When you are finally back home after a year abroad people start asking you all kinds of questions because they are curious to know what you experienced, and stuff like that. Truth is, once you are home, you tend to remember only the good things because those are worth to carry with you in life. You are not going to tell your friend, for example, that on October 27th you had a breakdown because at school you didn't have many friends. By the end of the year, you were most likely surrounded by people who love you and you will completely forget what you felt like at the beginning. Or, at least, this is what happened to me, but people need to know that it is not all smooth as we make it sound.

Even if you don't want to, you will feel homesick.

This varies from person to person. I honestly wasn't sad to leave Italy, I always wanted to visit and live in the USA so I just focused on that fact and promised myself to enjoy it. I know other students who, instead, struggled because of many factors: bad host families, lack of friends at school, it was hard to follow classes in a different language, etc.

My point is that it can and will happen, even if you want to go on exchange so badly that before you do it you think "I'm strong enough not to struggle". It can be skyping with your whole family on your birthday and see that everyone is hanging out except you because you are on the other side of the world, or it can be when during the Christmas holidays your family sends you pictures of the traditional foods and games they play...

Not everything is ok.

Everyone is jealous of your exchange life when they take a look at your Instagram stories, but they don't know that you need a ride everywhere to be able to hang out or even buy groceries. They don't know that sometimes you need a hug and no one gives it to you. They have no clue what it feels like when you are unable to express yourself the way you would like to.

When you go on exchange you take the whole package: all the cool stuff but also all the things you have to learn how to deal with at age 16. That said, it is all doable, no worries.
(Read also How To Deal With Homesickness)

Exchange Students may be treated like things.

Saying "Hey guys, this is Fred (I'm just making this up). An exchange student from Italy who lives in my house." is definitely time-consuming, so instead, this is how people introduce you 99% of the time: "Hey guys this is MY exchange student from Italy." So yes, it sounds like you are someone's pet and the only thing that people know is your country of origin, so they call you "Italy" because it's too hard for them to learn your name, which doesn't make sense because for you it is 10 times harder to remember everyone's name. They only have to learn yours and you have to remember the name of every student in the school because you cannot shout "America!" when you want to speak to someone, can you?

We are being teased.
One of the first things that we are made fun of is our accent. We might speak broken English, but we know more than one language and had enough courage to show up in our host country despite the level of language we had, ready to improve and get better. We don't need your "Your accent is so weird!" we would rather have you correct us so that we can learn from our mistakes. We also know that we gained some weight throughout the year, we don't need to hear it from you.

Update: This is not how everyone feels and is not my personal experience either. I gathered comments and stories from different exchange students because it is important that teens understand what they are putting themselves into before they actually fly abroad. I have seen many people escaping their responsibilities and flying back home, and I think that one of the reasons why this happens is that they were not prepared. Former exchange students bragged about how good their experience was and completely ignored the fact that sharing the bad stuff gives new students the chance to avoid making the same mistakes. And again, I loved my experience as a foreign exchange student, with all the good and the bad.

- Cris

Sometimes the excitement that we have when we go on exchange never dies, it just changes shape. This is the case of one of my good friends, Mirco, who after his exchange year found himself interested in being a flight attendant and after his graduation decided to give it a try. Not only he succeeded but now he has been working for almost 6 months. I asked if he had some time, maybe between one flight and the other, to answer some of my questions and this is the result:

I'd say that everything started when I was an exchange student. I really enjoyed flying and having the opportunity to visit new places. I enjoy admiring earth from above and I thought that flying was an awesome way of working rather than being in the same place everyday. And yes, I'm on a plane everyday, but I land in different airports, meet different people every time, and the views are amazing. Whoever works in a office, for instance, can't really say the same. I'd call this "unstoppable desire of travelling."

Which company are you working for and where are you based?

I've been a Ryanair Flight Attendant since this past winter and I'm based in Bologna, Italy.

Did you choose your base or did Ryanair place you randomly?

Ryanair can place you anywhere in Europe. To be honest, I'd have been happy with anything, as in being placed abroad or here in Italy. I'd have liked being abroad to be able to get to know a new place and create memories elsewhere, but being in Bologna is equally good. I can go home quite often and it is less expensive than other cities in Europe.

Where did the preparation course take place? How long was it?

The course took place in Bergamo (Orio), Italy and lasted 6 weeks. During that time I moved there and lived with other trainees, who I happened to know through social media.

What did you have to study in order to pass it?

The training course, which is in English, is composed by two parts: Initial and Conversion. The former is all about basic information on aviation, first aid and so on. The latter instead is specialized on Ryanair's aircraft type, which is 737-800. During this part of the course I learnt every emergency procedure, in theory and practice. There was an airplane on location where we could do all kinds of things, like going down the inflatable slide. We also had to save a "kid" on board of a smoky plane. We had to prove our swimming skills as well, having to put the jacket on and rescue some people from the "ocean".

What was the hardest thing for you to do?

The hardest thing was being able to study right after the training. Every morning I woke up at 6.30am to get ready and take the public transport. The course started at 9am and lasted until 6pm. By the time I'd get home it would be already 7pm, I'd prepare something to eat, shower and then study until midnight. Every day same routine. The only thing that made it easier for me to study was the fact that I was very interested and liked the things I had to memorize. 

What are the main requirements for being a Ryanair flight attendant?

You need: to be at least 1.57m tall to a maximum of 1.88m, to speak english fluently, to see properly (contact lenses accepted), to be able to swim, to be physically fit, to be flexible, willing to operate on a shift roster and possibly outgoing. You wouldn't want to be served by a cranky steward, would you?

