realized that is not as scary as I thought, on the contrary it is very comfortable and pleasant.
Of course to get to Hanover we had to travel by bus to the train station in Dortmund and then by train. It was a long and tiring trip but worth the full effort.
I was accommodated by Sarah Waldhauer and I can say I felt like at home. Her parents are also special people and made me a great pleasure to be part of their family for a week.
The first days I visited Hanover and we went shopping and then we visited the school.
Each team presented the film with the interviews. All teams were very good and the presentations as well.
The activity that I liked most was that when we formed teams and got the interview and we presented the results. I was in the team who interviewed José Carrascosa. It was interesting to listen to his life story because I think it could represent, for all of us, an example of strength. He always wanted to be accepted in the German community and he always tried to improve his skills.
The interviews we had taken in our school had also been were very interesting. We found out about the difficulties the persons who leave their native country are being faced with.
I also liked the Hanover tour very much because we visited the most important parts of the city. Hanover is a wonderful place. Especially on the eve of winter holidays it is a very colourful city. In the Christmas market we could feel the magic and joy of the Christmas holidays.
Wednesday I had a special evening, which I will never forget. I was with Sarah’s parents at a Greek restaurant and I felt great and I thank them for those moments which they offered me.

Last but not least, we enjoyed very much visiting Hamburg and the Museum of Immigration. I liked it very much, because it reproduces very well the conditions in which immigrants lived and also what surprised me was that I could listen to each story.
In conclusion the project reunion in Germany was an experience I will never forget.
I thank once again Sarah's family and my form teacher for her trust in me and for this opportunity.

Petruta Boga

Romania

interviews with immigrants Laura Pellet

2009-11-24T15:47:00.003+01:00

Interview with an Immigrant

Myriam HERIZI, an Algerian immigrant has kindly accepted to answer my questions. This is the interview :

Can you introduce yourself, please ?
My name is Myriam HERIZI, I am 32 years old. I come from Algeria and I live in Albertville.

How long have you been in France ?
I have lived in France since I was 7 years old. First my parents and I lived in the suburbs of Paris and after they décided to leave the capital in order to live in the provinces. So we moved to Albertville where I am still leaving now.

Why did you leave your homeland, Algeria ?
We are a huge family, there are 5 children. My father was the only worker in the family because my mother had to take care of us.My father's job was not well paid and since it was the only income of my family,life in Algéria was very hard for us and we didn't live in good conditions.They have always had a dream: one day they would like to leave Algéria and go to France to try their luck and enjoy a better way of life.As they knew a friend who had emigrated to France one year before, they decided to contact him to know if it was possible to come and what the procedure was. A month later, the décision was taken, we left Algéria, our country, our family, our friends and everything that we had there. This was the begining of a new life for us!

What was your journey like ? And what were your first impressions on your arrival ?
First my father left the country on his own. He took the plane directly to Paris and looked for accommodation where he could live and started to apply for a job. It was not easy for him to find a job but finally he succeeded in his search, and after 2 months the rest of the family (my mother,brothers and I) could join him there.
He sent us plane tickets and we came to France. When I arrived in Paris, I was only 7 so I don't remember clearly what my impressions were , the only thing I remember is that the city was very big and there were many people and I was very impressed.

What do you think about living in France ?
Living in France is the best thing I have ever known.I thank my parents for having taken this décision when I was young because it helped me to be quickly integrated and to enjoy a better éducation and now get a decent job. I didn' t have any problems about the language because we also speak French in Algeria.

Do you regret leaving your homeland ?
A part of me knows that Algéeia is still my country and I am proud of it but I don't regret that I left it 25 years ago because I don't think that I would have the same lifestyle in Algéria as in France. I come back to my homeland sometimes for holidays to help me remember a part of my childhood.

Laura PELLET 1ere ES3

interviews with immigrants Ines

2009-11-24T15:42:00.002+01:00

A Rwandan Exile

Which country do you come from ?

I come from Rwanda, a small country in the heart of Africa. I decided to leave Rwanda in 1996 to escape civil war. Actually, when I came into France, the war was over. But there were still violent confrontations. Some of my relatives had been killed and I didn't feel safe in my homeland anymore. It was such a difficult choice but I felt threatened, that's why I decided to leave.

Why did you choose France to go and settle ?

Actually, I had to go to Germany. A friend of mine, who had married a German and who settled in her husband’s country, managed to get an entry permit for me. That’s why I took the opportunity to come into Germany. But my aim was to reach France because I already spoke French, so it would have been easier for me. I managed to come into Paris and I asked for political asylum. They first refused my request and I was threatened with being deported to Germany …

Finaly, did you manage to stay in France ?

Yes I did ! But it was long and difficult ! I was told to collect information in order to obtain the refugee status. I did it, but it took a while for me to get the right papers. I had to wait for about one year… I would call the prefecture every day to get information about my situation !

During this period, did you get an accommodation ?

Yes, I was hosted by fellow countrymen in Paris but I soon as I got the right papers, I decided to go to Lyon in order to start again a study period. Actually, in Rwanda, I had already graduated and I had a job. But when I arrived in France, I had to start from the begenning…

And, did you finally get your degree ?

I got it in 1999 in order to work as an auxiliairy nurse for the disabled. But I’m still looking for a job…

Have you ever suffered from racial discrimination ?
Yes… I’ve already applied for several jobs and sometimes, when I send a CV, then I get an interview. But as soon as people see my face, they don’t agree to hire me anymore.

So, you think it’s difficult to integrate into French society ?

I think so. Things are really different here. People don’t speak to each other. When you say « Hello » to somebody you don’t know, people look at you in a strange way… In my country, everybody talks to each other! And moreover, France is also very cold !

Yes it is. Do you have any plans for the future ?

I’d really like to join a charity, in order to work as a volunteer. I'd like to go and help people in poor countries.

Thanks for answering my questions… Good luck for your projects !

Ines FRESKO 1ES3

interviews with immigrants Tom

2009-11-24T15:39:00.001+01:00

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

interviews with immigrants Justine

2009-11-24T15:26:00.004+01:00

Curiosity about the West
NAME : Milinkov
SURNAME : Ljubomir
DATE OF BIRTH : April 23rd 1938
IN : Sovac, Serbia
DESTINATION COUNTRIES : The United States & France
JOB : Artist
DATES
1962 : Departure to France
1967 : Departure to the United States
1972 : Exhibition in Louisiana
1973 : Exhibition in New-York
1982 : Return to France
1990 : Cover for a UNICEF book
1994 : Exhibition in Paris
2002 : Exhibition in New-York
Official website
http://sazelmad.free.fr/demos/milinkov/

Ljubomir Milinkov was born on April 23rd 1938 in Sovac ( Serbia ). He decided to come to France in 1962 ( he was 24 years old ) for several reasons. First, at the time there was Tito's dictatorship in Yugoslavia. Tito was a communist and stayed in power until he was 87 years old. He set up the personality cult and he had his opponents killed. Moreover, only one party was authorized. Ljubomir left his homeland so that he could have more freedom and rights. The second reason is curiosity about Europe. In fact, Ljubomir wanted to discover the western way of life and more particularly French culture. For example, he was interested in literature. The journey hitch-hiking from Serbia to Paris took 6 weeks. He stayed there 5 years. He was an artist in Montmartre and learnt French on the job. He didn't meet any problems and felt fully integrated. « I've been very well welcomed » he said. In 1967, when he was 29 years old, he took a plane and settled in New-York to acquire spiritual enrichment and a new vision of painting. « The United States is very different from France, but I enjoyed living in those two countries and I managed to get by in both » he said. The Serbian political refugee worked in restaurants as a waiter to earn money because he was broke. He obtained American Nationality after 5 years. In 1972, he came back to Paris, married a French woman and they had two children. He then obtained French nationality. He returned to Serbia after 25 years of absence. « My life has been eventful but I don't regret anything » he said to conclude the interview.

interviews with immigrants Mélanie

2009-11-22T18:47:00.002+01:00

Journey of an immigrant
José is 35. He comes from Pombal, situated in the west part of central Portugal. He has lived in France since the age of 18 He married Lourdes 12 years ago and he has got a child aged 11, Jacento. He works in a vineyard near Chambéry.

Mélanie PAGET: To begin, why did you choose to leave your country?
José: I wanted to find a job and earn some money. In Portugal, it’s very difficult to find a good job when you come from a modest family. At school, I wasn’t a very good pupil and the long studies weren’t made for me. I had found a manual job which was perfectly convenient for me in France. It wasn’t a choice but rather an obligation: if I wanted to succeed in life, I had to leave Portugal.
M.P: Why did you choose France instead of another country?
José: At first, I wanted to go to England because I could speak some words in English. It was easier to communicate with people and to find a job. But, my uncle already lived in France and he proposed me a job where I could be well paid and a place where I could be accommodated. I had a good opportunity and I accepted. Finally, I don’t regret coming to France.
M.P: How did you come to this country? Did you meet difficulties?
José: Near Pombal, there is a city, Leiria, where a bus regularly made round-trips between Chambéry and Leiria. We were about fifty in the bus but most people just went to France to visit their family. During the journey, I worried a lot about my arrival in France. I didn’t really know what was going to take place when I would arrive. During the journey, I almost turned back. The only problem I met was when I arrived in France: I didn’t know a single word of French. I felt lost.
M.P: How do you feel in this new country?
José: I don’t regret coming here. I’m rather well integrated in spite of my language difficulties. I learnt French in 3 months and now I can speak fluently. I consider France as my second mother. If you told me to go back to Portugal for ever, I don’t think that I would do it : here, now, I have my job, my friends, my family, my habits, … Living conditions are very pleasant here.
M.P: Do you think it’s selfish to leave your country to enjoy a better standard of living?
José: (Unsteady) No, I don’t think it’s selfish. My parents agreed and even urged me to leave Portugal. They knew that here I wouldn’t find a well-paid job because of my low school level qualifications. I wanted to prove them that I was able to succeed there. Also, every month, I send some money to my family: I work for me but also for them.
M.P: Do you miss your family?
José: No, because I often return to Portugal during the holidays. Then, today with internet, it’s easier to speak with them, I have more news. We see each other regularly with webcams: I have the impression to have them in front of me.
M. P: Do you think one day you will return to your homeland?
José: (Smiling) I don’t think so. I love this country. Today, I have my house, my friends, my family, my habits here. If I had to go back Portugal, it would just be for holidays and to visit my family.

Mélanie PAGET 1ES3

interviews with immigrants Morgane

2009-11-22T18:46:00.000+01:00

The fabulous destiny of a Scottish Savoyard
Julian is an immigrant who has been living in France for 29 years. He left Scotland when he was 23 years old. He has been living in Puygros, a small village near Chambéry in the Savoy department, since 1992. Before that he spent 12 years in Paris. He is a self-employed technical translator and has a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from Edinburgh University.
When and why did you decide to leave your homeland?
- I decided to leave Scotland in 1980. I left Scotland because my girlfriend was French and I had "fallen in love" with France! But from a very young age I was pretty sure I would not stay in Scotland – the country is beautiful but too small.
What was your journey like?
- I can't remember how I travelled when I came to live in France. But I came alone and I used public transport and showed my passport at the border. I had done the trip from Edinburgh to Paris frequently, often by train from Edinburgh to Dover, ferry from Dover to Calais, then train again from Calais to Paris. I have also done that journey by car, bus and plane. By plane it takes about 2 and half hours, by car it takes about 14 hours, and by train-boat-train it takes even longer.
Why did you choose France instead of another country?
- I loved France, plus the fact that French is the only foreign language I speak (my mother tongue is English) and I knew quite a lot of people.
What were your first impressions on your arrival here?
- When I came to France in 1975, it was the bustling and lively life style of Paris that impressed me. Walking down the Champs Elysées, sitting on the terrace of a “café” in Saint Germain or the Latin Quarter, or just taking the metro - It was all exciting.
How long did you think you would stay in France when you first arrived ? And now ?
- When I came in 1980, it was with the intention of staying for a long time, perhaps all my life.
I don't think I will leave France, I consider it my home now.
What difficulties did you meet?
- I had studied French at school, but did not speak fluently. The first time I stayed for a long time in France was in 1975-76 when I left school. The transition from "school French" to "real French" takes some time. To begin with it's difficult to follow conversations – everything goes too fast.
How long did it take to become integrated and what was the attitude of other people towards you when you arrived ?
- I became integrated almost immediately. Being a white European helps ! I found people very helpful and very friendly. They knew I came to improve my French. When I came back to live in 1980, I already spoke fluent French and was considered almost like a Frenchman (but with a slight foreign accent).
Now, I feel that people consider me to be a fully integrated member of the French community, a Frenchman with an accent if you like !

