The Nigerian experience is physical, emotional and sometimes international. No one knows it better than our features on #TheAbroadLife, a series where we detail and explore Nigerian experiences while living abroad.
Dimeji has spent the past four years, living it up in Italy. He talks about the ranks of Nigerians that move to Italy, how that affects Italian perceptions of Nigerians. Italy’s carry-over averse education system and a little something about the areas to avoid if you don’t want any Italian Mafia smoke.
Not to alarm you, but I’m starting this interview on a very, very serious note.
On a scale of 1 – 10, how good is Italian gelato?
Look, if there was a scale, it would break it. From 1 – 10, I’d have to give it an 11. It’s that good.
Oh, it’s all clear now. This is why you had to leave Nigeria. Although, I may be wrong. Why did you move to the Otedola’s weekend getaway country?
Haha, definitely not for ice cream. I moved to Italy about four years ago for my masters, and shortly after completing that, I decided on a Ph.D which is what I’m currently on the verge of completing. So that explains my move.
Got it. But was there a specific reason you chose Italy? I mean, UniAbuja is right there waiting to be mixed and mastered 🌚
Uhun, sure. But to be honest, I kind of went looking for a challenge. I knew someone who had attended my current university in the past, so I asked his opinion and he had nothing but glowing reports about it.
I knew I didn’t want England, or America or any of the really popular places.
Oh you fancy huh?
Please oh, not even that. Like I said, I wanted a challenge. My friend who I spoke with told me how he became proficient in Italian from living here and I was obsessed with the idea. Thankfully, it took me two years, but now I speak pretty fluent Italian.
Wow. Einstein has been real quiet since you revealed you were a Masters, now PhD, now proficient in Italian student. We’ll give him 24 hours to respond.
That said, how do you say ‘Boyin is the baddest’ in Italian?
Well … I’ll have to confirm. Are you really the baddest?
Mai fren will you??
Sorry oh … Boyin è il migliore di Zikoko.
Oh wow. Thank you so much. I love unexpected compliments!
So now I want to be able to say that fluently in two years. What’s the process for getting an Italian visa?
Well, I don’t know about now. From what I’ve heard, the process is a lot harder now. But when I applied, it was quite easy. I had to visit the Italian embassy on Walter Carrington, VI, Lagos maybe 2 -3 times. Maybe the most difficult part was having to translate all my documents to be submitted, to Italian.
Those translated documents would then be taken to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Abuja for stamping. The documents that relate to education like your Bs.C transcript etc, those would have to be taken to the education ministry for stamping.
These are the documents that will be used to enrol into the school of your choice.
Oh okay, doesn’t sound too hard.
Well, that was my time. It’s a lot more difficult now with the volume of people looking to move out of Nigeria.
Uh-oh. I’m just going to have to make do with Duolingo for now.
But talking about life in Italy, what’s one thing studying Nairaland overnight and reading Italian travel blogs couldn’t have prepared you for when you moved?
Definitely, definitely the language barrier. I don’t know the kind of excitement that was doing me, but I just wasn’t ready for the scale of Italian I faced when I first moved here.
What’s one particular language-barrier incident that sticks out in your mind?
Oh man!
So when you first move to Italy, you have to enrol yourself as a new entrant at the immigration office. On maybe day 5 of my arrival, I went to the office, not even thinking about the fact that I wouldn’t be able to speak to the officials present. I mean, these guys deal with foreigners every day, it’s a no-brainer abi?
I should think so!
So please tell me why I was rapping in English and the attendant was doing kpa du kpa for me in Italian. Thankfully, there was someone who came to enrol who could speak Italian, he helped me translate. I might have still been in the office today otherwise.
A wow.
After the language barrier, I definitely have to give it to the Italians – they can smoke!
The church boy inside me jumped out when I first got here, like people smoked everywhere. I’d be having classes and our professors would give us a couple of minutes for a smoke break. I was just always looking like huh?
I’m used to it now though, but it was quite the shock at the time.
Okay, I have a random question to ask. Who’s the most popular Italian footballer right now?
Immobile Ciro easily. But I could be wrong. I’m not big on Italian Football.
Wow, so unpatriotic.
So I want to find out about the Italian people now. First, I have to dispel some tropes. Do they really do that chef’s kiss thing when talking like in the movies?
Haha. Not really oh. I mean I’ve seen it one or two times, but it isn’t something they’re doing every five minutes at all.
Okay, so if I walk into a crowded room, how will I identify an Italian person the minute I see them?
Definitely 100% the loudest in the room!
Wait, louder than Nigerians?
They just might be. The Italians are very loud and very friendly, you just have to notice them. Beyond that, they have hand movements peculiar to their nation. Like once you see those hands flexing, you already know.
Now speaking of Nigerians and Italians. What do Italians think of the Nigerians living over there?
Hmm. To answer this, you need to understand that there are different classes of Nigerians that move to Italy. The first maybe came here illegally through Libya. A majority of which fuel the drug crisis in Italy.
Then there are the women that are horrifically trafficked to Italy. There’s an unfortunate reputation for Nigerians who are brought in here for that.
Then you have people who come here looking for legitimate work and to study.
Okay, got it.
The thing is, Italians don’t always differentiate. They muddle whatever bad idea they have of Nigerians and apply it to anyone they meet on a bad day.
Has there ever been an incident with you, where you just went, none of this is worth it. I’m leaving this country?
