Hello Sofie and thanks for taking part in this interview! Where are you from and what brought you to Bologna?
Hi everyone! 🙂 My name is Sofie and I am from the Netherlands. I was born and raised in a small town in the east called Coevorden (very close to the German border), but when I was 17 years old I moved to the other side of the country, to a little university city called Leiden, to study Italian Language and Culture and Public Administration Economics. I have lived there up until last year. In 2019 I decided that I wanted to do my Erasmus in Italy, and after a study trip to Bologna I fell in love with the city and it’s atmosphere, so I decided this was going to be my destination. And so I moved here in September of 2019.
Why did you decide to stay? What do you enjoy the most about this city?
Unfortunately, as you might already expect, the end of my Erasmus was quite hectic and abrupt because of the pandemic. I had to return to the Netherlands, even though, as cliché as it might sound, a part of me was still in Bologna. The sudden change from having one of the best times of my life to being locked up inside of my home was quite harsh. After the restrictions became a little less strict I decided to spend a month here in May of 2022, to think a little bit about what I wanted to do in life. One evening I was sitting with my friend in the Giardini Margherita and there was a beautiful sunset, and we asked each other, why don’t we just move here? And the rest is history!
How did you come in contact with Uniser and when?
I came in contact with Uniser during the summer of 2022 while I was searching online for suitable jobs, I think it was on Indeed or Facebook. I sent my CV and I was contacted because they wanted to speak to me during an interview. I was quite nervous as the interview was completely in Italian. But I think it went quite well since they mailed me back a few days later saying that I got the internship! 🙂
Can you tell us a bit about your role and your team?
I work for the Incoming Team, and my role is organising the logistics for the groups that come to the Emilia area of the region. I also help organise the logistics for events or for the Uniser staff. My job starts from the moment the groups are confirmed and the information starts rolling in. Residency? Check! Transfer? Check! Local transport tickets? Check! Food? Check! Beside the logistical preparations I also meet up with the students on the day of arrival during the check-in and bring them (together with the rest of my team) to their companies for their first day.
What do you enjoy the most doing at Uniser?
One of my favourite parts of my job is doing the check-ins at the residency. Here is where all my “office” work comes together and the students are not just a name on my computer screen anymore. I also really like working together with suppliers and building a smooth collaboration.
What are some of the most demanding tasks?
This job requires quite some flexibility. It is not your typical 9-5 office job as check-ins are often in the evening and/or during the weekend. Everyday I like to plan my day ahead, but 9 out of 10 times I have to change it during the day as things might happen when you have the responsibility over students that are abroad.
You have work experience both in your home country and in Italy: could you highlight some of the most striking differences you observed?
Difficult question! I think my most comparable job I had in the Netherlands was when I worked at the University of Leiden. But that was during the pandemic so it is difficult and maybe not fair to compare them. Actually, because Uniser is such an international environment, I see more similarities than differences.
Building on that, how have you found the day-to-day aspects of life to be different between your home country and Italy?
The dynamics of day-to-day life in the Netherlands and Italy are completely different. In the Netherlands I woke up in the morning, ate my breakfast really quick before heading to work or class, ate my sandwich for lunch at my desk and then returned home at 5pm exact like all my colleagues (not any earlier and not any later), went to the supermarket, maybe had an easy dinner or a cup of tea with my friends at home and then went to bed to start over again. Until the weekend arrived..
Here in Italy I sometimes feel like I live three days in one. I get my morning coffee and breakfast at the bar (something that is almost unthinkable in the Netherlands, why would you do that, we have coffee at home?). I get to work, have a plate of pasta for lunch (something I had to get used to), finish my work and then 4 out of 5 working days go for aperitivo with colleagues and friends (or another evening activity), something that in the Netherlands only exists on friday afternoon. Here I often feel like I need the weekend to rest, while in the Netherlands I felt like I needed the weekend to celebrate.
Another huge difference is that everything here is very last minute, while in the Netherlands everything is planned three months in advance.
Do you play any sports or have any hobbies that you would like to tell us more about?
I have always played field hockey up until some years ago. Here in Italy it might not be that well known but in the Netherlands it is one of the most popular sports. I recently found out that there is a hockey team here in Bologna, so I would love to get back into it! I also really like dogs (especially my own dog Coco) and true crime podcasts.
And finally: what’s your favourite spot in Bologna?
So many! To name a few: Villa Ghigi which is close to my home, the Giardini Margherita, Via del Pratello, Mercato delle Erbe, Le Serre in the Giardini, Cremeria Santo Stefano for the best ice cream, Trattoria Trebbi for the tortelloni and pasticceria D’Azeglio for my morning coffee.
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