Role Cards

1

I moved from Rumania to Austria 36 years ago. I opened my own shop – a delicatessen shop – in 1991, because it was a great opportunity for me to earn good money. My customers call me Miro. I have been working in the shop for quite a long time and I am quite happy here in Vienna. Things are working out very well for us.

2

People here call me Thomas because they can´t spell my Japanese name. After getting my degree in Computer Science I worked in a lot of different places to improve my language skills especially my German. I was offered a job. So I came to Vienna in August 2007. I like it here – people are friendly to foreigners.

3

I was born in Nigeria. My parents died in a violent war between Christian and Muslims. I work for a non-profit organisation here in Graz. We try to help new immigrants from Africa.

4

My name is Susanne and I am a medical student in Innsbruck. I am from Germany and I have been accepted for a degree programme offering a broad spectrum of educational opportunities at the University of Innsbruck. I visit my family and friends in Munich every second weekend.

5

I am from India but now I live in Linz. I usually do seasonal farm work because there are a number of opportunities here in Upper Austria. I help Austrian farms produce, maintain and harvest various crops. The pay is excellent but life is not always so easy. I like the people here - being an Indian with a different skin colour – people look at me mainly because they are curious and not because they are racist.

6

I was forced to leave my home in Hungary a few years ago after a dam burst. It was a national catastrophe and a few people even died in the floods. I lost everything I had so I started a new life in Austria. I am looking after an elderly person. I go to the old people´s home and help there.

7

I love Vienna! My father was a guest worker and then later my mother and my grandparents came as well. Life is great in the big city. We have a great Turkish community here with our own Turkish bakery, supermarket, hairdresser and so on. I like the freedom I have in Austria. I can do whatever I want.

8

My parents are from Bosnia. During the war in 1993 they came to Austria to raise me here because it was safer. I feel Austrian because most of the time I lived and studied here. I think it doesn´t matter where you come from as long as you are hardworking , honest and open minded.

9

I was born and raised in Milano. A few years ago I met my future husband from Klagenfurt in Milano and fell in love with him immediately. I couldn´t speak a word of German but that didn´t matter.