1 00:02:44.020 → 00:02:45,005 Bon appetit everyone. 2 00:02:47.009 → 00:02:48,009 I cooked all the dishes. 3 00:02:48.010 → 00:02:54,022 I am Sepideh Rajabi, I am 38 years old. I have a son and his name is Hosein. 4 00:02:56.026 → 00:02:59,000 I came to Turkey 5 years and 7 months ago. 5 00:03:00.002 → 00:03:04,011 Every morning after I wake up I prepare the breakfast and I do housework. 6 00:03:05.013 → 00:03:20,011 Sometimes my mom and I go out for shopping then we cook at home. 7 00:03:21.013 → 00:03:24,019 And sometimes we hangout with our friends. 8 00:03:25.021 → 00:03:31,001 I got used to living in Turkey and I am so happy to be in this city. 9 00:03:32.003 → 00:03:36,011 I feel safer than Iran and I live peacefully here. 10 00:03:37.014 → 00:03:43,026 I miss Iran, but I don’t feel very homesick. I don`t miss Iran to the degree that I feel I need to go back there. 11 00:03:44.028 → 00:03:50,008 In Iran. I only miss my siblings, my father and my family. 12 00:03:51.010 → 00:03:59,026 Actually, I never wanted to leave Iran. 13 00:04:00.028 → 00:04:07,010 When I first came here, I was broken about 6,7 months spiritually and psychologically.. 14 00:04:08.012 → 00:04:15,027 Then I realized that here was better than Iran. 15 00:04:25.015 → 00:04:32,029 I am Alireza Rejabi, 36 years old. I have been playing music for about 20 years. 16 00:04:34.001 → 00:04:40,013 I compose music, play guitar and I sing. 17 00:04:42.017 → 00:04:49,000 It was very difficult at first when I came here because we couldn’t communicate with anyone. 18 00:04:50.002 → 00:04:55,012 We didn’t know the language and it was very difficult for us. 19 00:04:54.029 → 00:05:05,015 In reality, we had a good living situationin in Iran; however, we had to leave because of some of our private issues. 20 00:05:13.025 → 00:05:39,016 We had a middle class life in Iran 21 00:05:47.000 → 00:05:57,021 I was involved with music in Iran, but my main jon was different. 22 00:05:58.023 → 00:06:04,003 Sometimes I made money from music. 23 00:06:04.003 → 00:06:08,011 but I needed my main job to earn an income. 24 00:06:16.027 → 00:06:23,009 When I was 19, my friend bought a guitar. 25 00:06:24.012 → 00:06:31,026 Although I didn't know how to play a guitar, I started learning with this one 26 00:06:38.008 → 00:06:45,022 Actually, my friend worked harder witf the guitar than I did at that time. 27 00:06:46.024 → 00:06:54,008 I didn't have any money to buy my own. 28 00:07:08.005 → 00:07:14,017 After my friend learned to play this guitar, I was thinking what a beautiful sound it had. 29 00:07:15.019 → 00:07:20,029 No matter what it took, I wanted to buy one and so I did 30 00:07:37.000 → 00:07:43,012 Within a few months of buying and learningthe instrument, my world changed. 31 00:07:44.014 → 00:07:49,024 This is now my musical career started 32 00:08:07.029 → 00:08:15,013 My name is Hosein I am 17 years old. I live in Eskişehir Turkey. 33 00:08:17.017 → 00:08:22,027 I play the piano. I am a soccer player I also play on an Espor team 34 00:08:23.029 → 00:08:29,009 I am very interestedin soccer game. This is how I live my life. 35 00:08:30.011 → 00:08:33,017 I came here at the age of eleven, and of course I didn't understand much because. 36 00:08:34.019 → 00:08:41,002 I was still a kid. There isn't anything I miss about Iran, so I didn't have a hard time getting used to Turkey. 37 00:08:41.023 → 00:08:44,029 It took me a month to learn Turkish except for slang. 38 00:08:47.003 → 00:08:54,017 I started in eighth grade of the middle school, I would have finished 12th grade it I hadn't failed. 39 00:08:59.027 → 00:09:06,009 Everyday I wake up, I do my exercise first; I run every morning. 40 00:09:07.011 → 00:09:13,024 I have breakfast. I practice playing the piano. Then I study English and my other lessons. 