DEAR NEW YEAR..

Monday, December 28, 2015 Cristian 2 Comments

... please be full of joy. Make my friends and family happy. I want to travel and live a new life again because I feel like that's what I need right now. I learnt a lot about myself this past year, I wonder how much more I can learn if I leave again..

My wishes for 2016 aren't a lot, but they are big ones. I don't ask to be rich and famous (yet), but I wish I get to see my exchange friends and family again because they are far away, and distance sucks. I also hope I will be an international student in college and that I will find my way in a foreign country.

Last year I had champagne at midnight with my american family, this time I get to celebrate New Year's Eve in my home country again. The company will be different but the situation will be the same: a bunch of people making toasts and counting down the minutes for the start of a, hopefully, wonderful year.

I read on the internet that for someone 2015 has been a crappy year. The purpose of this post is to share positive thoughts. My year has been actually pretty good, at least for the first half of it. Your year will come soon and you will get to show who you are to people. You need to work on it and to be patient, time is the key. I remember complaining about the fact that I had to wait a year before I could go on exchange: It was 2 years and a half ago, now I already came back and I've got just 6 more months of high school. There are just a few days left of 2015, live them up the best we can!


2015
- I traveled somewhere I've dreamt of visiting for years.
- I met a lot of international students.
- I went on a road trip.
- I tried new foods.
- I learnt new languages.
- I caught 17 airplanes.
- I spent the 4th of July in America.
- I went to the MTV EMAs.
...

2016 ?
- Coming soon.

Share your 2015 with me in the comments!
What would you like to achieve in 2016?

- Cris

2 comments:

DEPRESSION POST-EXCHANGE.

Monday, December 14, 2015 Cristian 24 Comments

Hello guys, I'm going through a tough time, but I know I am not the only one. I see a lot of people talking about homesickness during exchange, I want to talk about the one you feel post exchange, because according to me it is the worst kind. You know you will never live the life you lived in your host country, you scroll down your camera roll and you think "Was this real? Was I there? And were they there for and with me?" yes, yes and yes. It was real, but it felt like a dream, and not even a long one, but a really short dream.


I remember when I was getting into the plane from my home country like it was 5 minutes ago. I remember crossing the gate and receiving a text message from my dad saying "Do you want to meet? Maybe if you enter this shop we can meet again". I responded "Dad, I just saw you" and I kept going forward because I was ready to go and I wanted him to be too. Even if I came back to say goodbye one more time, eventually I'd have left again and it could have been harder for him and my mom.

My adventure ended, forever. By the time everything was getting so perfect in every regard, I had to go home. It is like I paused my american life, but I know I cannot resume it.


It is hard to move forward because everything here is the same, same school, same roads, same habits, same crap. The only thing that changed is the level of difficulty of school, and it changed badly.

But we need to keep our adventurer soul alive, archive the past and live the present. I have so many plans for the future that I do not even know which one to choose. I am thinking on studying abroad again, as an international student, so basically I will be out of my home country for my whole college career. Also, I wanna try to do my internships elsewhere because my goal is to travel as much as I can while I am young and to meet amazing people from all over.

While abroad I found out who I really am and I want to keep on doing what I love. People will think you are crazy if you leave again, they will say you don't care about them. The truth is they don't fully understand you. They don't understand that you don't want to take just a vacation but traveling is your passion, you do it because you love it and maybe you need to. I feel like I can't fully express who I am at home because everyone knows me, everyone think they know my limits, the truth is they don't. I would do so many things if I could.


I'm gonna stop here, I don't want to lose the point of the post:
After exchange there is another step: depression. But after that there is you and your decisions. Make good ones and live again. Exchange was just a chapter of our book and we need to keep writing it. Remember, we left once, we can do it again. Exchange is gone, but something else is on its way.

- Cris

24 comments:

TO BE OR NOT TO BE AN EXCHANGE STUDENT?

Monday, November 30, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments


Of course the answer to that is TO BE, and not only because you learn a new language or because you get to spend one year abroad, but also because you get to feel emotions that are really unique and impossible to put into words. That said, these below are some of the reasons why you should consider going on exchange:

1. You get to do fun stuff (almost) all the time and while you do that you grow. 
You can do the same things you are used to do in your home country and find out that there is someone who does them differently. For example pasta for me is the main dish, I basically eat pasta everyday but when I was in the USA pasta was a once in a while deal.

