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FOMATPLAY all right. Thank you Nathalia for joining the project. The first question that I want to ask you is: what brought you here? NATHALIA the possibility to come for the semester, which is four months, and to be able to better my Italian language; but also English. So I think it's the best opportunity to come to Italy for.. FOMATPLAY wonderful! have you enjoyed your say in Naples? what did you like the most? NATHALIA I think, just getting to know the culture. Because I really like Italian and I am really interested in the language and culture. I think Naples is very scaramantic, in a way, and has a lot of culture so I really like it. FOMATPLAY and what did you like specifically about the Neapolitan culture? NATHALIA uh well... everywhere you go-; but I think it's in all of Italy; everywhere you go you have churches that you can go to; just free access. And um... just see all the wonderful things inside but also um... some things, some symbolic things like the [corno] or the food that... all the things people do are things that teach me things about language and culture and how to communicate better. So, I think, everything I see there is pretty interesting. FOMATPLAY Nice. Is there anything that you didn't like at all about the Neapolitan versus Italian culture? NATHALIA the chaoticness. I think-; like at my university there is someone that is responsible for the Erasmus students. And so everything is clear and we... even we, that are not Erasmus students, we get our classes in, you know? how to say it? FOMATPLAY Like a roster or a timetable? NATHALIA Yes, timetable. And it's just done for us, for a year. You have to go search individually each course and make your own timetable and it can change. You can't rely, really, on the emails from the professor because sometimes they don't answer at all. And it's pretty difficult for me because um... I have had two classes that are at the same time; so I can't attend them both and one is um... the attendance is mandatory. So, I can't miss class and I have to miss the whole... the other classes. So it's... But other things, I think the chaoticness has also its beauty but not in the academic context. FOMATPLAY And how about the academic context? how did you find the the environment at the university? NATHALIA um well... this chaotic is also uh... the same thing that I cannot understand when seeing the professors arriving late and calling class; because at my university if the professor isn't there in 15 minutes we can leave. Here I have waited until up to an hour before the professor showed up and I remained there because I didn't know anything and the professor don't respond to any emails. So I had to be there. FOMATPLAY how about your student life? Do you enjoy that? NATHALIA yes. Other students-; I have got to know, gotten to know other students in class; both Italian and Eramus students; Italian students... well, at least the ones that I have talked to are very nice and they... I appreciate it very much that they don't switch immediately to English or to their language learning, for example French; and they know I speak that. And they really try to keep speaking Italian with me. So I really like that. FOMATPLAY okay. And how is it for you to learn Italian and speak it here? NATHALIA I think I am better at writing it than speaking it. At the beginning, when I came here, I was mostly afraid to speak it and I didn't dare to speak very much. But now, after a couple of weeks, it has already got much better so... FOMATPLAY and how has your learning experience been so far? NATHALIA for Italian? FOMATPLAY yeah. NATHALIA I only have one course that is grammar oriented and verbs that we... the grammar course. The rest is just normal courses in Italian that I find very helpful because you have to be able to register information rapidly. Even if at the beginning I couldn't keep up. you were um... in a way, you have to keep up so you learn more vocabulary; you're always surrounded by the language so in a way you can learn a lot. FOMATPLAY are you gonna keep learning Italian once you're back? FOMATPLAY okay, why so? NATHALIA it's my... it's the thing that I'm studying at university so... and I like it very much. I like the culture, I would like to become one day a translator so... FOMATPLAY okay. Why? What fascinates you about the..? NATHALIA I have already... I like reading, very much. So I would like to become a translator for books, maybe. I have also done, back at my university, translations for subtitles of short films both in Italian as French, and some other languages. So I think it's very beautiful. Mostly because you... in subtitling you can always translate it fully. Otherwise the people reading it cannot keep up because it comes so fast. So you have to concise everything that is said in some sentences and it's difficult; but it's also very beautiful. FOMATPLAY okay. Do you speak any other language-; languages besides..? NATHALIA at school we also get... because in Belgium we originally have 3, 3 official languages. So, also German. But I don't speak it. I understand it, but I don't speak it. FOMATPLAY okay. And how did you feel in Naples? like did you feel welcomed by the citizens, the people? NATHALIA I'm. When I came here. Well, before coming here I had some difficulties trying to find a place to stay. And already that was not very welcoming. Because I was scammed um... but at the end I I found a place to stay. it's a... I'm renting a room from an old lady She's Neapolitan but she also speaks Spanish. With her I've learned so many things; not only from the language, but also the culture. She did-, she taught me how to make [pasta patata e provola] and some things like [struffoli] and... I think it there's no better