VOICES From Migrations | Amelia Casida Pompescu's story
- Changemakers
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
“VOICES From Migrations” is a project co-funded by the European Union exploring untold migration stories. Amelia Casida Pompescu moved from Romania to Italy in search of a better life. This is her story:
“My name is Amelia Casida Pompescu. I was born in a small place in Romania, and I’ve been in Italy for nearly twenty years.
Back then, in Romania, I led a quiet life. I worked as a veterinary assistant. I had graduated for that, but deep down, I wanted something more. I watched my friends leave the country, chasing something better, finding their places in the world, and I thought, “why not me?”. So, at twenty-one, I packed my bags and bought a ticket to Italy.
The journey was an adventure in itself. We were told not to worry, that someone would meet us in Rome, that someone would help us continue our journey. But when I arrived, exhausted and clueless about the language, they just said: “Take your bags. The trip ends here.” I still remember standing there, trying to figure out how to buy a train ticket, practicing the words under my breath, mispronouncing everything. I would get on a train, hope it would go in the right direction, then get off when it stopped. Sometimes I would hop on the next one without really knowing where I was going. I even ended up in Bologna, lost but strangely proud that I had made it that far on my own.
I was alone, but I learned that being lost can teach you who you really are. Finally, I reached Rende, then Palmi, where my aunt worked in a hospital. In that hospital, I met my love, and I stayed with him.
Now I'm a mom. I hope my children will lead a better life than me. I will support them no matter what.
I still keep in touch with my family in Romania. We visit them every year. I miss them, but I've found my place in Italy.”
Interview by: Ally Zlatar, Giorgio Lucchetta, Jagoda Bal, and Chiara D’Agostino
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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