29 Mar
Studying Italian in Milan: Marcela’s story
We had a chat with Marcela who decided to answer our questions via email. She told us a little about her and her history in Italy. Here’s what she wrote to us!
Our chat with Marcela
“Hello everybody!!
My name is Marcela, I am a Colombian girl who arrived in Milan in May 2019 with the dream of getting to know a new culture. I am 31 years old, I am a Fashion Designer but at the moment I take up another job in a company that I like very much and that I care very much.
It has been almost 2 years since I arrived for the first time and I must say that every day I like this city more, its people, of course the food and all its cultural nuances.
I decided to come to Italy because I have always wanted to live in the country of “fashion”. I was passionate about it and I wanted to experience fashion shows, fairs, visit all the stores of the big brands and I hoped to find an opportunity to work in this field. So I decided to leave everything in Colombia and try to build a future for myself in a very beautiful country but I didn’t know the language. And that’s how I found the Ellci, looking for a way to learn Italian.
My level of Italian was really low initially, in fact, I would say like 0, I didn’t know anything except to say “ciao, pizza e grazie”, but thanks to the school and its teachers I was able to speak almost fluently in less than 1 year. I am not saying that I do not make mistakes or that it was easy, but I am truly grateful that I chose this school to learn a foreign language and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to take this path as I did.
I did my entire transfer and stay process through an agency, but it is perfectly valid and possible to do it alone and without intermediaries. The process to obtain the visa is not short and you will have to present many documents to get it, so that the embassy can verify your data and that you are able to live in a country that is not yours alone. Once you are in Italy, you will have to do a lot of documents (you already know that Italy is beautiful but bureaucratic like no other country), after which you will be ready to live la dolce vita and learn a thousand new things.
However, I would advise you to inquire thoroughly about the conditions of residence (residence permit) before coming and the possibilities of his conversion, never if you want to stay and it is not possible for a simple document.
In any case, I think you would be happy to stay in this country, you will find yourself in a wonderful place, with people very willing to help you, exquisite food, breathtaking landscapes and why not, the love of your life.
Ciao!
Marcela”