41 00:09:22.010 → 00:09:30,026 I am Mahboubeh Rezghdi, and I am 60 years old. 42 00:09:31.028 → 00:09:39,012 I came to Turkey 5 years and 7 months ago with my kids. 43 00:09:40.014 → 00:09:47,029 I came here because of problems with my young children. 44 00:09:49.001 → 00:09:57,017 Actually, it was hard at first. Then, we learned to get used to it and here we are 45 00:09:58.019 → 00:10:06,003 Since I am a housewife, my life isn't much different than my old life in Iran. 46 00:10:07.005 → 00:10:13,017 Sometimes I do the shopping, sometimes I go for a walk. 47 00:10:14.019 → 00:10:21,002 There is only one difference here than in Iran. 48 00:10:22.004 → 00:10:27,014 People here in Turkey are happy and warm. In Iran, however people are cold, and they stick to their own business. 49 00:10:30.020 → 00:10:36,000 I left Iran for the sake of my young son. 50 00:10:37.002 → 00:10:42,012 We also had problems with the Iranian government. 51 00:10:42.014 → 00:10:48,024 Before we came to Turkey, we planned everything out. 52 00:10:49.026 → 00:10:56,009 We planned which city to live in and do our business and we are still here. 53 00:11:08.018 → 00:11:13,028 My name is Mojbata; that was my Iranian name. But now my Turkish name is Metin. 54 00:11:16.002 → 00:11:22,014 I changed my name to Metin because my Iranian name was so hard to pronouce for my friends here. 55 00:11:23.016 → 00:11:27,025 Now everybody calls me Metin, even my family. 56 00:11:28.027 → 00:11:32,003 I have a bachelor's degree in law. 57 00:11:34.007 → 00:11:51,009 But here in Turkey, I work as a belly dancer and dance instructor. 58 00:11:52.011 → 00:11:56,019 I am 28 years old. 59 00:11:58.024 → 00:12:12,020 I perform oriental dances at weddings, engagements, special days and night. 60 00:12:14.024 → 00:12:25,014 Once, I became friends with the owner of the place I work, I began to take to the dance stange in Turkey 61 00:12:26.016 → 00:12:28,020 They offered me work as a dance instructor and let me use their place for dance education, which allowed... 62 00:12:29.022 → 00:12:34,001 ... Me to make some money as an instructor at the sometime. 63 00:12:35.003 → 00:12:42,017 They told me that women and girls enjoyed spending time with me. When I started offering dance lessons, it became a very successful business. 64 00:12:52.005 → 00:12:59,019 There was a dance competition in Antalya, Turkey. I entered the competition from Iran. 65 00:13:00.021 → 00:13:05,000 There are television channels in the United States for Iranian people, but there are illegal to watch in Iran. 66 00:13:06.002 → 00:13:11,012 Iranians, however watch these illegal TV channels anyway. 67 00:13:12.014 → 00:13:18,026 I learned about the Turkish dance competition from watching these channels when I was still in Iran, and so. 68 00:13:19.028 → 00:13:26,010 I sent them my dance video which they liked. So I got to enter the contest and qualified as a finalist. 69 00:13:27.012 → 00:13:34,026 I got third place, and then returned to Iran. 70 00:13:35.028 → 00:13:46,019 After seven or eigth months, the government obtained and examined the contest videos. 71 00:13:47.021 → 00:13:59,013 I was arrested and sentenced to prison for one and a half years, as well as a public whipping. 72 00:14:00.015 → 00:14:07,029 In the end, I fled the country to avoid these punishments. 