My High School Exchange Year Playlist

Music plays an important role in your lives, or at least in mine. Today I want to talk about the songs I listened the most during my stay in the United States of America. They are not necessary songs of artists I love or know well, but for one reason or another, they were part of my experience.


"This city never sleeps at night. It's time to begin, isn't it?"
- It's Time by Imagine Dragons

"Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart. I can't tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start."
- Wake Me Up by Avicii

"Hold me fast, 'cause I'm a hopeless wanderer."
- Hopeless Wanderer by Mumford & Sons

"We'll never be as young as we are now. It's time to leave this old black and white town."
- Never Be by 5 Seconds Of Summer

"Afraid to lose control and caught up in this world. I wasted time, I've wasted breath. I think I've thought myself to death."
- Come With Me Now by Kongos

"I had a dream so big and loud, I jumped so high I touched the clouds. I stretched my hands out to the sky. We danced with monsters through the night."
- Best Day Of My Life by American Authors

"I am climbing over something, I am running through these walls."
- Believe by Mumford & Sons

"If you love somebody, better tell them while they're here 'cause, they just may run away from you."
- On The Top Of The World by Imagine Dragons

"Land me ur eyes I can change what u see, but your soul u must keep, totally free."
- Awake My Soul by Mumford & Sons

"I wish that I could be like the cool kids"
- Cool Kids by Echosmith

"Hope when you take that jump you don't feel the fall. Hope when the water rises you built a wall. Hope when the crowd screams out it's screaming your name. Hope if everybody runs you choose to stay. [...] I swear I lived."
- I Lived by One Republic

"And the dreams you left behind you didn't need them, like every single wish we ever made. I wish that I could wake up with amnesia, and forget about the stupid little things."
- Amnesia by 5 Seconds Of Summer

"Nobody said it was easy, no one ever said it would be this hard. Oh, take me back to the start."
- The Scientist by Coldplay

"I want to turn the clock back, right back to where it was. So let's build a bridge, from your side to mine. I'll be the one to cross over, just tell me it's not the end of the line.."
- Up by Olly Murs ft. Demi Lovato

"I think that I found myself a cheerleader, she's always right there when I need her."
- Cheerleader by OMI

"When I get older I will be stronger, they'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag, and then it goes back."
- Waving Flag by K'naan

"And I don’t even know how I survive, I won’t make it to the show without your light. No, I don’t even know if I’m alive. Oh, oh, oh without you now, this is what it feels like."
- This Is What It Feels Like by Armin van Buuren

"They say we are what we are, but we don’t have to be. I'm bad behavior but I do it in the best way. could be immortals."
- Immortals by Fall Out Boy

"How do I breathe without you feeling so cold, I'll be waiting right here for ya till the day you're home."
- See You Again by Charlie Puth

"If you ever find yourself stuck in the middle of the sea, I'll sail the world to find you. If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see, I'll be the light to guide you."
- Count On Me by Bruno Mars

"I just wanna know if you're gonna stay. I just gotta know. I can't have it, I can't have it any other way."
- Riptide by Vance Joy

"Save your advice 'cause I won't hear, you might be right but I don't care. There's a million reasons why I should give you up, but the heart wants what it wants."-
- The Heart Wants What It Wants by Selena Gomez

"Some legends are told, some turn to dust or to gold.
But you will remember me for centuries."
- Centuries by Fall Out Boy

These are some of the songs which were part of my playlist during my exchange year and have a particular meaning to me, but others are Shake It Off (because it was played everywhere, it was impossible not to listen to it at least 5 times a day, lol), Africa (because my host brother played a few times during spring break), Love Me Like You Do, Want You To Want Me and a few others. Which songs did you listen to the most on exchange? Comment below to let me know!

- Cris

HOW TO DEAL WITH HOMESICKNESS.


If I have to be honest, I wasn't homesick when first I got abroad. I was homesick four or five months later, basically the period between my birthday and Christmas, but nothing major. At the beginning though, as I said, I was not. Because I was really excited to be in America, I waited for so long that I could not think about home at that time. I am from Milan and I lived in a smaller town in Northern Colorado, but I didn't care at all. I was where I've always wanted to be. I didn't have all the services that Milan offered me, but I loved Colorado and I adapted myself to that kind of life because going on exchange means being flexible. 


So how do we behave when homesickness hits us hard?

No one forced you to go abroad.

You left home because you wanted to. You waited a long time, you dreamed of it for months or even years. And now that you are finally abroad, you think about home? You seriously think that eleven months is a long time? You have a whole life ahead of you to spend back home, don't be sad now that you have the opportunity to start from scratch.

Stay away from Social Networks.

