“In the era of globalization, moving to a distant country has become easier”.
Who has never heard this phrase? But is it true that going to live in a place on the other side of the world is so easy? Alongside economic benefits, there may be socio-cultural barriers that are difficult to tackle. One can suffer from the distance of friends and family.
Australia: Annalisa's choice
Annalisa is a young woman.
She decided to move to Australia and now works in a secondary school on the outskirts of Melbourne.
“School systems are a little different from ours.
Here I teach children aged 12 to 18.
I teach Italian but also history and geography in Italian. ".
Why did you decide to move to Australia?
“I left Italy at the beginning of 2008, so before the financial crisis. Going to Australia had always been a dream. As soon as I had the chance to come to Melbourne to be a language assistant in schools, I jumped at the ball. It is also true that I was going through a not-so-rosy period at the time. I had lost interest in the university world and felt the need for changes, above all I hoped to go away to find myself. Which actually happened, but then we grow, we change and we end up understanding that changing continent is not a point of arrival but only a starting point. We are constantly looking for ourselves, which is probably a good thing because it pushes us to get back in the game and strive for something new. "
Do you think you could return to Italy permanently one day?
“At the moment I see myself in Australia. I left as a girl and here I became a woman. Furthermore, the qualifications obtained would not be recognized in Italy, so if I wanted to continue doing my job, I would have to start from scratch. "
What are the main socio-cultural differences between Italy and Australia?
“Australia is a relatively young country, it does not have the historical-artistic culture of Europe behind it, and at first glance this is immediately felt. Furthermore it must be said that spontaneity is lacking here. We Italians are more emotional and passionate. To organize an outing with friends or a dinner you need months in advance. "
Have you found it difficult to integrate into Australian society?
“I have not had major difficulties in integrating myself, both because I am a person who easily adapts to new contexts, and because all in all we are talking about a Western country. Of course, there are some habits that I still struggle to adapt to, for example the "excessive" good manners, often superficial, or the fact that Australia is a hyper-regulated country, which leaves no freedom to exercise free will. or better, common sense, without there being a specific law. It almost seems like they want to stop people from thinking for themselves. "
What do you miss most about Italy?
“The warmth of the people. Here people are colder. Sometimes a hug, human warmth, physical closeness would be needed more than many words. I think this is also the reason why, although I know a lot of people from Australia or other nationalities, the closest friends I have here are Italian or of Italian origin “.