Was there a difference between the attitude of the townsmen and the countrymen ?
- When I arrived in Puygros, people took an interest in me because I was something of a "rarity" being British. In Paris (or any other large town or city), you are just one of the crowd.

Do you often speak your mother language?
- Yes, regularly with my job and my travels. I go to Britain about once a year and to Scotland every 2 years (roughly).
If you had to remake the choice you made when leaving your homeland, what would you choose ?
- I would do it again There are too many things, I like, in France, to list them. For example, I love the food and wine.

Morgane REYNAUD 1*ES.3

interviews with immigrants Michael

2009-11-22T18:45:00.000+01:00

Maria Ferreira
Interview with a Portuguese immigrant

-Hello, what’s your nationality?
I’m Portuguese and I come from Lisbon where I was born.
-When did you decide to leave your country?
I left in my country when I was three years old. So I’m not the one who decided to leave but my parents.
-Why did they choose France instead of another country?
They decided to come to France because they had already come three years before and had found a job which allowed them to live. So, they wanted to find a job again to be able to bring me up.
-Did you come to France with your family?
Yes, I came to France with all my family because there were my brothers, my parents, my cousins, my uncle and his wife and also my grandparents. We all came by cars.
-What was your journey like?
My journey was very long because we stopped in a lot of cities before finally settling in Savoy. At the beginning, we lived in Nice for a short time then in Saint-Etienne, afterwards we lived in the Ain for one year then we left for Isola 2000 and finally to Savoy, to Albertville where I have lived for more than forty years.
-Did you know anyone in France when you first arrived?
No, unfortunately I knew nobody and neither did my father. It was very hard to find accommodation and a job.
-Did you have difficulties finding work?
Not me because I’ve been in France since my childhood but my father had a lot of difficulties particularly because he didn’t speak French very well. I remember when I was child we had to follow our father each time he changed job, it was very frequent. We were sometimes forced to sleep in bungalows next to sites so that my father could go to work, to allow us to live with a little money.
-Do you regret leaving you homeland?
No, I don’t regret leaving my homeland. I consider myself as a French person contrary to my parents who they will return to Portugal as soon as they can. As for me I sometimes go back to appreciate the country where I was born but I prefer staying in France.

Mickaël ROUX 1ère ES3

interviews with immigrants Maud

2009-11-22T18:44:00.000+01:00

‘WHERE THERE’S A WILL THERE’S A WAY!’

At school, we spoke about immigration in English. That’s why our teacher asked us to interview an immigrant. I decided to interview my neighbour. It allowed me to know her a little more because I really didn’t know her story.

Petra KELLER is my neighbour, an immigrant who comes from Germany. Her story pleased me. When she arrived on her own in France, she was only 20 years old. She already knew Bernard; she met him during her previous visits. She didn’t leave her homeland with her family.
At first, she chose this country to learn the language and to feel happier. Then, she got married with a Frenchman, Bernard. In the course of time, she made many friends. She left her country to better herself.
Today, she has not the intention of going back to her homeland; her only visits are to see her family.

She came to France to have a better life. With her husband, she settled in the countryside so that she could be more at peace. Moreover, Bernard likes taking care of his garden and his beehives.
They have 2 children, Sarah and Martin. Sarah studied old architecture in India and Martin studied in Chambery.
Petra works in Grenoble. Her job consists in correcting school books to publish news. But Bernard has retired lately, she works less than before so that she can spend more time with him.

When she arrived in France, she was very surprised because she obtained her foreign language degree very easily. The hardest thing was understanding something which was simple for people but not for her. Petra also told me about the first time she used the phone in France. First of all, she didn’t dare but finally she decided to do it. She wrote on a piece of paper what she wanted to say. Then she dialled the phone number and the woman understood and asked her something. In the end she didn’t understand exactly what the woman said but was proud of the French woman understanding her.
When she was in Germany, the teachers repeated that she would never manage to speak good French. To conclude, Petra’s story gave me hope and helped me to understand that ‘where there’s a will there’s a way’.

I would like to thank Petra. Without her help I wouldn’t have managed to do this job.

Maud VIGUET 1ES3

interviews with immigrants Mathilde

2009-11-22T18:43:00.000+01:00

FROM ITALY TO FRANCE: A COMPLICATED JOURNEY

FRANKA

What is your homeland? Where do you live now?
I come From Bergamo in the North of Italy and I live in St Pierre d' Albigny at present.

How long have you been in France ?
Since 1950. I was 21 when I arrived.

Why did you leave your homeland ?
My mother died in Italy and my father remarried. I had sisters already settled in France. Among my sisters, one lived to Aigleblanche ( Tarentaise), I joined her.

What was your journey to France like ? Did you travel to France on your own ?
I made the journey by car and by train, alone. I was afraid because it was the first time when I left alone and I did not speak a word of French.

Did you find work quickly ?
Yes, My sister made me start work in a hotel as general help, I had to give her all the money which I earned because she accommodated me. Later I was employed at a doctor's, I did everything: the housework, the reception, the telephone, the secretariat … But I was not officially then declared these years did not count for my pension.

Why did you choose to France in particular ?
I chose France because it was not far from Italy and I already had relatives over there.

Do you enjoy living in France ? Have you regrets?
I like living in France, I have no regrets because when I miss Italy I can return to it very easily because it is not far from St Pierre D' Albigny, where I live at present.

Did you find it difficult to integrate into French society ?
The language barrier gave me problems of integration. Furthermore, I was young and without experience of life.

Today do you feel you more French or Italian?
I feel very Italian because I am attached to my homeland and its traditions. I am here but my heart is still in Italy.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

ALFRED

What is your homeland? Where do you live now?
I come From Cismon del grappa in Italy and I live in St Pierre d' Albigny at present.

How long have you been in France ?
My father Nicolo arrived in 1922, alone. My mother, my brothers and I joined him four years later. We were seven brothers and sisters among whom some people were born in France.

Why did you leave your homeland?
We wanted to escape from fascism (regime established in Italy from 1922 till 1945, established by Mussolini and based on the dictatorship of a single party.

What was your journey to France like? Did you travel to France on your own ?
We travelled by car and on foot with very few belongings.

Did you find work quickly?

First I worked as a laborer in a quarry, then as a mason. Finally I was employed by Vetrotex (a large company manufacturing glass fiber) in Chambéry. There was plenty of work at this time but often it was rather hard physical work.

Why did you choose France in particular?
We chose France because there was only a single border to pass. It was close to Italy and France embodied freedom.

Do you enjoy living in France? Have you regrets?
I love France. I was able to build a family and a house here, to work: I was a football referee. My life here satisfies me.

Did you find it difficult to integrate into French society?
In the first years we stayed among Italians, we did not mix. Then with time we were accepted.

Today you feel you more French or Italian?
I now feel more French but this does not mean I do deny my origins.

Mathilde DURET 1ES3

interviews with immigrants Marie

2009-11-22T18:41:00.000+01:00

An English woman’s story
I asked my immigrant a few questions about her reasons for leaving the UK, about her journey, about her living conditions when she arrived in France and about her integration and her situation today.
Her name is April. She first came to live in France in November 1998; she was 19 years old at the time. Before coming to France, she lived in a town called Oldbury which is about a 15 minute drive from Birmingham city center. This is the second largest city in England. She lived in a little house with her parents and her two sisters who are called Joy and Diana.
Before coming to live full time in France, she worked in France in an English children’s camp as a cook, she got to know quite a few French people who lived in the village and she liked the way of life here. She would come back and live here full time.
Therefore, in November 1998 she packed her stuff up said goodbye to her family and travelled down to Dover by coach and got the ferry over to France.
At the beginning living in France was hard because she didn’t speak French. She didn’t have any English friends near by so mentally it was tiring, even watching the television was hard she just watched the images and tired to work out the rest of the story.
One thing, she had to get used to was paying to see the doctor and having to sort out medical insurance. Whereas it’s free in England, unless you go private.
Another thing, she found strange was that everything stops at 12 o’clock a.m all the shops shut up and then reopen at 2 o’clock p.m. In England they stay open nonstop until 5 o’clock p.m.
Also, at lunch time the French eat a good hearty meal, whereas in England normally we have something light like a sandwich. Also they eat late on the evening around 7-8 o’clock p.m, whereas in England it’s about 5-6 o’clock. It was little things like this that she found strange, but then, she got used to it.
Then, learning to speak the language helped, because at the beginning she felt left out not being able to understand conversations, she felt rejected. People probably thought she was being rude as she didn’t participate in the conversation, but when she explained that she was English they seemed to understand.
In conclusion, it’s now been 11 years since she has been living in the north of France in a little village called Bremes-Les-Ardres. She lives with her French boyfriend and they have just had their first children. His name is James and hopefully he will be bilingual. She can speak and read French reasonably well now. She works for a ferry company checking in lorry drivers who are transporting goods to England. She has a lot of French friends but she doesn’t see them as French they are just her friends, and she still loves living in France. She doesn’t think she will ever go back to live in England but she stayed in contact with her family and she sees them for Christmas.

Marie WEPIERRE 1ES3

interviews with immigrants Louison

2009-11-22T18:39:00.000+01:00

Interview with Suzanne Le Puil, an Australian immigrant.

1) First of all what can you introduce yourself and what can you tell me about your immigration?
My home country is Australia and I was born in a town which is called Brisbane. Now I live in Saint Pierre d'Albigny. When I decided to leave Australia I was 25. Two years earlier, I met Serge, who is now my husband, during a trip to Africa. We travelled overland; it took us 6 months to come to France. We crossed Asia, China and east of Europe. We didn't take the plane; we took boats, trains and buses...

2) Do you remember a funny or difficult moment when you arrived in France?
It was difficult in the beginning because I couldn't speak to my mother-in-law. So during the meal I ate a lot because I couldn't speak and everybody said “oh she has a big appetite the Australian girl”. So I went to school in Paris during one month in “Alliance Française”. It took me six months to be able to speak to Serge's Family.

3) Do you appreciate French culture ?
Yes I love French culture. French people talk about everything (politics, religion, and they tell jokes about all the subjects). In France you can also bend the rules.

4) Do you remember if it was difficult to obtain all the right papers?
It was complicated, long and expensive to obtain all the French papers. First I married in Paris but when I arrived in Chambery they told me my papers were not good, however I was already married. I have had the French nationality for one year (it took one year to get the papers). For 20 years I was just resident and I didn't have the same rights, for example I couldn't vote. Besides I'm better paid since I have the French nationality I think it is not normal.

5) Have you already returned to your homeland?
Yes of course, I try to go to Australia every two years but it is very expensive. I have already been to in my homeland on my own and with my family, but my husband almost never comes with me he doesn't really like Australia.

