„It is a pity that you don’t live in your beautiful country“
I have heard the above phrase so many times, most recently last weekend. The extremely nice air-bnb host who handed us the keys in our Aosta apartment just said it, after asking which « strange » language we were speaking between each other. Our host and many people think that saying this is a compliment to your country of origin and to also belittle a bit the Western country you live in, in our case Switzerland.
Some people do not take any offense in these statements, i.e. my husband. I, simply put, do not like it. It is a global job market, our home is where we get the best emloyment opportunity. We are not in Switzerland for its mountains. Why all these emotions on « not being in your country ». Similarly at home, why are people so emotional about « leaving? »
This is also a reflection of the banal anti-immigrant rhetoric that is so well-routed in Europe. This open-minded lady has the right to comment on the place I should live. I am a person who has migrated legally to Europe with a valid work permit before entering the country. But these comments echo the subconscious mainstream mindset in Europe: « Why are all these people coming to Europe? »
There are so many reasons why Turks like me or any other person from any other country live in a different place than they were born. This is a personal decision that unless you have a close relationship with a person, you do not have the right to question.
If I stayed in my country as our host suggested we should, I would not be able to travel on and off in Europe like I do now and would no way come to Aosta, this quaint Italian town surrounded by Alps. The reason is for each travel I had to apply for a Schengen visa. People in Europe do not even understand what it means to live in a non-Schengen country and apply for a tourist visa when you want to travel in the Schengen zone. Even if you tell them this, they think a visa is something you get at the airport or a few days prior your travel. They do not know that even to make an appointment at a visa centre will cost you money, and you are given a list of documents to provide ranging from bank details to ridiculuous international insurance coverage which has to specifically indicate validity for Liechtenstein... I know this because once my visa application got denied for my insurance letter not specifically stating validity for this small country which happens to be in the Schengen zone.
I am a migrant who is at ease with the cons and pros of living in another place and I truly respect every individual’s decision to exist whereever they please. I see every migration trajectory as a richness and a step closer to a truly global world which I continue to believe is a good thing.
