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
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
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
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
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
