Thursday, February 08, 2007

Expat Australian in Rome. I'm Home. Not Going Anywhere!!!

The ANNOTICO Report

 

It is Interesting and Amusing to Hear more than about Tourists, but those who chose to LIVE in Italy.

 

When in Rome... the English teacher

 

When in Rome

Paul Anthem,

February 7, 2007

 

In the first of a series on expats in the city of Rome

Francoise Blackburn, is a teacher from Australia, who was devastated when she was almost forced to leave.

 

 

I came here on holiday and never went home. I'd had a long-held ambition to come to Rome; I saw the film "Only You" (a romantic comedy set against a stunning Italian backdrop) and that was it, I was hooked.

 

But I was just on one of those European tours that people do. Then I met an American girl and she just said one day: "What if we lived here"?? That was it, the idea was in my head. I went on to Greece and Spain but I knew then that I'd be coming back.

 

I was lucky enough to get a job straight away, with a hostel near Termini where I was staying. But it didn't pay enough so I started teaching English like thousands of others who come here to live.

 

In the mornings these days I get up at about 09.00, a luxury I probably wouldn't have doing a standard job back home. I live quite near the school I teach at, in Via Cola di Rienzo. I've been in Prati for about three years but I've lived all over, in S. Paolo, S. Lorenzo, Testaccio, and shared with Italians, Americans, Germans, South Koreans, you name it.

 

In the mornings I'll teach from 09.30 until about 14.00; it's fine if the students are talkative, and the more you get to know them the more you want them to do well. You get a good Italian perspective on life. For example some don't understand why I'm here  They think the quality of life back in Australia sounds great and it must be much easier to make ends meet. They have a point, but for me back home is the norm, been there and done that.

 

I'd say many of my students now are reluctant learners To be honest they don't have much time for study given their jobs and the hours they do. They're frustrated they can't speak English and tell me how lucky I am that I can ? it's really made me take it less for granted.

 

I don't miss home. I regret the fact I can't just jump on a plane as I could if I were English, for example, and pop home for a weekend. But it's not so difficult living abroad these days, not when you have email and phone cards. I also keep up to date with the news at home, especially through The Age and Herald Sun websites.

 

At home it's difficult for them to understand this. One of my family might say: Oh Francoise, remember Mrs Smith from our road, she ran off with the police chief?? and I'll be like, I know, I read it online, in fact I told you!

 

Between teaching I'll usually go home for lunch. I find I cook a lot more now I'm here. When I was in Greece I got a crash course from some Italian friends I met. Now I can do a decent salsiccia and broccoli pasta or, of course, the Roman amatriciana. OK, I might leave the pasta in too long or not get quite the right amount of salt, but it's major progress from coffee and toast.

 

I have to admit my Italian's not great though. I did a couple of courses when I got here, but generally I'm teaching English all day, where you insist the students DON'T speak Italian.Then mixing with English-speaking friends at night. I had an Italian boyfriend for two years; he simply refused to speak any English, and though that drove me mad, I did learn some Italian  I had no choice.

 

It nearly all went to waste last August though, when I thought I'd have to leave Rome for good. Basically I got a call from the police, out of the blue, to say my visa was not being renewed and I had 15 days to leave the country. I was trying to speak to people to see what was going on but of course it was August, and most people had disappeared for the holidays.

 

I wasn't officially deported but I was "invited to leave". I had to go back to Melbourne; I was distraught  I didn't want to leave Italy, I felt settled. I lost six kilos with the worry. I went to the Italian consulate in Melbourne and it turned out there'd been a mix-up over my visa. Ridiculous. Now it's all resolved, thankfully, and I managed to keep my job. I think it brought home to me how happy I am here in Rome, and the longer I stay the more settled I feel.

 

I can get up a bit later here, get paid for talking with students, eat out late at night for a decent price and take off for the country at weekends. And today I was sitting outside in Campo de Fiori on a Sunday afternoon in January sunshine. That can't be bad. It's fair to say I hope to be here for a while yet.

 

 

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