6) Now do you enjoy living in France and have you got a good job?
I really enjoy living in France this is a great area and I love my job. I'm an English teacher in Chambery. But it was very difficult to have a permanent contract, a stable job. For 20 years I had temporary contracts. Besides in France there are the mountains and the snow but I miss the beach and the sea.

7) Did a person help you in particular?
A person who worked in the immigration office helped me to stay in France and to get my French papers faster. In the beginning to be a resident normally I had to work 2 years before I could work in France so because we knew somebody I only waited 1 year before I could work. But they accepted to help just because I was white, I spoke a little French and I come from Australia (a non risk country).there were two different systems in the immigration office: one system for the African people (very slow or nonexistent) and one system for the others.

8) Australia or France ?
It is a good question because now I have lived in France for 20 years, it means so longer in France than in Australia. I don't really know if I am French or Australian. When you are in France you say “Ah Australia is fantastic” but when you are in Australia you say ”Now I am a little bit French, it is not so great...”. When I am in France this is my home but when I go to Australia I say I “go home” so where is home. In this case I leave home to go home.

Louison Muller 1ES3

interviews with immigrants Léo Rubin

2009-11-22T18:36:00.001+01:00

An interview with an immigrant:
What are the reasons which made you come to France?
First of all, I left Romania at the age of 23. I had been studying tourism for four years. I decided to leave my homeland in the 4th year of my studies. I thought I would finish them in France. But my main aim was to get professional experience in the tourist industry. Later, as I also really wanted to discover another culture and to improve my professional skills, I decided to leave France for Canada. There, I met THE ONE MAN of my life, he was French you know. So when he proposed to marry me and to live in his country, I didn't hesitate! So that's why I am back in France now...

Could you describe to me your journey from Romania to France by way of Canada?
I had contacts with a French family who helped me to find somewhere to live in Reims (200 Kilometers east of Paris). So I moved to a home with some other young immigrant adults like me. I left Romania on my own but I made friends among the other migrants rapidly. The fact that I wasn't alone as a migrant helped me to become better integrated in France.
I already knew the work I would apply for from the beginning. In France, I worked as a tourist guide for 3 years. Then, in 2005, I saw an ad concerning a national program of immigration between France and Quebec which interested me. Like my first journey from Romania to France, procedures were numerous and long (I had medical visits for instance). I had already left twice to go to Montreal in Quebec. There, everybody in the street was friendly and nice towards me! Just like towards every foreigner. Yet, when I wanted to find a job, it was more difficult.
I stayed 2 years in Canada before coming back to France. As I said I met a French man, we married and decided to live together in France. That's why I am here, living in a magnificent house with my husband in Challes-Les-Eaux .

What were the difficulties that you have met until now?
The first part of my journey went very well and I had few problems. Romanian and French cultures are very similar. From a professional point of view, it was very easy because my skills were recognized and there wasn't any discrimination in my job. Racism could be sometimes present in the French people's words.
In Canada, It was totally the contrary! My diplomas weren't recognized by employers. I felt it like discrimination, It was difficult for me. Moreover, the culture was very different. It looked like that of the USA and not that of Europe. So I had once again to adapt.
When I came back to France, the administration gave me many problems because I was Romanian and because, in 2006, my country wasn't in the European Union. At this time, to have a good job I had to work twice as hard as French people in order to prove my skills! You know, it was very hard professionally speaking.

Do you enjoy yourself in France now?
The problems I meet now are worse than before because I'm unemployed. I think racism is a cause of my situation and if I succeed in obtaining French nationality, it could improve my work conditions. Generally speaking, I enjoy myself in France because I have found the love and a stable emotional life in a beautiful house.

And finally, what did you learn from this experience? What did it bring you?
I have learnt positive and negative things from this experience. I think some things are more difficult in the sense that I always have to “fight” and to struggle to have something in terms of work or administrative things. Leaving Romania, then France and then Canada was an uprooting experience. I began three times something new, and for me this was the most difficult thing.
Yet, It permitted me to know many different mentalities Moreover, thanks to this experience and my studies, now I can speak four different languages: Romanian, French, Spanish and English.
And of course, I've met the man of my life!

Léo RUBIN 1ere ES3

interviews with immigrants Laura Voinot

2009-11-22T18:35:00.000+01:00

Journey of an immigrant

For this work I chose an immigrant who is a friend of my parents. She comes from Italy.

Hello, can you tell me about yourself please?
Hello, my name is Laura, I’m forty six. I’m Italian.

When did you arrive in France?
I arrived in France in 1977, at the age of my 14.

Did you come to France with your family?
Yes I came with my mother and my two sisters. We went to join my father who had already lived in France for three years.

Why was your father already in France?
My uncle, was much younger than my father, and had left Italy during his adolescence with his parents. My father had stayed in Italy with my mother. His brother had found him a job that’s why he came to live in France. After 3 working years in France, my father had earned a lot of money, and we to join him.

Did you go there for better living conditions?
Yes because we lived in this period in the south of the Italy and living conditions were not good. Moreover we had no family in Italy. And my sisters and I did not know the family towards my father.

What was the journey like?
The journey… A long story! Very hard but not too long. We found it was difficult when we arrived here.

Can you explain?
Sure, it’s finished now and history! To begin with as I’ve already explained my mother my sisters and me, we did not have much money. We succeeded in taking the train from our small village in Calabria then to Cosenza and on to Milan. This trip took us a lot of time, 2 or 3 days, I don’t know exactly. Once arrived in France, we had no more money to take the train which went directly from Milan to France. But we had to go fast because my father was waiting for us at the border. We thus hitchhiked to Turin.

All four of you?
Yes, a truck took us. We were very lucky. Then to go from Turin to the border, we had to travel secretly because at this period many Italians were sent back. A truck driver took us in his lorry. I am going to stop speaking to you about the journey, because it’s not really interesting.

What were your first impression on your arrival here?
At the beginning it was very difficult because we did not speak French, but the inhabitants of our village were very welcoming.

Ok. Thank you for giving me your time.

Laura VOINOT 1èreES3

interviews with immigrants Laetitia

2009-11-22T18:31:00.000+01:00

Interview with an Italian immigrant

One day in 1962, a lovely lady whose name is Giuseppina left her homeland with her husband Giuseppe. She was just 18 and he was 28 years old. She was born in Calabria in the South of Italy. This area was very poor, so she had to emigrate if she wanted to improve her living conditions and have a better future. Moreover there was a scarcity of jobs. Leaving her homeland was difficult because she had to leave her family (her mother, her brothers and her sisters) and her friends.

The couple chose France because it was the nearest country and there was some work. They preferred settling in Savoie because there were other Italians there and this region is close to the border. They travelled by train. They stayed 20 hours seated in the corridor with their luggage. The journey was long, tiring and hard. It is 1400 kilometres to reach France. When they arrived, they had to go to Annecy for a medical visit to be accepted in France.

First, they lived in a hotel. Luckily, they found jobs quickly: Giuseppina worked as a cleaner and Giuseppe was a builder. Because of their jobs they rented an apartment in Cognin. It was very tricky for them to integrate into French society. In fact, they didn’t speak French, and they didn’t know how to read and write. So, it was hard for the administrative documents likes the driving license and identity papers.

They have been living in France for 47 years and they love this country. They have 3 children who speak the two languages: Italian and French. This family is a mixture of two cultures. The Italian culture is always present in their lives. Frequently, they return to their small Italian village “San Pietro in Amentea” to go back to their roots. They meet up with family and friends again.

So there is the story of my grandparents.

Laetitia MASSARD-COMBE 1ère ES3

interviews with immigrants Florian

2009-11-22T18:28:00.001+01:00

Hello, today we will interview an immigrant who will tell us her story. Her name is Marie Rosa; she is 35 years old and lives in France. She is married and has got two children.
Hello Marie Rosa, I am a student at Le Granier High-School and I have to interview an immigrant living in France. So do you agree to tell me your story?
Of course I do!
Thanks. To begin, what was your home country and what were your living conditions in your family?
I was born in Portugal in a little village near Castelo. My family was very poor with five children including three sisters and one brother. My parents earned a small wage and had lots of difficulties to feed us and to pay for our studies...
When did you decide to leave Portugal?
When I was 14 years old, I chose to leave school and to go to France to help my parents.
Why did you choose France?
My brother and one of my sisters already lived in France and I suggested to them that I go to their home so that I would take care of their children.
Could you describe your journey to come to France?
My brother and my sister would go to see my parents by car every year. So I left Portugal with them to go to France. During the journey, it was awful, like a nightmare. I hadn't travelled by car before because my parents didn't have one. The trip lasted two days, it seemed never-ending! I was very carsick. However, I discovered new landscapes as mountains, big cities, skyscrapers… I was very impressed.
Did you speak French?
I didn’t speak any French and I didn’t understand this language. I began to speak French with my brother’s and sister’s children. I didn't learn fast, it was really difficult. I spoke French fluently four years after my arrival.
When did you leave your brother's and sister's house?
When I was 16 years old, I found a job as an au pair in a rich family but it was hard because I wasn’t 18 years old and I hadn’t got any legal papers. So they hired me but it was illegal... They took advantage of the situation by giving me a very little money... It was exhausting because I worked every day without holidays or any days off.

Do you regret now, to be in France?
No, I don't at all! I'm integrated in this country. I'm married, I've got two children and I own a beautiful house. Moreover, I've got my driving license and a lot of friends. By now, all my sisters and my brothers are in France. We also invite our parents to come and see us regularly.
Now, have you got French nationality?
No I haven't yet. But I'm applying to get it. To conclude, I would say that « My soul is Portuguese and my heart is French »

Thanks for your answers. It was very nice of you!

interviews with immigrants Audrey

2009-11-22T18:25:00.000+01:00

A Kurd’s story
Last night, I met Mr. and Mrs. Yilmaz, who live in my neighborhood. They come from Turkey and they were with their daughter who was the interpreter of the interview. I spoke with them during an hour and I learned lots of interesting things about Turkeys’ life and culture.
This is my interview, enjoy!

 First of all, when did you arrive in France and why did you leave your homeland?
Mr. Yilmaz : We come from Kurdistan, a region divided between four countries in 1917 : Iraq, Pakistan, Syria and Turkey. In 1974, I was eighteen and there was a war in my country. There were discrimination and ill-treatment against poor people. We lived in a little village in the mountains and during the winter, it was very difficult to find a job.
Mrs. Yilmaz : We were married and had a child, our first son. We decided to leave Kurdistan because life was too dangerous and hard for us and our family. My husband left first. He went to Germany by plane and I joined him a few months later. We stayed in Germany, in a village which is situated three kilometers from the French frontiers. Four years later, the renewal of our residence permits hadn’t been accepted so we left Germany to reach France. My cousin, who lived in Savoie, said he could find us a job so we went to Chambery. Here, the government gave us the right papers and now, our residence permits are renewed every ten years.

 Did you find it difficult to integrate into French society?
Mrs. Yilmaz : When we arrived, I told my husband “I can’t stay here more than two years !” but finally, French people were really friendly and understanding with us. A neighbor helped us to get the right papers and I learned French by speaking with people or at work. I think French is a very difficult language: I understand it but it’s hard for me to express myself.
Mr. Yilmaz : The French government is also very helpful with its inhabitants. There are accommodation help and school grants which don’t exist in Turkey.

