Immigration from Syria

TOPICS:

Posted By: Michael Daamash March 24, 2019

Interviewing Process:

While interviewing my mother the process was very easy to execute and made sure to follow my questions, I wanted to present to her. She was able to speak about her immigration process thoroughly and was able to answer each with as much detail as possible. The interview was done over the computer on skype and was recorded with the recording software, “OBS.” There was no problem with audio and the interviewing process was excellent.

Biography

Zabia Daamash was born and raised in Syria. She spent her childhood in a beautiful mountain area belonging to the providence of Homs. She got her education in the area’s schools then moved to the city of Homs to finish her higher education. School was free even college and university. She studied English and French as a second language besides all her other subjects. If a student failed two subjects in the school year, the student must repeat the entire year. College time was fun for her. She moved to the United States after college and marriage. The transition was not an easy one. New life style, new traditions, and new challenges. The communication in the beginning and getting around, and of course finding the right job after you spend many years studying and finding that you must start all over again was something that she found difficult and frustrating. The positive thing in the States is that you don’t find yourself Odd being in school in late age. So, she had to go to school again and get the education to be what she is today.

 Research

Refugees people who need to go to the United States should initially apply for evacuee status with the UNHCR – the United Nations High Commission for Refugees. The application is checked on, and UNHCR chooses who is to be pronounced a “refugee” – or, according to its, one who is “owing to a well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality, and is unable to, or owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country.”

Interview Transcription

Me: Alright, you ready?

Mom: I am ready. Sounds good.

Me: Hello. My name is Michael Daamash today. I’ll be interviewing my mother.

Mom: Hi, my name is Zabia Daamash. I’m the mother of the wonderful Michael Daamash.

Me: So. Mom, as you know, the topic is immigration from Syria to America. So just pretty much the transition of you coming from Syria to America what the process will like and I’m just you know going to ask you some questions you answer how you are and if there’s any hidden details or anything you think would be nice to know about it, you know, then we can kind of go off from that. So, before I actually ask about any. Is there anything you think I shouldn’t dive into anything private that I shouldn’t ask you?

Mom: No, actually, it’s a wonderful to bring this topic because right now we’re experiencing, and we could hear every day a massive. Immigration Movement from Syria to everywhere around the world and it’s nice to know. What’s the reasons and what brought us to the United States. It’s good for you as my son and I think that’s wonderful opportunity to hear it from Mom.

Me: For your first question, how are economic standards before moving to the United States, tell me about like what was it? Like what were the living conditions what we’re kind of just what was school like or what was just the whole, you know, just the economic standard in Syria before you move to America.

Mom: To be honest, it was the same. I mean it cannot you cannot compare it to the United States School standards school. I mean like when I say school, I mean the materials not not the curriculum not the program’s the Syrian programs. It’s a great curriculum you. Like I am as a seventh-grade student in Syria. I had to study a second language. Of course, it was English or French and chemistry. I have to study Physics. I have to study algebra and it’s way advanced than the one you on your brother’s studied in the state, but-but in general. In general the school’s was wonderful that our economy was great. So we did not come. I’m just talking about myself, right? I did not come for economical not economic reasons, but probably your dad because he had like, I don’t know better oppertunity. Yes, yes more opportunities and and it’s it’s the wonderful to come to an advanced country like the state and see the technology where it is how the where’s this legislation the come to you know.

Me: Did you ever think about why the reason. Speaking about schools is because did you ever think that it would be a better living condition for us your kids to be living in here in America and that was also a good idea to move from Syria or do you believe that it would be good either way?

Mom: During the time during your time before moving of. Yes, well when you are young and I’m very I’m being very very honest to you before the crisis starts in Syria and 2011. We were thinking to move as a family back to Syria because the living condition was great and it’s opportunity to. For you two to be involved in the traditions and in the language and but but of course because of the crisis we couldn’t of course in the u.s. There is there’s more opportunities. There is more like I could say comfortable living. But it’s not that huge difference at the time when you are young now, I can tell you. Yes, I would regret it if I have moved because of the crisis right now. So right now is definitely in a u.s. It’s a way better-living conditions for you for you guys and for. Yeah.

Me: Just to go on a little more speaking of living conditions at the time. What were they like we’re living conditions normal where they substantial. Did you have do you think because of your living condition and made it difficult for you to move or do you think is actually pretty easy process just based off your living conditions?

Mom: If you’re mean for me. It wasn’t I mean there was some difficulties. I mean like to be to compare we had we had like power of every day like two hours right power off and if we have to study or if we have to do a homework or project we have to light a candle to finish our. And that’s not comparable to the States because you have all the power all the time. Let’s say for school for like a school or university transportation. We had to pay from our pocket for for private bus to take. And if you compare it to the state no the school offer this free transportation for the kids and that’s like really good. So yes, yeah like that not as many conveniences here as there are here now.

Me: Let’s move on actually to the actual immigration process. What was the experience like moving from the Middle East to the US and I’m kind of getting. Squish together questions four and five, you know what we’re any obstacles and what were the difficulties during this transition?