Don't open Facebook for a few days. Give it a rest, because scrolling your feed and looking at what your friends are doing back at home without you isn't going to help you feel any better. Don't Skype with your family every single day. Do you even have something new to say from one day to the other? Probably not, especially when you don't feel good. You might just end up complaining about everything with your parents who will worry about you for no reason because they can't do anything since you are so far away. Just skype once every couple of weeks, that way you will have a lot to talk about and will decide to focus your interest in telling your mom all the good things that happened to you rather than the bad things.

Leave your room.

I'm going to be honest with you. You won't have a second chance. When you will go back home you will be telling yourself "I wish I spent my time differently". So, since you are living the moment right now my advice for you is: Do not spend too much time in your room. You should be there only when you go to sleep. What? You need to write a paper for tomorrow? That's okay, do it in the living room. Talk to your host family, maybe they will also help you out if you need. If you feel bored don't sit on your bed with your phone, talk to your host mom while she cooks. Go to the grocery store with your host dad and help him carry the kart. Engage with the people you live with and all of the sudden you will feel better.

The clock is ticking.

Now you're all sad. You miss your mom's food, petting your dog and grabbing coffee with your friends. I get it. But you will make it through this, and hopefully very soon because the clock is ticking. Your exchange isn't endless. All you worked for, all the paperwork you had to fill up, all the money you invested, all the things you built so far.. would you really give it all up just to have something that you will soon get anyways? Your mom's food can wait, and so everything else.
Live it up. You will know if you fully lived it because it will hurt when you will have to fly back home. However, it will be worth it. I promise.


Facebook Memories are evil but also really nice. Evil because you see how happy you were and can't go back in time. Really nice because they are reminders that good things happen. 
While I was on exchange, I posted something on my Facebook wall, and I'd like to share it with you because my friends told me that it actually helped them:

"Homesickness is not good, stop for a minute and think about all the stuff that's around you. I am not used to living in a small farm town, without public transportation, but what about the people I met during the exchange? what about my awesome host family? what about all the "first times" I experienced? Honestly, I am not ready to leave yet. I'm not ready for home. I'm not ready to go back and say "everything is gone" or "was I really there? was it a dream?". People say "you will meet your friends again" or "you can come back and visit" but they don't see things the way we, exchange students, do. It's the combination of everything that makes our exchange year unique. I can come back and visit, but what about high school, I can't just come back to school as well. In addition, my rotary friends won't be there, and so most of the seniors in my class because they will be going out of state for college. So yeah, I still have a few weeks and I will do my best to enjoy this experience until the end."

- Cris

HOW TO CONVINCE PARENTS TO LET YOU GO ON EXCHANGE.


In my case, to get a yes wasn't the easiest thing. I had to ask my parents several times, I tried to prove them that it was good for me to leave. They obviously knew that it could have been great for me to study abroad but as a parent, it was hard for them to let me go away for one year. Some parents don't see why it is good to experience a year abroad, others don't have enough money and others don't trust the strangers their sons will have to deal with. 

Step 1
Ask them what they think about the experience;
Step 2
If they are against it, ask them to explain to you why they think so;
Step 3
If you have some friends who left ask them how they are doing, which were the problems they had to go through, how they handled them, how they convinced their parents to let them go;
Step 4 
Step 2 was about asking your parents explanation on why they are against it, now you need to write a list of why you see yourself being an exchange student and what values this whole experience would give you. Basically, you need to show them that you care, and why.


It is easier for the students themselves to decide, but for the parents, this whole process is harder. We need to prove them that we can do it and that they can trust us. They trusted me as soon as I proved them they could, even if they always did. I did everything I had to do all by myself. I found Rotary, I decided it was the right program for me. I filled out all the paperwork by myself, and it was in English by the way. They couldn't say no. I had other problems at the beginning but I proved my parents they weren't an obstacle.

People grow a lot when they spend time by themselves. I found out and learned stuff I didn't know before, I learned that something that for me is normal can be less normal somewhere else. I had to follow my budget. For me, it was like living by myself and I loved it. I did my laundry, I kept my closet organized and stuff. I also did it at home, but my mom would always double check whether it was good or not, she would go through my stuff and put it else where, so when I had to find something it was like playing treasure hunt.

So the list you have to show your parents should be something like this:

PROS
To learn a new language;
To socialize with new people/networking;
To become familiar with a new culture;
To become independent and more open minded;
To learn how to spend time by yourself.
etc.
    If you behaved differently please drop a comment and share with us your technique, it might be helpful for whoever will read this post.

    - Cris

    WHY SHOULD I BE AN EXCHANGE STUDENT?


