31 Mar
Studying Italian in Milan: Maxwell’s story
The story of Maxwell, a world citizen always on the move, who loves to travel, discover cultures and always get involved.
Maxwell is determined and resourceful. He started studying Italian by himself on the Internet three years ago.
His work in the field of electromechanical engineering led him to study Italian in Milan and here he began to follow ELLCI’s Italian language course on evenings
Today his study of the Italian language continues with an online Italian course by ELLCI.
Let’s find out his story: where he started from, what he’s doing and what he wants to achieve.
Our chat with Maxwell
Ciao Maxwell, tell us something about yourself…
My name is Maxwell, I come from the Congo, I am an electro-mechanical engineer and I work in the oil & gas sector as a project engineer.
How long have you lived in Milan and how do you feel?
It is the second time that I am in Milan and I returned here about 3 months ago for professional reasons after my company proposed me to come and work in our Milan office.
When did you start studying Italian and how?
I started learning Italian on the internet only 3 years ago when I started working for an Italian company. After that, I improved a bit when I was doing the master of management and finance in Milan from 2016 to 2017. The master was taught in English but being in Italy had helped me to improve my knowledge of the Italian language.
My level of Italian was A2 when I returned to Italy in October 2019. Now I’m studying Italian in ELLCI to reach at least level B1. My first impressions are very good. I am very impressed by the teachers’ professionalism. I think ELLCI is a school to recommend to anyone who would like to study Italian in Milan.
How has your life changed in Milan?
I really like Milan and my life has not changed much compared to my country. They are more or less the same things and realities of daily life. The big difference is only the climate, the laws of the state and the culture which are different. However, I have already got used to changing. So it’s easier for me to adapt to a new reality.
What are the documents needed to live and study in Italy?
The documents necessary for living and studying in Italy are the residence permit, the tax code, the visa, the passport, the health card, the medical insurance. The ATM card is also important for subscribing to public transport in Milan.
Do you have any plans for the future? Will you stay in Milan?
Why not in Milan? But I would like to discover other cultures across the world. I really like travelling, discovering other cultures and having an open spirit. So, I hope to go to work in a new country if there is another opportunity. But of course, I will travel and return to Milan one day again for work, study or tourism.
What would you recommend to anyone who starts studying Italian and dreams of living in Italy?
I would recommend to anyone who starts studying Italian and dreams of living in Italy to be patient and not to think that you learn a language in one day. Italian is a beautiful, rich language and like all languages, it must be studied by practising more. A good thing to do is to try to integrate you day by day in Italian society.
If you are also looking for an evening course, take advantage of our online Italian course. Our lessons will help you develop your global communication skills, to express yourself fluently in every situation. They focus on grammar and pay attention to new vocabulary and useful (even colloquial) expressions so that you feel as comfortable as possible when using Italian for work.