the adventures of an asylum seeker in Switzerland

Daily Life, Swiss News and General Topics
1
hello everyone, i'm kinda still new so be gentel with me

so i was going through the forums and i came across something mark and mumba were talking about - i think it was about swiss racism and the hard time mumba was having -, anyways mark suggested about starting a thread with this title "the adventures of an asylum seeker in Switzerland". since i started my life in switzerland as an asylum seeker, i thought i would start this thread.

i arrived in geneva airport and i spent 5 days in the airport jail till they decided what to do with me, then i spent a month in an asylum home in geneva and 3 months in another home in graubünden, then i had to go into hiding with police protection, i lived like that for 2 months and then my case was over and the swiss authorities granted me the status of a recognized refugee and gave me the B permit and 5 years after that i got my C permit. all of that happened 12 years ago.

those 12 years had their highs and lows, i faced rasim and prejudice - sometimes from the swiss and at other times from foreigners- , i hated the german language at first, i thought the locals were the rudest people ever! time went buy and i learned the language, i made loads of swiss friends. as for work i started from the buttom and worked my way up, first did cleaning, then worked on the train selling food, then got a job as a receptionist, then went to K.V schule and now i'm a librarian.

the german speaking swiss people can at first seem/be rude, cold, petty, distant and narrowminded, but most of them are ok once u get to know them (some of them you dont want to know). i must say most of the bad experience i had with the swiss was outside the work/study place.

oh one last thing, my worst experiences were in the asylum homes, with other asylum seekers, some people there were very violent, there were many drug pushers, the rooms and bathrooms had no keys, and as i was young and alone and a female, i did not feel secure there. i would only go to the bathrooms if i saw other females heading there.

ok then thats all for now

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Hi Tamara,

Thanks for sharing that. How old were you when you arrived? As I understand what you wrote your application was processed in only 5 months (seems pretty quick compared to other cases).

What about your life before you left your home country? (if you don't mind me asking, if you don't want to talk about it that's also ok) Did your parents come as well?

Did you get to know any of the other asylum seekers or keep up with them after you left the homes?

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hi mark,

i still am in touch with some of the people i befriended in the asylheim, most have left, i was 21 when i came here and i came alone. actually i ran away from home. before that i was studying medicine in slovakia. i'm somali and i grew up in saudi arabia. my parents still live there. my case had to do with "female genital mutilation". my dad came looking for me and tried to kidnap me from the asylum home with some men working for him. and yes i was totally surprised that it took only within 6 months for my case to be approved of in bern.

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Tammar well done on leaving all the crap behind in SA! Are you still safe from members of your family or other nutcase people in CH who might be against what you did?

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Wow Tamara, that's some story! I just bought Waris Dirie's "Schmerzenkinder" yesterday and so far, I've read that some European countries (i.e. Austria) don't give asylum to women fleeing FGM (because the women aren't *credible*). So I'm happy that Switzerland was quick in giving you asylum. Do you still have ocntact with your family?

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i'm kind of safe, i dont know if my dad will attempt the kidnapping thing again, it used to worry me in my early days here, i somewhat feel more secure now then i did before.

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thanks schoggi, one shocking thing i came across once was that -i think the country was finland- they were trying to make FGM legal, by letting finish doctors doing it, instead of the girls being sent during their summer holidays outside of europe and undergoing a painful premative procedure back home. i'll try and find the article

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Super great read. Thanks for sharing your experience.

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I am from Myanmar(burma). i arrived here since 2006 december. When i arrived here the airport authorities took my photo and fingerprints. And said i am free to go anywhere in Switzerland. I don't know where to go. i told them where to go. They told anywhere. I'd got surprised and shoked. Since I did not have any information about Switzerland even I think Swiss use swiss language. So i told them 4 times where to go. Finally a man came to me and give me one address which is Vallobe, near French border. he told me go there. I went outside the airport and search for something for transportation. I foung taxi stand. Before I go there I went information counter and told how to go Vallobe. A nice lady told me I must take a train outherwise it cost a lot. And she told me where to go. Its underground. I was very fortunate, cos I'd only $30 in my pocket. The ticket cost 36Frc. I spend 3 weeks in Vallobe. After 3 week, they transfer me to Basel camp. I was there for 1 month. There I finishd my first interview. After that I'd been shifted to Buren ad der Aare. Where I took my second interview. Now I am almost 7 months in Buren(some are more than 5 years no permit b). I've got neither possitive nor negative answer. And next year 2008 January, the new law be start. According to the new law, if you got one negative no social money and you must go back to your country. No more social money plus if not 2 year sentance in jail. For work permit, there have 5 piriorty

1. Swiss citizen

2. Permit B Holder (asylum seaker who got pacific protection)

3. Disabilities

4. Jobless

5. Permit F(who get swiss protection) and N (under investigation)

If a recruiter recruite an asylum, he/she must proved that ther is no other 4 piriorty people who is not meet the requrement for the job(the positon). Beside we are not allow to work for our profession. Only in cleaning, restaurant and aid job. Its very tuff for us. Especialy who lived in small village. As in my place ther is no such jobs. As you know switzerland is one of the high living cost in the world. The social money we got is not uniform. In Konton Bern 1 day 9.5 Frc(its include for everything food, clothes, daily usages as toothpase, soup, transport, others), Konton Zurich 1 day 12 Frc. I geneva more than 500 Frc per month. As you know all shopping center in the Swiss is same price, I mean all Denner products are same price in every Denner shop. Same as Co-op, Migros and Londi. At last, they give a room for living, I live in a small room(10ft x 8ft) share with other two peoples.

This is my story so far. May be different peole have different story. Thanks fow reading it.

regards

neonaing

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hello Neonaing,

i sincerely hope things go well for u. from reading your post i didnt exactly get if you are allowed to work or not, if yes then its better to work. even as kitchen help washing dishes, if they wont let you work in your chosen profession, than start anywere, learn the language, have a structured daily routine, widing your network of friends and contacts, but above all keep your spirits high and stay positive.

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Hi Neonaing,

Thanks for posting your story and I hope things become better for you soon. Are you able to say why you left Burma?

Your work situation would obviously be improved in a town or city - do you have any control over where you stay? It does seem strange that the authorities would locate asylum seekers in remote locations where the possibility of employment in low, especially as one of the criteria being assessed is the ability to integrate into Swiss society where gaining a job would be a good positive indicator.

How far from a town or city are you? On the low amounts the authorities are expecting you to live on I would guess public transport is out of the question - are you close enough to use a bicycle?

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Hi Tamara, I hope everything is going well for you and I am glad that you have found a new life here. It made me happy to hear that your case was taken seriously and that you were helped and even protected from those who would force their will on you. I am impressed by your courage and strength of character. It must have been an extremely dificult decission to make, to leave your home and your family and go off into the unknown. I wish you all you wish for yourself.

Hello Neoaing. I hope you are still here! I was wondering If you are able to change kantons with your asylum status as it is. If you can, and if you still are not working in January, (I know this sounds like a long time but time passes so quickly sometimes) please contact me and I will try to help with something. Over the winter it could help to ask restaurants and hotels in the ski-resorts if they have work. Most of these places have accomodation for workers. Stay stong and positive!

deborah