    I know that some people at the beginning decided to study abroad to learn a new language, but when you come back home you realize how much more you learned and the language becomes just one of the many things. This is my case, I came back speaking English and that's the first thing people tell me, like "your English is very good" and no one focuses on how independent I became abroad and stuff like that.


    REASONS WHY 
    BEING AN EXCHANGE STUDENT IS AWESOME:

    You meet people from all over the world and discover new interests.

    For example, I always wanted to go to the US so badly that I didn't realize how wonderful some other places can be. I met people from South America, Asia, Europe etc. and now I'm really having a hard time deciding where I should go for my next holiday!

    You connect with people you have never known before. 

    By the time you will be close to fly back home you will realize how many people you met and how many people love you and will miss you. It will be nice to think that you have family and friends even abroad. It will be hard to be far apart but friendship is stronger than distance.

    You will have more than one home. 

    Leaving for a year is a huge step in life. In less than 12 months anything can happen and you have to settle in by yourself in a new environment, but trust me when I tell you that your host country will become your home by the end of the year. For me, it was harder to leave than to arrive.

    You will be on your own.

    If you are anything like me, you will enjoy your own space. Yes, I was hardly in my room because I always tried to hang out with my host family and friends, but it was nice to know that at the end of the day I could just close the door behind my back and do my own things.

    You will learn a new language. 

    Some people choose the country they want to go to based on its official language, but in my opinion, the language should not be the only thing to think about. Choose a place because you are interested in it, even if learning its language will be challenging. Go to Italy. Italian might not be an important language but hey, you will be cool because you will be able to speak it! And don't worry about your English, you can improve that as well by simply using it when it becomes more convenient.

    You will realize who your real friends are.

    Before you depart for your long term commitment, everyone seems so sad and claims that you will be missed. The truth is that just a few of those will be able to prove it to you and will stick by your side even with an ocean in between. The first ones cheering for you at home are your family members.

    Traveling is the best way of learning.

    Professors might tell you to read page 57 of your book to learn about Italy. They might explain you the culture and teach you the language, but the best way of learning all of this is to be there and see things with your own eyes. You won't understand what Italy is really about unless you move there and live as Italians do.


    - Cris

    Why choosing the Rotary Youth Exchange Program to Study Abroad


    There are lots of organizations out there that allow students to study abroad. However, today we will be focusing on the Rotary Youth Exchange Program, thanks to which I was able to spread my wings and travel to the unknown.

    affordable
    I am 99% sure that most students are most concerned about one thing in particular, and that is cost. What I can tell you is that Rotary is among the most affordable programmes out there. Cost is kept to a minimum (subscription fee, health insurance, flights, visa fees). Plus, your Rotary host club will give you a monthly allowance so that you can cover expenses such as your phone bill or school supplies (you can also literally spend it on pizza and movie tickets).

    you will be taken care of
    Being sent to a place where everything is new to you at a young age isn't easy, is it? It is important that you always have someone to contact in case something doesn't feel just right. Rotary ensures that exchange students have counsellors in both their home town and host town. It also organizes a post-arrival orientation and many "team-building" events throughout the year (which usually coincide with outbound orientations, fundraisers, and conferences). The post-arrival orientation is probably the most exciting. You will meet all the brave exchange students from all over the world that will study nearby you, learn about the rules, meet Rotarians that will become your point of reference when something just isn't working the way it is supposed to be, and more. I still remember clearly my orientation to this day. My group and I were camping in the middle of nowhere in Wyoming. No phone connection, no social media, no warm showers. And that is how I met my best friends.


    you will be an ambassador for your own country
    You will not wear a blazer just because it's stylish. Your blazer represents your role abroad. You will be an ambassador for your own country. Many will look at you and think "Why is that person wearing patches and pins?" but I guess that's the fun of it. Just remember that your actions will reflect your culture and where you are from, so try to be always your self best. You might be wondering if you can choose your colour and the answer is no. Every district has its own colour. Check with your local rotary before purchasing your blazer. As time passes by the jacket grows with you. All the things you do and all the people you meet will have a place in your jacket and in your heart. It's all about promoting peace, diversity, and cooperation between people. Students do so by exchanging pins the very first time they meet. It may sound silly to people not familiar with it. However, let me tell you: it is a very good way of breaking the ice when you meet someone new. You will soon end up with incredible friends from all over the world, who will love you regardless of where you are from.

    you will live with more than one family
    We are all different from one another, even if we are from the same country, right? That is exactly why Rotary assigns students to move than one family. You will get to know more people, and, as a consequence, more about the culture of your host country. It can definitely be hard to be moving from a family you really love, but the good thing is that at the end of the year you may have not one but two families to love as your own.

    What are you waiting for? Have you packed your stuff yet? The experience of your life awaits!

    - Cris
    adventure
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