Bhavook's emigration story from India to Italy: An Economist’s Unexpected Italian Adventure

Who is Bhavook?

I am Bhavook, from New Delhi, India. I am a researcher in Economics, completed my graduate studies in New Delhi and have been living in Venice, Italy for the past 6 months for my research fellowship at Ca' Foscari University of Venice. The total duration of my fellowship is 15 months and I am currently uncertain about where I will be post the period of the current fellowship. Here is a picture of me at a beach close to where I currently stay.

My emigration story is slightly different from the most popular professional work-related emigration as I am on a long term research visa (I will get a residence permit in some months). Further, I am a part of the university and I am not required to pay taxes by Italian law. Europe is well-known for research opportunities after graduate studies and that led me to apply to multiple universities here and fortunately I got a chance to come here and experience the life, culture as well as the academic environment here.

Upon selection for this fellowship, I took the standard route of applying for a research visa via the Italian embassy's outsourced agency, VFS. After getting my visa, I started contacting people at the university and other friends to look for accommodation. I must admit it was more challenging than expected and my initial month was spent in hostel-type accommodation for students in a locality called Mestre near the main island of Venice. Luckily, via a graduate student at the university I could bypass the broker route of finding an accommodation and found my current apartment sharing with another research fellow.

My life mostly revolves around working at the university or out of local libraries, thinking, ideating and trying to formulate and solve problems in economic theory. The island I live in-- called Lido--is scarcely populated and apart from the summer months when it gets a lot of tourist crowds, it is quiet and peaceful. Enjoying time alone and peaceful solitude makes me feel "at home". I have recently incorporated running into my daily routine and it has a meditative feel to it for me as well as helps in catharsis of negative emotions. This routine is different from what I had in my home country where I had more social interaction as well as many long term friends.

I must admit lack of knowledge of the local language i.e. Italian has been somewhat a barrier in many social situations beyond the university space. While there are plenty of social events as well as public life is energetic in the main island of Venice, lack of knowledge of Italian limits the scope of possible interactions. Not to mention, being a person of color from Asia adds to it. While I have a few friends here, I am yet to develop deep friendships with local people. It is not a bothersome situation as I like my own company (and freedom) mostly and I am confident I will find like minded people at some point during my stay here. While Italians are usually jovial and friendly, being a foreigner, one gets those "looks" every now and then. I understand their predicament and I believe as a society we are sometimes in a "bad equilibrium", and no single individual is at fault there. I have cleared the A1 level of Italian but I am still a long way to be able to have a conversation in Italian. I hope in the coming months, I will get more fluent in the language and that would also help break certain barriers in social situations.

As mentioned earlier, running is a new hobby I have developed recently. Along with that, I have also developed a regular habit of writing --my thoughts and experiences mostly. I have also managed to resume my hobby of playing the guitar and singing a bit. My ultimate goal is to resume playing football after my knee surgery 15 months ago. My current work and studying a lot of basic stuff to fill all my gaps in knowledge is one of the most fulfilling activities that I am currently pursuing. Also, I have developed some mindfulness techniques to cope up with certain physical and mental stresses.

Overall, I have been content with my move here. Mostly because I have been able to create a peaceful space for myself to reflect, think as well work on my personal growth. In addition to that, the perks of being in a more organized society as well as a more developed society has made me comfortable and less occupied with daily worries that one has in a developing country like mine. In retrospect, I would have learnt a bit more Italian before arriving here in order to be able to integrate with the society more.

I have not yet dealt much with the bureaucracy in Italy but I have been warned by many people that the bureaucratic structure and processes are quite a hassle. I will prepare myself for when I have to face it (for instance my appointment for the residence permit) based on the inputs I have been provided by expats as well as locals. When it comes to cost of living, it is definitely higher than in India. However, with careful budgetary planning, one can have a decent lifestyle.

I am currently still under travel health insurance, but I would have to buy a private or a public health insurance when I go for my appointment for the residence permit. Recently, public healthcare charges have shot up in Italy due to presumably the increasing old age population putting fiscal pressure on the government. Therefore, I plan on getting private medical insurance just before my residence permit appointment. I am yet to use local healthcare, private or public.

Finally, I would like to add that Venice has a unique charm which I believe has attracted me to this place and I can feel a deep sense of enjoyment walking the streets of Venice where one can see festive atmosphere in one street followed by a romantic quietness in another. It seems to be the perfect blend of calm and chaos that leaves a lasting impression on one's mind and soul.

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