2. Normality doesn't really exists.
Something that might be normal for you can be weird for someone else on the other side of the world. I saw people going to school with flip flops while I was on exchange but that would be considered weird in Milan.

3. You understand that the world isn't so huge but it can actually be "small". 
There can be differences from one country to the other but there are things that stay just the same everywhere.


4. You are a learner but also a teacher, sort of.
It is important to be an exchange student because you are not the only one who learns something, but you get to teach others as well. You will have the chance to tell people stuff about your country. As Italian I had the opportunity to tell people that we aren't all part of mafia, we don't eat always pizza, we don't know what or who Alfredo is and that Mario and Luigi are real names.

5. Fight your "fears" and be brave.
If you have the courage to leave everything that is familiar to you, for the whole time abroad you have the courage of experiencing the unknown. In Milan people considered me as a shy person, but in the U.S. I definitely tried not to be. Basically when people asked me to do something I've always said yes. I've done a lot of stuff for the first time and I am really glad I didn't waste time but I enjoyed every single moment instead.

6. If you don't take this chance, you'll regret it.
You have to be an exchange student because if you decide not to, you will regret it. It is something we have to do when we are young, when our priorities aren't numerous and we can learn how to adapt to many situations. Also, it is the time you meet your best friends, from all over the world.


Sometimes students say "What if my host family won't be nice to me? What if I won't make friends? What if..?" That's wrong. I thought the same things before leaving but you know what? I experienced a lot, I had and still have a beautiful American family and friends. I know that I have been lucky and things can also go wrong, but it is worth it to try. I am financially the same as I was 2 years before but I feel rich. Rich of the right things, rich inside.

 READ ALSO: I am not the same person I was at the beginning of my exchange year.

- Cris

0 comments:

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

Saturday, November 21, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments


 Last year I had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time. I had a turkey for lunch and I spent time with my American family. It was truly a good experience for me. At one point we all stood up and held each others' hands saying what we were thankful for.


This year's Thanksgiving is behind the corner. Even if in Italy we don't celebrate it, we all have something to be thankful for. I am thankful for having family and friends like mine. I am thankful for all the things my American family did for me, for all the people who have been always by my side and dealt with my personality no matter what.

"Thank you mom and dad for believing in me. Thank you, sister, for being a mom to me. Thanks brother for growing with me day by day. Thank you, friends, because you don't expect me to be anyone else but myself. Thank you to all the people who have been nice to me even if I was a stranger to them."

This is a North American holiday, but we all should take 5 minutes of our time to say 'thank you' to someone who deserves it. We wouldn't be the persons we are if it wasn't for the people around us. Imagine there's a person who's going through a hard period, you can change his/her day in better if you are nice to him/her.

"Be nice to everyone, always smile and appreciate things 
because it could all be gone tomorrow."
"Be nice to everyone: You never know what they are going through."

- Cris

0 comments:

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: FROM EAST TO WEST.

Wednesday, November 11, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments

Hello everyone! I am back in Milan for 3 months now but I still miss the US, and after such an intense year, I think it's normal. I had the chance of traveling across the country and that's one of the things I loved to do. From East to West I visited a lot of cool places and I wanted to share them with you.

1. NEW YORK CITY
2. WASHINGTON DC
3. PHILADELPHIA
4. ST. LOUIS
5. DENVER
6. GRAND CANYON
7. LAS VEGAS
8. LOS ANGELES
9. SAN FRANCISCO

1. NEW YORK
I chose a picture of Central Park because it is one of the things you surely want to do more than once. I mean if I could live in NY I would walk around the park every sunday. I loved everything there, the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Empire State Building etc.

2. WASHINGTON DC
I liked DC. It is smaller than all the big cities I've visited so far. I was really excited to see the White House but then I saw it and it was smaller than I thought. Fun fact: I've never seen a politician in Italy but when I was in DC Italy's Prime Minister was there, my friend has a pic with him.

3. PHILADELPHIA
Philly is really interesting. It is famous for art. There are a lot of murals and iconic places. I've been to the Reading Terminal Market and I've had a philly cheese steak. It was so good! Things I've seen: Indipendence Hall, The Museum of Art and The Liberty Bell.

4. ST. LOUIS
In May I flew into St. Louis for a college graduation. It has been really cool! The weather was weird tho. It was rainy one day and sunny and hot the next one. I ate ice cream at Ted Drewes, a place on Route 66; I visited Forest Park; I visited the offices of Edward Jones Investments and I rode the tramway to the top of the Gateway Arch.

