Italiano in America is the blog of Francesco, a fellow countryman who has decided to move to California. This blog is a real guide for those who want to move overseas, but it also contains much more. The oddities and different habits of a very different culture from ours are told with an amazed and amused gaze. The freshness of the images suggested by the texts are perhaps also due to the enthusiasm of being in a new country, full of things to discover. On the other hand, the words of Francis also reveal a thin veil of sadness due to the distance from one's home. Intrigued by all this, we decided to interview this blogger for the readers of Italiani.it.
Why did you decide to move to America?
I would say the strongest motivations that drove me to leave Italy they are many.
Above all, my wife's difficulty in finding a decent job (after 5 years of work for Cisco Systems and fresh from a Master MBA in Paris), she could only be a private teacher of English or of translations for some websites. . I didn't want to see my wife dissatisfied for the rest of her life. Another important motivation was the slow progress of my career, and seeing people who undeservedly had privileges and promotions without any meritocracy. Then to give my son a better future, because here work is not a fortune but a right and a duty. Finally for a pinch of adventure spirit.
How do you feel with the Californians? They have a reputation for being very friendly people.
California, like Italy, is heavily influenced by neighboring states. The southern part has a much stronger Mexican and Central American influence than the northern part. Many people from other American states move here due to the favorable climatic conditions and the many (many) job opportunities it offers. I personally have had a very positive impact, people are generally available, cheerful and friendly.
What are the things you like most and least about living in the USA?
What I liked least about San Francisco and California in general is the strong, indeed very strong presence of homeless people. They are all American citizens, not like in Italy where it is usually the emigrants who come from hunger and war to find a better life condition. These are people who have not been lucky in life and the state has forgotten about them. There are so many and everywhere. This thing makes my heart cry and makes me a little mad at the California government.
What I liked the most is that there are so many opportunities, not just jobs. People dream more and have fewer mental barriers. Everyone does what they think is best for them out of respect for the community. I constantly hear different stories from every new person I meet. This for me is lymph, it stimulates and satisfies my curiosity!
Could you tell us an anecdote that amazed or amused you?
The owner of the company I work for is Italian and the children are Italian Americans. One day I had shoes (converse type) without laces and one of the children, with whom I have a good relationship, tells me: "Ah, already in Italy the laces have not yet arrived!". It is typical for Americans to think that they are the most advanced country in the world. As is typical for Americans or Italian Americans to think that Italy is an old country. This bothers me more than anything else!
What do you miss most about Italy?
Live my life in parallel with my friends and family. By now my contact with them is via Facebook or Skype. This for me is not living in parallel and together but simply an update to chapters of one's own lives.
Do you think that one day you could go back to live in Italy?
I don't shield it but I see it as difficult.
What would you recommend to a young person planning to move to California?
Everything they say about America tends to be true. Nobody gives you anything! You know many people with absurd stories for us Italians that are the norm here. Here people dream and this is priceless to me. I specify that when I say they dream I am not referring only to job expectations but in all areas of their life.
