Ahmed and Marcelo

Summary

In this heartfelt transcript, a civil engineer named Marcelo, originally from Bosnia, shares his struggles after being retrenched from his job in Australia. He discusses his concerns for his family's well-being, the impact of his job loss on their lifestyle, and the emotional toll of his past and present challenges. The conversation with a social worker reveals his resilience and the support he seeks to overcome adversity, including the discrimination his family faces due to their cultural background.

Takeaways

• 😔 Marcelo is a retrenched civil engineer who specialized in transportation tunnels and is now facing unemployment.
• 🌍 Marcelo's background is Bosnian Muslim, and he has a strong connection to his heritage despite living in Australia.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Marcelo has a family with three children and is concerned about providing for them and their education.
• 🏙️ Marcelo and his family moved from Sydney to Melbourne, which led to him joining a new company and eventually being retrenched.
• 📚 Marcelo's English was not very good initially, but he worked hard to improve it, which opened up opportunities in engineering.
• 💼 Marcelo is struggling with the stigma of being retrenched and the impact it has on job hunting.
• 🍲 Marcelo's family is facing financial constraints, which has affected their diet and lifestyle.
• 🤔 Marcelo is dealing with mental health concerns, including worries about his family's future and flashbacks to past hardships.
• 👫 Marcelo has a supportive but close-knit Muslim community, which he is hesitant to burden with his current struggles.
• 🏥 Marcelo visited his GP due to stomach problems, which might be linked to stress and the changes in his diet.
• 🤝 The social worker is offering to connect Marcelo with various services to help him cope with his current situation.

Q & A

What is the main concern that Marcelo brought up during his conversation with the social worker?

Marcelo's main concern is his recent job loss and the impact it has on his family, as well as his struggles with his mental health and the challenges he faces in finding new employment.

What profession did Marcelo mention he was previously employed in?

Marcelo mentioned that he was a civil engineer, primarily working on transportation tunnels.

Why was Marcelo retrenched from his job?

Marcelo was retrenched because the company he worked for lost the bid for a rail link tunnel project, and as one of the last people to join, he was let go under the 'last in, first out' policy.

How does Marcelo's background as a Bosnian Muslim affect his life in Australia?

Marcelo's background as a Bosnian Muslim has led to some stigma and discrimination, which has affected his family's life, including his children's experiences at school.

What significant historical event from Marcelo's past does he reference?

Marcelo references the Bosnian War and its impact on his early life.

Outlines

00:00

😔 Job Loss and Personal Struggles

In this paragraph, the individual, a civil engineer, discusses his recent job loss due to the company losing a bid for a rail link tunnel project. He reflects on his background as a Bosnian Muslim who moved to Australia and the challenges he faced with language and cultural assimilation. He also mentions his family, including his wife and three children, and the impact of his job loss on their financial situation and his mental health. The individual expresses concern about providing for his family and the potential stigma associated with being retrenched.

05:08

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Life and Cultural Identity

The speaker talks about his family, consisting of two boys and a girl, and how becoming a father has shifted his priorities. He discusses the sacrifices his

Keywords

💡Retrenched

Retrenched refers to being laid off or made redundant from a job, typically due to downsizing or restructuring within a company. In the script, the main character mentions being retrenched from his job as a civil engineer, which is a pivotal event that triggers the series of challenges he faces, including financial stress and emotional turmoil.

💡Civil Engineer

A civil engineer is a professional who designs, constructs, and maintains public works such as transportation systems, tunnels, and infrastructure. The main character identifies himself as a civil engineer, specializing in transportation tunnels, which is significant as it provides context for his professional background and the type of work he was engaged in before being retrenched.

💡Sleeping Patterns

Sleeping patterns refer to the regularity and quality of an individual's sleep, which can be affected by various factors including stress, health issues, or lifestyle changes. The script mentions concerns about the main character's sleeping patterns, suggesting that his recent job loss and personal struggles are impacting his mental health and well-being.

💡Bosnian Muslim

Bosnian Muslim is an ethnic and religious identity referring to Muslims from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The main character discusses his background as a Bosnian Muslim, highlighting the cultural and historical context that has shaped his life experiences, including the challenges he and his family faced during the Bosnian War.

