The mass exodus of Ukrainians to the West in search of fortune provided food for thought and practical facts for analysis. Unfortunately, leaving on a tourist visa “to nowhere” and waiting somewhere on a park bench for job offers for a young woman is fraught with obvious complications. The path of a “virtual marriage,” according to the stories of participants, also seemed a kind of “Russian roulette.” As for me, I had a university diploma from a natural sciences faculty, a dream to study foreign languages, a passion for travel, and a desire to manage my own life.
The goal became Italy, partly thanks to its hospitable image (in some regions of Ukraine there is no family in which someone has not worked in Italy), partly thanks to the charming myth of “Mona Lisa – spaghetti – godfather – Leaning Tower of Pisa.” After a little research on the Internet, I spotted a friendly website of the University of Turin, where I found initial information about admission conditions for foreigners.
The University of Turin is “only” 600 years old. Before it, in 1088, the very first higher education institution in Italy and Europe was opened – the University of Bologna, still famous today for its law faculty. In the 12th–13th centuries, the famous Medical School in Salerno appeared in Italy, as well as universities in Modena, Padua, Naples, and Siena.
Focusing on employment opportunities, which are higher in the rich north of Italy than in the south and center (the youth employment rate in the north is 82.6%, and in the south – 59.2% – data from the Italian State Statistics Service for 2005), I chose Turin, which is also a major cultural center.
At a translation agency, one of those located near the embassies, they undertook not only to translate my documents into Italian but also to prepare all the paperwork for the embassy. The paperwork turned out to be simple: the translation and the ministerial stamp for the school certificate and diploma. All this at a price quite affordable even for my family’s modest income. The application expressing the desire to enroll at the University of Turin was sent, and documents for obtaining a student visa were submitted. Waiting for a response and preparing the formalities took several months. Fortunately, one of my colleagues had an Italian acquaintance in the suburbs of Turin who gave me shelter at first.
Due to the vicissitudes of the trip in a cramped “gazelle” van, I arrived a day later than the entrance exams (they are provided only for foreigners and consist of a dictation in Italian and an interview on general culture). I had to explain myself at length to the secretariat – my efforts to study Italian before leaving (courses, private lessons, a self-study manual) proved insufficient for discussing bureaucratic subtleties; international English helped. Finally, they scheduled a “retake” for me. On the day of the exam I was not alone – our multinational group of “latecomers” perfectly reflected the proportional ratio among foreign students. According to the Italian Ministry of Education, about 35,000 foreign students study at universities of the Apennine Peninsula, and the majority of them (46%) are citizens of European countries not belonging to the European Union. Among them, Albanians and Romanians constitute an impressive majority, being “privileged” in obtaining visas. Almost all of us, the “retake takers,” were enrolling in the foreign languages faculty, which is also typical: about 40% of “newcomers” choose foreign languages, 35% – literature, 20% – science faculties, 18% and 12% – economics and law.
The exam went well, and within a week we, along with everyone else, could start the academic year. Unfortunately, there was no one to arrange a “student initiation” for us according to the ancient custom of student brotherhood. In Italy it is called “Goliardia” – after the name of the very first “prankster” from the Sorbonne, the famous philosopher Peter Abelard.
Modern “Goliardias” are organized on the same principle as 700 years ago: each university has its own order, its head, and a strict hierarchical structure. The existence of the Goliardia is absolutely necessary for traditional student celebrations: the freshman holiday and the graduate holiday. The former takes place at the beginning of November, when lectures start at the university. In the morning, freshmen “raid” their former school and “liberate” final-year students, taking them from lessons to festivities, which usually end with a grand party at the home of the Head of the Order, where the freshmen are awaited by the student initiation. According to tradition, before initiation the freshman is an “unclean animal” that must be “cleansed” before being introduced into decent student society. To this end, the “brothers” generously treat the newcomer to wine and a saline solution. After the inevitable “cleansing,” the newcomer receives congratulations (if he can) on joining the ranks of students.
