If you haven't had enough of me already and you are still here, today I will just summarize this past whole year in... a blog post. I kicked off 2017 with my family, at my parent's restaurant. Everyone was worried because I was not doing anything special with friends and stuff when the truth is I simply wanted to be home for the holidays, as I was living in Denmark at the moment. Then, something like ten days into the new year, I flew into Hamburg Germany and met one of my really good friends from my high school exchange in the USA. I spent the night and then I took the train up North and started University again until I went to Colorado for my spring break. It was good to be back and see everyone. My daily routine was pretty basic in Denmark. If I was not at Uni, I was working, and if I was not working I was hanging out with my couple of friends. 

As everyone says that at least once a year people need to go somewhere new, my best friend and I went to Madrid Spain for four days, and we loved it. I fell in love with Spanish and the culture and I can't wait to be back. From then, I spent the summer in Italy. A few friends came to visit me, I went to the South to visit my grandparents, and then in September I packed my bags and moved once again. This time my country of choice was the United Kingdom. In the spring, it has been hard to choose between Spain and the UK. Looking back now, I regret nothing. I am really happy I chose the UK for this amazing experience and I wouldn't change a single thing. 

People think that now I am used to moving around and traveling to the point that I don't even realize I am changing, but it's not true. I do realize it, and I embrace it. For the past four years, I've been living in four different countries, but each experience has taught me different things. All of these transfers seem similar yet they are so different:

I arrived in the USA with a basic knowledge of English and I lived with strangers. 

In Denmark, I had to translate the contract of the studio apartment I shared with a stranger from Danish to English, and I was employed for the first time. 

In the UK, I lived "alone" for the first time, I studied and worked while I tried to socialize with all the local and Erasmus students. 

Five years ago I was a 15-year-old who didn't speak a word of English, only visited one country and didn't trust himself. Today I am a (more) confident 20-year-old who speaks nearly three languages, has lived in four different countries and has landed an internship in the USA.

I won't spoiler my plans for 2018 but I will definitely write them down on January 1st and then I will read that piece of paper every day to remind myself that I need to work hard to achieve whatever goals I set. This method actually works. I remember that last year I wrote a list of things I wanted to do in 2017 and forgot about it. A few months past, I found it somewhere and I was amazed by the fact that I forgot half of those. It's so weird to see how our priorities change in such a short period of time. I don't want to commit the same mistake. I want to focus on my goals and achieve them. My 2017 has been good, but I hope that my 2018 can be even better.

- Cris

These past few days have been amazing, leaving aside all the assignments that I am procrastinating on and that are due in January. I’ve worked a lot, I’ve been out a lot, and I regret nothing. I spent quite some cash without thinking straight, but I thought that after all the hard work I deserved to enjoy my Erasmus a bit more before it finally gets to an end.
 Last night after work I went to the pub with some of my colleagues for “a couple” of drinks. 

They basically became my second family here in the UK, given the fact that I spent most of my day at Tiger than I did at home. I haven’t had the chance to have deep conversations with everyone but I did have the opportunity to get to know them fairly well. I really enjoyed last night, even though I just remember being loud and annoying to my friends (too many drinks, perhaps). I enjoyed myself but I was also worried I was going to miss my train at 6 in the morning. I still had lots of stuff to do, like finish packing and printing off some documents e.g. my boarding pass (ended up printing off nothing). Thankfully I did most of my packing on Sunday because if not I’d have had issues. As soon as I got home I threw some more stuff inside my luggage, rested for a couple of hours at the most and then I got up, took a shower, fixed some breakfast (or dinner?) and then left at about 5.30.

I’m currently at the Liverpool John Lennon Airport looking out the window, with my tired eyes, a headache, and a nice travel pillow from Secret Santa around my neck. I will never get tired of looking at airplanes taking off and landing. As they come and go my mind travels with them and that makes me happy.

At the beginning of my Erasmus, I thought that this was just going to be like one of the many experiences I lived in the past and I am yet to live, but it turned out to be a very special one and I am honestly not ready to say goodbye to the UK, nor my friends. I was planning on not coming back in January, but I am really glad that I was basically forced to because it would have been really sad to leave for good today.
In a month I will be in the USA for my internship in video production and I can’t express how excited I am to return “home”, but it is definitely going to be hard to say goodbye to Worcester, my international friends, my colleagues, the UK.

December 19th, 2017

- Cris

Believe it or not, it's already December. The most beautiful time of the year began with a Christmas Fayre which took place here in Worcester from Thursday 30th to Sunday 3rd. Due to the fact that I worked, I didn't really get the opportunity to experience it as much as I wanted to, but it has been a blessing for me eventually because it was overcrowded and a nice walk in the city center would have turned into a nightmare. In fact, I've never seen so many people at the same place here in Worcestershire.

Saturday night I went to the pub and it has been fun because I met new people and I enjoyed the conversations we had. Then on Sunday, since it was my day off, my friends and I attempted to go to the Fayre but we ended up choosing to grab food instead of being walked on by people. Hard to believe but after three months in the UK I still did not try Fish And Chips, so my friend wanted to take me to a place she previously had some at. My fear became true when we arrived and discovered that it was closed. Ended up at Mc Donald's for a burger and then worked a couple of hours extra because my colleagues needed a hand to run the shop. 

This past week has been intense. Despite working 27 hours and going to University for 16, I managed to bake some cinnamon cookies, hang out with some friends, go to a dance show here on campus and also finally try some fish and chips with a special friend.

Friday it snowed for the very first time but what was cool was that it was also my payday so I received a lot of money. On the other hand, I will literally be left with £45 soon because next week my rent is due. Anyways, Friday's snow was nothing compared to today's. When this morning I opened the curtains, my eyes captured the beauty of snow that has been falling throughout the night. My friends and I planned to go to Birmingham weeks ago and we still had to do so, therefore we decided to go today. Some of my friends are leaving the UK this week and today was their last opportunity to see the German Markets. Well, we all woke up early but ended up not going anywhere because apparently there was a strike and snow slowed trains down, some of which got even canceled. The ticket machine was out of order so even if we wanted to risk it and go anyways we couldn't. As we did not want to walk back home quite yet, we went to Starbucks to sip some coffee and admire the flakes slowly falling from the sky and inhabit the pavement. Then we went for a walk and visited the Festival of trees at the Cathedral.


