My favourite thing about City can be summed up in one word: variety! As a first year student, fresh off the plane from my affluent, suburban American town, I was amazed when within a couple of weeks I’d made friends with people from more countries than I’d even heard of! After all, our student body is 60% international – definitely something to boast about!
The international spirit of City is reflected perfectly in Isabella Castaldi, a first year student studying Business. She’s had quite an exciting upbringing, and she’s here to tell us about it all. Read on to find out!
Name: Isabella Castaldi
Major & Year of Study: BSc Business Studies, 1st yearCountry of origin: America (but Italian/Swedish!)Relationship status: Single
Can you tell me about some of the places you’ve lived? Something very surprising about my life is that I’ve already lived in five different countries! I was born in America, where I stayed for only one year, before moving to Milan, Italy, where I lived for five years (full of culture, good food, international people, fashion, businesses… In other words, everything can be found there!) When I was six we moved to Oslo, Norway, and at age nine we moved again to Brussels. Then I finally moved to a very fun city – London! This is the first time without my parents, which has made it even more scary and challenging.
Wow! Well, I’m very glad you’ve ended up in London! What was your favourite place you lived in? Oslo in Norway, because that is where I grew the most, had the most fun and built some of my strongest friendships. Going back always makes me sad as it brings back memories of the things I used to do there. I just wish I could go back in time and relive the whole thing.
How does London compare? London in itself is a very exciting city. There is a lot more to do and see, and it is a lot closer to what I now call “home” – Brussels. I have been loving every second of living here so far. What I have liked the most are all the shops and international people – as well as restaurants, musicals and so on. I honestly think that it is a much more fun city but a lot harder to live in. I would not enjoy it as much if I was younger as I wouldn’t be allowed to do many things I can do now. I am therefore very happy that I had the chance to live in Norway at such a young age – who knows, I might have found it boring now at age 19!
Very true! Do you have any “London tips” to share? I honestly still have a lot to explore and discover. For now my favourite restaurant is ‘Santore’, an Italian place near our uni. If you want a real Italian-style pizza you HAVE to go there! I also recommend to spend lunchtime in Exmouth Market. It’s a 5 minute walk from uni and it is an excellent place to go whenever you are bored of the cafeteria’s food.
I love it! I remember when I first moved to London, finding authentic foods from home was such a comfort for me too. What kind of jobs have you had and what has been your favourite? I have worked as a summer camp assistant – helping to organize the activities, to teach, managing the accounts, and so on. The following year I was a swimming teacher in Mallorca, then worked in the bar at a five star hotel and in an American company called 3M. I enjoyed every single one of them but the one I enjoyed the most was also the most professional and difficult – working at 3M. This allowed me to understand that I wanted to study business at university and that I want to work in human resources. I had never even thought about that before!
Cool! I bet you’ll succeed. Do you speak any other languages? Yes, I do! Languages are my passion. I currently speak fluently five languages: Italian, Swedish, English, Spanish and French. I am planning to start learning German and I understand the other Scandinavian languages too.
Wow! What are your hobbies and interests? My hobbies are traveling, photography, tennis, being with friends and family, cooking, learning different languages and spending time in our holiday homes in Italy and Spain.
Thank you Isabella! It was lovely meeting you – good luck at City!