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This is the view from my balcony. It's the street where I've been living for five months. I like this place very much because I love the people that I live with here. I like this view because of the balcony and because at night all the lights remind me of Christmas in Romania.
What are some of the differences between your town in Romania and Torino?
I was also living in a big city there. But it's noisier here and quieter in my home town. The main difference is that here it's more modern and new and there they're stuck in the 50's. Also I find people more friendly here. In my home city there are not so many shops as in Torino, there are more parks. Overall, I prefer Torino.
What would you miss about Torino if you were to leave?
Almost everything, the Italian mentality, I don't know, everything.


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This was the first flat that I rented and stayed in with my friend when I came to Italy. I stayed here for about a year.
How long have you been here?
I came to Italy two years ago with my friend. My family are still in Romania .


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Sant'Anna Maternity Hospital. When I came to Italy, with my best friend, she was pregnant. She had her baby in this hospital.
Was it easy to get treatment?
Yes, there wasn't any problem because my friend was heavily pregnant.

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Colle Magdalena. It's a street beside the river Po. I took it because of the view. And there's a lot of discotheques. It's a good place to go for dancing.

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Job Centre. I met the girl that I live with now in this job centre.
Is she Romanian too?
Yes.
Are most of your friends Romanian?
No, mostly Italian.
Have you ever had any problems here because you're a foreigner?
No, I adapted to the Italian mentality very quickly and easily. As soon as I arrived I made friends with Italians. My boyfriend is Italian and I have a lot of Italian friends.
Do you know any other Romanians that had problems here?
Yes I have a friend who doesn't have the same mentality as the Italians.
What are the differences between the Italian and Romanian mentalities?
Italian men are more jealous than Romanian men.


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This is where I often go to play football with team.
How did you meet the team?
I met a young man who plays football and he asked me to play with them. .


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Here's a lot of satellite dishes from Rai television station. That's their office. I took it because Rai gives information and I like to watch TV.
Before you came to Torino. What impression did you have of Italy?
I thought it would be like America, because Italy is quite a rich country. And I thought there would be a lot of beautiful buildings.
Where did you get these impressions? From Italian satellite TV, films, books or people describing it?
We didn't have satellite TV in my house so I couldn't get Italian channels but on Romanian TV they show Italian films quite often. But mostly I got that impression from people who'd been there and come back to Romania.
Is that impression different now?
Yes, after I arrived, I realised that there are the same problems to find a job and make money as in Romania.


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This is the train station at Lingoto. Sometimes I go here to look at the trains when I feel sad and homesick and imagine that the train can take me home for a visit.
What do you miss about your home in Romania?
At first I missed my city, family and my friends, but now I'm very integrated here. I have a lot of Italian friends. I miss the centre, my neighbourhood and the internet places I used to go to to chat with friends there. In my neighbourhood in Romania there is only about three big buildings, two schools and apart from that there are only small houses. There is a lot of life in the area, always a lot of people out playing on the streets.
Would it be hard for you to go back for a visit?
Yes, because I'm under 18 years and because I walked across the Yugoslavian / Italian border without a visa so I don't have the documents and permission to return.
Do your family understand why you wanted to come here?
Yes, they understand perfectly because there's no money in Romania. And here in Italy I can get work and earn a bit of money. I wanted to go. It was very beautiful thing for me.
How easy was it to make contact with someone to guide you to come in?
I made the contact through a friend of a friend.
Did you have to pay a lot of money to them before you came here?
I had to pay them before I came. It was a lot. Too much. When I paid I was a bit naive and believed that life in Italy would be like in America - but now that I'm here, I think that it was too much that I paid.
How were the guys that brought you over here?
Bastards.

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This is a discotheque. It's a special place for me because I met my boyfriend there a year and a half ago. There are about 4 nice discos in this area. I still go there a lot. I usually meet at friends house, then go to a bar then drive out there.