Mom: Okay. Oh well.  The first obstacle was the language because even I studied the second language English second language in my school and my University, but I found it. It’s very hard for me to end too. To respond when somebody ask me question the conversation was hard and of course I had to go to school again for conversation and for more, you know, language classes and the second the second was forced to work like without language without transportation here. You cannot do anything. So you have to like do all this before you look for a job and actually able to settle in what was actually settling into the U.S. You know getting a house or even just coming from the Middle East here.

Me: Was there any trouble with getting a passport or getting your citizenship anything like that?

Mom: No, I came out as a legal immigrant because your dad was already a U.S citizen so I had no problem getting my paper. Of course in the beginning to go get interviewed in an embassy in the u.s. Embassy in Syria. It was like a hassle yet. You have to go through a lot of paperwork a lot of interview a lot of questions a lot of. Exams and like of course medical exam. I’m so you go go through all that and then they give you the green light to emigrate and when you arrive to the airport here, you have to go through again, like multiple questions and all that. This is like kind of a routine for for everybody but for security reasons, of course, But it’s for immigrant. It’s a hassle but as phone you got through it. That’s it. It’s good.

Me: Just a real quick question ever since actually beginning to adjust and become familiar with selling it to the US. Did you find any similarities or any differences like anything big? I’m that really impact your life when actually coming into the U.S.

Mom: Yeah, everything actually the food was when I arrived in a state the food was horrible for me horrible the fruit. It was honestly to be honest. You cannot compare the food vegetables or fruit. To the Middle East the fruit here and has no taste the vegetables has no plane taste and I can I couldn’t I couldn’t eat for the only thing it’s funny. I was I was able to eat it was oranges hmm and watermelon and and french fries

Me: Mom. Could you could you kind of expand your my professors knowledge on. Your life’s are just kind of what your house was like and what your background blood because as I’ve actually visited myself grandma and grandpa that you were living with lived on a farm. What was that like.

Mom: Oh, it was wonderful and we still enjoy it. Every time we go. It was my family. You can say it’s in not middle class you would you could consider them like upper class. So they’re very comfortable life. My my parents has a huge Farm where they grow. Where they grow they grow grapes and apples and oranges lemon all kind pear Peach apricot figs, you could name all the fruits and and vegetables and the house was very comfortable. It’s all like everything you find in your and your house here in the US you could find in my parents house in. Except the dryer. Yeah well, but we lived very comfortable life. It was very hard for me to be separated from my family. I’m still it is it’s a I’m always feeling I feel homesick, but you used to it after a while.

Me: Yes and what part of what part of Syria do they live in?

Mom: They live in the mountains and it’s very close area to to the city of Homs. It’s around its around 40  kilometers of Homs. It’s around 3 hours drive from the capital of Damascus. It’s a wonderful area it’s like you feel yourself in Mount Airy. Yeah. It happened in heaven. It’s very open. It’s very open very clear sky wonderful very clear for season environment very clean environment and everything. You can eat its organic. Yeah. Everything you can find everything even your cereal you can and it’s very served area in electricity and transportation in on this and of course Michael you have been there. So, you know the area

Me: Very true and for the final question, what was, what were the benefits and the losses were there any benefits and losses when actually arriving into the U.S. And if there were what were they?

Mom: Definitely there is some gain and some loss in my immigration. Or our immigration as a family person Michael you do not have to experience that but you and your brother were born here. Yes. Yes, but for for me and for like as a family for my family, yes, of course, there was some gain I had to meet. Many people from different areas of the world. Of course, that’s like you gain automatically you gain the culture of them. You meet wonderful people and of course you get to see the Modern Life the mother technology the modern organization. You live day by day by by this standard very clean environment.

Me: What were the benefits and advantages and disadvantages when you first came into the U.S?

Mom:  Advancement the last I could tell you the last is to be separated from the family. You lose a lot of the the traditions because you’re disconnected from it you the language it’s the mostly the the language and the culture. It’s mostly the the last four. The occasions the events when we have to meet with families and enjoy the time like of Christmas or Easter or this is a loss for us, but we gained a different one like we celebrate Thanksgiving here and that’s something we don’t over over there. So yes, there is some benefits and losses.

Me: Yes. All right, um this that is about all the questions I have for you. Is there anything else you’d like to add real quick?

Mom: Well, thank you for taking the time to interview me and I hope your friends and your professor enjoy the interview and. I don’t know. I’ll give you that great. You deserve ha ha ha. Thank you very much.

Me: I’ll see you later.

Mom: So I love you, baby. All right, love you, too.

Me: Love you too

Me: Okay. Thank you. Bye. Bye.

Mom: Bye. Bye.

Me: And there we go. That is the interview with my mother about the immigration process from Syria. I hope you enjoyed. Thank you.

Sources to help support and enhanced my work

 

 

How this will support the interview

 

  • These sources will help with allowing me to understand the legal action taken to be imported to the US. I will use information found in the sources to further engage in a conversation when asking my questions.

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