Each tree was donated from different institutions and people could vote for their favorite. My University's tree was one of the best ones simply because the purpose of it is to raise awareness of our need to take care of our mental health. I popped into Tiger to say hi to my colleagues and then I ran into a supermarket to buy some boots because my feet were soaking wet. I got home and took another hot shower because I desperately needed one. 

As I checked my emails I found out that one of the two classes I have tomorrow is canceled so I got extra excited and now I am here in my kitchen writing a blog post while my flatmate bakes banana bread and makes lentils.

I also sorted out all my documents for my American Visa and I soon have an appointment at the embassy. I couldn't be more grateful that everything is finally falling into place. Working hard repays in the long run. 

Cheers to the last 21 days of 2017.

- Cris

If you also went on exchange during high school, you probably know that between the moment you send your application abroad and the moment you receive your host family’s information there’s just a long wait that slowly drives you insane. All you want to know is where you will spend one year of your life. But when you less expect it, the information you waited so long for reaches your mailbox. One night, I was using my laptop and after concluding everything I was doing, I decided to check my mailbox once more because who knows, maybe someone sent me something important. It was meant to be because not even ten minutes earlier my host dad sent me an email in which he introduced himself and his family. “I am Brian, I am texting you from Colorado USA. Kim is my wife and Hunter is my son.”

Getting to know them.

In one of the hundreds of emails that we exchanged over time, my host parents told me that they were going to be in Switzerland at the end of July and they asked me if I could reach them so that I could meet them in person, they could meet my family and give me advice upon my arrival at the Denver International Airport. 

Meeting them felt right, as soon as I met them I felt like it was always meant to be. The few hours we spent together went by very quickly. We had lunch together, walked around the little village and chatted most of the time. I was happy because my parents had the chance to meet the people I was going to spend a year with, which was good because my parents did not worry as much. 

Not everything (or everyone) is easy to deal with.

I finally arrived in the USA and everything looked gigantic and weird to me. I could literally not stop looking out the window while we were driving to my new home. My host brother instead could not stop staring at me. I assume he was just trying to “study” me and getting a first impression of the Italian sitting next to him. 

Over the next few days, I could see that he was trying to be nice but he also behaved differently depending on where we were. At home, he was all nice and then at school he would not consider me as much as I thought he would. I even started playing tennis because he was on the team and he asked me to. I thought that accepting the offer was a good move because that way I could meet people and I could get to know him better, but eventually, it turned out to be a poor decision. I enjoyed playing but I did not get close to any of the team members.



I guess my American brother and I really started to bond in early November when we had lots to celebrate: my seventeenth birthday, my American parents’ twenty-fifth anniversary, Thanksgiving and winter break. He started inviting me over to his room, playing video games with him, watching TV series, eating junk food at two in the morning... That’s all I wanted from the start. I wanted to bond with him and see his true colors because I knew that the person he was at school was far from what he is really like. At the beginning he would introduce me to people saying “this is my exchange student from Italy” but eventually he started telling people that I was his “Italian brother”. It sure felt good to be introduced to people as a member of the family rather than a person from a foreign land. He also started to appreciate my company and told me that he looked at me as a role model. If he had to deal with something, he would think about what my reaction would be in the same exact situation. I think this is really cool. Not only we became friends, but after this sentence that he told me I felt like I really succeeded in having a younger brother.

Why am I writing this?

Because I do not want you to expect that things will be perfect from the beginning. It is best to arrive in your host country without expectations so that you won’t be disappointed by it. Do not make this mistake but work your way through instead. At the end of your year, you will have a completely personal experience and you will have walked your own path rather than following the kind of exchange you wanted to have. Reading someone else’s experiences before going on exchange is a good thing to be inspired and maybe do even better, not to copy them. Don’t compare your own path with someone else’s. And more importantly, you have to build up your relationship with your host siblings but also with anyone else, you can't assume that everyone will be your best friend from day one. You might feel lonely but eventually, everything will fall into place and people will get to know you and love you the way you are supposed to.

- Cris

It is well known that the experience of living one year abroad at a host family's changes foreign students completely, but what sometimes we fail to acknowledge is that also host families change.

Hosting a Stranger.

Every time I see that students complain about their host families I get annoyed because, most of the times, they do not make an effort to make things work. I know that it can be tough to step in a stranger's home, but think out of the box, think about the family that welcomes a teenager from abroad who was raised in a different culture. They also go through a tough time. Lots of things need to be taken into account when problems arise. Maybe the family doesn't know how to approach a teenager from another country. Students are the ones who moved abroad to learn the local culture, therefore they are the ones who should show interest in connecting with the family. Do not complain right away just because you feel like you are not treated well. Observe how host parents treat their own sons and then compare their behavior with the one they have when they deal with you. If you feel like you tried everything and still did not connect then you have all the reasons to "complain", but still do something about it. I just want to highlight the fact that it is not just hard for the student. This experience affects everyone involved.

Once the two have connected.

There is nothing more beautiful than establishing a connection with the family who's hosting you. Over time, your "host" family becomes just family and you feel part of it. Show them that it is important for you to feel that way. If you are having a drink, pour one for your host parents too, even if they did not ask for one. They will take it as a sign of attention. When I was abroad I slowly stopped calling my host parents by name, I simply called them mom and dad, because they were taking good care of me just like my biological parents would. Your host parents will feel appreciated and will remember you forever as the kid who changed their lives. Prior to your arrival maybe they just thought of hosting a foreign exchange student so that they could spend time with their sons or because they wanted to give it a try. Your job as a student is to give them a thousand reasons to keep hosting exchange students after you leave. When it was almost time for me to fly back to Italy, my American dad told me that he wanted to stop hosting because seeing me leave was too hard for him to handle. He wanted me to stay. I felt loved, which was good, but I also encouraged him to keep hosting because I was the seventeenth exchange student they had and this meant just one thing: they enjoy hosting. I did not want to be the reason why they had to stop doing it. If they kept doing it for years, it just means that they enjoy doing it. 

They are the kindest people I have ever met and I wanted them to keep hosting just so that everyone else after me could have the beautiful opportunity to get to know them.

It's okay if you don't connect, too.