Highlights

Introduction of Marcelo, a civil engineer facing retrenchment and its emotional impact.

Marcelo's background as a Bosnian Muslim, the cultural stigma he faces, and the importance of his family.

The challenge of adjusting to life in Australia and the influence of Marcelo's ethnicity on his life.

Marcelo's struggle with unemployment after moving from Sydney to Melbourne and joining a new company.

The impact of retrenchment on Marcelo's sleep and mental health, and his coping mechanisms.

Marcelo's family life, including his three children and their ages.

The influence of Marcelo's parents' experiences and sacrifices on his sense of responsibility.

Marcelo's reflections on his father's death and the family's escape from Bosnia during the war.

The emotional burden Marcelo carries from his family's past and its effect on his current situation.

Marcelo's concerns about his children's education and the potential for bullying due to cultural differences.

The social stigma Marcelo faces as a retrenched worker and its impact on job hunting.

Marcelo's health concerns due to financial constraints and the impact on his diet.

The support Marcelo receives from his wife, who works part-time as a teaching aid.

Marcelo's mental health struggles, including flashbacks and worries about his family's future.

The potential risk of depression as identified by Marcelo's GP and the need for support.

Marcelo's community ties and the challenges of seeking help within his close-knit Muslim community.

The social and emotional support Marcelo derives from his sports friends and community.

The social worker's plan to connect Marcelo with services and support for his current situation.

Marcelo's gratitude for the assistance and his determination to overcome his current challenges.

Transcripts

all right welcome ed hello how you doing

man

I'm coping I guess I just had some stuff

obviously otherwise I would be talking

to you my friend thanks for making the

time to see me my name is Marcelo under

social worker and I've just received a

referral from your GP having some

concerns about sleeping patterns and and

other things that may be happening into

your life so I just want to make our

time to I don't know to listen to you

and provide you some of the services you

might be in need of course it's going to

be a private conversation confidential

so just share with me whatever you feel

like I'm I'm able to help you out so

what what's been happening to you I

suppose it all seems I've been

retrenched I'm a civil engineer and

mostly with like transportation tunnels

things like that and yeah I'm the way I

kind of grew up I wouldn't have expected

it but I I I just caught a real big

interest at the at the in the high

school and then my English wasn't very

good so it's I worked really really

really hard I I did arts programs and

then you know I don't enjoy public

speaking I don't enjoy drama or anything

but I'm it just

my background is Bosnian Serbian I'm

sorry Bosnian Muslim we live in um but

just to avoid some of the I feel very

fortunate to live in Australia but just

do

avoid some of the stigma that still

retailer encounter

I'm unfortunately my wife is much more

her ethnicity is a lot more reasonable

like this and yeah so I only own I just

it was encouraged by friends of my

mother in particular the the more

directed sort of feeding and blending

there the easier my life would kind of

be and yeah so I would never had to work

on English my my reading comprehension

of English in and yeah that really

opened the the world to me I could never

fathom anything from engineering and

yeah I love my work but the problem is

is that we moved we moved moved from

Sydney to Melbourne and when we did I I

had to join a new company and

DCG was applying for this tunnel for the

rail link and they were hiring on board

cuz they were expecting it to win the

bid and very soon after I joined the I'd

done little odd jobs in the interim for

them where I could but they they lost

the bid and because I I was kind of one

of the last people to join it was kind

of sort of last in first out I guess and

and it just makes it difficult I was

with the family and everything I am in

my partner has a part-time income and

[Music]