73 00:14:09.001 → 00:14:15,014 I came to Turkey legally, but since I was afraid to use the airport, I came by bus. 74 00:14:16.016 → 00:14:21,026 At first I thought the situation would improve after three to four months, and... 75 00:14:22.028 → 00:14:28,008 I would be able to go back to Iran, but it never happened. My family kept telling me that the government was still investigating me. 76 00:14:29.010 → 00:14:36,024 So I decided to report my situation to the United Nations affter that, I couldn't return to Iran. 77 00:14:38.028 → 00:14:44,008 When I went to court, I tried to explain to the judge that I had gone to a different country to show. 78 00:14:45.011 → 00:14:49,019 My dance performance because it's forbidden in Iran. 79 00:14:52.025 → 00:14:57,003 The judge accused me, and said that I was a shameful model for young people in our country, and that 80 00:14:58.005 → 00:15:01,011 I was helping our enemies. He refused to exonerate me or release me. 81 00:15:02.013 → 00:15:10,029 Indeed I had never before even been in a police station for any reason I only knew these kinds of cases from the movies. 82 00:15:13.003 → 00:15:30,006 When I realized that I wasn't going to be exonerated by the court, I moved to a different city for a while. 83 00:15:31.008 → 00:15:43,000 Not long after that, my family called me to say that police officers had come to my home to arrest me. 84 00:15:44.002 → 00:15:56,027 Then my family bought me a bus ticket for Turkey. I was nervous, and so afraid of being... 85 00:15:57.029 → 00:16:10,023 Caught that I prayed ( almost 500 time ) while I escaped. But everything went well. 86 00:16:12.027 → 00:16:23,017 I came to İstanbul, and waited to see what would happen for three to four months. 87 00:16:24.019 → 00:16:32,004 At that time, I wasn't even aware that the United Nations had an organization for refugees. 88 00:16:33.006 → 00:16:43,026 Then I went to Ankara to tell my story and get help. They helped me a lot, may God be pleased with them. 89 00:16:44.028 → 00:16:53,014 The Turkish government in Ankara suggested that I go to the city of Eskişehir. So I moved to live there. 90 00:16:55.018 → 00:17:08,013 When I was in Iran, I was always listening to Turkish music, but I didn't know how to speak the language. I loved Turkey 91 00:17:11.019 → 00:17:30,025 I actually didn't know any Turkish when I first came here. However, I learned Turkish in 6 months because I already liked this language. 92 00:17:33.000 → 00:17:37,008 I really like Turkey and also my Turkish friends I have such lovely friends here. 93 00:17:38.010 → 00:17:40,014 Must of them are not young; many are businessmen with good characters 94 00:17:41.016 → 00:17:44,022 They care about me, and I really appreciate their friendship. Whenever I have been in need, they have helped me. 95 00:17:45.024 → 00:17:49,000 Even though there are 5000 Iranians living in Eskişehir 99% of my friends are Turkish. 96 00:17:53.008 → 00:18:09,009 Most my friends are business people, quality people. 97 00:18:12.015 → 00:18:18,027 I came here alone, but 6 months later my family joined me. 98 00:18:19.029 → 00:18:29,017 Because the Iranian government was harassing them, I asked them to move with me. 99 00:18:35.029 → 00:18:46,020 I had been dancing in Iran, even though I had never received lessons or had a teacher. 100 00:18:47.022 → 00:18:57,010 I developed my talent myself I started performing at weddings in Iran. 101 00:18:58.012 → 00:19:04,024 After entering the dance contest in Turkey after 2012, I started to dance professionally. 102 00:19:05.026 → 00:19:14,013 In Eskişehir, I started to perform my dance again, Because I didn't know Turkey. 103 00:19:15.015 → 00:19:24,001 I stayed at home the first six months to study the language. I had found Turkish friends on Facebook and chatted a lot with them. 104 00:19:25.003 → 00:19:30,013 This was good practice for me because I was always copying their sentences and correspondece 105 00:19:31.015 → 00:19:37,027 In a tavern called ''Hayal Kahvesi'' I med a solo singer named Yeliz 106 00:19:38.029 → 00:19:45,012 I asked her to show my performances at her work place. I sent my dancing videos. She liked them... 107 00:19:46.014 → 00:19:57,004 ... And she asked her boss if I could work and dance at the tavern. At first her boss said no because. 