 Do you ever go back to your homeland?
Mr. Yilmaz : Yes of course ! Unfortunately, we can’t go to Turkey every year because the journey is too expensive. We’ve got 6 children and a plane ticket costs 500 Euros. The last time we came to our homeland was in 2006, during the whole summer. We came by car and the journey lasted 3 days! We drove across Italy and took a boat to Greece. Then, we joined Turkey and Kurdistan. I really miss my family, and my wife and I would like to go back to our country for retirement.
Audrey MIEGE 1ere ES3

interviews with immigrants Quiterie

2009-11-22T18:20:00.001+01:00

- From Bangladesh to France or a step in a different life -

Good morning, could you introduce yourself ? Who are you and where are you from ? Could you tell us a bit about your country ?
My name is Faisal and I am from Tunghy a town which is near the capital of Bangladesh, Dhâkâ. Bangladesh is a South-Asian state which was given independance from Pakistan in 1971. This country is a parliamentary democracy where Islam is the state religion. Although it is a democracy the country underwent many political turmoils. Bangladesh is the seventh most populous country and is among the most densely populated countries in the world with a high poverty rate. Even if this country faces economic difficulties it also has an important History, and the most wounderful places in the whole world.

How come you had to leave your country ?
My reasons are at the same time clear and complicated ; Bangladesh is mostly poor and there is no possibility to have a future. Then my case is a bit special, in fact I was under the threat of death there...
That's why I had to leave house, friends and family...

How did you travel to France ?
I did not go to France at the begining. First I spent two years in India where I travelled by car. Then I took a plane in order to go to Austria, at that moment I had a false passport. After staying several months in Austria I went in Italy and then arrived in France. Today I have the status of politica l refugee.

How long have you been in France ? And why did you come to Chambéry ? Did you know anyone ?
I've been living in France since 2005. First I lived in Lyon then friends of mine were in Chambéry that's why I came here. I also found a job here, in a restaurant, something that is really important for me.
I do like the city of Chambéry with the mountains and the nice climate. I enjoy walking around and discovering new places...

I got to contact you by the means of the association Fraternexo in Chambéry. Would you mind telling us about it ?
No, I would be glad to speak about it ! The aim of this new association is to help people like me who had received the status of refugee integrating into society. They organize excursions, tours of the city... . Fraternexo also organized a new event in Chambéry called ''le cercle du silence'' which involved more than 120 people last September. Those people made a circle and stayed totaly quiet for one hour to show their concern about the treatment reserved for foreigners coming to France. Another ''cercle du silence'' will take place on place saint léger in Chambéry on the 16th of December from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. To me, it is an excellent way to show our opinions without any violence.

To finish with all those questions, I would like to know how do French welcome you here ?
People are very very friendly, they are all very nice, with huge smiles. I am now motivated to stay here and to integrate into French society.

Quiterie Landèche
1 ES3

Integration

2009-11-05T04:21:00.004+01:00

The meeting we had with Beverly Killeen during our English class was once more very pleasant, entertaining and productive at the same time. The thing I found most interesting were her captivating stories related to her personal life. I was very glad that she had shared all that information with us. My dream is to be able to travel around the world to discover different cultures, people and communities so I was captivated by Beverly’s words because she has done that almost all her life. I can say that it was a great opportunity to realize that it is not easy to move to another country or several other countries. From what I’ve heard and seen, not only from Beverly but from my friends and close relatives, it’s a very difficult thing to do. The result may be the integration of you and your family in that country, or not. Listening to others, especially the ones older than us is essential because you can be inspired to do the same or learn from their mistakes. I strongly believe that every piece of advice is useful and should be taken in consideration especially from the ones close to us like out family.

I could see that everyone in the class felt at ease and loved Beverly’s presence. So I can say that I admire her because of what she had accomplished. Overall I think that the meeting was a great success and I can’t wait for the next time Beverly will visit us.

Adrian Andreica 12 E

Yesterday, during the English class, we had an unforgetable experience.
Our class teacher gave us the chance to learn from another person's experience.
It's about a teacher who was all over the world, we might say. Her experiences made me think about life and realize that there is no place like home.
It was an awesome class, everyone was asking questions and we were all amazed and curious to know more about her trips.
I was deeply impressed by the fact that she was a very sociable, communicative person. I had so much to learn from her experiences, and in another way or the other, it marked each and every one of us and made us see things different.
I am thankful to my class teacher for this class.

Florina Fanea XIIE

Interviewing a foreigner

2009-11-03T18:08:00.003+01:00

Today, we had Mrs Beverly as our guest at our English class to tell us what she had experienced throughout the period when she travelled.
The meeting which took place today was the best one that we had during this school year
We were interested on the way she “tasted” the goods and bads of our country and the feelings that she had during this period.
I was surprised of the fact that a person can travel and experience so many things just in a lifetime, that a life of someone can be represented by traveling and experiencing new ways of living, meeting new people, different nations, and races.
What impressed me most was that integrating is not as difficult as it looks. At the beginning I thought that if I would go in a foreign country I wouldn`t be able to integrate but as Mrs Beverly told us the people are friendly almost everywhere and integrating cannot be a problem. Also, during our discussion with Mrs Beverly I realized that the rules are everywhere and this cannot be an obstacle of integrating if we accept and respect them.
After this meeting, I see much easier this style of living: traveling, experiencing. If before the meeting, I thought that I will never leave this country now I have a different opinion.
I think that you need ambition and courage to start living like this!

Xanta Luckacsovits

Yesterday was a special day for our class. Mrs. Beverly was invited to one of our classes to share with us her visions and impressions about traveling, accommodating and integrating in every country she had been to as foreigner.
The meeting began with smiles and a few emotions but during the discussion emotions faded away and everybody got connected in a conversation. My colleague, Paul gave her a bouquet of flowers to show our respect for her.
It was nice to see her again because she’s a nice person who loves to communicate with people. I like the way she presented her experiences and her memories from her travels around the world. She makes a warm atmosphere in communicating with others. That makes you concentrated when she talks, you can’t get bored because she catches your attention.
I liked the class with Mrs. Beverly because it was a relaxing one. It was funny and I’ve learned some things about integration and accommodation between strangers in a strange country by a person who lived and still lives in this way. I also liked the way she talked about herself and the sincerity with which she said what she likes and dislikes in Baia Mare and Romania.
During the discussion I learned that every person in the world is realy the same, everybody is equal. And I also learned how I should talk openly, relaxed and how to be polite in discussions.

Ionut Sleam

What I feel about the project

2009-10-26T07:14:00.003+01:00

“Immigrants- Past and Present” is a Comenius project with partners from 6 European countries: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania and Turkey.
Each year, students from these countries participate in project meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to understand that even though we are living in different countries, with different traditions and customs, we are all equal.

Last project meeting took place here, in Romania. Students from ''Mihai Eminescu National College'' Baia Mare hosted students from the five partner countries.
I was very excited to participate in this project, together with my colleagues.
The meeting was very successful!

For 4 days, we had the opportunity to spend time with the foreign students. We made a lot of new friends and we were able to change some ideas with one another. I was very surprised to discover that they actually think as we do.
In fact they have a life of teenagers very similar to ours. The only things that make us seem different are the language and country of origin with its culture.

Communication between us was very good .We practiced speaking English with the others.
During the conference, we attended many interesting activities. Students from each country made a short presentation of their country and we found a lot of new interesting things about their cultures.
We also talked about our future plans and wishes.

We had the opportunity for several days to spend time with foreigners not only during the conference program. In our free time we visited the city and we shared each other opinions about various topics of teenager life.

The meeting was very successful! I am very happy because I had the opportunity to attend this conference.
I would like to attend the next meeting of the project which will take place in Germany.
Living together for 4 days meant a great experience for me! I gained a lot of new friends and I won the opportunity to understand better the ''foreign'' word that seems so weird.
Tania
Romania

Getting involved in this project was the most beautiful thing I did during these three years of high school.
I had never participated in this kind of conference before and I honestly say that I was astonished. I didn’t expect it to be so beautiful.
What I liked the most was that everyone was relaxed, we all felt good to be together in this project, both teachers and students. We met teenagers from other countries, we found out that we had the same preoccupations, the same interests, and we became friends.
I am very happy that I had the opportunity to be in the project..
I would also like to thank my form teacher because she offered me the chance to participate in the project meeting that will be held in Germany.
I am very happy because this opportunity is once in a lifetime.
I’ve seen other colleagues of mine who have participated in project meetings in other countries and they came back very changed.
This experience will certainly help me improve my English.
I’m sure I’ll never forget this experience.

Boga Petruta
Romania

Hy!
I'm Manuela Grigoruta from Romania.
I'm very glad each time we talk about our project which means a lot to me.
The meeting in Baia Mare was great, I felt a real communion between us all.
For me and for my classmates it was a start to be more united.
We did everything together as a family for that meeting to be perfect.
I think it helped us to communicate openly with one another.
We found new friends from the other countries that participated in the conference.
We learned how to make a business plan, how to express our feelings and we improved our English and enlarged our cultural background.
I liked everything and I want to thank my form teacher who gave us this chance to make her proud of us, because she trusted us.
Thank you all that you were receptive and friendly.
I truly hope there will be other opportunities to meet again, virtually if not physically. .

Manuela

Hello!

I'm Roxana from Romania and I'd like to share with you some impressions about this project, what it means for me.
It was my first time involving in this kind of project and I was a little bit nervous because I didn't know many things about what it really means to be involved in a project or about the immigration problem.
It was a nice opportunity for me to learn about how a project is made, how to do a good presentation and why immigration can be a problem. I also had the opportunity to host two students and we spent such nice moments together ,finding more about their countries and also, practicing my English skills.
What I liked most was the friendly atmosphere and I also liked where and how the conference was organized and the trip to Maramures.
I am happy that I have the opportunity to take part in the reunion organized in Germany and I'm sure I'll enjoy it a lot.

Roxana

Preparation for the Project Reunion

2009-10-16T10:26:00.003+01:00

We are looking forward to meeting our partners in Germany at the beginning of December.
The students are working on the film dedicated to the Conference held in Romania.
They also started to work on the film presenting the three interviews.

Memories... from Turkey

2009-09-02T19:29:00.001+01:00

Dear Mariana ,

Unfortunately I haven't had time to write to you until now. I had some other project meetings after our meeting in Baia Mare. And when I came back it was the end of our school year and the most busiest week with exams, marks, reports and everything ...

First of all I want to thank you to all of your great efforts ! I still could not believe how a good organization can organize such a big meeting with approximately 120 participants from a lot of countries ! It was just great and very useful for us to meet people at the conference from other projects and countries.

On the other hand what I also wrote in my national report was that the way you connect the conference with not only our project but the others. So we could find a connection in all of the presentations during the conference. And it is not only the conference but the whole organization which has a big success at all ! The accommodation of us and our students, especially Enver, who stayed at your Headmaster's house , was really happy about their hospitality just like the others. And of course your project team ! The English Teachers ; Simone and Flavia and the students, all of them were very friendly and just paid close attention to feel ourselves like in our countries although they had still lessons during the project meeting.

The organization of our visit to Budesti is also another wonderful experience for all of us! And the wonderful monastery everything was very great , especially the museum which was the final point !

And especially the meals ! I couldn't forget how you could arrange everytime the most suitable for us ! thanks a lot !

So I have no idea how many thanks I could write to you :) I just wish to have another meeting in Baia Mare :)

We had a meeting at home when we turned back from Baia Mare and we evaluated the meeting. Everybody had the same idea of the well organization and the hospitality. And the great programme of course!

