L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 2018 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 2 T alent is something within. An aptitude which, when prope- rly cared for, blooms and flourishes, brin- ging abundant and juicy fruits all around. It is also the result of one's environment, of the people encountered along the way, of lessons learned and challenges faced which, by highlighting differences and creating useful tests, allow one to mature. And when we finally reach a place offering all that is needed, an ideal fertile substratum to thrive, talent is bound to get results, just like a tree that, finally, after a difficult replanting that tested endurance, strength, adaptability and ability to evolve, find optimal bio-climatic conditions not only to survive, but to prosper. The new generations of Italians landing at one of the many US airports have the advantage to get here with plenty of instruments in their hands. They do not simply know English, but the world. They have a whole toolbox at their disposal that the huge masses of semi- illiterate farmers who would get off onto the mythical docks of "Merica," frightened and exhausted after that endless trip in third class, could not even imagine. This means a lot of time is saved: getting settled is much easier, even without the type of support the old fashioned idea of "colony," the community of paesani, the Società di Mutuo Soccorso and the working and social network offered by Little Italy used to offer. Today, one can find the right path without doing his or her back in somewhere inside a West Virginia mine, without working as a laborer for a handful of dollars in some factory in Missouri, without breaking every bone with a shovel and pickax while tracing a railway line towards the wild West. Any Italian getting to the US today, however, still experiences a profound difference between the motherland and America, measured primarily in terms of trust and possibilities: the great help the land of thousand opportunities still gives. The Bel Paese, on the contrary, keep on being restrained by bureaucracy, by a cumbersome system filled with obstacles that The advantage of modern migrants is bringing their talent to the right place From the director discourages and wastes financial and human capitals, that never believes in you, in your ideas, in your potential. It is not a case, therefore, that so many people, young and not so young, made it only after crossing Italy's borders. When the tree finally finds the right soil, it is bound to yield the desired fruits. However, this means we shouldn't only talk about brain drain, about Italian graduates leaving the country that culturally formed them to find a well paid job – something in Italy is missed more than a far away family could be – and to obtain a fantastic career in a much shorter amount of time, a career often unconceivable if thought within the national third level education or management systems where, because of a variety of reasons and not enough meritocracy, there is little to no vertical mobility. In truth, we should recognize that, often, it's meetings, experiences and even all those "wrong jobs" to change our life. It's all those skills we learnt and put aside that, used in the right context and at the right moment, allow us to take a proverbial quality leap forward, the true key to our personal success, whether it be a moment of redemption after a series of failures or an entirely unexpected conquest - possibly the discovery of a previously unknown ability. Often, we should recognize it works just as it does for those meetings that change lives or love at first sight. There are contexts that suit us perfectly, that allow us to shine and they can be far from home, from our habits, our culture, that are incredibly fruitful, but entirely random. In other words, we shouldn't really speak of brain drain, of people leaving because Italy doesn't offer the right opportunities. It'd be more correct to recognize that, often, everything happens by chance: planets are well aligned and everything runs smoothly all those miles away from home even if, perhaps, one wasn't even thinking to stay abroad that long at the beginning. Quite simply, the right conditions to bring out our true talent somehow just happen: maybe because it is the right time, or because we observed others and learnt how we could do the same. Maybe because what others lack, we have. True, success may kiss us abroad, but not because we chose to emigrate, but just because we found the right situation far from home. Yes, a matter of chance that help us soar, just like a favorable star alignment. Simone Schiavinato, Director NEWS & FEATURES TOP STORIES PEOPLE EVENTS

• Cover