it's not a surprise or not sleeping yeah

I mean I just I'm not used to having so

much time on my hands and when the first

periods in a long time we're really how

old time to myself and I'm still playing

some places but you know I just yeah I

don't know I don't know I keep thinking

about stuff from when I was little and

just not reflecting and um yeah I just I

really really I don't want to I don't

leave my family in the lurch or anything

I don't want there to be any kind of

setback to like my kids and and their

education and yeah okay tell me

something about your kids

which one the 303 that's nice I've got

two boys and a girl

Samara is six and he is a new one now

and then there's Mita who is four and

there's sobbing just turned two and

she's beautiful she looks very much like

her mother

and it's a real you might have kids it's

a very eye-opening experience you all

your priorities kind of shift very very

quickly and the just the center of your

world and I think they just sort of

complicate things like I really I wanted

to take care of my family I didn't want

I don't want anyone to have to

we have a really good life my mother and

my father my father passed but they went

through a lot a lot and they've seen

terrible things and I just know how good

I have it here and it just feels a

little it just feels a little like this

isn't as big a problem I guess

I feel a bit strange again yeah I just I

know I know it's normal everyone's worst

as their worst you look like a very

caring person for your apartment and for

your kids as well well thank you thank

you yeah I am I think it's just been

something in me since I was little my

father made a huge sacrifice for us and

I just sort of stayed with me a lot um

yeah I don't know if you know much

there was a it's essentially a genocide

in urban areas from Valencia and all the

Bosnian Serbian well they they tried to

cleanse the Bosnian Muslim people and

under like the guise of they basically

lied lied to them into into laying down

all their weapons and and that they had

to defend themself and then they were

just going to I don't even know I don't

know what they were gonna do but they

they took all the all the men that were

you know of age I was like yeah I was

about seven at the time and and we were

fortunate enough to be smuggled out my

mother

my father went back for his brother and

I will bring my cousin and they didn't

make it obviously and that I it just you

know we sort of Sodom in Australia back

in like 1997 and we were lucky enough to

get a permanent residency and and I feel

so fortunate to grow up here and to be

able to raise my kids here my wife was

in the same boat she had the same

background yeah yeah absolutely like we

both smoked it out in your own sort of

respective family or support networks

and yeah I feel fortunate that you know

I was pretty young but seven is so old

enough to you know I miss my father

so much and I really could have you know

my mother did an amazing job but but she

was really affected by it brother Lawson

and what she witnessed and she didn't

really talk much about it to be fair

that um yeah things kind of broke down

when she was 17 and when I was 17 rather

and yeah from there I just had to grow

up pretty quick um she couldn't really

she needed she needed help and so I I

would say with a sort of a friend that

she'd made instead of the community like

I'd like going out playing soccer and

school or what have you in them yeah for

that last year of high school I was kind

of taken care of and for most of the

next year but I tried to pay my way

pretty quick once I could work and yeah

sorry I don't know how we got into this

but um yeah but it's thank you for

sharing that with me you you you've got

a lot in your story I think as far as I

can

Stan I don't know much of the story

around that space in error but I can

feel the intensity just by listening to

you and you have these huge amount of

history on your back and you have a

struggle at the moment just by being

retrained in in your in your work as

well so it's a lot to cope yeah it's

just

I'm not too proud to get a job that pays

I'm really not but it's just remarkable

how long I don't know there's just a

it's just such a stigma still around

like I'm not a particularly devout

Muslim my wife is a little more so

obviously she's you know if I had it my

way my kids would dress like like

everyone else and but she she meant to

be honest fit for my mother even

my oldest was bullied at school and from

the way she anyway he dress dresses or

we dress him and you know when you're a

kid you don't realize anywhere I just um

I just want to be able to make sure that

my my family is really provided for and

and that they don't have to struggle too

much and you know I would love to be

able to just move them into a different

school or will be able I just worry that

if things escalated I wouldn't I

wouldn't be in a position to act the way

I want to I know this isn't a war zone

or anything good at term yeah but at the

same time I'm sorry to hear there's

still discrimination around because of

this that's wrong yeah that's that's the

perfect world word sorry I'm yeah it

just shocks me it just shocks me dang

everyone we're so grateful to live in a

country that's spared violence for the

most part and and what we've had to deal

with is mostly verbal but it just it has

an effect and I and you know like yeah I

would just love to bring my kids up away

from all of that and I'm just really

struggling to find anyone that's hiring

and as soon as I find out you've been

retrenched I mean you can explain the

situation but a lot of them just sort of

assumed that you're probably not you

were probably the weak link well you

probably weren't as qualified or

experienced yeah well I'm glad that you

made it and you're living here and well