I know that sometimes families are not great. Some of my friends did not connect with the family and there was nothing left for them to do then just give up, and this is sad. This is not how the experience should be for both the student and the family, but you can still have nice memories and turn your experience upside down. Try to make lots of friends, try to be involved in as many things as you can.

That said, you can still seek help if your host family is being horrible to you. I encourage you to talk to your counselor, organization or whoever you have been assigned to. Do not fear the person just because he or she is a part of the company. If you do not give it a try you will never know if you will get any help. You invested money and time in this, so it is your right to get help if the service you are receiving is not the one you were promised at the beginning.

- Cris

Reading Week is a period of time without classes during which professors encourage students to catch up with work they left behind and to spend some time getting stuff done before the second part of the semester starts. In other words, international students have some time to travel (and maybe yeah, do some readings). Of course, I spent two of the nine days in bed with a fever and a sore throat because this is what happens when you have days off. I did not recover completely but on the third day, I went to Liverpool and right after that I hit Capitol city.

Liverpool. 

Monday, Oct. 30th.

I woke up at 5.45am to shower and have breakfast before leaving campus and catching a train at 7.15am. Approximately three hours later my friend and I were in Liverpool. It was a bit cold but the sun came out during the day and the weather ended up being just fine.

We signed up for a free walking tour that lasted approximately three hours. I would recommend it because we had fun and we learned a lot of things about the city that I am pretty sure I'd have never learned if I just wandered around without a local guide.

To start off, Liverpool used to be a very poor city but throughout the years a lot of things shaped it to what it is right now. One of the things that everyone thinks about, of course, is The Beatles because the band had a huge impact on the city itself, given that more people gathered around the town hall for them then the Queen herself. Another unique thing about this wonderful city is the fact that it hosts the world's first building with a metal framed glass curtain wall. It is basically the father of skyscrapers, isn't it interesting? The central library is also a really nice building, situated between the World Museum and the Walker Art Gallery. It is a really nice building, but unfortunately, I couldn't reach the terrace as it was under construction. The main entrance is also quite cool. On the pavement, you can see a lot of words. Some of the ones I've spotted are "Wonderful Life" and "Il Principe" which in Italian means "The Prince".

Last but not least, the Cathedral. Fun fact, this is the biggest cathedral in the UK and the fifth biggest in the world; it precedes Milan's Duomo Cathedral which comes sixth.

London.

Tuesday, Oct. 31st.

Liverpool was just the beginning of my travels, in fact, the day after I went to London. The bus dropped me off at the Victoria and Albert Museum at around midday. Camera in one hand and phone in the other, I was trying to reach my first destination, which was Holland Park and subsequently Notting Hill. Given the fact that I was there on Halloween day, the exterior of lots of houses was decorated with spider nets, pumpkins, and creepy skeletons. I really liked the area because all the buildings are colorful.


As I wanted to reach the Marble Arch I realized there was Little Venice on the way so I aimed for that area first but I didn't realize I was going to face a huge construction site. The whole area of Paddington was just a mess, so I eventually kept going. At the intersection with the Arch, I decided to leave Oxford Street for later and continue walking along Hyde Park. I eventually reached Buckingham Palace. After waiving the Queen, I continued my journey and arrived at Trafalgar Square, which was incredible. Lots of people, chalk arts and street artists performing their songs. Believe it or not, my second and last camera battery died and I had to continue my tour of London with only my phone, which thankfully does not suck in taking decent photos. I've crossed the Hungerford Bridge halfway when I stopped and enjoyed the view. The London Eye on the left and an unfortunately covered Big Ben. As I was traveling solo this time, I asked a stranger to take a picture of me and of course it ended up awful. Not only I was ugly, but the whole composition was terrible, starting with the fact that she took it vertically and not horizontally. 

I went back to Trafalgar Square where I realized LGBT traffic lights and I just thought that was cool. I then left and walked through Picadilly and Soho. It was rush hour, around five in the afternoon to be precise, and the size of the crowd was unbelievable. I was getting exhausted and my phone congratulated me on achieving 30 thousand steps. At that stage I almost gave up but given that I was going to take a train from Euston Station, one of my friends told me to absolutely check out Camden Town. I carried on and as I reached the area I've been asked twice if I wanted weed. Moved on, the markets were really cool and I definitely wish I had some money to spend on the food there because everything looked very tasty. On my way back to the station, I stopped at Mc Donald's not only to charge my phone but also to rest my poor legs. There I started thinking about all the things I've done in literally less than five hours and I was satisfied. I also managed to see the US Embassy on my way to the palace and it was not planned. I heard a lot of Italian people basically everywhere, to the point that I started asking myself if I was in Italy or if I was still in Great Britain.

I used to think that London is impossible to visit in one day, just like the majority of capital cities around the world. And in fact, it is true. In one day you won't be able to see everything, but I am certainly happy I went even for just a few hours because I literally spent only eleven pounds for the train and I've got to see some of the major attractions. A really helpful thing was also the weather being loyal to me as the sky did not release any rain throughout the whole day.

If you have any question about my trips Liverpool or London do not hesitate to contact me and remember, always watch out for crazy deals, because there are always some you just need to look for them.

- Cris

I don't even know how, but one whole year is gone. Eleven months ago I departed from Milan. With me, I had a couple of bags and just a feeling of uncertainty. I was, of course, excited, but it was different from what I experienced one year prior to that. I was not going on exchange. I was not going to live with a host family, and I wasn't going to the USA either. I landed in Denmark, that tiny & cold country above Germany.

I did not have a clue of what living in a country where the main language isn't either mine or English could be like. Of course, most of the people in Denmark know English, but sometimes I got asked questions on the streets and as soon as I said "I'm sorry, English please?" they looked at me like I was an alien and left without even saying "never-mind". I did not want to be the foreigner who was going to simply speak English just because everyone knows it and because the course is in English. I wanted to give it at least a try. "Danish language, here I come" I applied for classes, which I attended until Christmas. I used to have a lot of free time during my first semester, but then I found a job and everything relied on it. I had a flexible schedule, which meant good and bad. Good because I could go to work whenever I wanted, bad because they could call me on the day. It made it harder to schedule my life the way it was supposed to be, but I learned to deal with situations like those.

My year in Denmark has definitely been different from my exchange year in the US, but I knew all along that it wouldn't be the same because no experience will ever be comparable to my exchange. Denmark has given me an even wider view of the world.