5. DENVER
Well, what can I say. I lived one hour away from Denver so I love it. I have been in Denver 3 or 4 times. I slept there some nights during Christmas Holidays and then in February. I've been to a Rockies Game; Hard Rock Café; Voodoo Doughnuts, which was founded in Portland; Cheesecake Factory; Smashburger, which was founded in Denver; and Casabonita, a huge and famous mexican place in Colorado (where I got a taco salad because people told me food was horrible, but it has improved; the location is awesome, check it out here). Denver is famous for its arts. I saw a few plays there, like A Christmas Carol, The Grinch, Wicked.

6. GRAND CANYON
One word: BREATHTAKING.

7. LAS VEGAS
Being in LV was like being in Europe. On one side you are in Italy and on the other one you are in France. Casinos are everywhere. It is the city of lights, basically neons are always bright on. If you are 21 you can really have fun. While there I rode a limousine, walked through the strips, ate at a casino and saw KA at MGM Grand. I eventually went on the top of the Atmosphere Tower.

8. LOS ANGELES
I hadn't have the chance to really visit Los Angeles Downtown, except for Hollywood, Beverly Hills and Huntington Beach. I also went to Disneyland, Universal Studios and Madame Tussaud's. The best parts have been the theme parks.

9. SAN FRANCISCO
I left my hear in San Francisco. I love that city. It is beautiful and colorful. A must to do while there is riding the cable car. You need to see the sealions at Pier 39 as well. North Beach is pretty cool, there are a lot of Italians there. I crossed the Golden Gate and I also went to Alcatraz. Being there was really touching.

I hope your next trip will be across the USA. If you have any question, write it in the comments below and I will be glad to answer it.

- Cris





0 comments:

HALLOWEEN IN THE US.

Saturday, October 31, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments

Today I want to talk about Halloween in the United States, since in Italy we don't really celebrate it. In my home country it is just another chance to drink and party. I have some pretty cool memories from last year's halloween instead.

I went to an awesome halloween party at friends' house. That's where I carved my first pumpkin ever. I've a funny story about that. I had a really weird looking face printed out in a sheet of paper. It was confusing because I thought the mouth was a hat and vice versa. What I am trying to say is that I carved the face upside down. LOL. But at some point my American mom noticed it and I tried to fix it. I had awesome food as well. In America everything was pumpkin-made during the fall. Pumpkin s'mores, Pumpkin oreos, Pumpkin pie.. when I say everything, I mean it.

I went to the biggest corn maze in town, once during the day and once at night. It was cooler at night because supposedly zombies were hiding to scare people. In reality my friend and I became friends with the zombies, chatted for like half an hour and helped them scaring people.


During my time in America I've also turned into a zombie, cool isn't it? that was actually for a class, but we decided to make a movie about halloween because it was fall season. I went trick or treating in my neighbourhood and then to my friends' house to play games and watch horror movies.


I enjoyed parties in the US because I had the chance of meeting a lot of people, eat a lot of food, laugh and have fun playing board games.

- Cris



0 comments:

FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS AND STUDY ABROAD.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments

I don't know about you, but I love dogs. Everytime is see one I stop and I say something like "how cute!" and I even ask more questions if I have the chance to talk with its owner. Most of my relatives had a dog in their house, I did and still do as well. My dog was a few weeks old when I got it and I was 6 years old. Now he is eleven years old.


I missed family and friends while I was on exchange but I missed my dog as well, even more sometimes. It is weird to say probably, but maybe not. I grew with him, I spent everyday with him, when all of the sudden I was gone. My family told me he would walk around the house to see if he could find me, everytime he came back from the park he checked the house to see if I was back. I was the one who took him for walks and now I was no longer there to do it. I've missed that and I've also missed petting him.

My American family had a lovely dog, he was blind but everytime he heard us coming back from school, he jumped around the house. It didn't seem a problem the fact that he could not see. Right after Christmas he started being ill and we had to put him down. It was probably one of the hardest things I went through during my exchange. After his loss, it was weird. It was the first time I lived without a dog. Of course I did before having mine, but I was too young to remember how it was to not have a four-legged friend walking around the house.

My American family loves to have dogs, and because of that they got a new dog in June, it was the cutest thing ever, a little biter, but still cute. My exchange ended in July and so I had the chance to take care of him just for a few weeks.

