I must admit that sometimes I wonder if all the decisions I have taken over the past few years were the right ones. People want the things I have and I want the things they have. It's weird, we all have something but we always want something else.

Thinking back, I'd have never thought that I'd be here by now. I've always been interested in the film industry and now I am in the USA doing an internship at a video production company, how cool is that?

Sometimes I question whether it would have been better to study back in Italy or elsewhere rather than in Denmark, where I actually ended up being. But then again, if I wouldn't do that I probably wouldn't be here at this specific moment. Chances are that I would have never lived in Worcester, which would have been a shame because there I've met amazing people. In the long run, something bad can actually turn out to be something good, even though it is hard to see that when we are in pain.

Anyhow, I have been receiving texts from friends and family who want to know what it is like to be working for a video production company in Denver, Colorado. People tend to think of film crews and endless film gear everywhere when they think of video production. What they do not realize is that there is much more than that. The office is divided into two departments: production and post-production. Media companies bid for jobs through Treatments, which are basically visuals with which the directors explain how they are going to film if the client chooses them. Once the client makes their choice, the job moves from "bidding" to "production". This is the time when location scouting and casting talent happens. The dates of the shooting are chosen accordingly with the client's and the crew's availability to film. Once that is done, the footage is manipulated by the editors and colorists, who come up with sizzles and final products to show the clients.

Three months isn't necessarily a long time, but it certainly was enough to do everything at least once. In fact, I researched music and photos, I was a Production Assistant on set for four days, I created some content for my company's social media channels and I had the chance to play a few times with the Adobe Suite.

One of the highlights of my internship was being able to be on set and see what it is like. People asked me if I was operating the camera, and the answer is unfortunately going to disappoint you: No, I wasn't. I was running errands, fixing sets according to our needs, observing the camera guys working, and buying props. I learned how to manage pity cash, and I realized how many people are involved in a shooting and all the expenses that occur.

Once a week we had a staff meeting. Each lasted about 45 minutes and their purpose was to kind of let everyone know what was going on in the office, which jobs the company bid on, which jobs we were currently working on, and which ones were officially done and ready to be submitted to the client.

Given the fact that I live a few miles away from Denver, to be able to get to work I had to get a driver's license, which is the coolest thing ever. In these past couple of years, I have been doing a lot of stuff but one thing was definitely missing: driving. Many of my friends back in Italy did not travel so they got their licenses as soon as they could, but I didn't and I always kind of felt as if that was still something that I needed to do. Now, I have that too, which means that I can drive not only to work but wherever I want or need to, which is really cool, especially here in the Western part of the USA where public transportation is not common, nor even a choice at times.

- Cris

Everyone thinks that living on our own is the best thing ever, and in some ways it is, but for other reasons, it can drive you insane. I've been an exchange student both in high school and university, so I experienced living with a host family but also living on my own. Both experiences are useful and definitely make you grow as a person, but there are surely some differences between the two.

With A Host Family.

Living with people who are willing to open their home to foreign exchange students is very cool because while you will try to learn your host language, make new friends and study in a different language, you will have a group of people that will support you just like your family back home would - or at least this is how it should be. By being hosted by locals, you will get to learn the customs and traditions, you will be introduced to other members of the family and friends, which will be a great opportunity for you to expand your network.

By Yourself.

When I went on Erasmus, I had my private room in halls. My flat was composed of one kitchen, two bathrooms and six bedrooms. I loved it because I had my own space and whenever I felt like hanging out with someone I could just go to the kitchen. Living on my own was good because I was the one in charge  of scheduling my appointments, making my own food, and so forth. At my home University, I shared a studio apartment with another guy, but I highly preferred to have my own room in a shared flat. Depending on how you see it, living in halls was a pro but also a con. Since I was an international student, I was put in the International Hall, which made it harder to be friends with locals. Even so, it has been cool to meet all kinds of people from all over the world. Eventually, I got to meet Brits when I started working as a sales assistant, so everything worked out for the best.

I am now curious to hear different stories. Do you prefere to live with a host family, even in college, or to live on your own? and why so?

- Cris