Thank you very much again for everything what you did ,

kind regards ,

Huseyin OZTURK
Bursa Police College

Memories

2009-08-11T21:25:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody!
With this notation we, the German team, just want to say thank you for the
wonderful time in Romania. We enjoyed the programme organized by Eminescu
College and we would especially like to thank all host families, students and
teachers from Romania. You have been very kind and we got the great chance to
get to know more about your culture, lifestyle and your school-life. Referring
to our common project we feel that we have made big progress during our meeting
and that we have found out much about Emigration and Europe. All the teams were
well prepared and working together on the subject of Immigration with people
from all over Europe was very interesting.
We thank you all for having made us feel welcome and we hope you enjoyed getting
to know us as much as we enjoyed to visit you in your homeland and to learn a
little more about Europe. In our opinion the whole trip was worth it and we had
an exciting and amazing time in Romania. Thank you for everything. We would like
to keep in touch with you and we are looking forward to our next meeting in
December, where we might hopefully see some of you again.
Best regards
Armin, Esther, Saskia and Sarah

Proposal of Interviewing Immigants

2009-08-08T19:00:00.001+01:00

PROPOSAL of Interviewing Immigrants
made by Huseyin Ozturk and Wolfgang J. Mertens

Frame of Questions :

1) Presentation of Family / presentation of Immigrant himself/herself

- Give a survey of your family in your home country
- Give a portrait of yourself (age, job, education)

2) Procedure of emigrating (where from, why, how, when)

- Where did you live before emigrating
- When did you emigrate ?
- Why did you consider emigrating
- How and why did you choose the new country
- How did you travel ?
- How did you afford paying fort he trip ?
- Did you emigrate alone or with your family ?
- How was the idea of leaving your country considered by your parents (family)
- Did you face any problems when leaving home ?
- How did you imagine life in a new country ?
- How did you prepare yourself ? (language, culture)
- Was it easy or difficult to find a job in a new country?

3) Life in the new country (positive / Negative aspects)

- When did you arrive and what was your situation at the arrival ?
- Did someone come with you on the trip ?
- What did you do when you arrived ?
- Where and how did you live ?
- Did you get any support (government, neighbours, relatives)
- Did you have difficulty in finding a place to live in ?
- How were you accepted at work ?
- Did you know anybody in the new country or not ?
- Did you fave any prejudices by the population of your new country?
- Should you as an immigrant have the same political rights as native citizens ?
- Do immigrants who come from your home country have a good or bad reputation in your host country ?
- Are there a lot of immigrants in your community what is their relationship with you ?
- Did you face problems concerning your religion ?

4) Level of Integration according to himself/herself (Personal Impressions)

- How often do you go back to your home country ?
- Did you find it difficult to integrate in the new country ?
- What were your first impressions at work with your Collegues, with your neighbours ?
- Did you suffer problems because of people’s intolerance ?
- Did you have the same chances as natives ?
- Do you or your children keep your nationality or not ?
- What do you think of intermarriage ?
- How did you bring up your children ? (two cultures, two languages?)
- What is the level of education of your children ? (kindergarten, school, gymnasium)
- Do you believe in a parallel society (you retain your original culture, tradition and languages) or do you believe in a multicultural society where immigrants assimilate ?
- Did you have permanent work or did you depend on state allowances (social help) ?
- Have you become a citizen of the new country ?
- Do you feel part of the society in your new country ?
- Should there be cultural / language tests for immigrants ?
- Are immigration regulations too strict ? In what way should they be changes ?
- What is your contribution to your local community ?
- How is your community incorporating immigrants into the life of community ?
- Which of the two countries do you consider as your home country ?
- Did you have a conflict of identification between two cultures ?
- What is your suggestions for beter integration ?
- Have your diplomas / qualifications been accepted or not in your new country ?

5) Future plans for himself /herself and the children
- Do you intend some later time to return and spend the rest of your life in the country of birth ? (give reasons for your decisions)

Minutes of Project Meeting Baia Mare 29 May 2009

2009-07-09T07:44:00.001+01:00

The second project meeting took place in Romania and was hosted by Mihai Eminescu National College, Baia Mare, Romania.
The participants at this meeting were teachers from the 6 schools taking part in the project:

1. Lycée du Granier, La Ravoire Cedex, France- Coordinating Institution
2. Georg Büchner-Gymnasium, Seelze, Germany
3. Polo Europeo della Conoscenza – Istituto Comprensivo Fumane “Lorenzi B.'' Fumane(Verona), Italy
4. Liceum Ogólnokształcące in Tarnów, Poland
5. Mihai Eminescu National College, Baia Mare, Romania
6. Bursa Polis Koleji / Bursa Police College, Bursa, Turkey

The main subject on the agenda was our third mobility programmed in Seelze.

Dates and Accommodation

We started by agreeing on the dates of the next mobility to be held in Seelze. We decided that teams would travel to Germany on Tuesday 1st December. The official programme will begin the following day (2nd December) and continue through until 4th December. Teams will return home on Saturday 5th or Sunday 6th December. As with the two mobilities held this school year, teachers will be accommodated in a hotel and pupils in host families. The German team suggested a hotel in the neighbouring city of Hannover offering easy access by public transport to the Gymnasium in Seelze.

Work to be prepared before the Seelze Mobility

It was agreed that, in accordance with our Comenius application, activities in the second year would focus on interviews between pupils in each country and immigrants. We discussed the form these interviews would take. The following were suggested; short films with English subtitles similar to the one presented by the French team during the Baia Mare conference, recorded interviews, written scripts presented in direct speech, reports using indirect speech, newspaper-style articles etc. All documents will obviously need to be translated into English so as to be understood by all. Teams from each country will arrive in Germany with these ‘products’ which will be presented to the other groups during one of our meetings.

Website, Blog and Communication

The Romanian team explained that, as stipulated in our Comenius application, they would produce a website so that these interviews could be posted and consulted, whatever the form (video, script, digital recording, newspaper-style article etc.)
All present expressed satisfaction with the existing blog;
http://immigrants-past-and-present.blogspot.com
We also concluded that the initial e-group immigrants_CMP@yahoogroups.com had functioned successfully, enabling all teams to communicate with each other and be informed concerning developments. It will therefore continue to be used next year.

Activities while in Seelze

We then moved on to discuss suitable activities while in Seelze. Time will obviously be set aside for pupil presentations. The German team also agreed that, as initially planned, a round table discussion with immigrants would be organized, possibly with several immigrants addressing the assembled teams one after the other and/or addressing groups of pupils and teachers, thereby offering more opportunity for interaction.
Another proposal was to invite an ‘expert’ on immigration to explain the German context. Other ideas included screening a film such as ‘Auf der Anderen Seite’ on German-Turkish relations to be followed by a debate similar to that organized at the cinema in Challes-les-Eaux. Some teachers expressed the desire to observe at least one class at the Gymnasium.
The German team offered a range of possible excursions (Hannover, the Christmas market in a nearby medieval town, the Museum of Emigration in Hamburg or Bremerhaven etc.)
The German team will build their programme around these activities but in the meantime welcome suggestions from all teams.

Conclusion

All present thought that the first year had been a resounding success.
Activities had been stimulating and corresponded to expectations. Both mobilities had offered pupils and teachers the opportunity to work on a common theme, meet people from other countries, share experiences and learn about other European cultures. On this basis, all expressed pleasure at the prospect of continuing our work next year.

Questionnaire Results Immigration May 2009

2009-07-09T07:38:00.000+01:00

Before coming to France, pupils from each country were asked to prepare in class the draft of a questionnaire on immigration. During our first meeting in La Ravoire four mixed-nationality groups were formed and asked to take the most interesting questions to create a common questionnaire. The final questionnaire was a synthesis of these four questionnaires. In each of our countries, a hundred of these final questionnaires were printed, people were questioned and the results collected. Graphs were produced and conclusions drawn. During the second meeting in Baia Mare, pupils from each country came forward to present their findings to the assembled pupils and teachers. A table with six columns was prepared to illustrate the results for each question and each country. Finally, using this table, pupils from the six countries present in Baia Mare worked in groups to make comparisons and draw conclusions. The comments below outline these findings.

Students found some answers were predictable while others were more surprising. Unsurprisingly the two countries having the largest number of immigrants or people with immigrant backgrounds among respondents are France and Germany. Fewer than one in six Italian, Polish, Turkish or Romanian respondents come themselves or have parents or grandparents coming from another country. There would seem to be hardly any immigrants (first or second generation) living in Baia Mare.

The ones arriving in France and Turkey found it easier to integrate than those settling in Italy and Germany. The desire to earn more money and improve living standards appears in all countries to be the strongest motivating factor for immigrants leaving their homeland. The second most popular reason was joining a family member.

When it comes to deciding if they intend to return to their homeland, the vast majority in all countries say no. This suggests that most immigrants in all six countries have succeeded in making a fresh start and putting down roots.

An amazing 72% of Romanian respondents say that they would envisage emigrating. Over 50% of French, German and Polish respondents also replied positively to this question. On the other hand only one in four Italians think this likely. The fear of missing friends and family is stated as being the main reason for not moving.

A majority of all those interviewed in each country think a multicultural society desirable. However nearly half the respondents in Germany and Italy would like immigrants in their countries to make a greater effort to become better integrated.

A clear majority of Germans and Italians suggest there are too many foreigners, while respondents in other countries do not. Paradoxically two thirds of Germans are in favour of letting in more immigrants which clearly contradicts the previous finding. Turks, Romanians and Poles are not hostile to allowing more immigrants into their countries.

Racism and discrimination are perceived as major problems in France, Italy and Germany but much less so in Poland, Romania and Turkey. Two thirds of Italians say these problems are getting worse. In the three countries where immigrants face the worst problems of racism and discrimination, few people are aware of the programmes which exist to facilitate integration. This suggests that people are badly informed or that governments in these countries are not doing enough to combat racism and promote integration.

Conference Activities

2009-06-06T20:03:00.006+01:00

Conference Feedback

2009-06-06T07:24:00.000+01:00

Feedbacks Conference

1. I am extremely happy that I got the chance to be in this project. It was amazing!
I could talk with people from other countries, not only in English , but also in French. I made good friends here and I hope I will keep in touch with them.
Also, the subject of the project is really interesting. I could hear some really interesting things about other countries. I’m really grateful for this opportunity.
Ewa Wojtarowicz
Poland

2. I didn’t just like this experience. I simply loved it! I enjoyed every moment and I felt that for three days I lived in another world, a better one. Just imagine what would happen if this kind of activity develop every single day in various countries. I think that the people would be more tolerant and friendlier.
At the festive Dinner I felt I am a true socialite who does her best during the day for the society and when night comes she is rewarded with a lovely dinner. The atmosphere was wonderful and we all demonstrated how elegant we can be.
What I like most these days is the fact that I practiced my English and the fact that I’ve made two friends from Poland. I must confess that I’m pretty sad because the will soon leave.
Mara Butuza, Romania

3. Thank you very much. I am happy I came to Baia Mare. You are a very good organizer. Thank you for your kindness and hospitality.
I hope you will come to Bursa.
Anonymous

4. I liked this project because I met lots of new people and I have never had this kind of experience before. It has been a very good experience and English practice.
Anonymous

5. These 3 days have been a wonderful experience which I will never forget. The project also informed us about the immigrants in their countries.
The organization here is wonderful. I thank everyone who arranged this. The most important thing is that we met many friends from other countries. Here is so nice. Here is a good place.
Finally, see you in Turkey.Enver Kasli- Turkey, Bursa

6. I think that these days had been a wonderful opportunity for the students to communicate with other students from other countries. They learned about emigration problems in other countries and presented their own projects to the others.
Thank you for the very pleasant days.
Argo Niinemets,Estonia

7. It was a good experience to be here with the other groups of projects. We have a chance to meet different students and teachers so that was very good. And Mariana was very helpful and friendly to us. She was a very hardworking person. But you can think about the duration (time) of the meetings, sometimes we felt tired. But as a consequence everything was good.
Thank you very much.
Anonymous

8. All the activities that took place these days confirmed that all the participants made an excellent choice when attending the conference.
I’m so glad I made new friends and it’s amazing that all the different cultures just blended together like in a giant salad bowl.
I’ve learned how important immigration and emigration are in a country, also I’ve leant the importance of entrepreneurship, how to make a business plan, I’ve known myself better and my skills these days have materialized into the well-known motto; “UNITY IN DIVERSITY”
Dora Ghita, Romania

