Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Rome's Bangladeshis

Being a non-English speaking country, you don't see Indian immigrants in Italy, the way you do in places like the UK and North America. But those from across India's eastern borders have made a beeline for the country. Most of the stalls near the Coliseum and in other touristy places in Rome are run by Bangladeshis. They seem to speak Bengali, Hindi and Italian.

A vast chunk of these people came to Italy illegally but thanks to the country's leniency in dealing with illegals, many of these Bangladeshis have legal status. Others from Bangladesh dress up as statues. A hard day's work to stand in the sun the whole day drenched in paint and a costume just to earn a few Euros! Bangladeshis also sell flowers on the streets of Rome and Florence.

Italians tend to be a very tolerant set of people and these Bangladeshis as well as immigrants from African countries seem to be at some degree of comfort in the country. But considering how expensive life and food is in the country, I wonder if these people actually save any money. I guess the hardships in their own countries must be much worse for them to want to illegally immigrate. 

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