I wrote everything you just read in July when I was back in Milan Italy. Now I am spending an academic semester (pretty much three months) in the UK as an Erasmus Student. I don't know if there have been other students like me before, but I feel like I'm unstoppable, which for some reasons is awesome, but for others, it is quite sad.

Think about it. It's always me, myself and my belongings moving around. No one ever comes and stays. One year is long enough to meet people but too short to be able to deeply fall in love and keep in touch afterward. It is possible, but very challenging and sometimes I fail to keep in touch with everyone, and this is why: whoever meets me loses me and only me, but when I leave I lose everyone, and it happens every time I go abroad, the story repeats itself.

Throughout the years I got stronger and learned that even though it is hard to say goodbye it is always worth to get out there because the things we gain in the long run are more important.

- Cris

Here I am, again, for the third time to be exact. It's eleven in the evening and in less than 12 hours I will be at the airport will a huge luggage, a backpack and a carry-on. I will be standing in front of the big gate that says "Departures" and I will be facing a new adventure. 

I did it three years ago and I did it last year as well, which means that I've been pretty much living a big challenge since 2013, when I recklessly decided to go abroad simply because I wanted to live in the USA. I did not really think about the bigger picture, cmon I was 15, but honestly, it was best this way. I had the time of my life and this was just the first of many steps. 

It was followed by me being a senior in Milan Italy, me starting college in Denmark and now by me catching a plane headed to the UK, where I will be an exchange student of a higher level. In fact, I did not leave with an organization and I will not live with a host family. This is me going to live on campus, in one of the six dorm-rooms of the apartment that I will share with other five students. 

I will be taking new classes, I will be partying with new people, learning about a new culture and will get to know a new city. I will travel, smile, laugh, cry. I don't know what I will do, but I know I will try with all my heart to spend these three months in the most effective way. I will try not to overthink, but to relax and enjoy the ride. I will just be true to who I am and everything will go as it has to go. No plans, no expectations, no disappointments. 

I've met people who told me that I was the most interesting teenager the have ever met and that if I continue like this I will achieve all my goals, others thought that I always looked sad instead, and some more told me that before getting to know me they did not think I was the type of guy I actually am... truth is, sometimes I don't even know what makes me happy and what I really want, so I don't expect others to know that for me. I may have lots of flaws but I am proud of one thing: I dare to try. I don't like regrets. I always try to push myself out of the comfort zone, even when I could avoid it and just live a simple life. And this time is not going to be different. I will show the world that I have more to offer, I don't like simple, in fact they say "If your dreams don't scare you, they are not big enough".

- Cris

Sometimes I receive some spam from specific airlines, I open the emails and I look at the deals they offer. Most of the time I feel like booking the cheapest flight and leave, but then I stop dreaming and get angry because even if I want to go, I can't. I'd love to visit countless places, and I don't mind doing it on my own. That said, I don't mean I prefer it better than traveling with friends, but that I simply learned that I can have fun even on my own, and, more than anything, that I sometimes need time for myself.

Think about it, if you travel on your own, you can listen to music whenever you feel like it. You can choose where to go and what to see first, you decide if you want to have Asian food rather than Italian and, with no pressure of any kind, you choose everything.

You can also meet locals, which is good because you get the chance to connect with the culture of your host country, even if you are there just for a few days. A local will show you places and areas that are less touristy but worth to visit. It's just awesome to have someone guide you around and show you what he usually does daily.

That happened to me in Copenhagen. I actually flew there to meet some exchange student friends, but I happened to be the first one landing there, one day earlier. As soon as I got at the apartment I received a text message, from a Danish guy I connected with on Facebook, saying "Are you in Copenhagen? we should get a beer!" I was totally down for it and even if I didn't know how to get into the city, I managed to arrive at the central station safe and sound. Danish people are very nice, I asked for help and everyone was really kind. After a few glasses of beer and Mc french fries, an Uber driver took me back to my place at around 2 am as trains were no longer available.

The fun fact is that the Uber driver even offered me a job, which means that I managed to receive a job offer within six hours from my landing in that country. I had to google his brother's Italian restaurant because he wanted to show me, he was like "We need Italians at our place, think about it!"

My point is: if you really wanna go somewhere, just go. Do not wait for people to figure things out. Don't wait for your friend who has to let you know whether he has enough money or not, whether his parents let him or not. Just catch that aircraft, or whatever means of transport, and live your adventure up. You won't regret it. Sometimes it is good to travel and put some distance between routine and ourselves, to forget about problems for a few days. I know some people are scared to do it on their own simply because they think that it is weird to go to a restaurant alone or to check in a hotel alone, but find the courage to take off and do it because even this kind of experience will change your life. At the end of the day what matters is how you feel and now what people think of you.

I am pretty sure everyone struggled in getting everything (they thought) they needed inside a luggage, which could not exceed something like 23 kilos (I'm guessing it's 50 pounds for our fellow Americans). Prior our exchange we don't exactly know what we may or may not need and so we feel like we have to bring everything with us. Many exchange students made this mistake in the past and I don't want new exchange students to do the same. 

Bring Only What Is Necessary.

Thankfully, my American parents told me not to bring too much stuff, because I could have bought everything once abroad. Since we don't know how we will react to a new kind of weather, we don't know if we will get fat (or even how much) and we don't know if our outfits will fit with the culture of our country, simply bring what it is necessary. For example, I was going to spend my exchange in Colorado, so when I had to pack I obviously did not pack a winter jacket because that would have taken half of the space in my luggage. I could not wear it either because Italy is really hot in August and I did not want to arrive in the USA and hug my American family all sweaty.  I wore my Rotary Blazer, which was still light because there were only a few pins on it, so I was sure I was not going to lose any of them. I simply got everything I needed for the winter in Colorado, which was cheaper anyway than buying things in Italy.

Bring The Same Amount Of Stuff You Would Bring To A Short Vacation.

I know that the thought of having to pack your whole life in a luggage is driving you crazy, so simply do not bring too much. I think it is better to go abroad with only one big luggage and a carry-on. The amount of money you would spend to add a second bag can be used to buy the clothes you will need later on exchange. And I suggest you leave your home country with only one big bag because when your exchange will be over, you will have double of the stuff you arrived with.

Packing After The Exchange.

