1. Respondent ID
\n1. 1. Age: 17
\n1. 2. Sex: M.
\n1. 3. Parent(s) away: Both
\n1. 4. Parent(s) moved abroad: Father left three years ago; mother moved two years ago.
\n1. 5. Country: Spain. (Madrid.)
\n1. 6. Respondent lives with: Grandma (maternal grandmother)<\/p>\n
2. Details of Respondent’s life before:
\nI: Your father left away three years ago.
\nR: Yes.
\nI: You used to see each other every day before.
\nR: Right.
\nI: You lived a normal life. Who do you mainly stay in contact with?
\nR: With Mom.
\nI: Can you tell me why?
\nR: I don\u2019t know, it’s easier to call her, Dad is at work, he cannot answer and well\u2026 I can talk to both of them, but, I don\u2019t know, I talk more with Mom, so to speak.
\nI: What did you best like to do with your father and your mother before they left away?
\nR: Nothing special. We used to go out shopping or something like that. Otherwise…
\nI: Did you play together?
\nR: When I was very little, yes, we did.
\nI: Who did you mainly play with?
\nR: With Dad, I mainly played with him when I was younger, but less with Mom.
\nI: Who helped you the most when you needed help with your homework?
\nR: Mom did.
\nI: When you were very young and couldn’t go alone to the nursery school or school, who accompanied you?
\nR: Mom did.
\nI: Who keeps contact with your teacher or your form master?
\nR: Always Mom.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
3. Details of Respondent’s life after:
\nI: Can you describe your first day after your father’s departure?
\nR: That was a funny. First he left with my uncle and his identity card had expired and he had to return. (He laughs.) He returned, renewed his card and left again. I don’t remember anything special… you can imagine, a sense of darkness in my heart because he was leaving and I wouldn’t see him any longer. I couldn’t really realize what was going on at that time… but after a few weeks we could feel his absence.
\nI: Therefore, it took a while…
\nR: Yes, to feel his absence. I knew he was leaving and I wouldn’t see him soon. After one or two weeks I felt he was no longer with me and… In time I’ve got used, but…
\nI: What about the first day after your mother’s departure? How was it?
\nR: The same. Because I had already got used with my father’s being away (we both laugh) and I knew what would happen, I knew I wouldn’t soon see her, either… Yes, we get lucky with technology. We can always talk. Except we cannot see each other, but this is also possible through internet and others similar… I’m not there physically, but mentally and spiritually I’m with them.
\nI: Have you understood why they left?
\nR: Yes, they wouldn’t make here the money they are earning there. They left to help me live a decent life.
\nI: Can you detail your feelings about that?
\nR: (He thinks a little.) I thank them for that, in a way, because it is me they are helping, and I know it is for me they are doing everything and live a hard life there. On the one hand, I’d like to have them here, but on the other hand I understand why they left, because, as I said, they had to… A parent must take care of his children and offer them whatever is the best.
\nI: Who is taking care of you?
\nR: Mom’s mother.
\nI: Do you get along well with her?
\nR: Yes, I do.
\nI: Are there any points of difference, too?
\nR: Sure there are.
\nI: Is it because of the age?
\nR: Right. It’s because of the age gap. She has a certain point of view, I have a different one, I don’t think all the people have the same opinions.
\nI: Are there any particular reasons? For instance you turn the music loud…
\nR: No, there are minor things like “eat”, “I don’t want to, I’m not hungry”, “but why don’t you eat” or “put that on”, “don’t put that on” and so on.
\nI: Do you have other relatives in Buz\u0103u?
\nR: Yes, I do, I have two aunts and their families.
\nI: How do you get along with them?
\nR: I get along very well with Mom’s sister who is like a second mother to me, but not so well with the other aunt. She’s Dad’s sister and… I don\u2019t know, since I was a kid I haven’t been too close to them.
\nI: During these two years since you remained to live with your grandmother have you needed to go to a doctor or to be put in hospital?
\nR: Just a simple cold or… nothing more.
\nI: Haven’t you had any toothache?
\nR: It has fallen out. I’ve had one tooth out.
\nI: Did you go to the dentist alone?
