Programme Erasmus + Europe on the move : Migration Biographies Interviews
What did you miss the most about the country you came from ?
I just missed the beaches because I come from here , New Moudania , where we have these beautiful beaches and just the fact of being outside all the time enjoying the sun and having fun without having to go to the factory all day .
Is the weather rainy there ? It ’ s very rainy in the north of Italy , yeah . Who was the most helpful with getting you settled ?
I got very much help from the people I was working with , my manager at FIAT , where I did the internship , was very helpful and he helped me with the bureaucracy documents , with settlement , in finding a house for me because he was speaking English as not all Italians do so , he was doing the translation and he was coming with me every afternoon after work to help me get settled .
What do you find encouraging in difficult times ?
The fact that I went there for a purpose , I was there to chase my dreams of becoming a car designer and every time I had difficulties I was just focusing there , that ’ s the target I have to reach , I have to try hard , study hard in order to reach it .
And how do you think migration has changed you ?
Migration changes you because when you meet new countries , different cultures , you become more open minded , you accept more things and it makes you a better person in the end .
As the time has passed , how does your experience compares to what you expected ?
It exceeds my expectations because I went there just for six months to see the country and then go away but then I found a job , I integrated myself to the new country and now I have been living there for fifteen years and I ’ m so happy about it .
What have your biggest challenges been ?
The biggest challenge was actually to integrate in the beginning when I had the language barrier and the plan to communicate with people tends to get far from you , so I had to try hard to get closer to them and integrate which was the most difficult part .
What have your greatest sources of joy been ?
Reaching the target I had in my mind . I wanted to achieve the maximum in my profession , so now that I manage to work at FERRARI , that is the maximum for a car designer and this brings me so much joy .
And what are you hoping to accomplish in the future ?
I just hope to create a family in that country so they can help me to integrate even more , to become a citizen of the world , of the two countries at the same time without feeling an immigrant , just being a part of the two countries .
What do you think may get in the way of these dreams ?
I don ’ t think there ‘ s anything that ‘ s gonna get between me and those dreams because it depends only on me and my strength to become part of something , not being kept far from my dream realization . I just have to be open minded and brace all the things that can get in front of me .
How do you think migration has made you a stronger person ?
Just the way that you act when you ’ re alone and you find some difficult moments ; you just have to find the inner strength to go on so it makes you a stronger person , you believe more in yourself and obviously you see more things , new cultures and you also get more open minded .
If someone you knew were planning to come to this country , what would you tell them to expect ?
[ 88 ]