Now, this is the trickier part because you will have to pack everything you brought from your home country but also everything you accumulated in your host country. If you did not know how to pack your whole life in a bag, imagine having to pack two lives into one bag. You brought a lot of stuff abroad because you thought you needed everything but the truth is that you will end up buying clothes and things in your host country, even if you have everything from your home country. You cannot avoid it. You will also receive gifts from people, souvenirs, and everything else, and you will have now to decide what it is more valuable and what you need to bring home. 

This is my personal experience: I arrived in the USA with a big bag, my laptop, and a carry-on. I left the USA with two big bags (I literally thought that one of them was going to explode), a backpack that weighed 11 kilos, and a carry-on, but I still had to leave some things behind or even worst, throw them away. From the baggage claim to the arrival, it was just a short walk but I literally did not know how to bring everything in one trip, so I started to push everything until I walked through the gate and saw my family. They didn't even move to help me so I was like wtf, but I eventually found out that it was just because they wanted me to notice that my best friend was there with a huge poster and wanted to surprise me.

Packing Tips.

I will briefly tell you what made packing easier for me. First of all, rolling your clothes is better than folding them. By doing so, you will also reach the corners of your luggage and will save space.

Another life saver is a vacuum pack. My luggage was already full when I only had put 16 kilos in it, but I was allowed to bring 23 kilos, so what I did was putting my clothes in a vacuum bag, sealing it, and suck the air out with a vacuum cleaner. 

One thing that people do is to divide their luggage into sections and use them for each different kind of clothing. Instead, I think it is a better idea to fill up dead space with underwear and socks rather than putting them all on one side of the luggage. 

An important tip is to put the heavy stuff in your carry-on. For instance, for my latest trip I put shoes in my carry-on because shoes take a lot of space and they are heavy, and since most of the time they don't weigh carry-ons, it worked out great! 

Organize your electronics and your bathroom essentials in smaller bags or pockets of your backpack, so when you get to customs you can easily reach them and take them out.

Last but not least important is to put at least one outfit in your carry-on. If the first half is full of shoes, use the second one to put a pair of underwear, a t-shirt, pants and so on because you never know what can happen to your big bag. Sometimes checked bags lose their connection flights and it takes days before it arrives at your final destination.

I hope that these tips and suggestions will help you out making better decisions when it comes to packing for your memorable exchange. Please feel free to drop a comment if you have more things to say, like secret hacks and such.

- Cris

I am pretty sure that one of the things people suggested you do while on exchange is to join an after-class club, or even better, a sport, because that helps you making friends (and why not, you keep yourself in good shape). But if you are like me, you are not a sport lover, you never were or simply you never practiced anything competitively, so what to do? I will give you some advice.

Do Something You Are Good At.

I mean there must be something that you are willing to do more than other things, right? I do not like soccer, I tried to play in the past but I did not like it, so I knew that I didn't want to play it abroad either, I'd rather run so I was thinking about joining cross country. Think about what you are willing to do more, just make a list, starting with the "ok" sports to the "I would never do that" sports.

Do Something You Are Comfortable Doing.

If they ask you to play a sport you are not interested in, refuse. You are not obliged to do it. If you want to do it but you feel like you are not good enough, it is okay! No one is good at the first shot, it takes practice to become good in something, so I suggest you ask your coach if you can practice with the team but maybe skip the first couple of games so that you can watch your teammates play and get an idea of what competitions are like. Once you feel confident, you can ask your coach to let you play competitions.

Try Something New.

I ended up playing tennis, and not cross country, because prior to my arrival in the United States my American mom told me that her son plays tennis and he and the rest of the team wanted me to play with them. The main reason they wanted me was that they needed players, but I thought that behind it there would be at least some excitement in having a foreigner on the team, so I accepted. Tennis was a new thing for me. Before going to the USA I played it once or twice with my siblings, but for fun. I never really knew the rules, I always focused on only hitting the ball. So I was excited to try something different, this is something I constantly did on exchange: saying yes to almost everything.

Do Something That Gives You The Opportunity To Meet People.

If the team has barely ten members and you are new at the sport, I suggest you don't join. The team is most likely seeking for someone who's already good at playing and if you join you will feel the pressure of competitions, and maybe won't make friends that last the whole year, but simply some people you have to deal with until the season is over. 

If you are already a professional player, the small team isn't a problem for you because you will contribute to the victory of the team and will most likely feel part of the group in no time. But if you want to try football or cross country, for instance, for the first time there is more chance that your team is full so you don't have to play if you don't feel comfortable but simply practice and getting to know everyone on the team. If you want to give it a shot in competitions as well (also because meets are cool, you travel around the State, or even better out the State if you go regionals) you can ask your friends if they can spend some time practicing with you, even on weekends, so you will get to hang out but also to get better at the sport. You will most likely get some friends who will last longer than a small and hostile team.

I hope these simple suggestions will make your sports seasons more enjoyable. If you have any problem just talk to the coach, and if you want to quit and start something else, just ask! I cannot promise that it is the same for every school, but sometimes they agreed to let me do some things just because I was an exchange student, so you will never know if you don't try!

- Cris

It is that time of the year: exchange students started traveling across the world, from Europe to the United States, from the States to South America, and so on. A lot of people will be facing jet-lag, some will handle it better than others, but what should you do when you get up at three or four in the morning and cannot go back to sleep? I personally went to bed at midnight my first day in the States but I still woke up at six a.m. the day after, which was not nice. So I started unpacking and then at eight in the morning I finally decided to go upstairs and see if my host family was up, and, even if it was Sunday, they were. But what if they were still having sweet dreams?

Prepare Breakfast For Your Host Family.

I am sure your host family already showed you where the fridge is and told you to feel like at home, so my suggestion is to prepare breakfast for them. If you do not know what they like in the morning, just prepare something you normally have and tell them that is what you eat in your home country. They will not judge what you made, but will instead thank you for thinking about doing such a thing for them. This way they will see your interest in bonding with them. I am sure that if they host students because they enjoy it, they will appreciate your action.

Do Some Exercise.

I am not a sports lover and I will probably never be, but one of the things you can do early in the morning is working out. You will most likely gain weight in your host country anyway so the best way to "prevent" it is to start doing some exercise for the very beginning. By the time you will be done you will be able to take a shower and go to the kitchen for breakfast.

