CRIS GOES ABROAD

I still can't believe that tomorrow is the day I dreamt of for two years. When I flew back to Italy I was so excited to see family and friends that I didn't realize what I was gonna say goodbye to.. and for how long. One thing is certain when you go on an exchange: one day you will return home. But when will you go back to your host country? And if you do, will it be the same? Will it be weird? Will I feel an outsider?

I don't know. Not yet. All I know is that I am ready to go back. I should turn off my laptop and go to sleep because in less than 8 hours I have to wake up, take a shower and go. But I can't, I'm too excited. I haven't slept in days, partly because I came back from a trip two days ago and today I woke up at 5.30am to go to work, but also because I keep thinking that in 24 hours or so I will be in Colorado.

I tried to come up with a plan to try to get the most out of my short stay in the USA. I don't know if I succeeded but I do know that I want to do a lot of things and don't waste even a second (and eat a lot of food because why not, everything is allowed on vacation).

I packed. Yes, I'm ready. Even though I couldn't care less about clothes. All I really want is on the other side of the ocean. I look forward to hugging my American family, drive through the big Coloradan roads, watch a movie altogether, and all the fun stuff we did when I was there. I want to feel like I never left. That's all that counts. I did charge my cameras though because I might release a short movie when I come back.

UPDATE: At the airport, I met a Danish girl who was going to LA to reunite with her boyfriend, who lives there. We had a nice talk, I told her I was going to Denver because I lived in Colorado in the past, and she told me that she commutes to LA every once in a while because she wants to see her boyfriend... the power of love.

Now it's your turn. Have you been back since your exchange year? If yes how long after? how was it? And for those of you who didn't have the opportunity yet, I'm sure you will get one in the near future. What are you looking forward to doing when you go back? Is there something or someone that you specifically miss? Leave a comment.

CONTINUE READING: BACK TO THE USA.

- Cris

It has been months now. I should be okay, I should have moved on. But I never fully did, and probably will never do. Everywhere I go, there is something that reminds me of this and that. No matter how much I try to convince myself that it is not as great as I remember it, my heart wants it more than anything. And even if I will go back, and I will visit, it will never ever be the same. The same school will be full of strangers, the same rotary clubs will be full of new foreign students and I will just be looking from the outside, because I won't be able to be a part of it, not anymore. My time's up. I keep dragging memories everywhere I go and sometimes it gets too much. If you haven't understood yet, I am talking about my exchange year.

If you travel with me I will be really annoying. 

I am not flexible on what I want to do or see, which means that you need to be careful if you express your desire to go somewhere with me because I will be asking you to walk a lot, to stop to take pictures and to skip fancy meals as I can't afford them. If you are still ready to roll, you know where to find me.

- Cris

To fully enjoy our exchange we also have to laugh at ourselves when we do something that might be a bit awkward. The following is a list of things that happened to fellow exchangers:

Accidentally yelling "pussy" instead of "cat" on a bus full of Rotarians, not to mention the time when I told my french teacher that "when I was a kid I used to hate men's balls, but now I love them" instead of saying "squash".

I guess one of the awkward moments of my exchange would be, as a girl, asking my host dad "where are the balls" instead of "bowls".

When I was riding a taxi with my host family the song "I'm horny" started playing on the radio. I was convinced to sing "I'm honey" but apparently I screamed "I'm horny" for three minutes. 

So once I went to dinner with my host dad and my tiny host mom. Then out of curiosity the waiter asked me if my host dad and I were married. Basically he though my host mom was younger than me.

I tried to order bananas, I ordered penis instead.

My youngest host brother would open the door while I was showering, leave it wide open, sit on the floor and watch me. With the entire family hanging out in the other rooms.

I had to explain what "fuck me" means to a 40-year-old Thai man because he kept saying it to me and my friend.

I asked "how much it costs to sleep with you" to a waitress when all I wanted to ask was "how much do dumplings cost?". I love Chinese.

I told my host brother "we will fuck tomorrow" but all I meant was "we will get haircuts tomorrow". Thanks Danish.

I was in Brazil and I said "I want Dick" but I only wanted some bread.

I'm a guy. I asked a girl if she had a dick. I wanted to know if she had bread. I love Portuguese.

My host mother caught my next door neighbour and I kissing, awkward enough?

