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Claire Covner
Kathie Friedman
Honors 394 Migration, Markets, and Minorities in the New Italy
20 July 2014
Reflections on experiences and the perceptions
of JNRC refugees and vendors at the Piazza Vittorio market
At the beginning of this programs journey, I did not know what to expect of my
experiences with the migration situation in Italy or the refugees, labor migrants, and minorities
that live within an otherwise pretty homogenous Italian society. Now, looking back, I realize
how interesting this course has been for me, and how much it has impacted my perspective of
Italy as well as shaped my overall study abroad experience. My first impression of Rome was
not the best. Arriving in a foreign place knowing you are to live there for a month is
overwhelming, to say the least, and being greeted with mazelike cobblestone streets, a
completely new language, and a very different environment certainly did not help this sentiment.
I did not expect to integrate or feel at home immediately, but as the days turned into weeks, I still
felt foreign and glad this was only a temporary living situation.
Going to the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center and the market at Piazza Vittorio definitely
allowed me to see a whole new side of Italy I subconsciously knew existed, but that I had to see
with my own eyes to truly grasp. Although these were great experiences I certainly do not
regret, they also heavily shaped my thoughts on Italy and Italian culture and society. Observing
the similarities and differences of the communities in both these places was really fascinating,
and I think their different reasons for coming to Italy definitely affect their attitudes and the vibes

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I got while there. I believe their different situations also impacted their perceptions and
stereotypes of me as well as our group as a whole.
My first observation at the JNRC was related to the language barriers we faced, and the
immense number of languages spoken. It was difficult to not notice this, as it had a major impact
on the people we talked to, who we formed the best connections with over the course of our time
at the center, and the extent of our abilities to communicate. I also noticed that a lot of what we
read in the assigned readings rang true for a lot of the refugees. Most of them are in transit and
although Italy is not their intended final destination, they do not know how long they will have to
stay there or what is really next for them. Many are trying to go to other places in Europe where
there are better job prospects and they can better make their lives as well as countries that are
more accepting and less discriminatory against immigrants (Hough). Some actually came from
Norway or England and were sent back to Italy because it is where they arrived first.
Additionally, most of the men we met are Afghani or from various parts of Africa. In general,
they keep within their respective populations and mostly converse with people of the same
national origin. I imagine that this is comforting for them, and provides them with a sense of
community and belonging in an unwelcoming and isolating Italian society. It makes sense
because, although the refugees live in Italy, it is not what they consider home and they probably
do not feel 100% comfortable either. The exception to this is in playing games. I saw that the
times people of different ethnicities interacted was in games of foosball and ping pong, where
words do not play a role in the universal language of human emotion and the expression of
winning, losing, excitement, and frustration.
Overall, I can definitely say I made big strides in comfort level from the first awkward
visit to the much-improved last one, just this past Friday. The first time we went to the JNRC

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was very uncomfortable for me, as it was for the majority of the class. Honestly, though, the
second visit felt just as awkward, if not worse, because we did not have any specific activities we
were expected to do and that lack of structure made me feel even more out of place.
Furthermore, I did not really enjoy an initial conversation I had with one of the refugees,
although that later turned around once I got to talk to him more in future visits. The third time
we went was a slight improvement from the first two experiences, and I tried really hard to reach
out of my own comfort zone to interact with people. Our last visit was the best one and the time
I felt most comfortable, and I am happy to say that despite the rough beginning to my
volunteering experience, I was still able to take away a lot about the refugees, their stories, how
different societies affect peoples perceptions of others, and also learn about myself.
A lot of the refugees perceptions of me and our group were not necessarily surprising,
but not what I expected to encounter and resonated with me in a strong way. At first, I felt very
strange. The group visit left a sour taste in my mouth because I felt really different, more
different than I usually do. The refugees seemed to understand why a lot of the others were
there, more specifically those who are white, since many associate being American with being
white, but I felt a lot of them could not get past my ethnicity.
I felt this very intensely in my first interaction with an Iranian man, whose name I forget,
who Malika, Natalie and I met while playing cards (Field notes 3 July 2014, JNRC). After
performing a card trick for us, he asked us to guess where he is from. We did not know how to
answer him, as we did not want to generalize based on his skin color and exterior features. He
told us he came from Iran, and then proceeded to label each of us based on his perception of our
ethnicities, saying Malika is Arab, Natalie is American, and I am Chinese. What caught me off
guard was how up front and explicit he was with labeling us based on our appearances. In the

