After the post of September 2022 (Why should I quit my job ?), early November came a pleasant news that bought a huge relief.

It was the approval to the request to transfer me internally to the UK office at Guildford. A request that I made in September 2022. There was a chain of approval from my immediate manager Mr. Stefano T, the HR directory Mrs. Laura M and finally the VP of Service Assurance Mr. Gerard C. I am so grateful for their decision to approve my request. Immediately I was put in touch with the HR of the UK office Ms. Zainab S. I was informed that the process would be to terminate my employment here at Italy and recruit me as a new employee at the UK office by creating a new opening. The UK office had to apply for sponsorship license and offer me a certificate of sponsorship as well. I was also put in touch with an immigration Lawyer, Ms. Stacey L from Wright Hassall. Ms Stacey requested a long list of documents from my side which included the passport, marriage certificate, my degree certificate, my marksheet, proof of English language and few others. As soon as I furnished these documents, she quickly drafted the visa application form for my review. After reviewing the documents, she put the application on hold till January 2023. The reason was that my intended transfer and joining in the UK office would be 1^st of April 2023. Since applications were supposed to be submitted 3 months prior to intended date of entry to the UK, the process was paused during the month of December.

The new year came, and the application process was resumed, and application submitted. As we are currently waiting for the appointment for biometrics (aka Visa Interview), Hema and I are undertaking the most difficult task during a relocation. The hunt for an affordable flat in the vicinity of the UK branch at Guildford. At the time of writing this post, we are going through this daunting task that too remotely. With the help of Prakash, who is the maternal uncle of Hema, we are consider options in Camberley. Today, he made some time for us to go view a flat in Camberley. A spacious, 2-bedroom flat at £1300 per month. This is a flat we really liked. Not sure how this will go. Also, my colleague who lives in Bracknell currently has offered me to help out in our hunt.

If all goes well, Hema and I will be starting a new chapter in our lives. I believe UK is going to the country where we will be spending the rest of our life. I knew a change was due as soon as Hema and I got married. And it is finally happening and we got the ball rolling now. Let’s see how our life turns.

Cheers!

Story of an Indian in Italy

Its September 2022, with 5 years of work experience, here I am thinking if I should quit my job. How did I get here?

I have been in Italy since September 2014 and its exactly 8 years now. 3 years as a student in Piacenza and 5 years as an employee in telco-based software company in Modena. It’s been quite a journey. This last 8 years in Italy has contributed as much, if not more, as the previous 24 years of my life in Italy in shaping the kind of man I am now. From a believer to agnostic to an atheist. Interest in politics, programming, and few others. From short-tempered to not-so-short-tempered 😛.

The first year in Italy, was spent acclimating to the new place, Italian culture, food, people, system and the general way of life. My first attempt at learning the language was a huge disaster. It was in Piacenza when I was a student. The lessons were free, but the teacher did not know “Hello” in English. I thought this was not working. So, I quit. The second and third year, I met more fellow Indians, and started meeting more and more new people from around the world (who could speak English of course). Making more attempts at socializing knowing that I would eventually fail at it. Tried potlucks, pubs, clubs, and still nothing was happening. What was I even expecting to happen? Maybe new friends!? I first thought it was just because I was an introvert that everyone around me would rather socialize with someone else than me.  But when I’m out my circle or in public, I still felt difficulty socializing. Or was it passive racism. Maybe a little bit in the pubs and clubs. But I can understand that. But given a situation I still have trouble telling which one is it.

Alas I graduate at the end of 3^rd year of my 2-year program. And in 3 months I land a job at Empirix Italy SRL. A US headquartered, telco-based software company in Modena. So, I relocated to Modena. I missed no one since I had no friends. I embarked on a journey all by myself. Why? When I was in Piacenza, there was Sriram and when I was in India I lived with my parents. I was really excited and terrified. I am proud that I was brave enough to find out what was going to happen next in my life.

Anyway, in the year 2014, soon after moving to Modena, I did make one Italian friend. But it was only my neighbor who lived next door and we happened to meet climbing stairs. If it was the case that we were on different floors, I still would be here without even a single friend. Such is the culture here at least in apartments. You never know who lives next door.