I told my host mom I wanted some dick for dinner. Chicken, I meant chicken.

You know that accents in Spanish are important right? If not, you should. Because I asked a person "How many assholes do you have?" instead of "How old are you?".

Imagine. It is a warm day. I try to ask if he was hot, but I end up asking him if he is horny. He replies "no?" with a really high voice. Lol.

So in Japan after a big family dinner I said "Thanks for the pussy" instead of "Thanks for the orange". Well.. I tried.

At first we might think "fuck! I just made a fool of myself" but all we have left to do is laugh, really. Whatever happened was just a result of you trying to practice your host language. Of course being grateful for pussy during a family dinner isn't right but if your purpose was to thank for the food then the people will understand, and hopefully break the awkward silence with a big laugh. Do you have some stories to share of your own? Drop them in the comments!

- Cris

A lot of students seek advice on the web when it comes to choosing their host country, by asking which place is the "best" and I've to admit: that is silly. Everyone who will try to answer this question will come up with beautiful countries and real facts, but they won't help your decision because no one can really define what "best" means. It varies from person to person. Your decision can be based on many things, starting off with what you value the most. If you go on exchange you have to ask yourself why you are doing it. The most common answer to that is "I'd like to go there because I wanna learn the language".

Think about the USA. Why do people choose to go there? Because of the language, of the beautiful landscapes. Because of the American dream and future opportunities. But is it really the best country in the world? I can name a few problems. Without going too far, lack of transportation is one of the struggles for exchange students. If you are from the countryside than you're probably used to it, but it was difficult for me to accept that I either had to stay home or annoy someone for a ride.

If you are looking for a place where people are social, probably Denmark isn't your place. People are real nice but it takes a while before they open up to you. If you are a party person, South America probably suits you more than Asia does. If history, culture and food are important to you, you should probably go to Italy on exchange instead of the USA. If you love going to clubs or pubs you might consider not going where the temperature gets really low, because there the way of partying is different (e.g. house-parties).

It all depends on what you are interested in, and what you are willing to take as a challenge. My host town is totally different from my home town but I wouldn't chance a thing of my experience at this point. It was what it was and it gave me tons of opportunities for which I am grateful for today.

Try to focus on what is really important for you and then target some countries. List them and then do some research to find out which one holds the highest number of pros. No one but you can take this life changing decision, do it wisely.

- Cris

Rotary doesn't distinguish itself from the other organisations just by the affordable price, but also by the presence of a symbol of the whole experience of accepting peace and diversity: the Blazer. Probably people think we are crazy collectivists when they see the enormous amount of stuff hanging on our nice jacket, but no we are not pin freaks (at least not before exchange lol). Normally each country has its own color, for example a district in Argentina has a white blazer, Canadians have a red one, the French is blue and so on.

When we wore our blazer it was like appearing on a stage and having to perform but the truth is we were always ourselves, showing our experiences through pins, flight tickets, stickers, ribbons and representing our own country.

We proudly wore our rotary blazer as by doing it we could live once more all the moments symbolised by the patches we had attached to it. It was like always having a part of our friends with us, and when a stranger pointed his finger towards us asking what it was, we answered that it is the place where our emotions are physically gathered.

It's not just a cool/weird jacket full of cheap pins and wraps of papers, it has value. It is not something you wear everyday and that's what makes it extraordinary. I remember having to add things day by day. I left Milan with only few pins, and each one of them was already extremely important, even though my journey abroad wasn't even started yet. There was one from my home district, a Colorado plate, an American flag and a souvenir from St. Moritz, the place where I met my host family (yes, I met my American parents in Europe before flying over). At the end of my exchange the whole front of the blazer was full of pins, I like to have them all in front because I want to be able to see them.

After over 1 year and a half, the other day I put it back on and it felt so weird. I ran my hand all over the stuff linked to the jacket, I closed my eyes and imagined myself back in the States representing Italy as a Rotary Ambassador.

I was really nervous when I had to present my programme to two clubs. "Everyone will look at me" I thought. "Will they be able to understand my english? Is my speech interesting?". Before I even realised I was already talking and making people laugh. Having to wear it made me feel like I was part of something special. Nowadays I still miss wearing it at conferences, events, meetings..
How many things do you have on your blazer? Which color is it? Let me know in the comments!

- Cris