Have you ever considered moving somewhere completely different from your current surroundings?

I spent my first 22 years of life in Asia, where I was born and raised, before relocating to Italy. I had assumed that it would be the same this time as I had previously lived in other countries for brief periods of time to study. Time flies, though, and I've been in Italy for more than four years at this point. I spent almost three years studying in Bologna before relocating to Milan to pursue a job. I’m sure you can imagine how many adjustments I must make these years.

Italy is among the most beautiful countries in the world, but it's also among the most challenging to adapt to. The food is miraculously delicious, however, the people and lifestyle here are nothing like the ones back home. The first time I had dinner with my Italian friend's family, her mother always put too much food on my plate because I couldn't say no! We are more reserved, less aggressive, organized, and always frightened to say no! I recall returning home that day and spending hours in the restroom out of fear of throwing up because I had never in my life eaten so much food. I suppose that this is an enjoyable example of a lesson learned.

Additionally, Italians are more relaxed at work, too straightforward when it comes to romance, and they frequently use sarcasm in conversations with friends … which again, I was not at all familiar with.

Everything felt so foreign to me in those first several months, including people, food, language, culture, weather - everything! However, things got simpler for me once some time had gone by and I had adapted to the new atmosphere. Now I learned how to say NO to an Italian mom that wants to put too much food on my plate. Thanks in particular to DoveVivo, who made it easier for me in helping me with finding apartments in these two dynamic cities, which let’s say is one less of a huge problem among many, including weirdly funny culture shocks.

A little about me:

I am Sanitpim or Bella, but people here call me Sani. I moved to Italy in 2018 after my bachelor graduation back in Bangkok, Thailand. I have been around all my life; Thailand, Japan, China .. you name it, both for studying and work. I graduated in Arts and Communications and pursued my master’s degree in Performing art management in Bologna. Now I am working in Milan as a Marketing & Communications specialist for a deep tech company.