I was hungry to learn data analytics, coding and more. I started going out, mostly alone, but language was always a barrier. I was way behind my peers/batch in communicating. The second attempt at language was in Modena, sponsored by the company, but it was not mandatory that I finish the course. The company was just kind enough to take it upon themself and finance me through it. The lessons were taught by this old gentleman who loved to talk more philosophy with me than teach Italian. And I was not the best student either. Lessons 2 days a week and still I would not complete the practice questions. Procrastinating it for some reason. Eventually, after couple of months, I did quit. But it did help me to an extent that I could now manage basic conversations. I know just enough to get in and out of trouble 😀. Maybe I should have spent more time and put in more efforts to learning the language. I don’t know what I was thinking or what plans I had about my future back then. I think I was living in the moment too much and had the least amount of responsibility ever in my life. It was a peaceful and serene phase of my life, no doubt. I swear things would have been even different for me now had I learnt the language properly, at least on the social front.

Things started going haywire when 2020 came. The dawn of the COVID. Tourist visa that Hema got soon after our marriage was a colossal waste. I got stuck in India for almost 6 months. Then end of 2020 then the 1^st wave settled down I moved back to Italy to initiate the process for Family Reunion visa for Hema. And just went I thought things couldn’t get any harder, I hurt my elbow hard. Seeing that it going to take more than I anticipated, I again traveled to India in 2021 to make sure to bring Hema with me. But the corona virus had other plans. 2^nd wave hit us so hard. Hema and I lost several family members. Things didn’t stop there for me. My stay permit was about to expire. I took my chances and booked a charted flight amidst of the global lockdown. Chennai to Amritsar to Milan. One of the craziest and stressful journeys ever in my life. That’s a whole other story maybe for another post.

Finished the final documentation required for Hema and travel to India again on 19 January 2022, hoping there wouldn’t be another COVID wave and even if there was one, I traveled back to Italy with Hema. Now it’s been almost 5 months that Hema and I and living by ourselves. I’m enjoying every moment with here. The occasional travel, never ending conversations, stupid jokes, silly fights, and the list goes on.

Lately I’ve been thinking about the promise I made Hema in 2019, that I would always try and do my best to support her in every possible way. It’s been a couple of months since she finished her professional course (CIMA). I am so proud of her and so happy. I know she has her own dreams and wishes about building a strong career. I am worried what will be next for her.  I want to make sure she gets the best possible opportunities. This means that where we are right now in life is not maximizing the opportunities for her. And given the fact that I (and now also Hema) have no active social life or any friends and unable to support her career, feel that I need to relocate.

This is a huge endeavor. Either my company agrees and helps me to transfer within the company or its disagrees and I find myself another job in a country where we can both flourish. Right now, it seems UK and Ireland are the best options.

It’s hard to think life is not a race. But here I am, trying to push faster to settle down in a more comfortable living standard where we can both prosper. Why am I wanting to risk quitting this job in order to relocate? Is it the lack of social life and friends or my duty to support my wife? or maybe both.

Only time will tell how our life turns.

A healthy body is as important as a healthy mind. I knew if health is gone, everything is gone. But I never thought I would realize this early on.

Okay, let’s step back here a moment. I am not dying or anything. It’s just that after the most recent spine injury, ( a compressed disk L5-S1) life has not been the same. First instant on August 2021 and a second time April 2022. Reduction in mobility is the most frustrating aspect of it. The constant pain when you stretch your hamstrings and the fear of re-occurrence is even more daunting. The occasional neck pains caused by the daily 8 hour stare at the computer screen.

As I am trying to revive myself by spending 1 hour everyday walking, another injury. It seems fate has got some other plans for me. One fine day, when I feel, I could push myself to try and jog, I injured my left knee. A mild cartilage tear probably (aka Meniscal strain). The meniscal strain in the knee has caused a complete evasion tendency to fetch of things below my waist. This, combined with my back injury is really annoying me, sucking the life out of me. Every time, I bend to fetch something, I fear that I’m damaging it more, or to say the least, slowing down my recovery.

Constantly zoning out, thinking about the times when I could run, jump and climb as effortlessly as I can. I’m getting this feeling that those days are gone. I really want to bounce back to a life of fearless mobility. Though life has not hit me hard, I certainly sense what it is capable of.