way to surround yourself in the culture. So she has been very welcoming. And... I don't know, but I thought that Naples, being in the northen south, everyone would be more open on the streets like saying hello. And the first days I always said hello on the streets but I think not many people do that anymore. So I not always got an answer. But apart from that, I think it has been very welcoming. FOMATPLAY where there, maybe, during your stay any moments in which you felt treated with, I don't know, hostility? or do you think that that might be a thing in here? in terms of the attitudes of Neapolitan people, but also Italian people at large towards incoming people or..? NATHALIA I think there's always the prejudice that people coming from other countries don't know the language so they always try to switch to English even if they don't speak it. So the first days that I came here I went to the Eramsus office and the lady wanted to help me but she didn't speak a good level of English so I kept kept telling her "I speak Italian, you can talk to me in Italian if it's normal for you" and she kept just speaking to me in English. So.. what was the question again? Have I answered or? FOMATPLAY yeah, yeah you have; yeah. Okay, let's talk about Brexit. Do you have... what kind of memories do you have concerning that moment? has it impacted you at all? NATHALIA I thought it would impact me more than it has. I don't think so. In language skills, you mean or? FOMATPLAY anything. NATHALIA um... No, I don't think so because everyone thought "yeah okay there will be a.. we would have-; will have to pay more for certain things" but not.. pretty much, just for some things we have to pay more for. We still have many products that we can trade just within the European Union. so, not really. I think everyone thought, thought that so many things would change, but at the end I think it has been more impactful for the Uk than it has for the European Union. FOMATPLAY Were you surprised to see that? FOMATPLAY yeah. NATHALIA I think that they have always seen themselves as being superior so in the end it was inevitable that they would want to leave. But I don't think they have seen many um.. advantages from it. FOMATPLAY okay, let's go back to the EU since you mentioned that. What do you think about Europe as an institution, as a as a body, as.. do you have any thoughts on that? NATHALIA on any aspect? FOMATPLAY uh huh. NATHALIA I think that the trade aspects of everything that can travel without paying takes for all of this is really good. And still... also that every um... country and within the EU-; not every country, but uh most of them, still keep their own language and, apart from that, English. It has been very important for the trading. I don.t know... FOMATPLAY do you feel that you belong to Europe? and if so in what way? NATHALIA I have grown up in the Eu so.. I remember someone asking "do you feel more from the European Union or more from El Salvador?" and at that time I answered from El Salvador. But now I see that it was just... reflects to, I think, protect myself from rejection. But I think I have grown up in the EU; so many, many, many, aspects I belong more to the European Union. FOMATPLAY okay, in what aspects? can you tell us more about that? NATHALIA the language, , the just the values too; the, the languages that I speak... just the way of living. I think the, the mindset of Europe that we have in recycling or... I don't know, such things that seem not so important but back in the summer when I travelled back it isn't so common, after all. FOMATPLAY okay. NATHALIA and um... I don't know, there's always some part of me that will belong there because I was also born there. Which is differentm I think, from my sister who was born here. FOMATPLAY okay. NATHALIA But otherwise... I keep in touch with Michael, with El Salvador, so in that aspect I still have-, we still cook typical dishes, traditional dishes and we speak the language because it's the purest way, I don't know. But seeing now in retrospect I belong more to the European Union. FOMATPLAY and what other aspects of the Hispanic culture do you feel that you have absorbed? NATHALIA um... traditions, mostly, like food or uh.. the way of celebrating, celebrating Christmasm for example. Or um.. I don't know. Celebrations as the [quincenera] or just the culture of music, which is very different, I think. it's very stereotypical to think that we all listen to raeggenton, baciata, and all those things. And in that way, that aspect, I don't really do. FOMATPLAY can you tell us more about your um... mobility? or experiences of mobility within the EU? have you traveled? NATHALIA yes. It is very easy because as a student we have lots of opportunities to travel, to get to many countries within the European Union and um... but it's very easy. Just with the ID card that we can travel without needing a passport or having to pass through further controls. NATHALIA and how would you feel if this freedom of movement was revoked? NATHALIA oh... I think isolated. I think it is... because now-; because European Union is not... well, Belgium is not that big so in two hours you can, we can be with just a car in Germany or the Netherlands. It is very easy to say, to talk to friends and say "hey do you want to go?". If that was revoked, I think, it would be very isolating. I wouldn't go-; not get to know that many cultures-; and not be in contact with that many people, things and cultures. FOMATPLAY is there anything else that you um.. evaluate in a positive way about your belongingness to the EU? NATHALIA Can you? FOMATPLAY yes, if there; if there is any other aspect that you value about belonging or being, you know? living in the EU? do you appreciate any other thing about living in the EU