When I landed in Italy, my best friend was at the airport to pick me up. It was the coolest thing to see her after a year. So when I arrived at my house she videotaped my dog's reaction on seeing me. It felt awesome. He could not stop wagging his tail. Now I spend a lot of time walking with him, he is a good listener ahaha.


"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself."
"The world would be a nicer place if everyone had the ability to love as unconditionally as a dog."

If you've missed your pet while abroad, share your story in the comments!

- Cris

0 comments:

Places to Visit #3 MILAN, ITALY

Tuesday, October 13, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments


Last time I brought you to Kauai and New York, this time I decided to introduce you to my hometown. It is in Northern Italy, a few hours from France, Switzerland, and Austria. It is where the Italian stock exchange is located. It is one of the 4 fashion capitals of the world, did you guess it yet?

Yes, I am talking about Milan. In the last couple of years, this city changed a lot. It became a Metropolitan City, the metro line is growing and some museums are free. This year has been really good for Milan because it is hosting the World Exposition 2015 and the MTV EMAs will take place here on October 25th. Pretty cool, isn't it?

But what are the most visited sites in Milan?

1. The Duomo, of course. It is a gothic cathedral which was started in 1386. If you pay 8 euros you can go up the stairs and reach the roof. If you take the elevator you pay 13 euros (it is not worth it, the line is much longer). If you want to enter the cathedral and its museum you have to pay 2 euros (click here for more information).


2. The Sforza Castle. I love it, honestly. There are a few museums there, but the castle is also the gate for a really big park, called "Parco Sempione". At the other end of the park there is the Arch of peace. It is full of Bars and in the night it comes to life, especially on Saturdays.


3. Navigli and Darsena. Navigli is the canal, sometimes when people see a pic of it, they think it is Venice but no, Milan has a canal as well. Darsena is brand new, and before being the way it is now I remember it being a huge construction site.


4. Brera. This is a really good area of Milan, some think that it could be a city itself, in any way, because you don't really need the car to get around, you cannot drive through some streets, but you can take the metro to go elsewhere in the city. It is full of little artistic alleys, restaurants, and shops. It is good to walk around here, either during the day or during the night.


5. Lombardy Building. This isn't really a monument, but on Sundays, you get to observe Milan from the top of it, for free! There are also other ways to get a cool view of Milan's skyline: Duomo Cathedral, Passerelle Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Torre Branca, Terrazze Triennale, Terrazze Rinascente, Torre Unicredit.


I mean, I live in Milan so, for me, it is hard to think about it as a travel target. If you have any question feel free to ask. PS I took all the pictures in the post except for the Duomo and Brera ones.

Articles About Milan:

Buzzfeed: 32 Reasons Milan is The Absolute Worst
The New York Times: 52 Places to Go in 2015: 1. Milan, Italy.
The New York Times: 36 Hours in Milan
The New York Times: Milan's Expo 2015 Finds Success

- Cris

0 comments:

BEST TRAVELING ARTICLES.

Monday, October 05, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments

Everytime I say "best" keep in mind that's what I think. So, today I wanted to share with you a few articles that I find interesting. All of them talk about traveling, in some ways.

"Once you’ve traveled for the first time all you want to do is leave again. They call it the travel bug, but really it’s the effort to return to a place where you are surrounded by people who speak the same language as you. Not English or Spanish or Mandarin or Portuguese, but that language where others know what it’s like to leave, change, grow, experience, learn, then go home again and feel more lost in your hometown then you did in the most foreign place you visited."

"I have been passionate about meeting from all over the world for as long as I can remember, but saying goodbye never gets easier. Every time I have to give someone a final hug for an uncertain amount of time, it tears me apart a little bit. I don’t think there has been a single good bye where I haven’t cried either before, during or after. Every friend I make takes a little piece of my heart when they have to leave."


"Learn the local language, join a sport/club/anything, don’t expect it to be like other friendships, ask for people to introduce you/take you somewhere, get out there, always keep trying, remember nobody has a million close friends.."

"It’s okay to be sad when you look at pictures years later and shed a tear. It’s not fantasy world. For those four, six, or twelve months, it was your reality. It’s a reality that will always be a part of you.
It’s okay to have a playlist of all your favorite study abroad jams that you rocked out to until the wee hours of the morning."


- Cris

0 comments:

Places to Visit #2 NEW YORK CITY.

