Story #25**Disclaimer / Trigger Warning:
This story contains content that may be distressing or triggering to some readers, including racism and discrimination terminology. We have included these elements to address important social issues and to provide a platform for the sharing of personal experiences. We encourage readers to approach this material with sensitivity in mind. The following story details the discrimination I have experienced in and out of school. I have also heard racist comments in the workplace, but I have mainly focused on bullying at school. After the examples, I will talk about how bullying affected my own identity and well-being. I will also write about how bullying should have been addressed at school. Finally, I will discuss how I was empowered and found support and safety in anti-racism groups. There are a lot of racist terms in the text. However, I see it as necessary for my own story, because it was these words that hurt me and made me feel like an outcast from the very beginning.
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Story #24One day in September 2017 I arrived home after the typical workday that had been repeated almost unchanged since 2009. I was working in a highly renowned consulting firm in my country and with a lot of persistence, I managed to reach a high position over the years. I loved my job.
While I was preparing a tea, I received a message: "our visas were approved". That was my husband, who received an attractive job offer as a researcher at a university in Finland. When he arrived home we jumped with joy, we hugged each other, we couldn't contain our excitement! It was something incredible! After such an emotional discharge, I thought: "what does this mean? It wasn't until years later that I really understood what this move would mean: to give up my job, the one I loved so much, and which had accompanied me for many years, the house we had to leave and which we had worked so hard to build. To leave my family, to give them the news. That day in September marked a before and after in my life. STORY #23Yhteistyö Familia Clubin ja Päivänkehrän koulun musiikkiluokkien välillä käynnistyi vuonna 1993 pienimuotoisella kanssakäymisellä. Se, miten nämä kaksi tahoa löysivät toisensa, juontaa juurensa Familia Clubin syntyhetkiin – olin yksi niistä äideistä, jotka kokoontuivat viettämään kulttuuri-iltoja toistemme koteihin. Myöhemmin tutustuin Familia Clubin kautta taitaviin muusikoihin Rodrigo Rodrigueziin ja Pedro Castelloniin. Musiikkiluokan opettajana toivoin oppilaideni pääsevän kuulemaan näiden valovoimaisten esiintyjien musisointia ja samalla tutustuvan uusiin kulttuureihin laulujen ja leikkien avulla. Helpointa lasten kannalta olisi tuoda muusikot kouluun. Kutsu kävi ja Rodrigo ja Pedro innostuivat ajatuksesta toimia vierailevina opettajina koulussani. Vastavuoroisesti luokkani tulisi esiintymään Familia Clubin juhlatilaisuuksiin.
Story #22My journey into a multicultural environment began 13 years ago when I moved from Shiraz, Iran, to the Aalto University campus in Espoo. On the campus, I had the chance to share meals and celebrate various traditions and cultures. Later on, I entered into a multicultural family. My husband has two Finnish-English children, which adds another layer to our multicultural experience. Food has become an important part of our identity as we mix different traditions. We celebrate Nowruz, a Persian New Year tradition, with a spread of delicious dishes. Likewise, Christmas has the satisfying flavours of Finnish and English cuisine, bringing a mix of cultures to our table. Like any other story, this is the bright side. But what about the real challenges? Yes, I did suffer from the darkness until I learnt that I could light my house with Christmas lights and candles – and of course to take vitamin D. I realized that I need more friends; but how could I enter the Finnish community without knowing the language?!
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Haluamme kertoa juhlavuotemme kunniaksi 35 tarinaa kahden kulttuurin perheistäJulkaisemme 35 viikon ajan 35 erilaista tarinaa, jotka kuvastavat monia haasteita ja mahdollisuuksia, joita kahden kulttuurin perheet jokapäiväisessä elämässään kohtaavat. Haluamme näiden tarinoiden heijastavan todellisuutta ja tarjoavan vertaistukea, voimaannuttavia kokemuksia ja inspiraation lähteitä sekä lisäävän tietoisuutta kulttuurienvälisyydestä ja monikielisyydestä Suomessa. For 35 weeks, we will be publishing 35 different stories that reflect the many challenges and opportunities intercultural families face in their everyday lives. We want these stories to reflect reality and serve as an accessible peer support, source of empowerment and inspiration, and increase awareness of Interculturalism and Multilingualism in Finland.
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