9. These days I improved my English skills and I have made new friends. We worked very well in international groups. We learned something about our foreign partners and we had a very good time together.
Marius Anitas, Romania

10. I think this experience has been wonderful for me. I have learnt many things. I got new friends. The personality test was very interesting because we could know who we are and it’s also important in choosing a career.
These three days have been amazing. I will never forget the time spent here, in Romania. All the students and teachers are kind and friendly.
I’m waiting forward to the trip tomorrow.
So, it’s brilliant! J
Anonymous

11. I’m sure that being part of this project was the best thing ever because it is an unforgettable experience.
I’m happy because now I have a new friend from Estonia, she’s so sweet.
I will not regret that I made this choice.
Anonymous

12. I liked these days when I was in Baia Mare. I made lots of new friends and I got very interesting stuff to know….
Anonymous

13. I liked very much these days because we spent a lot of time with our friends from the other countries; we practiced our English a lot; we enlarged our cultural background and so on…
Andrada Les,Romania

14. I think that the project was very beneficial because we got the opportunity to make friends and slowly discover their culture. I found it interesting to work in groups because we exchanged ideas, we got really close to one another and managed to do a really good job. Who said people from different countries can’t work together in groups? Well, he was definitely wrong because today is a proof that as long as we give some interest we can obtain everything we want.
Paula Nemeth, Romania

15. We liked this project a lot because exchange in English with so many people helps us to learn about different cultures and we think that it’s very interesting. More than that, we improved our English.
Lea and Julie, France

16. These special and interesting days made me feel happy to be in this project.
The people are very friendly and now they are my good friends.
I have also improved my English skills.
Ovidiu Craciun, Romania

17. These days were very special and beautiful for me. I’m very happy because I had the opportunity to be part in this project. I met new friends from different countries. The people are very friendly and amazing.
I want to thank Ms. Hudrea for giving me this opportunity.
Dan Tecar, Romania

18. These two days have been great. I have learnt a lot of new things and I am thankful for the knowledge gained. I have made a lot of new friends and had a great time. I think this experience will be useful for me in the future. I am happy I took part in the project.
Marii Sernjuk, Estonia

19. Of these 3 days, actually 2 days, I’ve learnt a lot. I didn’t know that the immigration problem is so big. It is even in our country .
It was really nice to talk and meet with people in other country. And they all were so friendly and talkfull. I really liked this conference.
I want to thank Mariana Hudrea too. If it weren’t her, we wouldn’t have had that kind of meeting and travelling.
Terje from Estonia

20. It’s nice to meet lots of people from different countries. They are really loving and friendly. All they have beautiful languages. I love my roommateJ. She is really-really awesomeJ
Anonymous

21.For me the most important thing was that in a room we are 7 different nationalities and we have integrated.
David, Romania

22.The last three days were some great days because I had the chance to know so many people. When I say people I’m not necessarily referring to the foreigners. This reunion helped us improve the relationship between us and between other countries. It also helped us to discover other cultures, different people, to improve our English skills, our ability to socialize and our capacities to develop a Business plan. Thank you for being so nice.
Cristina Surducan, Romania

23. These special days made me feel happy; happy to interact with such great people from all over Europe. Friendly, interesting and amazing people made my days special. I want to thank Ms. Hudrea for the opportunity she gave me to participate in this conference with such great people.
Catalin Popan, Romania

24. These projects were truly a unique experience and as seen in the video from France and compared with our activities these were different and similar at the same time. I would have really enjoyed if all the teams could have remained until Saturday. Otherwise just words of hailing of the events, the festive party really proved the motto “Unity in Diversity”.
Bohony Patrick, Romania

25. In the last three days every team worked hard to present themselves properly. In the case of an international project I can now clearly say that communication is really necessary.
Getting past the nervousness of presenting a project I can say that “Unity in Diversity” really exists in Europe because 7 countries brought a little bit of culture at this “multicultural dish”.
Paul Craciun, Romania
26. These days were the most wonderful days I had this year.
I think I had a wonderful opportunity to practice my English skills and meet new people from so many different countries.
I just wanna say thanks to Mariana Hudrea.
Anonymous

27.It was interesting to see how young people think about immigration problems and very good to know that the future is in their hands and they can /want to solve these problems.
Thank you , Mariana.
Excellent work.
Maris Laats, Estonia

28. I liked very much to b in Romania . I made a lot of new friends. I’m very glad that I could take part in this project.
Siim Asperk, Estonia

29. This experience was awesome for me. These days were not only different, but I found out new things about other cultures, customs, traditions, opinions. I loved the fact that we worked together; we shared our opinions; we realized that we aren’t so different; that we have same preoccupations, opinions.
This opportunity to participate in these projects made me more ambitious, more curious about what’s happening around me.
Also, the idea of hosting or guiding is awesome, because when you host a foreigner, you see his country, culture through him. Thank you.
Xanta Lukacsovits, Romania

30. Extraordinary…these is the word for this experience. I love it! I didn’t expect that these days would be so full of surprises.I discovered new things, new mentalities and new ideas. I made firneds and I spent a great time with them.
I am very sorry I couldn’t host everyone.
I hope I will participate in this kind of activities in the future.
Anonymous

31. I would like to begin by thanking Ms. Hudrea for inviting me to this conference and for making it possible for me to take part in these activities which I enjoyed to the fullest. During these days I have learnt many interesting things which I am sure I will use in the future, I could connect and have fun with teenagers from other European countries. I have also practiced my language skills by speaking English and Italian as well.
The only thing I did not like was that in a very short period of time we learnt many new pieces of information and it started to become a little bit hard for me to concentrate.
However, this conference was a great experience for me which helped me get to know myself and others better, practice the skills I possess and develop new ones and also enjoy myself.
This is one of the great experiences which I will always remember and cherish.
Paula Ghete , Romania

32. The conference activities were successful; all the participants showed great involvement and enthusiasm. They shared common experiences, improved their language skills and group work abilities. Congratulations for the organization to Mrs. Mariana Hudrea!
Anonymous

33. These days I felt very good in Baia Mare at this conference and I have made a lot of friends and all of us felt like a community. Although we, the team of Italy, were too young for this meeting , we had a very good time with the other students.
Mihaila Iulian, Italy

34. This kind of experience is a part of the best side of life. I think at least once in life a man must do this experience where he meets people of different countries of the world.
The workshop of today was very interesting and I could learn some English. I am 3 years younger than the other boys and girls, but I could meet some friends. I am happy for this experience and I hope to experience it again some other time in the future.
Luca Zancarli, Italy

35. I think it was a wonderful time together with different cultures… It was so interesting and I spoke so much English than never in my life… I learnt so much about immigration and other peoples…
Thank you for this incredible time
Ema, Romania

36. I enjoyed these days and I could learn a lot of new things. I could meet new friends and made new friendship. The final workshop was very interesting and I hope we can do this experience again.
Lorenzo De Giuli, Italy

37. I think that the conference helped all people to learn and meet new culture and language. For me the workshop was interesting because people of different culture worked together here and made fantastic products. This week I leant more English than in three years of school.
Elena, Italy

38. I have leant so much in this experience.
I have improved my English, leant some Romanian and I leant about the situation of emigration in other countries.
I can’t find a defect in this experience.
Omar Bakush, Italy

39. For me this conference was useful because I found out a lot of new things about different countries and I could realize that working with other students from other countries is not as difficult as I believed. More than that, I could realize that even though we are physically different, we all behave in the same way. This is the first time I took part in this project and I am really satisfied, but really satisfied. I made new friends, I met a lot of nice persons and this experience will remain always in my mind. I would like to thank to all the organizers for this wonderful conference.
Anonymous

40. I think these days were the best days that I spent in school. This project managed to guide me in my future and made me realize that work is very important to success. I hosted three girls and spent a great time together and we exchanged impressions and lernt many things about their cultural background. All these things made me realize that life is hard and we have to work hard if we want to make it easy.
Florina Fanea, Romania

41. It has been a beneficial thing for us to work together in the same subject. And I was happy to set up a company. I leant lots of things about how to set up a company or how to make a project. And I see that if we want, we will be rich with some of our friends. And I think that is all.
Ali Emre, Turkey

42. These three days were wonderful for me because I made some new very good friends and I hope that we will keep in touch. Also I learned some different things about other countries and about their culture.
My guest Juhan Taalik is a really nice boy . I hope we will keep in touch!
Pintea Razvan , Romania

43. First of all I want to say that this project was the most interesting one because we learnt new things about globalization and also how to work in teams (international teams). I want to mention that here I met a lot of friendly people and I saw how organized we were. Also I’m very happy that I took part in this conference and these days were very useful for me because I improved my English.
Silvia Pricope, Romania

44. I think this is the best conference and the best project I have been involved in.
I enjoyed it a lot, I met a lot of special people and I had the experience of hosting two girls with different cultural background and nationality, but who will be my partners in a new friendship.
These days, while the project was developing, I had a lesson of life, in a friendly atmosphere.
Thank you, participants, organizers and the European Commission for offering us this opportunity.
Roxana Serba, Romania

45. First of all I have to mention that I am very proud for participating in this international conference. It has been an honour for me to take part in it and meet so many people from different countries. These days were very useful, especially for practising our English and learning to succeed in life, how to make a business plan.
I want to thank Ms. Hudrea for the opportunity she gave to me.
Andreea Coman, Romania

46. Thank you for organizing such a wonderful conference, so useful for all of us and a nice example how to handle and cope with so many different people.
These days have given us the possibility to share ideas, make new friends, and learn from each other. Wonderful days for students to meet different nationalities, make friends with them, use English in real situations, and learn how to work in a team.
For teachers who don’t use English everyday it gives a nice possibility to practise their skills.
Paivi Aljamaa, Estonia

47. I am so glad to be here. I can say I enjoy every minute of the conference. Each day I get to know more and more students from different countries. That’s what I like most. Everybody has made a great effort today trying to make a business plan. These activities are very useful and instructive. I think that we can benefit from them in the future.
Aleksandra Bielawska, Poland

48. First of all I want to thank you for your organization. You (Mariana) are a very good organizer.
And I enjoyed being with you. Thank you for your hospitality and your students are friendly, clever, and brilliant. My students and your students got close in a short time. I believe they will be good friends for a long time.
If they can do successful works, I believe they will do everything in the future.
And I want to thank your colleagues Simona, Flavia and other friends of yours.
To conclude, it is a good experience for me and it was nice.
Thank you very much. Congratulations!
See you in Bursa.
Suayip Kukukbasol

Feedback, Monica

2009-06-04T04:45:00.001+01:00

Hello everybody!
The Italian group came back in Italy...

Thank you, dearest Mariana, all your efficient staff and your splendid students for this unforgettable international week full of interesting activities, profitable work for our project, meetings and knowledge of new people who left important mark in my mind.
My students express their thankfulness to your students who shared a lot of nice moments all together.
Good working week to all of you.
Kind regards.
Monica Meneghelli, Italy

Feedback, Kate

2009-06-04T04:38:00.000+01:00

Dear Mariana,
I would like to thank you for your hospitality and for the opportunity to meet your students, your colleagues and to present in the conference.
I must tell you it was impressive how you were able to manage all those different people and programs.
I wish you all the best and some rest for the coming days and let us keep in touch.

