Hi! My name is Silvia, I'm 29 years old, and I live in Locate Triulzi, but for almost three years now I've been living at Casa Comune in the Isola neighborhood of Milan with other women in a "life after parents" program. I have two brothers and two nieces. I've been working at McDonald's in a shopping center in Sesto San Giovanni for quite a while now. When I had my interview, they asked if I was okay doing repetitive work—they explained that meant doing the same things over and over. So I learned to make salads and toast fillings. It wasn't easy being precise, but I managed by learning one recipe at a time. Then my store manager had me work at McCafé helping my coworker when it gets busy: I load and empty the dishwasher so she can serve the coffee.
Since I was learning well, after a few months she taught me how to serve at the tables too. This job is demanding because I have to be fast and accurate. Sometimes customers ask me questions I don't know how to answer, so I ask my coworkers for help. They tell me I'm good because I'm always smiling and kind. During the coronavirus period we did a lot of takeout, and I learned how to prepare drinks and seal bags for Glovo deliveries.
I work Monday to Friday on the same schedule, while my coworkers do shifts, so I see different people every day. At first it was hard, but now I'm happy: I talk with so many people and they care about me. When I was hired after a year of apprenticeship, I was thrilled, but it took a lot of effort to get used to some things: clocking in correctly, working on weekdays when my parents and brothers were home (and it made me want to cry) and having to ask my boss for vacation time. I'm happy to work because I feel grown-up. I've gotten to know so many coworkers I talk with, and on the 10th of every month I always ask my dad if my paycheck has arrived in the bank.