\nR: No, my aunt accompanied me the first time, then… Actually it was the only time, because she had to sign something and then she left, she didn’t stay with me. “You’ll manage” she told me. “Thank you”. (He laughs.)
\nI: Do your friends or colleagues also have their parents abroad?
\nR: Yes, they do, mostly in Spain and in Italy.
\nI: Do you feel closer to them? Do you have more things in common?
\nR: Not necessarily. No. Generally we don’t talk about our parents (He laughs.)
\nI: What do you talk about?
\nR: About something else, anything else, about what we see around in the street…
\nI: Your other colleagues know your parents moved abroad, don’t they?
\nR: Yes, they do.
\nI: What do they say about that?
\nR: Nothing.
\nI: Don’t they envy you?
\nR: No, they neither say “Wow, your parents are in Spain, you must have a lot of money because, wow, people make a lot of money there” nor “oh, your parents are in Spain and this must hurt you”.
\nI: We have a normal relationship.
\nR: Normal, sure.
\nI: What did your mother work here?
\nR: She was a seamstress at the hospital and she retired for sickness after a stroke she had…
\nI: God!…
\nR: She has an autoimmune disease, but she’s doing fine with pills; she’s not feeling bad, but she cannot work. She only left with Dad to stay with him, help him cook, prepare for work in the morning and so on.
\nI: She’s a very particular case. She doesn’t work there. She lives with your father. What did your father work here?
\nR: The same, first he worked at G\u00e2rla\u0219i Hospital, as an electrician; then he worked in the construction business. In Spain he also works in the construction business.
\nI: Your mother was a seamstress at the hospital?
\nR: Right.
\nI: What did she tailor at the hospital?
\nR: Torn bed sheets, pillow cases…
\nI: Since they left have you got more clothes, do you feel their departure has a positive impact on you?
\nR: Yes, in a way or other, I mean I cannot say that I’ve got much of a thing since they left, but I cannot say either that I Mom’s got anything.
\nI: Is there anything you would very much like and hope to get with the money your parents will bring to the country?
\nR: I’ll be eighteen soon and I want to attend the driving school!
\nI: And a car!
\nR: Obviously. Yes, I’ve talked with them about that, actually with Mom and she said she would talk to Dad (he laughs) and then she told me he was also expecting that.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
4. Internet-based communications.
\n*Technical.
\nI: You do have internet access at home, don’t you?
\nR: I do.
\nI: Through smart phone or tablet?
\nR: Telephone and laptop.
\nI: Who pays the subscription?
\nR: (He laughs.) My grandmother pays it.
\nI: Had you had internet before your parents left away?
\nR: Da.
\nI: Since when?
\nR: Since I was eleven or twelve.
\nI: Was your computer bought on a particular occasion?
\nR: I think it was for Christmas. (He laughs.)
\nI: It was a present.
\nR: Santa came with it.
\nI: Have you ever written letters by hand?
\nR: To my parents?
\nI: In general. Then I’ll ask you if you also wrote to them.
\nR: Perhaps it was when I was in primary or middle school. I remember I once wrote a letter to a girl, but to my parents I’ve never written letters.
\nI: What internet programs do you use to communicate with your friends?
\nR: Facebook, WhatsApp…
\nI: Therefore, you have a Facebook account.
\nR: Right.
\nI: Do your parents have their own Facebook accounts?
\nR: They do.
\nI: Both of them?
\nR: Yes.
\nI: How do you prefer to communicate with them?
\nR: Through WhatsApp. I like it better, I write faster than talk on the phone. But I do call them, I have unlimited minutes, there’s no problem, I call them.
\nI: Who is the one that usually calls? Is it you or they?
\nR: I’m the one that calls. When they want to talk to me they beep me and I call them back. (He laughs.)
\nI: When and how did you learn to use the internet and the computer? They brought it on Christmas. Had you already known how to use a computer?
\nR: No, I hadn’t.
\nI: How did you learn? Searching for music, documenting yourself, or both?
\nR: Both. Dad taught me.
\nI: He had known before.
\nR: Yes, Dad taught me how to access the browsers, search for music, download files and in time I got used working alone.
