When Gemmery Diamanti arrived in Aberdeen at 20, her plan was simple: take a gap year, learn English, and then return to Italy.
But life had other plans. Now, more than a decade later, Gemmery, 31, is one of the Robert Gordon University’s newest graduates and, armed with a BSc in Adult Nursing, is about to start a job in the recovery unit at Aberdeen’s Maternity Unit, in a city she never expected would become her home.
She’s even got used to the weather. From the beautiful lakeside town of Castiglione Del Lago in central Italy, Gemmery took time to adjust to the harsh winters of north-east Scotland.
“I remember my first summer here,” she laughs. “Everyone was in shorts, and I was wearing so many layers. But now, even in October, I’m just wearing a wee jumper, no jacket!”
A ‘scary’ first year in Aberdeen
Gemmery’s journey began with a leap of faith. She didn’t know anything about Scotland but a cousin was already in Aberdeen so she decided to make the move to improve her language skills.
“I didn’t speak any English at all,” she admits. “I only knew how to say ‘Hi, how are you?’”
Her first year, she says, was “scary”. But after securing a job in a local hotel doing breakfast shifts her English started to improve, something she puts down to her early starts.
“Everyone’s sleepy in the morning, so you didn’t have to speak much!”
But though that first year was tough, Gemmery found creative ways to learn the language.
“Mostly, I learned English at work,” she says. “And I love movies – I watched so many over and over again, learning that way.”
As her English improved, Gemmery applied to the North East College in Aberdeen, where she studied for an HND in Sports Coaching & Development. However, the onset of the pandemic made it difficult to find a job, and instead she became a healthcare support worker.
It set her on a journey that would end in her chosen career.
“My desire to help others, especially in times of greatest need, led me back to my roots,” she says. “[Nursing] would allow me to blend my passion for helping people with my professional aspirations, and I was excited about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those who needed it most.”
RGU grad Gemmery falls in love with Shetland
Scotland continued to grow on Gemmery, especially after a second year RGU placement in Shetland.
“I think I fell in love with Shetland,” she says, adding that she became known as the ‘Italian nurse’ while there. “I was so sad to leave – I even went back there for my holidays.”
Alongside her placement duties, she got a job in a pub in Shetland, adding to her sense of belonging. The close-knit community on the island even reminded her of home.
“Wherever you went, everybody’s related to everyone,” she says. “And you see the same people at the hospital, the same people in the supermarket.”
She also embraced the social life at RGU, playing on the basketball and volleyball teams and eventually becoming captain.
“I was always the eldest girl on both teams,” she says. “It was fun because they always called me mum.”
The one thing that would make Aberdeen better
Gemmery is now ready to embark on her nursing career at Aberdeen’s Maternity Hospital. She’s proud of what she’s achieved in her adopted home, even if she has a couple of suggestions on how to make it better.
“Scotland is so beautiful,” she says. “But the only problem is the cold.
“I always say that if Aberdeen had a summer, it would be the perfect location for everyone.”
Read the full list of RGU graduates here.
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