Read Or Watch TV In Your Host Language.

If you are done with your exercise (or simply skipped it - and that's okay) you can read a book in your host language and underline the words you don't know so that you can look them up afterward. If you are not a book lover and prefer to watch tv, do so. Turn it on and put subtitles in your host language so that way you will hear it but also read it. It will help you a lot and you will improve in a very short period of time.

Write A Letter To Yourself.

This may sound a bit stupid, but it is actually nice in the long run. Write down everything that comes to your mind. I mean, you are in your host country and still have the whole experience in front of you: write down what your feelings are, what your expectations are, what your level in your host language is and what you wish to achieve before the end of your year abroad. A year later, once you are back home, pull it out and read it. It will be crazy to realize how much you have grown.

Explore The Area Around You.

If you have the chance to, go for a walk. Don't be sitting on your bed just because you don't want to be the weird kid who walks on his own, just go. Imagine this: It is 6 in the morning, the sun is rising, the city is still calm and it is not hot yet: go for a walk. Watch bakers prepare their shop window with fresh bread, postmen riding their bikes and delivering newspapers, elderly people sipping coffee etc. If you are in the United States most of this might not be the case. Usually, the only way a person can get around is by driving a car, and you clearly cannot do that. So consider this idea only if you feel like you can do it. Maybe you can walk around your neighborhood and if you meet a next door fellow just say hi and introduce yourself. That way if they see you going around on your own they will not think a stranger is roaming around their property.

Write An Entry In Your Journal.

I suggest you keep a journal throughout the whole exchange experience because it will be nice to be able to read it again after some time. I wrote an online blog while I was on exchange and I also kept a calendar where I briefly wrote what I did day by day. I have been back from my exchange for two years now and I still open up my agenda sometimes to look at it and see what I was doing the same day two years before. It is also nice because sometimes I forget things and when I read them I am like "I did not remember that at all!".

Do Not Take Day Naps And Stay Up Late.

One of the most common advice people give exchange students is to go to bed when the host family does it, that way they will most likely wake up late and not before their host family. This can be true, but it depends on the situation because as I said earlier I went to bed at midnight and woke up at six. It sure helps not taking naps during the day, if you sleep in the afternoon you will be wide awake by the time everyone goes to bed, and that is not nice, but if it happens just follow some of the advice I gave you earlier! Read a book, watch a series or write a journal.

Read also: MY LAST DAY AS AN EXCHANGE STUDENT.

- Cris

We people often fail to value time. As soon as we depart for exchange lots of thoughts pop up in our minds. There are two kinds of people. The kind who is so excited to leave that at the airport he leaves his parents in a hurry to catch our plane because he desperately wants to go on exchange and do lots of stuff, and then the kind who is so lazy that when he is at his host house he feels like doing everything "later" because he has one year to do stuff, so he feels like there is no need to rush.

I definitely belong to kind one. I left my parents kind of in a hurry because I was excited to leave, but I should probably advise you to hug your parents one more time before you go because one year is long without your family.. and you feel it, especially during Christmas. I don't belong to kind two for sure though because one year is not so long when you have to bond with new people, pick up a new language, learn about your host culture, traditions, try new things, be social and so on. It is barely enough to let you "taste" all the fun, and when you finally feel like an insider, all is taken away from you. It is time to leave, which means no more American breakfast, drinks on the go, road trips or house parties.

There you are, at the airport with 50 plus kgs and a head full of emotions you can't even explain to yourself. As your plane caresses the clouds, you look out the window for the last time. The airport fades and you are left with your feelings, your headphones and airplane food.

I spent eleven months in the USA and yet I wish I had more time. I don't know how people choose an academic semester over one full year. It makes me sad to think that some people had half of the time I had. In spite of feeling like I needed more time, I know that I did all I could during those eleven months and I regret nothing.

The first thing your family and friends tell you when they see you after so long is probably "Oh, you gained weight." that's the first change they see in you. It's okay, it is concrete and it would be hard not to notice. It is not okay when they only see your body change and nothing else. I feel like I changed so much as a person that it would make me sad if people only noticed my heavier body.

I wish I had more time because there are lots of things that I did not have the chance to do in Colorado, like going to a concert at Red Rocks or hiking, but stay tuned Coloradans because I might come back sooner than you think!

Read also: "Fulfilling my dream of visiting New York City."

- Cris

I'm almost twenty and left for exchange almost three years ago, but I want to tell you all about my departure day anyways, because it is always good to remember it.

Try to imagine a sixteen-year old who hardly travelled by airplane ever before and who had to fly for almost twenty hours and have a layover in one of the biggest airports, Heathrow, by himself. It isn't hard to imagine, right? But I wasn't worried at all, actually.

I think I put many alarms on my phone just to make sure that I'd wake up on time, even though I knew that there was no way I'd miss even the first one. I hardly slept, I was too excited. I arrived at the airport so early that I had breakfast again with my parents to kill time and have a last chat with them. I specifically asked for window seats at the counter, but from Milan to London I had an aisle seat, which anyways is better than the middle one. I didn't mind as the flight was short. The flight was delayed for approximately 30 minutes, but I was still not worried.

Flashbacks of 16 year-old me wearing a blazer and wandering in Heathrow still come and go nowadays. I was so excited to be out of the country, to see things I used to see only on a small screen. I was even excited to have a coffee from Starbucks (we currently don't have it in Italy), just because it was so famous.. I even took a selfie with its sign, what an idiot some of you might think, haha neext.

Heads up for future exchange students: 
Having a frozen yogurt right after a coffee and before a 9-hour flight is not a smart idea. I had to use the toilet onboard a couple of times because of that, but anyways I will keep details for myself.

I was finally floating between clouds, over the ocean and Canada. I was listening to music, even though British Airways' playlist was very poor in choices (there was basically the full discography of one direction and not much more). My point is: I never slept. I just couldn't, so I took thousands pictures of.. clouds. "Cabin Crew please take your seats, we will be landing shortly." This is it. I played "Hopeless Wanderer" so many times that day that it was just about time to land and start wandering hopelessly.

Touchdown. 

