Yasmine Bouhafa from Tunisia

Yasmine is from Tunis. She's a one-of a kind girl. She choose Milano for her academic career and ended up choosing Milano as her home. She loves to mingle with the locals and to discover the city's coolness. 

Why did you choose Milano?

Four years ago, I went to Rome to enrol at La Sapienza, but I couldn’t feel at home in the Eternal City.
Better said, I felt too much at home. Rome and Tunis city centres are very similar: touristy, cramped and messy.
Out of the sudden, I went to the railway station and I asked a train conductor: “can you please advise me which Italian city is not too small, not too big, but clean and well organized?” “and he said “Milano”
So, I got my ticket for Milano, and here I am!

How did you choose your course and university?

What did you value the most?

Once arrived, I started going around Milano checking the universities on my own and talking with different people and students: I didn’t want to make my choice online, I wanted to go and check it in person.
Maybe because I was looking for the human side of the city.
When I landed to IULM, I got a very warm welcoming from the staff, especially my tutor Michele who helped me a lot during the first settling weeks.
I really enjoyed my three years at IULM university because I had the chance to get involved in numberless interesting initiatives as the Theatre Lab, the social performance service at the Prison of Bollate (“Teatro instabile”), and become a performer in the concept kitchen of designer Gaetano Pesce for EXPO 2015. After my BA degree I graduated in MSC at Cattolica University. 

What's your job in Milano?

What are your professional expectations?

I’m working as inside sales specialist in a company providing digital tools for targeted messaging.
I am passionate about my job because every day there is something new to learn.

But I am always eager to do more: I’m also spending energies on my own entrepreneurial project. It’s something new in the food sector but I won’t spoil the surprise....
Milan is the perfect place where to settle my business, especially if food related! If I could just express one wish: keep on implementing new tools for young entrepreneurs to start-up in the right way.

What do u like most of Milano?

What's your advice to the newly arrived students?

When I was student, I enjoyed the multiple entertainment initiatives offered by the city, as living in Milano is way more than partying and drinking Negroni cocktails! 

Though partying was an important side of my student life, the city nourished my curiosity with cool and unexpected stuff: my advice for the newcomers is to go beyond the first layer of the city and look for the hidden, cosy, local and spontaneous events popping up around the streets. I strongly advice to make acquaintances within the Milanese!. 

I also got the opportunity to publish some of my photo-shots under a IULM students’ initiative collected in a book called: Raccontare Milano (you can also borrow it in Milan Public libraries)

How was your experience in finding accommodation?

What is your advice for students seeking for housing?

Finding a suitable accommodation in Milano is not the easiest task! I spent 4 months in different locations before finding a stable accommodation - so my advice is: work on it well in advance and set a suitable budget (you should be able to find nice rooms in a shared apartment starting from approx. 500 EUR/month). Housing hunting will be your first full-time job!
Your university and local students can always help you, also Facebook groups can be of great help!

Tell us your 3 most preferred spots in Milano where to...:

a) chill out with friends & have drinks / have a nice dinner:  Santeria Social Club

b) feel active and immerse in nature: ‘Biblioteca degli Alberi’ park

c) your secret favourite spot in Milan: Penelope a casa

How do you get around?

Even if get around using most of public transports (the typical tram, the underground or by bus), my fav is the tram because it allows you to discover Milano in the best way, and I don’t know why, but I feel so relaxed when I take it!

Define Milano in three words

Curious. Surprising. Calm.