H.S Syed

full interview

Hello, my name is Lloyd Tomei and I’m going to be interviewing, ah, Syed and my first question goes this way…What kind of housing do you live, where do you stay, can you describe the building you live?
Here in, in Spain?

Yeah. In Spain. 
Like, I live in an apartment of three, like three floors.

Three floors? 
Yeah, with the, with the guys, they are immigrants.

Immigrants? 
Yeah, because I live in center, mine is center.

Okay. They are refugees?
Yeah, yeah. They are refugees. Yeah.

Uh, can you describe the condition? Is it good? Uh, the living. 
I think so. They are living good because when they come from their countries, uh, in their countries, they don’t have life, you know, they don’t have a good life. I think so, they will have good life here. And then they will have documents. They can work. They can, they can enjoy their life. 

Okay, the condition of the place. Is it good for you man to live?
Yeah, yeah.

It is better?
Yeah.

So who do you live with? 
Uh, I live with Ukrainian peoples.

Oh, those are refugees?
Yeah. Yeah, yeah, all, all of them, they are refugees.

So, how do you spend your time here? And do you do anything in your free time? What do you do with your free time? 
Yeah, uh, normal days, like when I’m free, I play cricket. 

Oh, you love cricket? 
Yeah, I play cricket, I have friends that play crickets and I play with them.

You can play cricket here?
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

That’s awesome. That’s awesome. What are some of the things that brings you joy? Things that you do that brings you joy, makes you happy. 
Umm, some things I like, like they make me happy. I like to, uh, help the peoples. And then when I help the people, I’m happy. 

Okay. Okay. That was very good. Okay. How has life been since you, uh, arrived in Europe? Since you arrived in Europe, how has life been for you, is it good or is it ? 
Yeah. Sometime, sometime when I was before, uh, in Greece, I was not good, but when I come in…

Okay, first of all, you were in Greece? 
Yeah.

Before you moved to Spain? 
Yeah.

Okay. How was life there in Greece?
This was normal, like in my countries was the same. The same life.

Can you describe how living here has made you feel? How do you feel since you are living here in Spain?
Mhm, I’m, I’m feeling a little bit deep, you know, like I don’t have here family. You know, I left my country have been six, six years, five, six years and that’s why…

Okay, when you are six years old, that’s when you left your… 
Yeah. No, no…

At six years ago? 
Yeah. Six years ago I am, yeah.

Oh, that’s good, that is good. How does being away from the rest of your family home makes you feel? How does you, how do you feel? Not belonging, not seeing your family and, uh, facing discrimination and stigma in parts, how does it make you feel? 
Like when I didn’t see my family?

Mhm. 
I was sad.

Yeah. Very, very sad?
Yeah. When, when I talk with them and I call them I, I be happy, you know.  

Could you ever have imagined that you will be able to handle the situation of being alone? Can you ever imagine it? 
Yeah. A lot of time.

Imagining? 
Yeah.

How does it impact you?
That make me like this, this kind of, uh, things like, these kind of things make me, make me strength, like make me a hard, you know, make… 

You, make you, uh, have strength?
Yeah.

Okay. Okay. Nice. Okay, that’s one of your strengths. Okay. Uh, do you ever think that you develop your ability, uh, with this challenge, or do you think, uh, that you always had those skills, those traits? Do you think you have the strength to face this, uh, this problem, this problem?
Of course.

You always think you have the strength? 
Yeah.

Okay. Uh, why did you leave your country? Now, I want to ask you about your past. Why did you leave your country? Can you describe what’s happening? 
Yeah. My past, because I leave my country, I always want to study. Like I was, don’t have good, good life in my country. 

Okay. 
We didn’t have… we was poor.

Oh. 
We don’t have money to go in to study, to go in the school. Yeah, that’s why I left my country to enjoy my life, to be good man, to know the peoples how they live. And, my how is it, my dream is to be a doctor. 

Okay. 
And that’s why I come uh, I left my country to, to study and then after I be a doctor.

Okay. How did that make you feel at that time when you are leaving your country? 
I was sad.

Sad, leaving your family behind, leaving everybody. It make you feel sad?
Yeah.

Uh, okay. How was the journey to Europe? Can you describe your journey to Europe? How did you come, describe what happened? I want to know the activities. 
Oh, this is a big, big story, bro.

We have time from the first time. 
So when I left my country is for 2016. 

Okay.
Yeah, I think so. January, maybe January. Yeah. Um, I came with 95 peoples. 95 peoples came in Turkey with me. 

Okay. You guys… 
Yeah, we come, like a walk.

You guys walk from Pakistan to, yeah.
Yeah. Uh, I think Greece, but we, we first we go to Turkey.

Okay. Turkey? 
Turkey, yeah, then after we come Greece.

From walking streets? How long does it take you to walk? 
Two, like two, two month two, yeah. And then after I, I, always want to come in Spain. 

Okay, always want to come to Spain?
Yeah, and I, I came from, from a lot of countries. Macedonia, Serbia.

How was the, how was like, did you face any challenges on your way coming – feeding, discrimination of people wanting to hurt you or something? 
Yeah, yeah a lot of time.

A lot of time? 
Yeah.

Can you describe any activities, that, any events that happened?
When I explain to you, when I was in, was in, in Bosnia, there, you can’t have activities. You don’t have anything. You don’t have a house to live, you know. You live in, in the jungle and you live in the behind of trees. Um, yeah. I was one year in this way.

In Bosnia? 
Yeah.

Living in the jungle? 
Yeah.