"Welcome to Denver, Colorado. The Mile-High City." I don't even wait for the airplane to park that I'm already texting my American family. "I landed" I said, and shortly after I directly called them. I'm sure customs where not so long, but they sure felt like that. Gosh, I was exhausted yet so energetic. I couldn't wait to cross the gate and meet my US family, I already imagined it in my head, just like in the movies. I'd arrive and they would be there waiting and ready to hug me. Well, they were not. "Where are you Cris?" "I don't know, I don't know this Airport. I'm assuming I'm at the arrivals." And I was, but my American dad & brother were waiting for me at the national arrivals, I arrived with an international flight, so we missed each other.

I desperately needed to use a restroom but they did not have dinner prior to my arrival, so we stopped at Wendys. I did not want any food so I just stole a few fries and had a frosty. The sky turned dark-blue and I was just staring out the window while my host brother was staring at me as I was some kind of alien. "Wow" I was thinking "This is insane!" Milan is a city, so everywhere you walk you have buildings limiting your vision. In Colorado all I could see where endless fields and a 180° sky.

My house was at the end of a blind alley and once arrived and parked in the garage they showed me everywhere, up and down the stairs. It was almost 1 am when I went to bed because I couldn't sleep so I started unpacking. 6am is around the corner and I'm already up. "They must be sleeping still, it is Sunday. There is no way I can go upstairs now, I will decorate my room." 

Two hours later I couldn't keep myself in my room, I wanted to go upstairs and talk to them. They were up and surprised because I was awake. "You know Cris, we hosted 16 exchange students before you and you are the first one who woke up so early" - "Well, what would you say if I told you that I'm actually up since 6am?" The weather was beautiful so we had breakfast outside the patio, I had banana bread with the amazing coffee my American dad makes. I felt like I was living in a movie. "Cris, I have to wash my car, would you like to come with me?" Of course I went, his car is amazing! He got it a few hours before I landed, I would say he did it just for me but that would bea lie haha.

It was so cool to be able to drive through my host city with daylight. My dad showed me my school, places where they normally go to grab a coffee, eat or buy groceries and all I could think of was "It looks just like GTA, huge roads and enormous cars."

We had reservations at Texas Roadhouse for 5pm, which is a bit early for me to have dinner but it turned out great because by 6pm I was literally falling asleep on the table. Thankfully after that jet lag didn't hit me anymore. I had dinner with a student from Greeley who was headed to Belgium two days after. We basically switched continents. 

It was for sure one of the most intense moments of my exchange year, followed by American holidays, trips and meetings with unbelievable people. I feel still fortunate nowadays for the experience I had, for the amazing family who I am still in contact with and all the other people who still text me now and then to see how I'm doing. By writing this post I realised how many things I still remember, even though it has been three long years, full of changes and stuff that enriched my life.

For all my Italian readers, and for whoever trusts Google Translate, I wrote a journal while I was in the USA where I went deeply into what I did other there, if you are interested check it out: 

ON MY WAY TO USA.

- Cris

"Sometimes it all gets a little too much" sings Shawn Mendes, but I perfectly agree. From time to time we need to take a deep breath, stop stressing about things that won't matter in the long run and take a break. Are you thinking what I am thinking? Yes, going on a trip, even for just a few days, will work! So jump on the internet, book your flights and pack. See you at the airport!

I moved to Denmark last August and throughout the year I had the chance to see my best friend "only" four times, which is why we decided to go somewhere together, just the two of us, and catch up. Our choice was Spain, Madrid to be precise.

Plaza Mayor.

Needless to say that we loved it. I loved the culture, the food, the Spanish vibes and hearing the language. I'm honestly missing sippin' Sangria or chilling at Parque de el Retiro. Italian & Spanish cultures are so similar yet so different. I've tried to speak Spanish with people, even though sometimes I was actually forced to do so, for example when I asked a person "Do you speak English?" he replied with a firm "Español!" ... Si señor, my apologies, Spanish it is.

Even though the tube costs 2 euros per ride (from and to the Airport it costs around 5€), we decided to walk everywhere and ended up with an average of 30km per day, we almost arrived at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and Google Offices by simply walking (and we were based in Atocha)! Think about it, if we took the tube for 4 days, back and forth, we would have spent at least 16 euros just for that, when all the fun of traveling is finding hidden alleys and capturing perfect shots. Also, we decided to spend those 16 euros on Paella, Sangria, Empanadas and a bottle of white wine (or maybe two..) to celebrate.

Royal Palace of Madrid.

Tips for discovering Madrid on foot:

Bring water with you, and sunscreen. Luckily enough I directly tanned without getting sunburnt, but having protection would be nice. We visited Madrid in June and even though from time to time it was hot, there was a little breeze which fooled us. I went back to Milan with a white line around my neck. I couldn't stop taking pictures, so I didn't tan where the strip was. Oh well, it is not that visible by now anyways haha.

Bring comfortable shoes. We decided we wanted to go to a cheap and warm place so we decided Madrid, but we didn't know it would be on hills. And this is why along with water you need good shoes. Well, we made it and I would do it again. I was so tired that I slept without any problems those three nights haha.

Talk to locals for advice. As my friend and I were walking we found a restaurant with a very competitive menu price, so I wanted to ask for more information. I thought that the person standing in front of the main door was the owner and so I approached him with a "disculpe!". I then figured he was not working there so I tried to apologise and leave, but he wouldn't let me. He kept saying if I had a pregunta for him. No, no questions, thank you though. Nada, he was nice enough to keep asking me if I needed help, and so I told him in Spanish that I thought he was working there and I wanted to ask information. Little did I know that from this first approach we would spend half an hour talking to this middle-aged tipsy español. He gave us advice and warned us. He was a nice guy, even though he started our conversation by saying that Spanish people engañan (cheat you) just like Italians. As we told him we were Italians he started a whole new and different conversation "Io amo l'Italia, Italiano lingua più bella del mondo, io canto, io amo la cultura" (I love Italy and Italian, I'm a singer and love the culture). Well, we eventually ate there and it was good!

Today I decided to dedicate this blogpost to my friend, Emily, who's currently a full time student in New York City. I stole some of her precious time to ask her some questions about her new (not so new anymore) life in the big apple. Let's start by introducing her.

Were you an exchange student? If yes, where? 

Yes, I was an exchange student during the school year 2014/2015 in Lockport NY, near Buffalo and the Niagara Falls. I was part of my school's senior class.

What are you studying? 

