5 minute read
A suitcase full of dreams-Italy
from Erasmus Book 1
46
A suitcase full of dreams
Advertisement
Italy Anna Maria Gladieri Giovanna Mendola Sirella Ronda
A thought in my mind: to leave Romania.
That evening I came back home very tired. The road seemed endless; the tree-lined avenue had the appearance of a large tunnel with no way out. A thought kept coming to mind: why going on living that way?
The work I did, from morning at 8:00 until evening at 11:00, behind a bar counter, took away all my energy.
Several times I had listened to the projects of men and women I usually met in that bar, who wanted to emigrate to France, who to Italy, who in Germany and who for even more distant countries.
We dreamed of a job with other prospects, without being exploited for little money. I walked absorbed in my thoughts, in that semi-deserted road. Those projects were also mine.
At my aunt’s house As soon as I got home, I smelled something that often nauseated me. The usual soup was waiting for me consisting of the leftovers of the lunch that was consumed at noon.
The house where I was hosted was my aunt’s, who asked me a rent that left me with a few pennies. My aunt was all about her son to whom she reserved better food and money. For me, no sign of affection, no caress, just a few kind words from the uncle, my aunt’s husband.
I realized there was no other choice. More and more time I thought of changing my life, but that evening, eating my soup, I made the final decision: I had to go away!
Leaving for Italy with… my dreams.
I was a young woman with so many dreams to fulfill, so on the 8th September, 2005, I left Romania for Italy. In the suitcase I had collected my dearest things: a few clothes, a pair of shoes and some memories of my parents, of my father, now elderly and my poor mother who was no longer with me.
At that time, to cross the border, you had to declare that you were tourists and be in possession of 500 euros, to be able to support the costs of basic necessities.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday, I was the only one who owned my own money, earned with so many sacrifices, the others, who traveled with me, had to borrow them.
We left for Italy but the bus on which I was traveling, was stopped in Austria, for suspected drug trafficking. A surreal silence fell on the bus, the fear that that dream could end at any moment, made me particularly anxious. From time-to-time suffocated moans were heard from a couple of files further back from my seat. It was a young woman. She was sweating, she had a very pale face and twisted his mouth in a grimace of pain. Someone asked her if she was sick. We realized that she was about six months pregnant.
In a short time, she began to writhe, so we decided to call the police to help her. After a while, an ambulance arrived with spiked sirens and the girl was transported to the hospital.
I don’t remember how long we stood still in that pullman, but finally, the bus driver came back and he told us that we could continue our journey.
My First Destination: Florence
The first destination was Florence. When I got off the bus, just with my suitcase, I felt lost. I was in an unknown town that I had heard about. It was the city of the great poets and painters of the past.
As I walked, the determination to change my life was getting stronger and stronger in my heart. For the first time I saw the magnificent cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore with marble colors on teal and pale pink. A true wonder! I still have in my eyes the height of Giotto’s bell tower.
Suddenly I stopped; that was the place of the appointment. “Elena!” I got scared hearing my name in that unknown place. I turned around and when I finally saw my friends, Delia and Romina I was really happy. We hugged each other with love. I had tears in my eyes for joy, but immediately that euphoria faded away, because they told me that the job, they had promised me, was no longer there!
I started to feel discouraged!
The beginning of my new life was not easy at all, the beginning of my new life was not at all simple. I had a lot of problems about language, culture, traditions and even the climate: it was very hot!
Everything was different than in Romania. Despite the many difficulties, with the help of my friends, I was able to find a precarious job that allowed me to face the first difficulties for some time. At the same time I felt the burden of being «foreign». The distrust, towards people who came from other places, was often very clear.
I meet my love.
Time passed, and I worked a lot, but I always tried to find time to meet my old friends and also other new friends coming from Romania.
So it was that in a bar, where I spent a few hours together with my friends, I met Adrian. He looked at me and I returned his gaze. We fell in love almost immediately, and the plans to make my dreams come true, began to match my boyfriend’s plans.
We had the same ideas about our future, we wanted a new life in Italy, a country we both liked, to get a good job so to have the opportunity to have a house, a family together.
The Marriage in Romania.
In 2007, with my future husband, we decided to return in Romania and finally realize our dream of love, so we got married in our country.
The wedding took place according to the Orthodox rite, our religion. There were just a few guests, even the small catering we organized was very simple. But it didn’t matter. From that moment I was no longer alone, a path of real hope was just beginning.
Some months later, when we, together, decided to come back to Italy. Romania had joined the European Union and a residence permit was no longer necessary, so it was easier to get to Italy.