After a quick glimpse of Ann’s blog over at “My Life in Italy” you will quickly learn that she is living in the ‘outer burbs of Milan Italy’ – as she says, with her Italian husband and teaching English. Read on for more insights to what life is like as an expat in Italy!

1. Where are you from originally, where are you now and what brought you there?

I’m from the heartland of the United States, South Dakota, born and bred. I was planning a trip to Italy, started corresponding with my now husband via email a couple of weeks before my trip. Spent one week together, six months later we were married in the States and two weeks after I was here, living in the outer suburbs of Milan Italy.

2. What do you like/dislike about your new home overseas?

For me living here is a love/hate relationship. I do like the winters here, in the sense of no freezing rain; the food (of course, who DOESN’T like Italian food); the ability to be able to visit so many historical places in the area, even being able to visit different European countries all within a couple hours by plane.

Dislikes – people in this area are rather cool and reserved compared to what I am used to in the Midwest and difficult to cultivate friendships. Also it is difficult to find a permanent work contract that pays at least a livable wage.

3. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to get a job in Italy?

First do your homework about the country you’re wanting to move to. Visit the place a few times first, even though visiting and living are two totally different things. Is your job in demand in the country you want to move to? Are you able to live off the current salaries in said country? The job market in Italy at the moment isn’t the best, even for the locals. If a person wants to work here, most importantly they should be able to speak Italian fluently otherwise it is impossible to find a job, unless teaching English. Here connections are extremely important, it is all about WHO you know. Gender and age also play a factor when trying to find a job. If you are a female of child-bearing age and married it will be more difficult.

My experience with getting a visa for Italy was pretty easy and painless, since I am married to an Italian. After turning all of my documents in to the Italian Consulate in Chicago, my visa was approved about 90 minutes later. I teach English part-time privately so I “earned” all of my students on my own. I prefer to teach privately compared to working for schools. I have more control of my hours and wages. For those wanting to teach English in Italy, the market at the moment is pretty saturated. The hours vary greatly and a person cannot make a living teaching English.

4. What was the most challenging part of living in a foreign country when you first started out as an expat?

The hardest part was in being away from friends and family; being unable to communicate with those around me since I was unable to speak Italian when I moved.

My advice would be if someone is moving to a country that speaks a different language, learn as much of the language as possible before moving. This is absolutely essential, this will make the transition A LOT easier. Don’t be afraid of going out and speaking to unknown people, even if you make a lot of mistakes trying to speak the language. The best way to learn/improve your language skills is getting out there and trying. Who cares if you make a fool of yourself. That is one thing the Italians are great, the ones I’ve met/talked to, that they are pretty forgiving when it comes to the language. As long as you make an effort to speak and understand, that is the most important thing.

5. If you were to do it all again (moving to and living in another country), what would you do different?

I would have done more “homework” as far as my new country. I would have learned the language before moving.

6. Do you want to move back to where you came from? If not, what is it about the expat life that makes it all worth it to you?

In all honesty, I do not see us moving back to the States. Due to the crime rate, the economy, the health care system. I enjoy visiting the States, but do not know if I could live there again. My husband and I prefer a better quality of life that unfortunately that is not available in the States. We have absolutely nothing against the people there, it is just the system that we do not agree with.

What makes expat life all worthwhile is learning about new cultures, learning new languages. A person also tends to look at their country of origin in a different light, both good and bad.

7. What are some of the good, the bad, the ugly … and the funny things you have experienced living overseas?

People have mistaken me for being German, English, French, Swiss, and Romanian. One evening my husband and I went out for supper. We were outside smoking and talking, in English. Two young men also came outside for a nicotine fix. They asked us if we were speaking in dialect from the Canton Ticino in Switzerland. Canton Ticino is the Italian part of Switzerland. I responded back, NO. He then asked if we were speaking German. Again, no, we’re speaking English. He then asked where I was from, told him, United States. His next question, Does the United States use the Euro? Ummm, no, last time I checked the currency was the United States Dollar……

8. Did you experience culture shock when you moved?

Yes I did experience culture shock big time. New country, new culture, new language and new marriage all at once. In the beginning it felt so overwhelming that I would sometimes cry myself to sleep at night. I would question myself why the heck did I move here. I kept comparing Italy with the United States, which is a big no no.

To overcome it I had to just stop comparing the two countries, and realize the fact that Italy and the United States are just two totally different countries with their good and bad points. There is no way one can compare. It is like comparing apples and oranges. Both are fruits, but that is where their similarities stop.

9. Any practical tips for the new expats out there?

Learn the language immediately. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes or look like a fool in the beginning. Don’t be afraid to be different. If you’re feeling blue/depressed, get out of the house, don’t lock yourself inside. Get to know the locals. They can be one your best sources of information about the area. Have patience in everything you do. Whether dealing with public offices etc. Don’t compare your home country and the country you’re living in, you’ll drive yourself nuts and you’ll just end up more homesick than you already are. If you don’t like something, DO something about it, just don’t sit and complain about it. Enjoy your new country of residence, exploit (in a positive way of course) every and all opportunities. Don’t regret anything!

10. Where do you think you’ll go next?

Canada. We want a change of scenery and to live in a place with a different way of thinking compared to here and most importantly a better quality of life compared to here. It is just a matter of finding jobs, which we are searching for at the moment. Then once a job offer has been made, visas obtained, we’re there. My husband is an experienced IT computer technician, so competition is pretty tight/tough and with today’s economy, employers are hesitant to bring someone over from a foreign country, so making the job hunt rather difficult. We WILL succeed though!

11. Anything else you want to add or share about expat life or culture shock?

Just to enjoy yourself!

Read more about Ann’s life over at her blog!