you know you're able to overcome so many

things in your life just I can't even

imagine speaking another language and

different type of culture and studying

becoming an engineer we've you have

achieved a lot

so of course you have a lot to show and

to demonstrate today I'm sure you're

going to find a job it's and we'll help

you out with that

thank you thank you

yeah I went to the GP just as I was

having sort of stomach problems I mean

we we've had to really cut back cost so

it's mostly just you know a lot of dried

food and well you know dry goods but

meal and my wife makes a lot of bread by

yourself for whatever you boot and you

know prior to this it was fresh fruits

vegetables and my mother was really big

on all of it and yeah so I just adored

it is food a concern at the moment I'm

sorry to ask you that but I have to no

no I I understand um it's it's more just

that between renton and the three kids

and moving about it's a we're obviously

just living off of my my wife's she's

teaching aid and she's ever helped

translate and anyway she she she only

works part-time and it just it just

means that we have to be careful with

what we buy um so yeah we're not

starving

but at the same time we just a variety

of what we eat is kind of restricted to

um things we can kind of make in bulk

and all that kinda stuff

just for you to know because we can link

you to different services if you need

and and some of them are related to food

if you need them the same thing with

seeking for a different job we can we

can link you back also to all sorts of

things um I just wanted to clarify a

little bit in meeting your refer or if

there is any type of different

CERN in term of which is quite normal in

that situation in terms of mental health

how you dealing with that and if that is

a concern at the moment yeah like I said

by my mother is uh not been well since I

was about seventeen and so uh I just had

a bit more time to visit her and my yeah

I just sort of thinking my father and um

just been thinking a lot and there is a

worry I I really just breaks my heart to

see my I just don't want to see my

family have to suffer and we feel a

little bit like I could have done more I

could have worked harder

in university I could have I could just

be more resourceful

um but sort of yeah when everyone's

asleep I I I do find myself kind of

flashbacks from the past it's been

between sort of the worries of now and

it's it's it's it's not necessarily that

I have sort of clearer images of of us

leaving it was it's just that I there's

sort of an impression there um yeah it's

not a great feeling and and I could give

mercy you know I think a lot of it comes

from seeing how it affected my mother

and how if maybe I'm just worried that

if I if this is like one kind of

adversity or struggle can last with

people

many many years and I just don't want my

kids or my my wife to experience oh yeah

that's a concern I think one of the the

concerns from your GP is going it's not

that you are at the moment but going

into a depressed mood or having a

diagnosis of depression and then having

to come out of things looking for a job

and having to provide for your family

it's a bit of a concern so we have to

look up today as as a possibility not as

a reality but as a possibility and any

type of link or bond with your community

from your birthplace or friendship or

people around you apart from your family

fortune in such a family it's just my

mother and I made it now fortunately

[Music]

Muslim community is very close-knit and

so I sort of grew up with lots of you

know aunts and uncles you know but I

just feel a bit funny asking him for

favors because I know that they they do

it they do it rough as well you know and

yeah I actually was planning on going

back I haven't played football for a few

years I've been working a lot no I was

gonna sort of join their a nighttime

competition when I just with the Coster

joining and I suppose yeah I have

friends that I played sport with in

everything and the family's very close

so I've got a I've got a couple people

from sport that you know from time to

sound like when the World Cup song or

you know Jimmy's they final for soccer

will go in and we'll watch together and

what sort of birthdays holidays that

kind of stuff

I think in my mind I was just hoping

that I'd get hired quickly and not have

to share too much I guess yeah I guess

we have we have just a short period of

time today it was just a catch-up to

know your story and know exactly what

can we put in place here I think we have

lots of things happening at the same

time from your job to some health

concerns but we also have lots of good

things happening to you in terms of

supports in terms of your resilience as

well or your achievements I'm sure we're

going to come up with different

solutions so let's make another time and

I'll show you some of the different

services that we have that we can link

you right away

and think about a plan to come out of

this tough situation that unfortunately

you're facing at the moment but I'm sure

we can help you out and you have the

resources also to to come out of this

situation how does that sound to you

know that's one of our I really really

appreciate it and yeah this country just

been very good to us

[Music]

I make sure I don't I don't want to I

don't want to be in this position

forever

so I don't want to take it from anybody

forever so I really appreciate them and

you won't be anything you can do

yeah thank you and I think we're

fortunate enough to have your family as

well

absolutely absolutely yeah everything to

me

fantastic so let's book an all the time

and let's go from there I'll give you

some brochures and all the services that

we have and let's start from there make

it another time okay thank you so much

for coming up man they're really

producing the muscle