\nI: What else do you do on the computer, except communicating with your parents and friends?
\nR: I play, listen to music or search for information when I need for my homework or for something else.
\nI: What applications do you use for communication?
\nR: WhatsApp and Facebook.
\nI: Have there been any cases where you would have liked to talk to your mother, to them, but you couldn’t?
\nR: No, we could always talk.
\nI: Do you use the emails to communicate…?
\nR: No, (he laughs), this is out of fashion.<\/p>\n
*Content.
\nI: You say you talk to your parents every day?
\nR: Right.
\nI: Do you remember your first communication with your mother after she had left away?
\nR: Since she arrived there or?
\nI: Since she arrived.
\nR: Yes, we talked when she got off the plane. (He laughs.)
\nI: She called you.
\nR: Yes.
\nI: And she told you “I’ve got off the plane”.
\nR: Yes.
\nI: What did you tell her?
\nR: I said ok and asked if she had met Dad, so as to know he was all right and they would get home safe. (He laughs.)
\nI: So, who is the one that usually calls?
\nR: Mom.
\nI: Do you ever call them?
\nR: Sure.
\nI: On what occasions?
\nR: Daily. It depends how it is. If I want to talk to them earlier, I call them, if not, they call me.
\nI: What do you usually talk about?
\nR: About how I am, how school is going, if I or they have any problem, any need, if they want to send me I don\u2019t know where or I tell them if I need something…
\nI: For instance, they call you and ask where you are and you are at home and they tell you to go to your aunt and give her or so that she would give you…
\nR: Yes.
\nI: It’s a very effective communication.
\nR: It is.
\nI: What did you last talk about? When was that?
\nR: Yesterday. (He laughs.) Mom asked how I was, I told her I had arrived home, had had dinner, I asked what she was doing, she said she was cleaning up, that’s all. She wanted to know what I had done at school, I said “it was ok, I didn’t get any mark”. When I get a mark, I tell her, but… that’s all. “Ok. Good luck with your learning. ”
\nI: Does she ask you what you would like them to send or bring you?
\nR: No.
\nI: Then do you ask her to send or bring you something?
\nR: Yes, when I need something I tell her. (He laughs.)
\nI: While you are talking to her are you alone or is your aunt or your grandmother in the room?
\nR: It depends on the circumstances. In general, I’m alone, I have my own room and I call her from there, but if Grandma or my aunt happens to be in my room, there’s no problem for me.
\nI: Does your grandmother interfere?
\nR: Yes, so as she would save a call.
\nI: Are there any things you feel you can only discuss with your mother?
\nR: No, I can discuss everything with both my parents.
\nI: Let me rephrase: are there any things you feel you can only with your parents?
\nR: No.
\nI: Have you ever felt that you can only discuss certain things face-to-face, not through internet, either with your mother or with your father?
\nR: No.
\nI: Does your mother ask you what you would like her to bring you?
\nR: No.
\nI: Do you show her what you have done at school?
\nR: Yes, I tell her.
\nI: Does she ever scold or reprimand you?
\nR: No, she tells me what her point of view is and I tell her my opinion (He laughs) and the discussion is over.
\nI: Does your mother keep contact with your teachers?
\nR: No.<\/p>\n
5. Relationship with the absent parents (important stages\/significant moments)
\nI: How often does your mother come to Romania?
\nR: Every six months.
\nI: What about your father?
\nR: It depends.
\nI: When did your mother last come to Romania?
\nR: Last summer.
\nI: What did you do together, during the first two or three days…?
\nR: We sat and talked, she told me how things were going there in Spain, I told he what I had done; nothing special, I mean we just sat and chatted, we didn’t go anywhere to walk or…
\nI: Or go out or open a bottle of champagne… What did you do when your father last came home?
\nR: The same. We talked, told stories, nothing more.
\nI: I understand better what you told me in the beginning: that due to communication technology the feeling of being away is reduced.
\nR: Yes, as I said: I know they aren’t here physically. But thanks to communications, they can always know how I am and I can know how they are.
\nI: Have you ever visited them in Spain?