Wednesday, September 23, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments


THE BIG APPLE. It has been my dream for years and finally last April I had the chance to spend 3 days and 4 nights there. It was so weird to be in New York City, because it was different from what I've imagined.

DAY 1
The very first day of my trip I had a walking tour from the old Library to the Rockefeller Center. Then, I reached Central Park, I saw the angel and the Imagine sign. After that, I visited the Metropolitan Museum. Before having dinner at Hard Rock Café, I had an Hip Hop class, which, according to me and my friends, is a must when you are in NYC.

Central Park.

Hard Rock Café, Times Square.

DAY 2
I went to the top of the Empire State Building, the view was breathtaking for a guy who loves the city. I had lunch at the Grand Central Terminal. I saw the bull of Wall Street, the World Trade Center and I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge. I had some free time in SoHo and I walked through Little Italy. I concluded the day having dinner in Chinatown.

Empire State Building.

Wall Street.

World Trade Center.

9/11 Memorial.

Brooklyn Bridge.

DAY 3
I took the ferry and I.. saw the Statue of Liberty! To be honest I thought it was bigger, but it has been awesome anyways. I had lunch and a little of free time in Times Square (where my friend and I saw a guy stealing two luggages). I went to the American Museum of Natural History and then I had dinner at an Italian-American restaurant. Our night ended with a Broadway Show, The Phantom of The Opera.

Statue of Liberty.

National Monument.

Broadway.

I left New York the fourth day of my trip and on my way to Washington DC I visited Philadelphia for a day. It is an artistic city that served as Capital while Washington DC was under construction. DC is a smaller city and also different from other major cities in the US. That's because the buildings can't be taller than the Washington Monument. While there I saw several war memorials and the Smithsonian Museums.

If you have any question, leave a comment!
Please do not download the pictures as I took them myself.

NEXT ON PLACES TO VISIT: MILAN, ITALY.

- Cris

0 comments:

Places to Visit #1 HAWAII STATE.

Monday, September 14, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments


Today I am going to write the first post about Places to Visit, and I want to start with Hawaii. It is one of the most beautiful places I've been so far. Starting with Honolulu, I will also tell you about Kauai and its breathtaking coast.

HONOLULU

I stayed one night at the Royal Hawaiian in Honolulu, on Oahu Island. It is known as the Pink Place of the Pacific. It is one of the first hotels in Waikiki and it hosted a lot of famous people. I had the opportunity to surf right in front of it and it has been amazing. To conclude the day in Honolulu I had dinner on The Top of Waikiki, which is a revolving restaurant, so I got a 360° view while eating.
The morning after, before I flew out to Kauai, I went to the Arizona Memorial. It marks the resting place of sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7th, 1941.

Waikiki Beach.

USS Arizona Memorial, Pearl Harbor.

KAUAI

I stayed at the Grand Hyatt Kauai for a week. I had the opportunity to visit the Kipu Ranch on ATVs and it was super fun! I reccomend to do it if you go to Kauai, and remember to dress properly because if it rains it gets muddy.

Kipu Ranch Adventures, Lihue.

The other thing I did was going on a cruise along the Na Pali Coast. It is wonderful. The colors are beautiful, there are a lot of waterfalls and rainbows, I saw the dolphins and the sunset.. I mean if you can and you don't get seasick, do it!


Na Pali Coast, Kauai.

In Hawaii you also have to eat a lot of fish, get pupus and go to luau parties! I am sure you can do tons of stuff in Hawaii, I shared what was my experience, If you have something to add feel free to do so below.

Hawaiian words:
Aloha = Love / Greeting
Mahalo = Thanks
Lei = Necklace of flowers or shells
Ohana = Family
Wai = Water
Pua = Flower
Pua'a = Pig

PS. I wanted to thank my American family to let all of this happen!
NEXT ON PLACES TO VISIT: NEW YORK CITY.

- Cris

0 comments:

AMERICAN SCHOOL AS AN EXCHANGE STUDENT.