Kate, Andrew and Esther

Feedback, Beverley

2009-06-04T04:34:00.000+01:00

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed attending the conference and the trip yesterday. I would like to thank Ms Hudrea for inviting me to be the guest speaker and participate in the conference.The conference was a valuable learning experience for me. I heard some very good ideas and saw some excellent presentations. Congratulations to everyone.I enjoyed meeting everyone from all the different countries and was so impressed how everyone worked together on the business plan workshop.It was a great pleasure for me to be there with you and be a part of such a successful conference.
My Best Wishes to Everyone
Beverley Killeen

Alasdair, France

2009-06-04T04:27:00.000+01:00

Hello everybody
The team from Chambery has now returned home after attending a wonderful conference.
A big thank you to Mariana for putting in so much to the organization.
I loved the presentations, the festive dinner and all the visits you prepared for us.
All the students also made a great effort to make the event a success.
I had the chance to speak at length to my two pupils Lea and Julie during the journey home and I can assure you they gained so much and had an unforgettable experience. They are planning to present our activities to their classmates tomorrow and will certainly do so with enthusiasm.
Well done Mariana once again!
I have started working on the sythesis of the results that students from our 6 countries prepared last Friday.
I will send it to everybody as soon as it's ready.
Best wishes and my kindest regards to all.
Alasdair

Jola, Poland

2009-06-04T04:24:00.000+01:00

Dear Mariana, dear All,
the team from Poland has arrived safe after a 10 hour journey by car. We were welcome by sunny weather :) in the Tatra mountains.
A big thank you to Mariana for organizing such an interesting conference for all of us and all other colleagues with whom we had a pleasure to work with.
A visit to Maramures was unforgettable and today I could show the lovely photos I took while in Romania.Thank you Mariana for all your effort you put in organizing our meeting.
I would also like the express special thanks to Romanian families who hosted Polish students and who gave them such a warm welcome.
Best wishes to all of you.
Jola, Poland

Feedback Petruta

2009-06-04T04:20:00.000+01:00

I want to start by congratulating all the participants for the effort and for the hard work they put into the project. Every single presentation was special and important for us. In the first place we’ve practiced our English and social skills. We have realized the importance of the 8 key competences for a better integration on the labor market. To be honest, I never thought that a project reunion can be so interesting and so full of special events. What I liked the most was the fact that the activities were combined. Serious activities, I mean that all the participants presented their work with relaxing activities like the festive dinner, in which we could speak with each other and discover new mentalities and new lifestyles. It was very nice that during the lunch breaks we all went to eat together. We managed to find out new things about other cultures and we’ve made a lot of friends. I want to thank everyone for being so nice and so open, for me it was a lot better that I expected.I felt like we were all part of a big family, like we’ve met a long time ago and now we are good friends. The atmosphere was relaxed. I liked because I didn’t feel like I was at a conference where everybody is serious, I felt like I was among friends and I liked that everyone smiled. In the same time we found out the problems that immigrants face when they are moving to another country. They have a lot of problems and we have to do our best in order to help them to integrate better. We also found out that the relationship between parents, children and school is very important. My relationship with my parents it’s a good one, I’m lucky from this point of view. I was very surprised to notice that despite the differences that exist between us we have a lot of things in common. For example a girl from Germany said that our national costume is very similar with their costume. We have the same age, the same objectives in life and the same problems. It was the most beautiful experience that I had in my life so far, and I would never forget these days. Thank you for that! And I want to thank Ms. Hudrea from my heart because she invited us to take part in this special event. Without her I would not have lived these moments unforgettable. Thank you! Boga Petruta 11E

Project Reunion and Conference

2009-05-25T04:27:00.000+01:00

On 27-30 May we organize the International Conference on Key Competences - Globalization and Labour Market Integration.
126 participants from Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Romania and Turkey will take part in it.
The activities will be organized at Petre Dulfu County Library and the Mara Hotel.
On Saturday a sightseeing tour of Maramures will offer the participants the opportunity to discover the spiritual and natural beauties of the people from this part of Europe.

2009-02-10T23:02:00.002+01:00

It´s a free world: comments by the German students

In my opinon the movie shows how people from the rich countries trifle with people living in a poor country. Angie is typical of such people. It seems that she has no consience and no fear of losing everything, like her little son Jamie. She doesn´t care for people, is only interested in her own profit. Furthermore the movie shows the life of families, who escape from their homecountries and hope to find a job in the new country. They are living in bad homes and it´s their last chance to find work.
Adelina Steer

I couldn't see the beginning of the film but I'm of the opinion that Angie is a very ruthless woman. When she speaks with her father she disclaims the danger in which she is. Her father wants to appeal to her conscience but she doesn't want to hear that her job isn't a good job. She endangers her son when the Polish men don't get their money. But after that moment she knows in which danger she and her son are. I think she underestimates the job and the danger in the whole film.
Anna-Lena Kahle

In my point of view this film shows us the difficulties of immigrants to find a job. Most of the men coming to Angie have a go to get a job. But the problem is that there are more people than jobs. Many people have to go because they were too late and all jobs were assigned or they have no passports. On the one hand I think Angie does good things and it is hard for her to say to the men that she can't give everyone a job. But she has to decide who is gets work. I think it is fair to say that those who are too late do not get work. On the other hand, there is her family. She neglects her duty because she does not look after her son. And there she makes a big mistake. She shouldn’t help other people and forget her own child.
All in all I think Angie does a god job and I think she shows us a very human side to help immigrated people without passport, but there is also another side which is bad. She does not think about the life of her son and the life of the Polish man; the man loses his heart to her. She plays with his emotions. In my opinion the film delivers insight into the world of immigrant men trying to support themselves and their family. I think that this should not the task of Angie but rather of the government.
Christian Galert

I would like to write a comment on Ken Loach’s movie “It’s a Free World” which I saw two weeks ago with our Comenius class. At first I would just like to give you some of my impressions. In the beginning of the film I was quite impressed by Angie, the protagonist, since she seemed to be such a self-confident, witty and successful woman although I had been told by those having already seen the film that this rather sympathetic girl was about to end up as a criminal exploiter. The first thing that really surprised me about her was the fact that she had “parked” her child at her parents’ place without noticing what is going on in his life. At this point it became quite clear to me that there had to be something wrong with the way Angie was choosing her priorities.
Nevertheless I didn’t feel any estrangement during this time of the film; I even started to develop more compassion for her fate, because I got the feeling that she might be the one suffering from her lack of virtues at least as much as the people around her. But as the plot went on, I began to realize the destructive power lying in Angie’s intentions. As she was treating the workers more and more ruthlessly, I recognized that the negative aspects I had just expected to be only some of her more undesirable character traits had actually been the first part of a big, negative development of her entire personality. Having noticed that, I did not feel confused about her further actions any more but I was fascinated by the increasing speed of her personality’s development seemingly caused not only by the structure of her personality but also by the situation she was dealing with and the system of society.
What impressed me about the film was especially the connection between certain kinds of people and the capitalistic system. The film showed how much some structures in society are supported by people who have already suffered from them. What disappointed me was the missing solution in the end. Angie did not learn anything; her attitude towards her workers seemed to become even worse. I would have really liked to see how illegal workers have a chance to become a part of Angie’s society.
Esther Klann

Angie, the main character of this movie, is a very self-confident woman. She does what she wants to do and she seems to be a bit domineering because for example Rose does nearly always what Angie wants, also when she thinks it’s wrong. Nearly everything she does is self-serving. She helps the workers to get money on her own and she doesn’t help them to get a job or to get a better life, only to help herself.
At first she is always very strict with her workers, for example those who have no identification get no job, and neither does she care for the destiny of her workers. She hasn’t got any pity with them when they tell her their destinies. When she gets to know that they were hurt at work or lost a child she isn’t really impressed. In her view this isn’t her problem. But when they kidnap Jamie, she starts to think for a while because she realizes what it means to lose a child. So she gives to the workers what they want to have. She also shows some feelings when she helps the family who has to hide themselves by providing some false identification.
So it seems Angie learns from the things she does and that she changes, but in the end you can see she hasn’t really learned from it, because she doesn’t stop to place immigrant workers with firms and she is still self-serving when she takes money from a woman who needs her help. Also, she cares more for the workers than for her son. Jamie has got many problems but Angie doesn’t care. The only person who cares for Jamie is her grandfather. He also tries to convince Angie to search another job for her and to care more about her son. She loves Jamie but her job is more important for her. All in all you can say that Angie is a character who changes during the movie, she gets more and more calculating and the workers are only a way for her to get money.
Jasmina Tews

In my opinion, “It’s a free world“, directed by Ken Loach, is a good movie about the controversial topic of immigrant workers. A very important aspect of this film is the protagonists’ behaviour towards her family and friends on the one hand and towards the workers on the other hand. The question one has to ask when dealing with this topic is: When does the recruitment end and the traffic in human beings begin? Angie, whose parents are representatives of the working class, crosses this line at an early point. She starts with legal workers but soon wants more, begins to break the law and finds herself between two fronts. Her problems begin when the factory bosses refuse to pay for the work and the labourers make her responsible for their misery. Angie and her son Jamie are in danger.
In the course of the movie, she is getting more and more scrupulous. At a certain point even her friend Rose abandons Angie because of her terrible behaviour. The low point of her fall is when she betrays the inhabitants of a camp of illegal workers to the immigration authorities to make room for her own workers. Ironically, she extradites an Iranian family who she helped before, in my opinion the only really good thing she did.
Angie is an ambiguous character. In the beginning, I could understand her will to be successful in her business, but I got shocked again and again about the things she is willing to do to reach her aim. She neglects her son Jamie, who is not a well-looked after child, and hurts her father, who worked honestly for 40 years by saying that she does not want to be like him. He cannot understand his daughters’ callous work and tries to make her change her mind. When Angie’s son is kidnapped and she is attacked by furious workers in her own house, I expected that she would see her mistakes and would stop her work, but she does not. In the end, it becomes clear that nothing has changed in her mind.
Sarah Waldhauer

"It's a free world" is a very shocking and interesting movie, because it´s real. This movie shows us what happens every day in our countries. I know that this is an important theme, but I must say that I never saw a problem like this in my life. But the message of the movie is clear: Our countries have to change something! So this movie impressed me although it was a very sad one, because no one likes to see real dramatic facts of life presented in movies, through its plot, presentation and cast. I think it really deserves all the prizes it has got.
Sascha Remus

In my opinion Angie doesn’t really care about the workers, but it is an easy way to earn money. Moreover she doesn’t really care about the feelings of other people and doesn’t treat the workers very well. Instead of solving her own problems, she just ignores them. On the one hand that works for a short period, but on the other hand it doesn’t help her with her own problems but lets them become bigger.
The movie “It’s a free world” shows the difficulties of being an immigrant and is very helpful to understand the situation those people are in and what feelings they have. It also gives an impression how foreigners are treated in our society and everybody who watches it is confronted with the awful reality.
Angie is an example for the other point of view. She makes it obvious that not just immigrants have problems finding a job in these days. The everyday situation in our society, in which many people are without work, concerns everybody.
As a conclusion one can say that the movie deals with an issue which is very important and also shows different points of view. We should change some things in our society and should not grow apart. It shouldn’t matter what country we were born in or what language we speak best. Prejudices should be questioned by everybody. In my opinion that would be the only way to change things and that’s also the reason why I would warmly recommend everybody to watch movies like “It’s a free world”.
Saskia Sack

The theme of this film is capitalism. It's a little confusing that Ken Loach, the director of the film, takes Angie as the protagonist of the film. Because ruthless capitalism is mostly connected to big firms, which exploit their workers. But Ken Loach takes Angie, a mother without much money and also at first without the possibility to exploit asylum-seekers. But he shows in this film, how Angie changes her character from a woman who feels with the asylum-seekers to a woman who exploits them, only because she wants to earn more money. So he shows the way to become a capitalist person. And also how the lust for money can change the character.
Lukas Thum

My opinion is that Angie is a corrupt person who doesn't see the problems of the immigrants and only thinks about the money and the new business she created. Furthermore she disrespects the immigrants, for example, she shouts at the workers and “crams” them into a van. I think she does that because of her last job in Poland. There she had no good experiences with men. She doesn't care about her son Jamie because she is working all the time, so he must often stay at his grandparents'. Another aspect is that she calls the police to clear a little colony where immigrants live. This shows that she only thinks about her job and not about the people. My opinion on the whole film is that the plot is close to the truth. The idea to establish a business for helping immigrants to find work is a good idea because in reality immigrants mostly come to a country for a better life and a better job, but often they get no, or a bad job.
Nils Düppers

Lise Mailland's impressions of 'It's a Free World'

2009-01-14T18:15:00.001+01:00

It’s a Free World

The film begins with the main subject: recruitment. It takes place in Poland, where Angie (the main character) recruits people for her firm, called ‘Core Force Recruitment’. Then, still in Poland, her boss makes her a proposal which she refuses, but it seems it was a sexual proposition. When she goes back to the UK, he tells her that she has lost her job. She feels angry with him, as she knows it is not her fault: she is not responsible for this situation.

