[i] Hello [name]

[r] Hello

[i] How are you?

[r] Well, thank you.


[r] I’m [name] from Iran. I am 27 years old I came to Italy 2 years ago for my master’s degree in engineering.

[i] Are you here alone?

[r] No, I’m with my husband. He also studied here in Italy and now works. I chose Italy because I heard the Italian people how my villagers can communicate with them.

[i] Yes, of course.

[r] I chose Turin because it’s not a crowded city, it’s not like Milan for example. Also because I like nature and for me Turin is a green city. I have a bit of a problem with the Italian language because at university my courses are in English.

[i] So you study English at the university?

[r] Yes.

[i] Is this why you have difficulty learning Italian?

[r] No and it is difficult but that my course is in English and I don’t have time to study and learn Italian. But I like Italian.

Do you have Italian friends?

[r] Yes, at university Even at the school of the Italian language I made some friendships

[i] Okay. What does your husband do here in Italy?

[r] He’s working now.

[i] What does he do?

[r] He studied engineering.

[i] You can speak English if you want.

[r] Okay. He works as a university researcher and is a professor.

[i] When you first arrived in Italy how did you find this country? Especially because Italy is very different from Iran.

[r] Yes. My aunt also lived here many years ago. And they told me too that Italy is a good country to study.

[i] How do you live your daily life here? How is your life in Turin?

[r] I have to study for the moment I am a master of engineering student at the Polytechnic of Turin. I spend most of my time studying.

Do you think you’ll stay here forever or do you think you’ll return to Iran after your studies?

[r] Now I think I live here, even after my graduation I think I’ll stay here.

[i] How do you live the Iranian culture here? Iranian culture, for example, food and music.

[r] For me there’s a big difference, but for me it’s okay. I love my culture For 2 years I’ve been here I like to see other country people other cultures food different so many things. I like to communicate with new people from different countries.

[i] How was your life in Iran?

[r] From what point?

[i] All of them.

[r] I worked in Iran’s creation class for two years. I hope that after learning Italian well I can do the same thing here. It is not suitable for the kind of study I have done that is engineering but currently I would like to work in this organization. In Iran there is a lot of diversity on the cultural level and a lot of things.

[i] What are the strong differences that you noticed between Iran and Italy? When you came for the first time did you have any clashes? Did you have difficulty integrating yourself into this society?

[i] Do you feel that you are a foreigner?

[r] Yes. People now study and travel a lot and know Iranian culture and history. Now they have a good reaction with me or other Iranian friends. But I feel that there aren’t many of them. For most people when I say I’m from Iran they say “Ohh you’re Iranian?” They don’t expect to see an Iranian person like me.

[i] Because what they know about Iran is that it is a country closed especially to women, and when you say an Iranian woman if you think about the burca right away.

[r] Yes, too. And also because so many people don’t know that in Iran we have people with light skin or blue eyes. But currently Iran is a great country with different cultures and different dialects and languages. If I go to another province if they don’t speak the Persian language to me and speak their dialect I don’t understand anything. Iran is a great country.

[i] How many languages do you speak? How many languages do you speak in Iran?

[r] I don’t know exactly who I am from the north of Iran near “Kaspansi” my province is called “Mozandaran”. There are many dialects there are Turkish provinces and other Kurds some provinces speak a little Arabic. There are many dialects.

[i] What do you cook Iranian or Italian things at home?

[r] It sometimes depends on whether I have time to prepare Iranian food because it takes a long time. During the week it is hard but at the weekend yes, or maybe when we have Iranian guests I cook Iranian food. But I often make pasta

[i] So you’re with the simple, easy stuff.

[r[ Yes.

[i] Your family visited you here have you known Italy?

[r] They’ll come to see me next week.

[i] What do they think about this thing?

[r] How?

[i] What do they think of this experience?

[r] It should be good and beautiful because for the moment I’m like a leader for them.

[i] Do you have children?

[r] No

[i] Would you like to have children in the future?

[r] I don’t know, not now maybe in the future.

[i] Do you have any Iranian friendships or other nationalities besides Italians?

[r] Yes.

[i] Only Italians?

[r] Yes, also Italians. But in Italy having a friend is very difficult than having a friend I think in Italian culture I can’t say for other cultures. In university or wherever I go I can have a good conversation with men. It’s not easy to make friends with girls than with boys.

[i] Doesn’t it matter to your husband that you have male friends?

[r] No problem.

[i] And can your husband have friends for you too?

[r] It’s easier for him and for me. That’s the flaw I’ve noticed here.

[i] Do you also work here in Turin or do you study alone?

[r] No, but I hope to find work in the future.

[i] What work would you like to do in the future?

[r] For now I have to give my thesis.

[i] After the thesis?

[r] After the thesis the work must be related to my thesis. Currently I have to go back to my courses where I stopped. Mechanical system devices I have to work on this sense.

[i] Do you think after your studies if you would go back to your country what work could you do? In the sense that there are differences between a man’s work and a woman’s work?

[r] In my country?

[i] Yes. In Iran would you have problems working in your field according to what you studied?

[r] Did you want to say if there are any differences or ease in finding a job between a man and a woman?

[i] Yes.

[r] I don’t think there are any problems on this point.

[i] So if you find the job you like in any kind of work, can you do it in Iran? Isn’t there a limitation especially for women? There are no limits.

[r] I understand but I was thinking about what limitless work. For example, if you are an engineer you can find work in companies and universities. Now I can’t think of anything, but there are certainly limits. Could you help me?

[i] For example, in some cultures and countries women can only do certain jobs.

[r] In Iran we don’t have a police woman, for example.

[i] For example in Iran a woman can drive a train or a bus as we see here in Turin women who drive buses?

[r] No, there isn’t.

[i] [name] would you like to add something and tell us something else?

[r] Nothing.

[i] So thank you for your availability and thank you for answering my questions and I wish you a good future.

[r] Thank you.