Interview with Azerbaijan Refugee

The conflict in Azerbaijan is a tragic situation leading to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, yet most Americans have never heard of the country itself. Azerbaijan is a small country that borders Armenia in the middle east. In 1994, a part of Azerbaijan called the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is primarily occupied by ethnic Armenians, separated from Azerbaijan and claimed what they believed to be Armenian territory. The Azerbaijan government did not support this and fought back, and the first two wars began. In  1994, a ceasefire was proposed by the soviet union, as Russia had political ties with Armenia, and it ended with Armenia in control of the territory. In 2020, a second war broke out, further displacing people and lasting 44 days, dividing the countries and adding to the political unrest. Since the fighting began, an estimated 68,000 people have left this region of Azerbaijan for safety in the media, and the numbers are still climbing. 

Farah Ahmadiva is a 18-year-old college student attending the University of Southern California. Her family fled Azerbaijan when she was around 5 years old and settled in San Diego; as a friend of a friend, she was kind enough to share her story with The community. 

Hann Interview

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Here is a Few important moments in the Interview Transcribed: 

Bella H (Interviewer):

Can you tell me your name and your background?

Farah A (Candidate):

Hi, my name is Farah and I'm from Azerbaijan.

Bella H (Interviewer):

Yeah. Okay. And then what religion did most of the people in your hometown or your circle practice?

Farah A (Candidate):

They were all Muslim.

Bella H (Interviewer):

Yeah. Okay. And then can you explain a little bit about the conflict and how that affected you while you were living there and your family?

Farah A (Candidate):

Yeah, there was a. So Azerbaijan has been at war with Armenia for, I think, I believe, since my mom. My parents were in. No, even earlier over a land dispute. And it made it very unsafe for the Nargo Karabakh region is where the land dispute, like, war was about. And because of that unsafety ness, a lot of people who used to live there had to move to Baku. And it kind of just like, made, like, shifted all of Azerbaijan. And especially when the Soviet Union collapsed too, the country kind of just became way less stable and poorer. And it's very. Not. It's very common. Like, my whole life that. The whole time that I lived there, I grew up surrounded by people talking about how they needed to find a new job, how they were unable to find a new job. And the people there, they don't get paid much at all. It's like only a couple hundred dollars a month for those who are actually lucky.

Bella H (Interviewer):

Wow. Okay. And so that. Did that personally affect your family.

Farah A (Candidate):

The job market? Yes, because. Well, so my mom's grand. My. My grandpa. My mom's dad is from the Naro Karach region. And so his, like, house and his, I guess, like, where he grew up, all that all got destroyed. So that greatly affected him and I heard about it through him. But the job conflict affected my parents greatly. Both my parents are scientists. And unless you're a lawyer and you want to work in, like, the police force or you want to do, like, doctor work, you were. You're, like, genuinely not going to be able to find a job there. And so that's also a big reason why we had to leave.

Bella H (Interviewer):

Wow. So yeah. Do you have anything specific about your community in San Diego after you moved here that is special to you?

Farah A (Candidate):

I would say that like just the friends and that I've made who have listened to, like, me, like, rant about, like, any difficulties I've had, especially with the college process. Like, I've definitely had a couple of, like, my best friends, like, just who were there for me and listened. And that's really special to me. And just, like, I don't know, I've never felt, like, a burden talking, so that'S been really nice.

Bella H (Interviewer):

Yeah. I know that San Diego is also a big refugee community. There's a lot of immigrants here, and it's pretty diverse. So do you think that that kind of was helpful knowing that, like, you weren't the only one likely in your area? I know you said you went to a predominantly white middle school, but, like, there's other people in this area who kind of have. Have similar shared experiences.

Farah A (Candidate):

100%. Like, one of my best friends, she went to a different high school, and I've, like, been introduced to her friend group and stuff. And, like, she did not go to predominantly white high school. Like, I didn't. Like, I just got to meet so many people that, like, though our experiences might not be the exact same, like, they kind of understand what's it. What's what? It's like, like being an immigrant because they themselves are also immigrants. So, like, that's also really nice just being able to, like, it's like kind of like a. Like, I feel like it's like a little club. Like, oh, we, like, all moved here and we all, like, came from somewhere else and now.

Bella H (Interviewer):

Yeah, perfect. And would you ever want to be involved in helping, like, other immigrants or refugees or, like, getting involved in some sort of community organization?

Farah A (Candidate):

Yeah, totally. I'm studying psychology right now, and I think being a refugee and an immigrant, like, mentally affects especially, like, children because, like, you're in such a, like, specific and important growth period that can, like, anything can really affect you heavily. So I think it'd be really interesting to, like, work with refugee children and, like, help them adapt and see the. And study the, like, mental changes that Occur with such a big change in, like, young children?

Bella H (Interviewer):

Yeah. That's awesome. Especially with your parents as scientific backgrounds. Like, that all kind of makes sense. Okay. Kind of going off of that. Do you think you have if you had one message for other young girls who have recently immigrated or going through a refugee or displaced person's process? Do you have any recommendations or, like, what's one message you would say for them?

Farah A (Candidate):

I would tell them to if they ever feel, like, alone, and if they ever feel like they don't fit in, or if they just Feel like kind of like not part of the community. To find a community somewhere else and then. And that the community will come to you and to not stress about it because it's out of your hands. And sometimes the situation just sucks. I personally, like, I've, like, especially when we first moved here, like, my only friend was really my mom and my brother, and I found a community. Like, I decided to start a sport. I started dancing. I met a lot of people through that, and that was my community, even though I had relatively no friends in my school. And also, just like, this sounds stupid, but everyone anywhere watches movies and they watch shows. And I always found it very helpful that, like, the same movies I watched in Azerbaijan, kids here grew up watching. And so they're not actually as alien as, like, I thought they were because we all, at the end of the day, like, liked the same things. And I got to make a lot of friends through just similar, like, interests like that. So I would say just treat them like they're like, normal people and just find similar interests. And don't worry, though, like, the community Will come to you.

Bella H (Interviewer):

Yeah, that's not stupid at all. That's so sweet. And then just lastly, ending on a positive note, what would you say your favorite thing to do in San Diego is? Azerbaijani refugee student story in San Diego

To learn more about the Azerbaijani conflict:

Nechepurenko, I., & Engelbrecht, C. (2022, September 13). Clashes erupt between Armenia and Azerbaijan, raising fears of another war. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/article/armenia-azerbaijan-clashes.html