Wednesday, September 09, 2015 Cristian 4 Comments

Is it like in movies? Well, It is I guess, except the musical part, which appears only if you take drama or choir.
  • There are lockers and they are pretty hard to open if you are not used to.
  • You choose the classes you want to take before school starts.
  • There are a lot of activities such as sports, drama and clubs.
  • A lot of school spirit.
  • Football games are a big deal, above all on Fridays.
  • You get to go to Prom if you are Junior or Senior.
  • In the movies cheerleaders are usually bitchy, but in my school I met some really nice ones.
  • You can leave the school premises if you have a free block. You can also leave the school during lunch. People also ditch just part of the day (In my home country if you ditch, you skip the entire day, not part of it).
  • It is awesome to change classroom every time you have another class but for foreign people it is harder to make friends, even if they will meet more people.
  • You get extra credits if you bring sheets of paper and stuff like that to the teachers.
  • Since usually school ends at 3 pm and then students have sport and school related stuff to do, they don't have a lot of homework.

I honestly miss being in that school, even tho during my exchange year I didn't love it that much.. It was pretty small. It was actually a campus, so there were two buildings, one for elementary and middle schools and one for high school. It was fun to get in a car and go somewhere for lunch, to go to football games on fridays and to be part of other activities. At the beginning of the year the school gave a cookie to every new and foreign student, so that was nice. They organized also an orientation so I got to see the building before the first day.

My senior trip lasted 2 days and 1 night. People could go skiing for an afternoon or stay at the complex. We had a bonfire because it was snowing and it has been awesome.

My school one time organized a camp out of school for senior class 2015, so we got to grill our dinner and sleep in tents right outside the entrance.

- Cris

4 comments:

ITALIAN HIGH SCHOOL.

Wednesday, September 02, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments

Okay guys, today I want to let you know why I am NOT excited to go back to school here in my home country. First of all, for the new viewers, I am from Italy. And school here kind of... sucks. I am not the only one saying it just because I am Italian, but all the exchange students here told me it is the worst. A lot of Italians right now are dealing with repair exams, so... good luck guys!

Before starting, if you are an exchange student and you are going to spend a year in Italy, don't worry because most of the foreign people sleep in class. Lol.


High school lasts five years. Before going to college Italians study thirteen years.
Each high school is different from one another so you choose it based on what your interests are. For example, if you like math (are there really people in the world who like it?) you apply for a school math based, if you like history and literature you choose a school called "classic school", etc.
Most of the schools are open from Monday to Saturday, so the only day off most Italians have is Sunday, even though classes finish before lunch (Italians have lunch at like 2 pm more or less). Students have their classroom and teachers change. So basically, you get to share a room with the same people your whole high school career (or almost all of it). You have to stand up every time a teacher comes in class.

You cannot check your phone (even looking at the time is not allowed). The rule is that you shouldn't even bring it to school, but everyone does. You cannot eat in class, food but not even chewing-gum. And I say this because at my American high school I saw students bringing plastic bags with any snack possible, even corn flakes!

Often teachers choose your desk in class so that you don't sit next to your friend and talk. Students have a little notebook where they have to keep track of grades and information school gives. Teachers also use it to communicate with the family of the student. If your behavior is inappropriate, they write it in the book.

You cannot leave the school during the day until school's over, usually at 1 or 2 pm. You are not allowed to leave for lunch, you cannot even call a delivery guy and receive a pizza. You can skip the first block if you need to but, when you enter the classroom at the beginning of the second, you need to specify why you were absent. If you go to school later than the second block, your parents need to be with you (unless you are eighteen).

Restrooms usually have squat toilets, and they are normally dirty. The school itself isn't usually a great building. We still use chalk on the blackboard, only a few schools have smart boards. Normally we don't even have cafeterias. My school, for example, had a "bar" in a little room, which sold like sandwiches and drinks for our breaks.

There are no activities, no sports, no drama and... no school dances. Yes guys, no prom. Students are not involved at school at all and there is no school spirit, there is no mascotte.
Grades go from 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. It is really hard to get a 10 though.
Teachers test you also orally. Usually, there is a speaking section for each chapter of the textbook. So Italians have a lot of homework and they study hours every day to succeed and not fail tests.


Please understand that this information should be the general rule for every Italian high school, but as I understand some information applies only to mine. For example, a friend of mine told me that she was allowed to leave school premises whenever she needed to, but she would also be in trouble if, for instance, she arrived at school even a minute late (she had to scan a badge at the front door).
    - Cris

    0 comments:

    BEST TRAVELLING QUOTES.

    Friday, August 28, 2015 Cristian 4 Comments


    Hello, guys! Today I wanted to share my favorite traveling quotes with you. Sometimes I find some online but end up forgetting about them, so I decided to gather them in this post. Enjoy and tell me in the comments which one is the one you like the most!