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United Sates, nationality and ethnicity are very much more blurred than they are in most other
parts of the world, and at the time, I did not understand the extent to which that is true. For a lot
of countries, these categories are one in the same, especially with more homogenous societies
based on the concept of nation, and they do not fully comprehend that people can be born or
from other places and still be American. This was personally difficult for me to take because I
break so many boundaries between categorizations. I cannot be defined by one piece of my
identity, and I do not like being judged like this by others, especially someone who is a complete
stranger. This just goes to show the lack of this same diversity in a lot of the world. Although I
was a little offended by the immediate conclusion he drew, I understand that it is difficult for
people to comprehend the separation between the various identities that make me who I am. The
fact that my ethnic identity does not automatically reflect my cultural, national, and religious
identities is also a foreign concept to many.
I do want to add, however, that later on once we adjusted to each other, I ended up being
able to form a connection to this man. During our final visit, he actually was the one to help ease
the first several awkward minutes upon our arrival to the JNRC. Malika, Julia, and I were able
to jump right into conversation with him and it was actually a really great experience and his
sense of humor really helped the mood (Field notes 18 July 2014, JNRC).
On the other hand, my initial reaction to the market at Piazza Vittorio and the vendors
there was very different in comparison to how I felt going into the JNRC for the first time. For
one, the vendors attitudes were more vibrant and lively and I had a much better overall feeling
upon arrival and looking around. I felt happy to be there and started enjoying my experience
right away. I explored the market mainly with Jordyn and we encountered a lot of friendliness.
Instead of having to make the effort to talk to the vendors, as we had to at the refugee center,

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they often were the ones to say hello to us and initiate conversations (2 July 2014, Market at
Piazza Vittorio). They seemed eager to speak to us, which was not what I expected. However,
then, I thought about the many differences in the make up of the people as well as the structure
of their community that probably played into their, what I perceived to be, more friendly
behavior.
In walking through the food market, I noticed a mix of ethnic groups. One of the vendors
I asked told me that most of them came from Bangladesh, but there were many from other parts
of the world as well. Since all of these different people are in one area and work together in a
single space, they have created a cohesive community. I am sure they still mainly interact with
people of the same national origin because those are the people with whom they feel most
comfortable, but it was great seeing something that brings them together. Not only that, but also
another difference lies in their reasons for coming to Italy in the first place. I presume that the
market vendors are labor migrants, people who left their home countries to search for better work
and to support their families, found this in Italy, and are here to stay. They are more established
because they have created their homes, new lives, and a community for themselves in Italy,
however, like the refugees they are still foreigners and marginalized by most of Italian society. I
felt like the vendors were more approachable than many of the refugees. Maybe this was
because they felt they were opening their community to us. Despite their being foreign, they still
have made Italy their home and so I think because they are more comfortable in their situation,
they were able to make me feel more welcome. It was interesting to think about in this way, but
we were guests in this multi-ethnic international community, whereas at the JNRC, both our
group and the refugees were guests and not there to stay, and that seemed to make a world of
difference.

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Now, we have reached the end of the program and even though I would not say I feel at
home, I have become much more comfortable and understand that feeling unwelcome and
awkward is typical of foreigners trying to integrate into Italian society, whether they are in Italy
temporarily like us or have decided to permanently settle here. Maybe both refugees and labor
migrants share my sentiments too, and they eventually adjust to their surroundings and realize
that although they may never truly fit in, this is where they are and they have to make the best of
it. That is definitely a significant lesson from this trip. I am glad I opened my mind to these
experiences and discovered that even though Italy is not my favorite place in the world, I have
learned to take it for what it is, and it has left its mark on me ultimately for the better.

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Works Cited
Field notes. Joel Nafuma Refugee Center. 3 July 2014.
Field notes. Market at Piazza Vittorio. 2 July 2014.
Hough, Michelle. Immigrants to Italy face discrimination. Caritas. Caritas Internationalis, 3
Feb. 2014. Web. 20 July 2014.