I’m currently attending the Fashion Institute of Technology in Chelsea, Manhattan. I’m majoring in Fashion Business Management, going into International Trade and Marketing for my Bachelor’s.

Why did you choose to study in New York City? 

NYC has always been my dream. It gives me unlimited opportunities of growth in the fashion industry. During my first day of college I was able to sign up to volunteer for New York Fashion Week. This led to a series of other great opportunities, which confirmed that I am exactly where I want to be, doing what I love. And NYC is THE city, who wouldn’t want to study/live there?!

  

Do you have roommates? If yes, how many? 

Yes, I do. I dorm with 3 girls who also attend FIT. Two of them are majoring in Fashion Business as well, and the other one is majoring in Advertising and Marketing Communications. I love them, we are really close and I couldn’t go through college without them.

What do you see from your dorm room? 

Last year I lived on the 13th floor, and I had a pretty cool view – I could see the Empire State Building from my bed! This year I live on the 5th floor, the view is not as great as last year, but I can see the New Yorker hotel.

What do you like the best of living there? 

I love the fact that there is always something going on. You are never bored, you just can’t be bored in NYC! I come from a very small town in Northern Italy, and I can say that NYC was quite of an adjustment, but I love it.

Is there something that you don't like instead? 

Sometimes I feel alone, it’s hard to make friends in the city. My school is very competitive as well, everyone is so focused on their success and everyone is busy all the time.

What do you do there during your spare time? 

I don’t have a lot of free time. Last semester I had a job, a part time internship, and 6 classes. My free time is very limited, but when I have some I enjoy walking around Chelsea, going shopping in Soho, and exploring new places, new restaurants and cafés in the city.

Do you walk through Central Park with a cup of Starbucks in your hand like an average white girl? 

Haha I get asked that a lot. Actually, I have never walked in Central Park holding a cup of Starbucks coffee. I walk through Central Park though, it’s one of my favorite things to do when I want to get away from the restlessness of the city.

Do you feel safe in NYC? 

There is a lot going on all the time, but I have learned to feel safe, and to be aware of my surroundings. It’s something that you learn over time.

If you could go back would you change location? Why? 

I would like to travel to the West Coast, because I have never been there, but as of right now I would not change location. I know that things could change in my future, but for now NYC is the perfect match for me.

Do you miss Italy? If yes what, in particular? 

Of course. I miss home, my family and friends, and REAL Italian food (especially my grandma’s food). I have tried some “Italian” food in NYC but it’s not the same, and it’s overpriced. Ugh.

Do you consider yourself a New Yorker after living there for more than a year? 

It has been a year and a half now, and for some aspects do I consider myself a New Yorker, but my heart will always be Italian, not matter where I will be settling even in the future.

How many celebrities did you see or even meet? Who? 

Shawn Mendes, Kendrick Lamar, Calvin Klein, Ansel Elgort, Brooklyn Beckham, Chris Martin, Jack Gilinsky, Madison Beer, Leandra Medine, Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, Ashley Graham, Metallica, Demi Lovato, Priyanka Chopra, Adam Levine, Cat Stevens, Florida, Nicole Miller, Alicia Keys, Eddie Vedder, Olivia Palermo. That’s pretty much it.

I'd like to thank my friend for sharing with me what her life in NY is all about because it is also my dream to settle there, if not permanently, for a few months. To discover what the city is truly about and to feel a resident rather than a tourist. I hope that through her words you could dream as well.

READ ALSO: FROM EXCHANGE STUDENT TO FLIGHT ATTENDANT.

- Cris   

I’ve been receiving different questions from people on Instagram, each one of them with the same purpose of knowing how in the world I can travel “so much”. First of all, I don't normally post pictures the moment they are taken, most of them are throwbacks. This means that if one day I posted a pic of Milan and the day after one of Denver I am simply posting old images, and so I am not in a different city every day. Second, I am currently studying abroad so this gives me the opportunity to travel around my host country and most of the planes I’ve been taking flew me back home to visit my family and friends.

That said, I am not denying that I’ve also been traveling for fun, in fact, last week I was in Madrid, but it is all about budgeting correctly everything you do. You won’t see me at the club every Friday and Saturday night, I don’t get wasted every weekend and I don’t spend hundreds of euros on clothes every month. I simply work, pay my rent and save the rest for my travels.

I work in a warehouse, where I take night / morning / afternoon & evening shifts. Night shifts mean that after university I go home, eat dinner, pack a snacking and go to work from 11pm to 7am. Morning shift in the winter meant waking up at 4.40am, freezing at the bus stop at 5.20am and starting working at 6am. I don’t like afternoon shifts because even though they are the shortest I still lose the whole day. And lastly, evening shift means leaving directly from university and go to work from 3pm to 11pm, taking the bus back home, showering, and sleeping at around midnight. Sometimes after an evening shift, I even have work the morning after, which means that I can sleep just like 5 or 6 hours at the most (depending on the job/terminal I have to go to) and go back to my workplace.

This was just an insight for you to understand that the things you see on my Instagram are just the fun stuff that comes after me working at a dusty warehouse. If you come after me on Instagram claiming that you envy me, at least you should know that if you wanna switch lives you also have to wake up at 6am tomorrow because there are boxes for you that are waiting to be lifted.

"Everyone sees the tip of the iceberg, but very few see how much it took to rise above the waters."

Anyways, it doesn’t matter where you work, as long as you work and you spend money on necessary things and not on stuff that you don’t need, you will be able to save money and enjoy roaming around as well. Sounds cliché and everyone tells you to save money, but this is what it is. There is no magic trick, but if you want to make things easier for you: write things down. Set goals and spend money only on them. Keep notes of what you spend and when you spend it.

Problem Solving.
You also need to be keen on problem-solving because you may have loads of them. See, I've had problems with my visa, with my host university, even with something as simple as the issue of my passport. Prior to my exchange, a doctor who didn't know what she was doing even told me that something was wrong with my heart or surroundings, I can't remember the specific term she used, but my point is that I literally thought I was not going anywhere because of that. After a few more doctors appointments it turned out that I had no problems and she just scared the crap out of me. So whenever you see someone's feed and think "I wish I was them" remember that there is also a second side to the story and not everything is as it seems.

READ ALSO: IS TRAVELLING EXPENSIVE?



- Cris