Life in Russia
My parents are from the Orenburg region, from the city of Buguruslan. My father was in the military and my family moved frequently due to his service, so I was born in Leningrad and went to Kyrgyzstan almost immediately from there. We lived at the military base in Tokmak until 1994, then we returned to Russia and settled in Samara.
Two years later, my parents divorced and I stayed with my mother. He had a hard time, my mother worked as much as she could, but since she was disabled (my mother has epilepsy) no one wanted to take her to a normal job. In 2000, family friends offered her a job in Italy, and my mother accepted: She left me with my grandmother.
About a year later, when I was finishing seventh grade, he returned and took me with him to Italy for summer vacation. Coincidentally, my mother’s temporary residence permit had expired at that time and she submitted the documents to renew it. But the process took a long time: I had to return to Samara for the start of the new academic year, but they never gave my mother the documents. At the beginning of October, he came to the immigration office again and started explaining our situation and burst into tears. And then a miracle happened: since my mother had a USSR passport, which included me, we were both given a residence permit. I remember my mother turning to me and saying: “Okay Dashul, you stay in Italy.”
Coastal landscape in Rimini, Italy
PhotoCG70/Shutterstock/FOTODOM
Moving to Italy and adaptation
It was the end of 2001, I was 13 years old and my Italian was at the “yes, no, I don’t know” level. Again, in the seventh grade, I went to an Italian church school to learn the language, pass the exams and enter high school. Despite the almost complete absence of Italian, I achieved good results in mathematics and other exact sciences, for which I am very grateful to my Russian school.
In the third year of my education, I entered a public high school (similar to a Russian high school) in the pedagogy department. In parallel with my education, I started working to help my mother financially. Studying in high school was difficult; Other students did not accept me and did not talk to me for the first two years. Later, in my third year, the “main” girl of our class came to me and asked for forgiveness. And he said: “Daria, we were wrong, you are a good girl.” We still keep in touch with him. Today I realize that all my suffering was not in vain: thanks to the Pedagogical High School, today my Italian is even better than that of some of the country’s indigenous inhabitants.
wedding with an italian
My wife, whom I met while studying in high school, played a very important role in my adaptation and my entire subsequent life. I was 19 and he was 37. He was working as a quality manager for a large Italian company and was helping me prepare for my final exams in the evenings. When I received my diploma, he received a job offer from China, we lived there for about a year, then we returned to Italy and got married. In 2013, I gave birth to a daughter named Masha, and two years later my second daughter named Alisa. My daughters don’t speak Russian at all. Firstly, they study Italian, and secondly, today it is easier for me to speak Italian than Russian.
work in italy
While I was still studying in High School, I met a girl from Germany who worked as a German translator at international exhibitions. One day he invited me to one of these exhibitions as a Russian translator. I liked it, and after graduating from high school, I started looking for a job in this field. I worked as a translator in a logistics company for about eight months, then my wife invited me to China. We lived there for a year, planned for longer, but it didn’t happen.
I returned to Italy in 2010 and my first job was to write to the company that hired me as a translator. I was invited to work at an exhibition, where I met the owner of a company that produces tiles, sanitary ware and bathroom furniture and cooperates with all countries of the former Union. They called me to study like this: “Do you know Russian?” I answered: “Yes.” And he said: “I’ll teach you the rest.” This is how my trading career began.
Piazza and Ganganelli Arch, Santarcangelo di Romagna, Italy
Dr. Wilfried Bahnmüller/Global Look Press
When I was seven months into my second pregnancy, my husband had a heart attack. She was miraculously removed from the other world, so her recovery took a long time and her husband had to quit his job.
And in Italy it is difficult to stay without a man’s salary. The year is 2025, but there is still patriarchy in Italy on this issue; Men always earn more than women.
My husband couldn’t find a job for almost eight months, so I returned to the office immediately after the birth of my second daughter. In 2018, we moved from Reggio Emilia to Rimini, where I found a job in a large Italian fashion house and I work there to this day. Today I am the head of the export department, so I often visit Russia.
Living standard and prices in Italy
It’s no secret that Italy, Spain and Greece have always been the poorest countries in Europe. To this day, Italians earn the lowest wages in Europe. The average salary in Italy is €1200-1500. At the same time, life here is quite expensive; A family with children needs 3,000 Euros or even 4,000 Euros a month. Prices for renting apartments in Rimini start from €700 per month, your own housing – from €2000 to €5000 per square meter It depends on the distance from the sea. Apartments here are large, starting from 100 meters, so if you want to live by the sea, be prepared to spend 500 thousand euros. Of course, there are also lucky people who receive housing from their grandparents, but most Italians prefer this. They take out a mortgage and pay it off throughout their lives. Add to this the purchase and maintenance of a car, which you cannot live without here, since there is no public transport in small towns. As everywhere in Europe, gasoline is expensive in Italy: 1.8 euros per liter.
San Leo Castle in Rimini, Italy
Shutterstock/FOTODOM
There is currently a very strong crisis and high inflation in Italy. Prices are increasing, but salaries remain the same, at the level of the 90s.
If we talk specifically about my family, we spend around €3,000 a month. If there are major expenses it can go up to €4000. We have a mortgage but the payment is not very high, €600 per month. Utility bills run another €250-€300 depending on the season. There is only one car in the family and if we do not go far we spend about 150 euros on gasoline. We spend about 500 euros on food. Food prices are astounding. For example, milk prices start from 1.2 euros per liter, seasonal vegetables and fruits start from 3 euros per kilogram, and meat prices start from 20 euros per kilogram. And very expensive bread – from 5 euros to 15 euros per kilogram. And since I go to work in the office every day, my daughters have a nanny who picks them up from school and takes them to training and clubs. And that’s around €600 per month.
communication with italians
My three best friends are Russian. Since we live in different cities, we cannot see each other very often, but we constantly communicate on the phone and support each other in everything. We even have this slogan: “If we don’t help each other, no one will help us.” Lena, Sveta and Yulia are my best friends. I also have Italian friends whom I met thanks to my children. We communicate well, go for walks, spend holidays and birthdays together. We have a pretty close relationship, but I’m not as comfortable with them as I am with my Russian girls. Italians are complex; You never know what’s going through their mind and how they really feel about you. They do not have our simplicity, kindness and sincerity. And, you know, as long as you’re okay, they’ll contact you. But as soon as a difficult period comes in your life, they turn away from you.
Rimini, Italy
CATHOLICPRESSPHOTO/Global Look Press
italian mentality
There is a stereotype that all Italians are very quick-tempered, explosive and loud. And this is the honest truth. They speak very loudly and also actively gesture. Those living in the south of the country are especially guilty of this. At the same time, southerners are straightforward, friendly and hospitable. Northerners are completely different; calmer and more reserved. They look more like classic Europeans. But they are both terrible egoists – they only think about themselves and their well-being. Of course not all, but the majority. That’s why even today, after living in the country for almost 25 years, I try not to get too close to Italians.
longing for Russia
I have been living in Italy since I was 13 years old, this is already my hometown, this is my home and my family. But I’m still Russian at heart. The older I get, the more I miss Russia. I missed my family I hadn’t seen for years and my friends whose weddings I couldn’t attend. From its roots, from its traditions, from everything our mysterious Russian soul needs.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Calvin Turley is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a trendsetter who writes about the latest fashion and entertainment news. With a keen eye for style and a deep understanding of the entertainment industry, Calvin provides engaging and informative articles that keep his readers up-to-date on the latest fashion trends and entertainment happenings.