besides the freedom of movement? even talking about the values, you mentioned values. So what kind of values did you have in mind? NATHALIA I don't know. Maybe learning another language is not that strange. that you're not the only language to exist that you are not the only language that exists. That you have to be in contact with others that you have to... I don't know. In the European Union, I think, we have-; we are incentivated to get to know other countries. I think also to have this, to form this identity of being in the European Union. FOMATPLAY do you think that that is a successful project? it's happening? NATHALIA for me yes. FOMATPLAY okay, yes, yes. That's um... that's enough. Um... so how active have you been in Naples in terms of social life? and did you take part in any, I don't know, events or..? organization, ESM. It's just Erasmus student organization. And those are... they organize all sorts of activities for students. And I think it's very interesting and it's very fun to go to these things because they are Neapolitans that um... help students to get to know other parts of Italy too or just to go -; just help to socialize with other Erasmus students or to get to know Naples better. Sometimes they organize tours and... or uh some parties and... that, in that way they're very helpful. But I also have been in contact with other Belgian students that have come here for the Erasmus exchange and... just by going to class I got to know other students from France and Germany. And through friends and I got to know other people. FOMATPLAY uh huh okay. so how do you feel in terms of your-; do you feel that you belong to this Erasmus community as well? NATHALIA oh yes FOMATPLAY somehow? NATHALIA yes, yes. I think there's not always.. in a group you don't always like to go to the same events, but you always find your people and... yeah, I think everyone has found someone. So... but yeah, in sort of the European Union, to find people with ease, uh yes. People from other countries but also Neapolitans so... FOMATPLAY okay. um... okay, so where where is home to you? FOMATPLAY yeah NATHALIA where my family is. So I don't know if they will move to another country. I don't know. At the moment I don't know. FOMATPLAY do you see yourself moving around Europe in the future? NATHALIA no I think, I'm more excited to . I would rather remain in Belgium. FOMATPLAY why so? NATHALIA I think just overall the economy is good and we have certain types of stability; uh also the academic possibilities that they have are very good for all people who get to uh... go to university even if um don't really know. I, I but... It's not like in the United States that you really have to know before what you want to do because you don't have enough money so you have to choose something and stick with it until the end or just stop studying, you know? I think that's-; it's all also a good country just because of its multilingualism. um... Know Dutch, French, English and somehow, some people German. FOMATPLAY great! um... okay. And do you think it is easy for, like, a foreign national to move to Italy and find a job? so would you ever consider the possibility , for insatance, of moving to Italy and apply for a job in here or not really? I think because it's.. I'm studying Italian. I could be something I could consider. I have to take so many things into consideration, I don't know... FOMATPLAY do you think it would be easy for you to find a job in here? FOMATPLAY anywhere, yeah. NATHALIA maybe.. I don't think it would be that difficult but maybe in the... for teaching, or something like that. Like [madrelingua] of Dutch. I don't think there is that much in for Dutch. French little bit more. For translations to Dutch I don't think. FOMATPLAY okay. would you recommend this university to other incoming students? NATHALIA um I think... I have other friends, like I told you. They are all from ESN, Federico II or Suor Orsola Benincasa and they have had um... well, it's always chaotic but less chaotic than L'Orientale. So I don't think I would recommend L'Orientale just for this. Because otherwise the courses have been really interesting and at some level better than in other universities. But just for the stress, I think, just to know when you have to do something or where you can go to-; for information I wouldn't recommend it. FOMATPLAY okay. um... Alright. Just a second. I will maybe... uh okay could you define freedom of movement in one sentence? NATHALIA oh freedom of movement, that you don't have to go through much control when going to another country; transporting things or going to work FOMATPLAY and how would you sum up your freedom of movement experiences so far in Europe? NATHALIA I don't know how to describe it but we can go over what we want so.. for example, with public in Belgium we can go to another country just to visit another place, we can move free. FOMATPLAY uh huh. In a few words how would you feel if your freedom of movement was removed? NATHALIA Isolated. FOMATPLAY where's home and where do you feel you belong? NATHALIA Belgium, at the moment. FOMATPLAY how do you feel or how have you felt in Italy, in Naples so far? NATHALIA very positive experience. Mainly because of immersing myself in the culture to be able to better my language. FOMATPLAY would you take the same decision today? NATHALIA to come to Naples? yes FOMATPLAY okay. And what have you missed the most of your home country? NATHALIA the people. FOMATPLAY okay. Who are you? could you define yourself using 3 or 4 words? NATHALIA oh.. Belgian student in Naples. FOMATPLAY okay, wonderful! Thank you, Nathalia for sharing this with us. NATHALIA Yes. NATHALIA that they would leave? NATHALIA Yes, there is this NATHALIA home? NATHALIA In the South of Italy or just anywhere?