    "I am a free spirit, either admire me from the ground or fly with me. But don't ever try to cage me."

    "Sometimes the wrong train can take us to the right place."

    "I can't buy happiness, but I can buy a plane ticket.. and that's pretty close."

    "It's not the goodbye that hurts, but the flashbacks that follow."

    "You will never be completely at home again because part of your heart will always be elsewhere. That is the price you pay for the richness of loving and knowing people in more than one place."

    "It is the journey that matters, not the destination."

    "Why do you go away? So that you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving."

    "Sometimes the people around you won't understand your journey. They don't need to, it's not for them."

    "Become friends with people who aren't your age. Hang out with people whose first language isn't the same as yours. Get to know someone who doesn't come from your social class. This is how you see the world. This is how you grow."

    "They say home is where the heart is, but what if your heart is in more than one place?"

    "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries."

    "Even when someone is miles away, always remember that we are under the same sky, looking at the same sun, moon, and stars."

    "If traveling was free you'd never see me again."

    "I am thankful for nights that turned into mornings, friends that turned into family, and dreams that turned into reality."

    "I would gladly live out of a backpack if it meant I could see the world."

    "I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list."

    "I'm homesick for a place I am not sure even exists. One where my heart is full and my soul understood."

    "Home is where your passport is."

    "Travel while you are young. This is the time for small pay checks and big memories."

    "Travel while you are young and able. Experience is far more valuable than money will ever be."

    "Can't we go back to page one and do it all over again?"

    "It is your road. And yours alone. Others may walk with you, but no one can walk it for you."

    "You cannot cling to the past. Because no matter how tightly you hold on, it's already gone."

    "Not all those who wander are lost."

    "Do not count the days, make the days count."

    "Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag."

    "A thousand miles seems pretty far but they've got planes and trains and cars. I'd walk to you if I had no other way."

    "We travel because we need to, because distance and difference are the secret tonics to creativity. When we get home, home is still the same, but something in our minds has changed, and that changes everything."

    "Life is like a camera. Focus on what is important. Capture the beautiful moments. Develop from the negatives. And if things don't work out, just take another shot."

    "It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

    "There is no way of knowing for sure where the safest place is, so the best you can hope for is to have some good company."

    - Cris

    4 comments:

    BEST TRAVELLING VIDEOS.

    Tuesday, August 25, 2015 Cristian 0 Comments

    These past few weeks I've been trying to be okay and learn how to live life in Milan while wishing to be in the US as well. I still remember everything from my exchange year like it happened yesterday. It helps me to watch videos on the internet. It helps me thinking that other people will watch them right before going on exchange to have an idea of what to expect, so I decided to share with you some of the films that I enjoyed watching.

    Four of them happen to be filmed by Italians. 
    The first two are made by Federico, who spent a year in Colorado, United States.




    The other two are filmed in Australia.
    I really like the beginning of the first one because of what the narrator says..



    This one explains really well how I feel right now. It explains how hard it is to return home. I share it with you not because I want you to be sad but because I want you to realise that you have to enjoy every single moment because we cannot rewind.


    - Cris

    0 comments:

    My Exchange Year is Finally Over. I'm Back Home.

    Thursday, August 20, 2015 Cristian 34 Comments



    I got home and I felt weird. After nearly one year away, I was back to where everything was "old" and "familiar", and around people who spoke my native language. It was like I never left. I felt empty.

    Sad person

    I couldn't understand how it was possible that one full year was already gone, so quickly. I came back home to happy people. Everyone was so happy to see me. It was awesome. I felt loved. However, I woke up the next morning and everyone acting normally, as if I actually never left. They would constantly talk about what happened while I was gone but I couldn't understand it or laugh along because I wasn't there. It wasn't my experience to relate to. Everyone expected me to act "normal". Whenever I tried to speak my mind, talk about the things I did and learned, I felt like no one understood me. Some were even annoyed by me. According to them, I would talk about America too much. They were either bored or not interested. 

    I ended up keeping everything for myself and relying a lot on music. It didn't help me much though because every single song I had on my phone was somehow related to something that happened in the US. 

    It was easier to settle in a foreign land and discover new parts of my persona rather than returning home to where everyone expected me to be the very same. 

    I do feel better now but my mood constantly changes. I am sure I will be able to heal with time. I will take charge of my own life and take care of myself. My journey has just begun.

     - Cris

    34 comments:

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