Before the start of courses, first-years have to go through several less entertaining but important procedures: pay for admission (a symbolic fee for everyone – about €20) and submit documents for a scholarship (a certificate of family composition and income). The latter must be translated and certified with the seal of the relevant ministry in the country of departure. The university compiles lists based on the student’s income and academic performance. “Poor excellent students” have a chance to receive up to €2,600 per year, a dormitory, and substantial discounts on meals in the cafeteria. If a student is “too rich” or the seals on the documents are “not the right ones” (as happened to me in my first year), the tuition fee will be approximately €1,500 per year.
Our “cohabitation” with the Italian girl did not work out: she did not want to clean, we divided the refrigerator into two militarized zones, she got irritated by guests (some Italians are not as open and hospitable as the aforementioned charming myth claims). In addition, the central area, which seemed elite, turned out to be entirely populated by criminal elements, so by winter it became unsafe to return home after eight in the evening. Later, while looking for housing, I had to see incredible conditions—for example, 10 people in a small three-room apartment (the savings, of course, are obvious). In the end, I settled with a Bulgarian student in a spacious one-room apartment in a convenient area, and on the basis of common Slavic roots we developed a strong friendship.
At the same time, the question of a side job came up. Unfortunately, Italy has one of the highest youth unemployment rates: 24% against the European average of 16%. Of course, many foreign students are in the non-competitive category in the labor market, primarily because of insufficient language proficiency (though after a year or two of residence this ceases to be a problem). Or because of paperwork issues—students are given a residence permit for only one year. At first, new friends and acquaintances found me ordinary babysitting and housekeeping in families, and then I found real work at a bookstore, where, incidentally, I encountered all the “delights” of a non-standard contract.
In December-January comes the time to draw up an academic plan for the year. Each student chooses courses of interest from the recommended program. Among the mandatory courses at our faculty are the two main languages and their corresponding literatures, computer science, and practical classes. Optional courses include general humanities disciplines. Most of the learning process is left for independent study. There is also a minimum number of exams to pass per year, but usually a local student in “autonomous sailing” gets lax and remains a perpetual student for six or seven years. However, passing six or seven exams a year is quite feasible. And those interested in obtaining a diploma quickly easily fit into the Bologna system, which has become common across Europe: three years + two years + (two years) = bachelor + specialist + (doctor). To me, who went through the archaic system of a post-Soviet university, the study conditions seemed heavenly—students can use free Internet, electronic library catalogs, and language laboratories where you can watch films and TV programs in the language you are studying.
At foreign language faculties, departments of “new” languages are appearing, which are in growing demand thanks to intensive economic relations with new partner countries. More and more students are enrolling in Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Polish, Serbo-Croatian, and Romanian. Foreign students are allowed (and even recommended) to choose their native language as one of their major languages (provided, of course, that a corresponding department exists).
Many prefer to study foreign languages “abroad.” For many years, the Erasmus student exchange program has been functioning successfully in Europe. By the way, for the next three years a program has been created allowing 5,000 students from Ukraine, Moldova, and Belarus to study at European universities. For those already studying abroad, from this year there are no funds for participation in Erasmus—all quotas are taken by students from the new EU member states.
There remains the option of tourism or a vacation at a summer language school. The favorite places for recreation (and study) of Italian students are Spain, Greece, France, and Ireland. Many plan to visit Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia in the summer, and among the “discoveries” of recent years are Prague and Budapest. Thanks to the activity of discount airlines, a trip to the other end of the continent can cost just a few dozen euros, if not less.
There are also plenty of entertainments “at home” in Italy. Recently there has been a boom in Latin American dancing; at discos, entry for students is free on Thursdays, and on Mondays there are discounts at the cinema.
Having approached the writing of my thesis, I chose a topic on Ukrainian literature. It must be said that our country is known in Italy mainly because of Chernobyl and Andriy Shevchenko, so there would be enough educational work for dozens of theses. Nevertheless, the Association of Ukrainian Studies and various cultural organizations operate successfully in Italy, and departments of Ukrainian language have been opened at several major universities. On the Italian side, a cultural center is supported that organizes courses and certification in Italian, and a department of Italian language has been established at Lviv University.
In any case, interest in Ukraine in Italy is not limited to the search for new players for football clubs or blue-eyed brides. Our young, talented, and energetic people should not discount the opportunity to study abroad, but rather strive to broaden their horizons and use new prospects for their future. This opportunity, as my experience shows, is quite real and depends only on awareness, desire, and perseverance.