Donne che emigrano all'estero

It is no longer surprising that the network brings together, aggregates and gives life to projects that come out of the virtual (but does this universe really exist?) to become real. This is the case of “Women who Emigrate Abroad”, a collection of thirty-four testimonies — excerpts from blogs, posts published on a specific Facebook page, fragments of interviews and diaries — of expat women, i.e. Italians who, by choice, for professional or family reasons, have moved abroad. The authors have very different ages and professions, they currently live in both European Union and non-EU countries. The texts are not accompanied by images and are free, each one tells about what they like best, about very different aspects of life in the adopted country. Many have emigrated because they could not find work here, due to the crisis that has hit us since 2008. Others have sought a less provincial, less moralistic place, and many, finally, have followed a love.

“Expat women, those who find within themselves the determination and courage to leave their places of origin, accepting work assignments elsewhere or pursuing a love in a foreign land, or simply driven by the desire to rebuild a life, have great strength that distinguishes them. They get involved and start from scratch. They face the difficulties of adaptation and cultural differences, not as warrior women, but with the sweetness, the smile and the desire to know the new land that they will call “home”. (page 69)

The concept of “home” is fundamental. For one, it is the one she left behind:

“Today home, for me, means everything: inside it I put all the affections I left in Italy, the trusted shopkeepers, the bar where I took my cappuccino in the morning, the streets and roads I walked every day, everything I left behind the moment I got on that plane. If until yesterday the house was the home of the body, today it is the home of the heart. “ (page 118)

For the other, it is the new one, which she would no longer know how to give up because, perhaps, she is one of those expats who feel stateless and citizens of the world, rather than Italians.

Women who Emigrate Abroad is, first of all, a “coach book” for expatriate women, but also a useful text for us readers who have stayed at home, to help us understand foreign customs and traditions known only by those who live there. Often there is an example to be drawn but we are not necessarily the losers in the comparison.

In addition to the cultural and geographical interest, the feelings of these women are striking, the momentum, the enthusiasm with which, perhaps, they conceal some melancholy. Many are homesick for their country of origin, others are not and I don’t like this. Italy is a nation that has a lot to learn, in terms of civilization, from other countries but also something to teach.

The main emotions are the desire to discover, the desire and the difficulties of integrating into the new country, the sense of loneliness, the sprint of a new beginning, the feelings of guilt towards uprooted children and abandoned families. Some suffered from marginalization and racism, others immediately felt integrated and accepted in multicultural societies. All have gone from the desire to blend in in the new nation to the next one to remain themselves, different but not strangers.

Beyond the discourse of expatriation, emigration and cultural adaptation, it is interesting to see how lives proceed, how they develop, how sliding doors open and close, how unexpectedly, it is sometimes the secondary branches that flourish, such as things important are built with patience and dedication, yes, but also, often, they happen by chance. Because “destiny is destiny”.

Always poised between nostalgia and the desire to look forward — especially for the sake of their children — between enthusiasm and depression, these women show above all courage, what it takes to cut the bridges behind them, stop speaking their language, give up horizons that limited them but also defined them; and the book wants to help them, to provide emotional support to the many facets of such a shocking operation.

“Life as an immigrant is a swing of emotions, one day you are sad, the next day you are in seventh heaven, the next day you would still like to give up everything and go home. The things that make you happy now can vanish into thin air five minutes later. The smallest of problems can appear as an insurmountable obstacle. “ (page 127)

The style of the interventions is very pleasant, some are very well written, with the air of a writer, such as, for example, that of the “Berlin snob”.

To conclude, we specify that the website http://donnecheemigranoallestero.com is linked to the book and that the proceeds from the sale will be donated to a charity that deals with children in difficulty and international adoptions.