\nR: No, because I’m under age. I should leave and return with both of them because I’m a minor. After I am eighteen I intend to go to them.
\nI: What do you know about the place they live in, from what they have told you?
\nR: They live in an apartment with three rooms. I know they have two extra rooms which they can offer for rent. A kitchen\u2026
\nI: Is the apartment rented by them?
\nR: Yes.
\nI: And they sublet the two extra rooms to get some more money.
\nR: Right.
\nI: An apartment in a block.
\nR: Right.
\nI: Is it a tall block?
\nR: I don\u2019t know. They live on the third floor. The block has four-storeys, of course. (He laughs.)
\nI: Do you live in a house or an apartment in Romania?
\nR: In a house.
\nI: Where do you prefer to live?
\nR: In a house.
\nI: Therefore, your mother is taking care of your father and your father is working in construction business. Do you know from them about what they are doing?
\nR: Yes.
\nI: Would you like to go there?
\nR: Yes.
\nI: On holiday or for good?
\nR: On holiday.
\nI: Why not for good?
\nR: I don\u2019t know, I don’t want to leave my life here. I mean I wouldn’t leave it. Perhaps when I get there and see that it’s better living in Spain… but I don’t think so.
\nI: You very much sound like my son at this point. He says “you are here, my friends are here, I won’t leave!” Tell me, did they leave thinking that they were leaving for good?
\nR: No.
\nI: Do you know when they plan to return?
\nR: No, I don’t think they plan.
\nI: What do you feel the advantages of their being away are? Is there a financial advantage?
\nR: Yes, a little bit bigger advantages.
\nI: Do you feel more independent, the fact they are not here allows you to stay longer, to…?
\nR: Yes, that indeed, but it also involves responsibility, because I have to do everything alone. I need a certificate. I cannot send Mom to take it from the doctor, I myself have to go, to ask or I have to go and look for clothes, but my aunt helps me with that, as she works in the field. (He laughs.)
\nI: Do they send money particularly to you? “Look, here’s ten euro, for you to have some pocket money.”\u2026?
\nR: No. They send money and tell me: “take care, that is for you”
\nI: Therefore, they send money to your grandmother and she gives you some so that you can spend when you go out. The rest of the money is administered by her, for the rent, water…
\nR: Heating…
\nI: Do they send you any presents?
\nR: they post a parcel from time to time. For example, to be more specific, they once sent me a smart-touch, once a MP3; sometimes they send sweets, generally sweets.
\nI: Do you like sweets?
\nR: I do. (He laughs.) They are good. Those from Spain are delicious and can never be compared with the ones we buy here.
\nI: Here it depends where you eat from. I would ask you if there are things you wouldn’t tell your parents: marks, a fight with your grandmother or with your friends. Things you wouldn’t tell them because you don’t want to stress them out.
\nR: Yes. If I have a fight with Grandma and I don’t tell Mom, she will hear from Grandma. (He laughs.) Yes. Sometimes I get a bad mark. I don’t feel the need to tell them I’ve had a fight with a friend. I I’ll make it right with him later. (He laughs.)
\nI: Can you tell me something about the disadvantages of their being away, if you feel there is any?
\nR: Yes, in a way. I cannot touch them physically. I cannot stay with them, talk face-to-face, I can feel their absence, as I said, but… I try to ignore it as much as possible. (He laughs.)
\nI: Did they come home last December, for the winter holidays?
\nR: No, they only came last January.
\nI: And what did you and your Grandma do on Christmas, from the morning of the twenty-fourth until the evening of the twenty-fifth December?
\nR: I remember we put the Christmas tree up on the twenty-fourth, like everybody else, we have an artificial tree. It was in the shed. After that I spent my time with my girlfriend.
\nI: Was it at your place or at hers or you went out on the town?
\nR: At my place. On the twenty-fifth I got up, had breakfast, well, it was eleven o’clock, and I had a meal with Grandma! (He laughs.) Then I chatted with her, watched TV. I left to my girlfriend and went out on the town. Meanwhile I also talked to my parents over the phone.
\nI: It was a pleasure listening to you. Thank you.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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