Do you regret choosing this career? How do you manage to have a social life when on average two to four airplanes fly you back and forth daily?

I don't regret anything. I really like the job and I think this is a good start for my career since I'd love to become a pilot one day. Every five days of work we get three days off, so if during the week I feel tired and don't want to go out I can simply be social during my off period. If I have only morning shifts I can decide to go out in the afternoon, but normally I am tired and prefer to rest. What is nice is that I can take holidays in advance, in this case the system is pretty flexible.

Is there something that customers do that annoys the cabin crew?

To be honest yes, there are many things. I encountered many persons who put their smaller bags, which should be stored under the seat, in the overhead compartment, along with their box of local food, jackets and so on. The overhead compartment has a capacity of 90 carry-ons, and we need to make sure that we use our space effectively, but when I ask people to move their stuff they get annoyed as I am the one who did something wrong. People also get mad when we check their carry-on and yes, I know how stressful it is having to wait for your luggage in your country of arrival, especially if you are on holidays and you can't wait to get to your hotel, but we don't do it to piss you off. We do it because there isn't physical space on board for your belongings. If you want to prevent this from happening get in line ahead of time and board before everyone does. Sorry. Another thing that annoys us is having to deal with people who smoke on board. You would think that this would never happen, everyone knows that it is forbidden. But it does happen, sadly. And no, you cannot smoke electronic cigarettes either. Not allowed. We need to fill up papers when this happens. Believe me, you don't want to be welcomed in your country of arrival by a police officer.

Have you ever met someone cool? Or did something happen that made you think "I've the coolest job"?

I can't think of a specific person or event now, but I really enjoy meeting people from different backgrounds. When I have the opportunity, I talk to my customers who can take a break from their crossword puzzles, and I discover where they are from and why they are travelling. Once I met an American lady who was flying from Tenerife and she told me she travels back and forth quite a lot because of work. One other time I recognized a couple who flew with us before.. I think the whole "meet and travel" is pretty cool.

Do you use specific codes when you want to communicate with your colleagues? Can you give us an example?

It is more like gestures. If I am at the head of the plane and I need to talk to a colleague who's at the very end, I can simply ring him to get his attention. Then, I will communicate with him through gestures. Let's say I need a long coffee. I will move my hand in a certain way. I need a hot tea? I will do something else. We have a sign for everything, which is nice and quick. And when I say everything, I mean it. Male flight attendants also have a way to speak to one another in case there's a pretty lady on board, but I'm not going to reveal how, haha.

What advice would you give to a future flight attendant?

If you are a friendly and outgoing person who likes to be constantly around people, is interested in meeting people from different countries and different backgrounds, loves travelling and enjoys doing it by plane, be a flight attendant! 

Best of luck to everyone who is considering to start this career, don't let anyone knock you down and pursue your dreams, whatever they are. "Welcome on board!"

- Cris

Someone might think that the further you go, the more expensive it is. But it is actually not true. Flying to Asia might take quite some time, but it is less expensive than other places and there is a lot to see. I am saying this because sometimes taking the train and moving within our own nation is more expensive than leaving the country.

TIPS FOR TRAVELLING ON A BUDGET.

1. Buy food at the grocery store.

I know that one of the reasons why we travel is that we want to taste the local food, but it is also true that if we eat at the restaurant for each meal every day of our journey we end up with little money to invest in other things. This is why it could be a good idea to have lunch while wandering around and for dinner just get some food at the grocery store and fix something easy. Lunch is usually less expensive than dinner and since we usually leave accommodation early in the morning it is just nice to stay out and enjoy the day and come back only for dinner, after a long day.

2. Try to avoid public transportation.

Plan your trip in advance, so that you can focus on different areas of the city you are visiting each day. By doing so you won't have to use public transportation and it will be easier for you to get around. In some cities, in Copenhagen for instance, public transportation is expensive but it is possible to visit the city center by foot, do it! When I was in Rome I bought a 3 days pass because I thought I would use it, but the truth is I basically wasted money because I ended up walking the entire time.

3. Refill your water bottles.

I know that when you buy a bottle of water you think "oh well, it's just one euro, it doesn't hurt!" but you could actually just bring your own bottle and, if possible, refill it. In Italy we have a lot of water fountains around cities like Milan and Rome. During the summer it gets really warm and it is important to be hydrated. Save that one euro and invest it by tasting our tasteful espresso instead.

4. Couchsurf or stay in hostels.
For some people it might be a bit awkward to just crush at someone else's house, especially when they don't know whose it is. The idea behind couchsurfing is good. It is all about meeting new people and getting to know the culture of the country you are visiting. When choosing the person you want to meet always read the description, see if the profile is somehow verified and look at how many times s/he met or hosted someone else. If you don't feel up to staying in a stranger's house don't worry and try considering hostels instead. You will be sharing a room from 4 up to 12 people, but there are common areas and lockers for your belongings. If you are travelling on your own and don't want to find a private host you can still use Couchsurfing as a tool to find other travellers and arrange something with them during the day, like grabbing a coffee or sightseeing.

Concluding, I think that travelling isn't as expensive as everyone thinks. It all depends on what you will be doing. Each person has different wishes when it comes to a vacation, there's the one who thinks of holidays as a time to be spent in luxury, meaning to invest money on a several-stars hotel, expensive touristy places and chic restaurants. For others, it is time off from reality. It is discovering unknown little alleys and unique cafés in a totally new place. It is a lot of walking carrying a heavy backpack and a camera at all times and having a bed to sleep on till the next day comes.
Which kind of traveler are you?

I hope that these few suggestions will guide you on your future travels. If you have more advice, please let me know in the comments below.

- Cris