Well, it wasn’t that extreme, but it was an uncomfortable situation. I was at a restaurant and somehow it got out that I was Nigerian. The manager of the restaurant came up to me and informed me that they did not condone the selling of drugs in their establishment. I had to sit him down to explain that I was a PhD student and I wasn’t involved in anything of the sort. But you have to understand that, Nigerians selling drugs in restaurants, just might be something that has happened in the past. So I almost get where they’re coming from. Of course, stereotyping is never the way to go.
Man, so sorry you had to experience that.
Now I have to ask, what’s the worst reputation Italians have?
Number one has to be The Mafia, hands down!
Say what? That’s still a thing?
Ah, dey there. It’s popular in places like the Southern parts of Italy – Sicily, Naples. But you won’t find them in areas like Milan though. But make no mistake. The Godfather still goes down in these Italian streets.
Alright then, strikes Sicily and Naples out of places to see when visiting Italy.
Haha. It’s not that deep. After the Mafia, I have to say, for friendly people, Italians can be a little closed off in new environments. Like say a new office opens filled with multinationals, rather than mix with the different nationalities, they would first band together and form their community before venturing out to meet other cultures, so that’s interesting.
Oh, very interesting.
Lastly, they are very rigid. If there’s a rule that says you should use white papers and you bring an off-white sheet, forget it. The Italians won’t say it looks close to the regulated colour, or suggest ways to work around it. You better produce the white they asked for.
It’s a crazy rigidity.
Hmm. Italians are… interesting for real.
Let’s contrast it. What are the best things about living in Italy?
Its tourism sector. Maybe the only parts of Europe with more things to do is Greece. They have a ton of historical sites. There’s Rome which is so amazing. Milan and Florence are very big on fashion.
Their transport sector is also really fantastic. Reliable buses and trains everywhere. You can take trains to France, Germany. You can go as far as London on a bus. They have low-cost flights, like everything just works.
Hm. It is well with Nigeria’s soul.
And if that isn’t enough, the nightlife scene in Italy is also topnotch. Milan is a big party city. There’s all sorts to do. They’re big on wines so there are wine bars, regular bars, pubs.
See, if it’s activity you’re looking for, Italy has you covered.
Hm. Like I just might be moving to Italy strictly to jaiye after all.
Let’s say I’ve sorted my visa and all of that, what location should I put in my Google maps if I’m looking for the cheapest accommodation in Italy?
Probably Napoli, but I wouldn’t advise it because you’ll end up not benefitting at the end of the day. Even if you’ll spend very little money living there, they don’t have the infrastructure or the proximity to jobs that would make it worth it.
In Naples, you can spend maybe 10 Euros per night in a hostel, which is a great price point. But somewhere like Florence which is in the North of Italy, can set you back 30 Euros per night in a hostel shared with maybe 4 other people. But I’d say it’s the better option.
Got it. But what if I want somewhere with African/Nigerian communities, are there areas like that?
Of course.
There are two cities known for Nigerians. Some white folks are actually running away from there.
Oou. Reverse gentrification. You luv2cit.
There’s Torino, known as Turin in English. They have probably the highest population of Nigerians in Italy. Second only to Brescia. Just head there if you’re missing home.
Alright, noted! Now let’s talk a little about schooling in Italy. How does it compare to Nigerian standards?
The funny thing is, no matter how you might feel about Nigerian universities, there’s no way you’d leave without learning something at least. So there’s some comfort in knowing you won’t be left entirely in the dark when you switch institutions for a foreign one.
Oh, that’s good to know.
But, and this is a big but, Italian education is very different. The education system on a mastery-based progression system. It is optimised for mastery and not just learning.
What this means is, you don’t have to graduate within any time. You can get a degree for 10 years or maybe two years, there’s no set time. I have a lot of colleagues still taking masters classes.
Okay, this is something you don’t hear every day.
True talk. But the only thing is, it can make you lazy when you know there’s no rush to get a degree or finish a course within a set time.
Also, in Nigeria, you can take as many as 8 courses within a semester, here, there’s a maximum cap of 4 courses per semester. This is because they actually want you to master the concepts you’re learning.
See, Nigerian and Italian education systems are like day and night if I’m being honest.
@Nigerianministryofeducation @aASUU @Nigerianlecturerswithaconscience, y’all might want to see something here.
So has moving to Italy introduced you to any new habits?
Definitely food. I’m addicted to Italian food. My favourite is definitely Lasagna Bolognese and the —
Please, please tell me I haven’t been butchering the pronunciation of bolognese for years and years.
Haha. Well, over here they pronounce it bo-lo-g-nee-zee, but see everything spaghetti, you’ll be fine. It’s named after where it’s from, which is Bologna. Another is Milanese, from Milan, but I don’t love this as much.
Hm. If you know the confidence I’ve been using to order bo-lo-naize. It is well.
Haha. Living here has also made me very conscious of what I eat, in regards to portions. They’re very portion and nutrition content conscious over here.
Same with waste and recycling. Never let an Italian catch you recycling in the wrong basket, it’s a big no-no over here. They’re very environmentally conscious.
Yeah? So can we take it this is a final bus stop in your abroad life journey?
I mean, I don’t know about that. By next year, I’d have spent 5 years here, which would entitle me to a Permanent Residency. I like to think of Italy as the minimum standard of living I’d take from any country I move to, so if I do end up leaving here, I’m definitely going to move on up. We’ll see.
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