Interview:

Migration to escape from discrimination as member of a minority group

Whats your name? Roeshana Rakhmatulina
How old are you? 54 year
Do you have a husband? Yes, his name is Abduzhapar Rakhmatulina
Do you have children? How old are they? I have 2 daughters, Aziza Rakhmatulina, she is 26 years old
and Nigara Rakhmatulina, she is 14 years old.
How long do you live in Belgium? I already live 15 years in Belgium.
Where do you come from? I lived in Kazachstan, in Alma-ata.
Why did you came to Belgium? Living in Kazachstan became very dangerous because we were from
the Oeigoerse origin and thats why we were discriminated by the ethnic minorities in Kazachstan. It
was easier to come to Belgium than to another country.
How did you learnt the language, how long did it take? I have been to Dutch lessons and after 3
years I could speak it fluenty and understand it.
How did you found a home? The OCMW form Westerlo helped us looking for a home. OCMW is a
institution that helps people with finding a home.
How did u came here ( transport )? First we take a plane from Kazachstan to Russia and after that we
took the bus from Russia to Belgium.
Was it easy or difficult to integrate? It was very difficult because there are other habits and people
think in a different way than we did in Kazachstan.
Which experiences do u have with the local population to you? The local population was very nice
to us.
Do you have a job? Yes, I work as a housekeeper in the company Rostal.
Was it difficult for you to find work? It was very difficult because in the beginning I worked illegal.
Now my application for staying in Belgium is accepted, so I work at Rostal right now.
Did u take special values or standards from Kazachstan? I think respect for older people and for
women is still very important
Which traditions do you want to keep from your Kazachstan?
We celebrate New Year and the festival of sacrifice, we eat a lot of our own dishes from Kazachstan
and we listen also to music from there.
What do you think is beautiful to this country? The local population because they are very friendly
and the different traditions that we didnt have in Kazachstan, like Christmasmarket or Carnival.
What do you think can be better in this country?
Better and quicker migration procedures so people that life here for 10 years dont have to leave this
country.
Do you want to return to Kazachstan? No, in Kazachstan there is too much discrimination and we
cant have a good life. We are also fit in already and my youngest daugter is born here and only
knows Belgium.
What are your dreams for the future?
That our children are righteous citizens.
Which tips do you want to give to people that want to immigrate?
First of all, think youre sure you want to do this because living in an unknown country is hard and
you have to leave everything behind you, you have to be sure about taking the big step.