VOICES From Migrations | Alexandra Florina Calin's story
- Changemakers
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
“VOICES From Migrations” is a project co-funded by the European Union exploring untold migration stories. Alexandra Florina Calin moved from Romania to Italy in 2006. This is her history:
"My name is Alexandra Florina Calin, I am 37 years old and I have been in Italy since 2006.
I was not yet 18 when I left from Kampolung, Romania, to join my parents, who had moved to Italy for economic and health reasons.
My father worked as a truck driver transporting fruit. Thanks to his residence permit, he was able to bring my mother and my brother to Rosarno, as my brother had to undergo major surgery. Romania was not yet part of the European Union and the customs checks were very strict. I had already been turned back twice, but that time I made it to Rosarno: after three days on the bus I could no longer feel my legs and I did not understand a single word of Italian, but I was happy. I immediately started working as a cleaner and, to learn the language, I ran small errands 'to practise'.
After three months I could understand Italian well, but in the meantime my residence permit had expired. One morning the police knocked at my door, took me to the headquarters and handed me an expulsion order: I had three days to leave Italy. On my own. So I hid at home for about a month, the time needed for Romania to enter the EU. Once I was “free”, I moved to Parma, where I worked as a babysitter for four years.
I felt really good there and was perfectly integrated, but when I went back to Rosarno I realised that there people treated me like a member of the family, even at work: there was a different kind of warmth, and that is why I decided to stay.
Soon after, I met Nicola, my husband. He makes me happy and gives me the peace of mind I had never had. I am fine here, I have many friends, I work and I am happy. I have also been back to Romania, but when I think of my home, I think of Rosarno.
I have never had problems integrating and when people ask me how I did it, I answer that first of all you must be respectful of others, just as we want them to be respectful of us."
Original story in Italian:
“Mi chiamo Alexandra Florina Calin, ho 37 anni e sono in Italia dal 2006.
Non avevo ancora 18 anni quando, da Kampolung, Romania, sono partita per raggiungere i miei genitori, che si erano trasferiti in Italia per ragioni economiche e sanitarie.
Mio padre lavorava come camionista nel trasporto della frutta. Grazie al permesso di soggiorno riuscì a portare a Rosarno mia madre e mio fratello, che doveva subire un importante intervento chirurgico. La Romania non faceva ancora parte dell’Unione Europea e i controlli alla dogana erano molto seri. Già due volte ero stata respinta, ma quella volta arrivai a Rosarno: dopo tre giorni di autobus, non sentivo più le gambe e non capivo una parola di Italiano, ma ero felice. Iniziai subito a lavorare come donna delle pulizie e per imparare la lingua facevo piccole commissioni per “fare pratica”.
Dopo tre mesi riuscivo a capire bene l’italiano, ma intanto era scaduto il permesso di soggiorno. Una mattina i Carabinieri bussarono alla mia porta, mi portarono in Questura e mi consegnarono il foglio di via: avevo tre giorni per lasciare l’Italia. Da sola.
Allora mi nascosi in casa per circa un mese, il tempo necessario perché la Romania entrasse nell’UE. Una volta “libera” mi trasferii a Parma dove ho lavorato per 4 anni come babysitter.
Lì mi trovavo benissimo ed ero perfettamente integrata, ma, tornata a Rosarno, mi accorsi che lì mi trattavano come una persona di famiglia, anche quando ero a lavoro: c’era un calore differente ed è per questo che decisi di fermarmi.
Subito dopo ho conosciuto Nicola, mio marito. Lui mi rende felice e mi trasmette la tranquillità che non ho mai avuto. Qui sto bene, ho tanti amici, lavoro e sono felice. Sono anche tornata in Romania, ma quando penso a casa mia penso a Rosarno.
Non ho mai avuto problemi ad integrarmi e a chi mi chiede come io abbia fatto rispondo che bisogna prima di tutto essere rispettosi degli altri, così come vogliamo che siano rispettosi di noi.”
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
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