108 00:19:58.006 → 00:20:08,026 I was a man, but I got to perform for him and some customers, and they really enjoyed it. 109 00:20:09.028 → 00:20:24,027 After that, he offered me a job performing 6 days a week. I was working with Yeliz until the tavern closed down. 110 00:20:25.029 → 00:20:38,023 However, I found another place to work called '' Las Vegas '' I worked there for one and a half years. 111 00:20:40.027 → 00:20:50,015 Eventually I had my own entourage and I worked in different hotels... 112 00:20:51.017 → 00:21:01,006 ... And in cities such as Antalya, Bodrum and İstanbul then I would return to Eskişehir 113 00:21:02.008 → 00:21:10,024 I prefer to work in Eskişehir in the winter and autumn, and work in Antalya and Bodrum in summertime. 114 00:21:17.006 → 00:21:28,029 I have also been performing and entertaining for private functions, such as weddings. 115 00:21:30.001 → 00:21:42,025 A woman from such a group asked me to add women to my performence for private functions that preferred a group. 116 00:21:43.027 → 00:21:54,017 So now I have been teaching and choreographing a group of women to dance with me, and the season will start this month. 117 00:21:56.021 → 00:22:09,016 Although most of my friends are Turkish, some Iranian friends want me to Irain and teach them too. 118 00:22:10.018 → 00:22:25,016 So I added them to my training group. They are unemployed so that's one reason I try to help. 119 00:22:36.007 → 00:22:51,005 I used to have a boutique then I purchased a farm. 120 00:22:52.007 → 00:23:07,006 I was earning money on the farm for three months, but then the incident with the government... 121 00:23:08.008 → 00:23:25,010 ... Happened and I lost all my goods and property I was happy at my job, my work place was at the seaside. 122 00:23:26.012 → 00:23:37,002 After losing everything, I moved to Turkey 123 00:23:41.011 → 00:23:55,007 Of course I didn't want to lose my job. I hadn't really thought of being a dancer as a future goal, by the way. 124 00:23:56.009 → 00:24:11,007 But I like being a dancer I am pretty self-confident and belive ... 125 00:24:12.010 → 00:24:23,000 ... In myself, and I know how to earn money from various jobs. 126 00:24:24.002 → 00:24:35,024 However, when I came to Turkey, the best way to employ myself was dancing. 127 00:24:36.026 → 00:24:46,015 As I said, I used to dance for pleasure and not for money. When I was first offered a job as a dancer. 128 00:24:47.017 → 00:24:58,007 I accepted however much salary they gave me. I worked hard, and even trained many women 129 00:24:59.009 → 00:25:08,027 Some of my students were more successful than I was because they were women and could get dancing jobs easier than I could as a man. 130 00:25:09.029 → 00:25:20,020 In this light, Turkey is a little similar to Iran. I think I probably would have had even more success 131 00:25:21.022 → 00:25:33,014 If I had been in more flexible and open minded countries. 132 00:25:34.016 → 00:25:45,006 During my work as dancer, the relationship with my friends and even my boss has been warm and supportive. 133 00:25:47.010 → 00:25:56,029 They visited my home and I visited their homes as well they have always treated me very nicely. 134 00:25:59.003 → 00:26:09,023 I have never experienced any rudeness from them, either from the men or the women. They all like me. 135 00:26:12.029 → 00:26:20,013 I am now used to living here in Turkey. Even if I were given a chance to return to Iran 136 00:26:21.015 → 00:26:27,028 I don't think I could live there anymore even for a visit of two weeks. 137 00:26:29.000 → 00:26:36,014 Unlike Turkey, living conditions in Iran are too strict though I really want to go back to Iran.