In Poland, she met a Polish worker who manages to come to the UK. During the film, we learn that they are together but for Angie, this situation is not good because she has not enough time to stay with him.

She feels fed up with the way workers are treated: she knows that recruiting agencies don’t care if workers have papers or not. Besides, she is sick of being ordered by her boss and earning very little money that’s why she decides to set up her own business, managing a temporary job agency. She starts this agency with her friend Rose. Her parents disagree with her job because they would like her to have a secure job (she has actually changed her job many times) to take care of her only child. But she does not care about what they said and established her office in her flat and the agency in a friend’s pub.

So workers start to come early in the morning and the meeting point is in the yard behind the pub. If people arrive too late, or if they don’t have the right physique, then they she refuses them. In this way, she is becoming greedier and greedier: she manages to earn money by renting rooms to workers and not giving them their salary at the end of the month. The more she does not pay them, the more she gets into trouble. Her son gets caught up by the Polish workers who only want to get their money. They threaten to hurt her child if she does not pay them. They accuse her of keeping the money she owes them (and they find it) instead of paying the workers.

But, at the same time, she meets an Iranian family: she wants to help them because they are refugees and are afraid of being picked up by the police. Nevertheless, this period lasts very little time. It ends because a lot of her employees are refugees. She always wants to earn more and more money and does not care about how she does it, that’s why her friend Rose disagrees with these choices and they argue. Angie stills continue the business but Rose stops.

Later, she does not hesitate to denounce a refugee’s camp in order to get the camp back and to transform it into a place where her workers can live, without forgetting the work conditions.

At the end of the film, we can see that Angie is in the same situation as at the beginning: the scene is the same, with her own firm ‘Angie’s recruitment’ with a rainbow. The thing which has changed is the fact that she is alone instead of working with Rose and that she is independent, because it is her own business.

Debate: during the debate, we talked about the problems of refugees. We also talked about their living conditions: they are treated as slaves since they have little money and bad flats. The two women belong to Amnesty International, an association which takes care of the refugees and helps them to obtain the papers they need to stay in France.

This debate was interesting because many people talked: students and teachers (for instance the Romanian teacher Mariana who talked about her own experience) and the subject is very topical nowadays. Even if few people are interested in this situation, they should be aware of it.

Unfortunately, to my mind, the debate was too short.

I really enjoyed watching this film. It was interesting because thanks to films like this we can see the world as it really is. Refugees take great risks to reach our countries and their lives are not a bed of roses once they arrive! I find this theme should be spoken about more because the problem is getting worse and people don’t care enough about it.

Will Immigrants always be welcome in the future?

2009-01-13T14:34:00.004+01:00

Damien GIRARD

As far as I’m concerned I hope that immigrants will always be welcome in the future because a melting pot always brings great things in a country. But, today some people are worried because they find immigrants very different; the strangers have maybe a different skin colour, maybe another religion, another language or again something else … So people are often scared of what they don’t know, that’s why there are problems of discrimination. Besides, these people think immigrants increase unemployment in their country. To fight this problem, we must learn to be tolerant.

Moreover, many governments try to prevent immigrants from coming into their country because their economic situation is bad.

To finish with this question I hope immigrants will always be welcome but in my opinion it depends principally on the country’s economic situation and on how open-minded citizens are. There is a link between these two elements.

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Damien Ancranaz

In the future the immigration situation won’t continue like today. I think governments (of France, England …) will be stricter about this problem.
In my opinion we should help African and Asian countries so that people stay in their homeland, with their family, their language, their culture. Immigration is good for diversity but too much immigration destroys a nation (like today with Gaza, Israel, India,). So we must help these countries (and all other countries) to encourage their citizens to stay and improve their living conditions; because too much immigration is bad for us (unemployment is an important problem today), bad for their country (governments could lose future workers) and bad for them (in general these workers are poorly paid). Poor people shouldn’t leave their homeland for another country like France or England because I think they can’t be happier in our country than in theirs (like the immigrants in the film It’s a Free World). But all immigration is not bad; political reasons are an important factor of immigration. Some people will always want to improve their civic rights and escape from a country where these basic human rights are not respected.

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Alice Berthier

I think that in the future immigration will be stopped or limited because it’s very difficult for the illegal immigrants to find a job, find accommodation and there is much discrimination against people who live in their new country. Moreover, some countries like England don’t want immigrants to come into their country because they think that immigrants want to steal their jobs ! So, immigrants work in factories or they do poorly paid jobs that the people of the country don’t want to do. To conclude, I think that countries should make efforts to improve the life of immigrants who have settled in their new country.

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Elise Charpin

In my opinion, immigrants will not be welcome in the future because they will contribute to an increase in the unemployment rate. In many cases they don't speak the same language, don't have the right skills and there aren't enough jobs for all of them. Some immigrants show ostensible signs of belonging to a particular religion. So, these immigrants don't want to integrate into society. I think that in the future, the government will take decisions which will be strict and will stop immigrants. At the same time many immigrants suffer from racism and discrimination because of their skin colour.

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Fanny Brugnon

I am in two minds about immigrants: on the one hand, it's a good thing that immigrants should come into our country. They bring about a mixing of cultures and an interesting labour force. On the other hand European countries can no longer provide employment for so many people.
So immigration might increase the number of jobless people. However, it's to be hoped immigrants will manage in the host countries. It would be better if affluent countries helped third world countries. For example, by encouraging fair trade and by making it easier for foreign students to study in France.

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Juliette Gauthier

Immigrants aren't welcome in other countries because most people don't like them. People think immigrants steal work from inhabitants because they accept jobs for less money than, in our case, French people. I think it's ridiculous to talk about ‘immigrants’. We live in the same world so for me foreigners don’t exist! It’s true immigrants aren't welcome in many countries. In the future I think Immigrants will settle in a lot of different countries which will continue to be magnets for them. They think they will find a better job, earn more money and enjoy better living conditions than in their homeland. However when they find a job, they’ll be exploited. It's awful! In the future immigrants will forget their customs and traditions and they'll hide in poor sheds and won’t receive welfare payments...it’s too bad for them! Furthermore it's difficult for them to integrate. They have to learn the language of the country where they live. I dream of a world without borders. I look forward to immigrants living in a flat and not in a shed; I hope they'll be able to find a job where they won’t be exploited. I know it's not possible but there are a lot of charitable organizations which help and encourage them to continue.

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Marion Caillet

Today all countries are very concerned by the problem of immigration. .
Becoming the citizen of a country is very difficult and there are more and more illegal immigrants. They are seeking peace, security and a better life than they enjoyed in their country of origin. In many cases they had to flee war, danger and persecution. Deciding to leave their country was a very difficult choice for them. Once they arrive in their destined country, having been in close contact with death, they then find themselves in danger of being arrested by the police and being sent back to their home country.
Even when they have the right papers, people react very spitefully towards them, and immigration is often a synonym of fear, of distrust, and of a constant need to be vigilant!
For example, a Frenchman or an Englishman usually prefers renting out a flat to another French or English person instead of an immigrant...
The distrust of foreigners has been present for ages and today of course is no exception. Conversely, immigrants with a lot of studies are more well-liked, better welcomed because they will bring a lot to the economy. This is selective immigration.
But times are changing especially with the election of Barack Obama in the US...!

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Linlay Fragnol

We see now many immigrants are discriminated against and that they are not accepted in many countries. And in some extreme cases people think that immigrants are criminals. Just because this is true for a very small minority, these people make a generality. However things might change. In France, there are many advertising campaigns and charitable organizations like Secours Catholique which try to help immigrants, especially if they are asylum seekers. Many high schools like Le Lycée du Granier work on the theme of immigration in general. They try to change things and make people less prejudiced. So I am not as pessimistic as all that! I think in the future that if these efforts continue in many countries, immigrants will be more welcome than today!

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Franck Didierjean

It’s difficult to answer this question but in my opinion it’s important for immigrants to be welcome in the future because after all we are all equal! We have to understand that some people couldn’t stay in their countries because they disagreed with the political situation or because they wanted to find a job or improve their education or their skills. Of course I am disgusted by racism. People have to accept the reality that today there are people with different origins and backgrounds who live and work in France.

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Aurélie Gruaz

It is forbidden for employers to refuse to hire a person because of his nationality.
Even if discrimination is prohibited by law of course it persists. People often discriminate against immigrants, but obviously less than in the past. Let us not forget that countries in The European Union have closed their borders to most immigrants. That’s why there are so many illegal immigrants.
Although governments try to stop immigration for economic reasons, countries accept political refugees who were in danger in their homeland.
I think in the future attitudes will continue to evolve and immigrants may become totally integrated.

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Thomas Ferrier

Today, many governments try to prevent immigrants from coming into their country. They know that immigrants often don’t speak the same language, don’t have the right skills. They explain that unemployment is increasing, but most of the time immigrants do jobs that French people are reluctant to do.
When immigrants arrive in a new country, they face a lot of problems, they have to look for a job and find a place to live. It’s a great pity, because instead of stopping the real criminals, governments try to have illegal immigrants arrested. In these conditions, it’s difficult for them to find work and accommodation and hide from the police. They are often discriminated against and some people prefer giving a job of a flat to French person. In a lot of countries organizations try to help immigrants like Angie and Rose’s company, and I think that with this kind of person things could change and mentalities could change for the better. So immigrants can keep hope for the future!

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My personal feelings- Karin

2008-12-16T14:40:00.001+01:00

“ It’s a free world “ is a very shocking and impressing movie, because of its plot and because of the way life facts are beeing presented.
The film focuses on Angie, a working class woman who, after being fired by the agency that she works for, decides to set up an agency of her own, running it from her kitchen with her friend Rose. Taking advantage of the desperation of recent Polish immigrants, Angie is able to build a successful business extremely quickly.
Despite Rose's misgivings, Angie becomes increasingly eager to build the business, regardless of the potential legal risks of obtaining forged British passports for illegal immigrants, and working without a license for the first few months of the business.
First, I liked this movie very much because of the way it was made. It was very captivating, although the lines were very difficult to follow. The structure of the movie was very well adjusted so that you couldn’t stop watching, in spite the fact that you couldn’t always understand all the conversations.
Secondly, the plot was very realistic which added an extreme flavour to the whole movie. People blinded by money, like Angie, are to be seen every day in every place of the Earth. But, some of the know that there is a limit they mustn’t pass or their life will be a living hell, like Angie’s became after not paying the illegal workers.
Thirdly, I noticed that the movie gave a life lesson to us, the viewers. I interpreted it like this: money isn’t the most important thing in life, you shouldn’t destroy your life with illegal business, in case you already entered that circle you’d better stop, because these business might cause harm to you or your family.
So this movie impressed me, although it was a very sad one, because no one likes to see real dramatic life facts presented in movies, through its plot, presentation and cast. I think it really deserves all the prizes it has got.