And, it’s always cold for most time. 
Yeah, of course there was, because, um, like eight months in the, in the year, eight months, they, they have like, uh, snow, you know, and that’s why there every time is cold.

Uh, in the jungle… 
Cold in the jungle, snow, a lot of snow. And…

Um, I believe so many people died on your way coming?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. A lot of peoples.

How does that make you feel thinking about it? Does it affect you when you imagine this?
A lot of time when I, when I feel sad, when I feel bad there, I was thinking to go, to go my, to go back in my country. But I say no, I have to be good man. I have to be, ah…

Did you, did you come alone? 
Yeah, I come alone.

Yeah, that must be something! How old are you when you make this journey? 
Uh, maybe like ten years old.

Ten years old, you decided to enter the jungle? 
Yeah.

That is something. That is really, really hard. That is really, really hard.  Uh, do you ever think of this event? Do you ever think of when I used to stay in the jungle? Does it affect you today? When you’re on your own and when you are lonely, does it affect you? 
Yeah. Sometime, yeah.

In what way?
Like, when I’m, when I’m thinking something, I, I remember my past, you know, I remember my past, like how I, how I was and how, how I got here. God give me good, good way to be, to be good man, to be, to be good, good person.

Could you have ever imagine that you would be able to face that situation there in Bosnia in that winter in the jungle? Did you imagine…me sleeping in the jungle, I would do this, I would able to do it? Ah, at one point, you almost gave up?
No. Like, I never give up.

But, at one point, do you ever imagine that you would make it? 
Yeah.

What was your strength? What was it strength, what keeps you strong?
My, my strength was like, I have to be like, like I don’t have to lose. You know? I have to win. I have to go in this, another country, like to in Italia. In Italy. I have to go there, but uh…

In your own experience, uh, okay. Uh, uh, how are you able to survive, uh, through it? How do you get through it? Have you created any kind of strategy in your mind? How were you able to survive all through these things, this event coming from Pakistan to Turkey to Greece to Turkey, to Spain, to Spain? Uh, how did you get through it? 
Sometime in the cars, sometime down the trucks, you know, to, um, this was…

Where any time, where anybody, where any people chasing you guys? What was it like, have you been chased or… 
How?

Like people wanting to send you back to your country or telling you go back to your country? Do you face discrimination on your way?
Of course, of course.

Racism? 
Yeah.

How was that like? 
The police.

The police? 
Yeah.

How was that like? Was it very brutal? 
Yeah.

Uh. That is something else. Uh, you said something that you want to be a doctor. I want to know, before the events that led to you leaving your country, what was your dream? And I wanted to ask that – “Before the war, my dream was…”. 
Like.

I want you to answer with my dream was… 
My dream was to be a doctor, a dentist doctor. 

A dentist doctor? 
Yeah.

Uh, that was very good. You can still  be a dentist doctor here, um, uh, when you were leaving  your home, I want to know your dream for the future. My dream for the future for…? 
Now, my dream for the future is I open my shop. 

Okay. 
I open my, like I be businessman. No, like a big businessman. But I open my, my shops, and people work there. You know?

Okay, okay. Uh, okay. Uh, what you have been through is really difficult. Do you ever feel that you have grown in any way like a man, that’s because of the situation, it has made it tough or something? 
Yeah, yeah. Of course, of course.

In what way?
Um, When I was, when I left, uh, Greece. When I left from Greece. That’s the, that day, I think I was feeling, a man , I have to do this. 

Okay? 
I have to force, you know.

That is good. That is good. Uh, also, what we ask you, we really appreciate you answering these questions. And is there anything that you would like to, um, that you might, you like to have that will help people uh, uh, in Europe better understand the life of refugees? You know, people in Europe, they don’t understand things. So, um, some some read some things, they see, but coming from someone that has passed through. Now, is there anything that you like to add to your story that will make people understand? Your lifestyle? Your dream? Whatever you guys pass through that will help them understand better? 
Yeah. Uh, you know what? When you come here, the peoples say a lot of things.

Yes. 
They say you are bad. When you come here, the people say you are bad, like you’re immigrant, you know, a lot of people, they say you’re…

You’re refugees?
Yeah, you’re refugees…And you didn’t listen. You don’t have to listen to them. You have to, you have to listen about your, your heart, about your mind, what you are doing, what you want to do. Yes, this is the problem of people’s. If you will talk with them, they will know you are, you’re the people. You want to grow up, you want to be uh, uh want men like um, how I explain it?

You want to be a good person? 
Yeah, a good person. Um, that’s it. I think so. You don’t have to listen to peoples. You listen, you have to listen about, about you, about your mind.

I know. So, uh, is there any time, uh, you know anything, that you want to let them know also? Okay. I’d like to discuss some, uh, concerning how they see you individually. How they see refugees. You know, some people see, people are coming to steal, beg. But is there anything that you want to tell them that would change people’s minds, that would help people’s mind?
Yeah. Uh, so here in Spain, because before, when was Moroccan peoples here, a lot of, they did a lot of problems too. There was stealing, there was doing that. That that’s why they say emigrant peoples, or, or, or refugees, they, they are stealers, you know.

Yeah. 
And that’s why this came from everybody. Here, now, in now in this, in this time, this came from everyone. They say they can make problem for us. They can, they can kill us, you know. And a lot of time they say, uh, to me also, you know, uh, you are one refugee. You are one stealer, but I didn’t listen, you know. 

Thank you very much for having this interview, I really appreciate.
Thank you so much.