So you've decided that you want to be an exchange student. That alone took a lot of courage, but now comes the hard part, actually leaving your home country to go live with complete strangers who speak a language that you don't understand. I'm here to try to help you with that. For anyone who doesn't know, I've been living in Italy for the past 8 months with AFS/Intercultura. Some of these topics might only affect those who want to study in Italy, but I'm going to try to keep this as relatable as possible for the other countries as well.
1. What the hell did I decide to do?
Go on, freak out a bit. It's not everyday that you decide to leave your entire life behind. While researching the countries I wanted to study in, I got a little carried away. "How cool would it be to study in Egypt? I could see the pyramids! Or how about Ghana, I could volunteer and learn a culture that is completely different from mine. Or maybe Japan. Or New Zealand. Or Brazil. Or or or..." It's easy to get caught up in the idea of a country, but you need to think wisely. Would you like living in the desert? Would you be able to stand the countless vaccines you need to take to study in Africa? Would you be able to afford living in Japan? There are countless factors that you need to think of while choosing a host country. I tried to narrow down my countries by listing them into categories such as: quality of life, food, language, climate, etc. If you like the luxurious things in life, maybe you shouldn't go to a third world country. I thought about going to Indonesia for a while, before thinking that maybe I wouldn't be able to stomach the food (Indonesia may have very good food, but I wanted to have a diet similar to my own.) Will the language you are learning help you later in life? How difficult is it to learn? Have you studied it before? And lastly climate. If you don't like the cold, you probably shouldn't pick a Nordic country. However all of these are just suggestions, and if you have your heart set on a country for some other reason, by all means go. It's your life after all.
Once you've picked your country is when things get hard. As soon as I bought my luggage it hit me, "I'm leaving." This phase is both exciting and nerve racking. You're about to start a new chapter of your life, meet new people, and broaden your knowledge of the world around you. I honestly was counting down the days until I left, but the closer I got to the date of my departure, the more nervous and anxious I got. THIS IS NORMAL! Don't think that because you're nervous you'll miss home that you shouldn't go. I was an emotional wreck the week before I left. Just driving around my town made me cry. But it's just nerves. You're allowed to be nervous! You're allowed to question why you made this decision. But what you're not allowed to do is back out due to fear. To be an exchange student you need to be strong. You need to always think positively.
2. What do I pack?
First things first, how many bags can you bring? With AFS I was allowed one checkable item of luggage that could not weigh more than 40 lbs. and a carry on. Others also brought an additional bag, or other items that they would pay for. Because we were such a big group at JFK airport (over 100 people going to Spain, France, and Italy) the airport checked some of our additional bags for free, but it's best to play it safe if you don't want to pay extra. Check with your airline and with your program because luggage weight and amount can vary.
It's very hard to fit your life into a 40 lbs. suitcase, but somehow I managed to do it. Obviously there are still some things that I wanted to bring, but I don't know if I would have used them. To help me keep track of things I made a list. Once I had bought something that I needed on my list I would put a check mark next to it and once it was packed away I would cross it out. Some things to think about while packing are: How is the climate in my host country? How often will I really use this? Can I use this with more than one outfit? I packed almost entirely light clothing because I was going to live in Southern Italy next to the beach but around November I got a news flash, it gets cold here too. Always pack some warmer clothing. Also, in Italy, you can't wear shorts to school so jeans are your new best friend, even when you're dying of heat exhaustion. I packed about 8 pairs if shorts, and I've used maybe one pair. Also if you're going to Italy you will need to have house shoes/slippers. And no, socks do not count. I am the bane of my host mothers existence because I wear socks around the house, so lately with the temperature rising I've been wearing my flip flops. For girls I would say bring at least one dress and or nice outfit. 18th birthday party's are a big thing in Italy, and they're not very casual. I would personally bring more than one dress and also a skirt. To all of my fellow Starbucks loving white girls out there, leave your Uggs and yoga pants behind. I wore my yoga pants in my own house and people told me how ugly they were. Leggings are acceptable, but try to stick to black. Jewelry wise I would bring a watch, a pair or two of earrings, and a bracelet or necklace. This isn't fashion week, so you can leave your Tiffanys at home. Also try to leave room in your luggage because you're obviously going to want to buy some stuff while you're abroad!
3. How will I learn the language?
This one varies from person to person With AFS we were able to use Rosetta Stone for free. I used it for over 40 hours and do you know what I learned? Nothing. Once I landed it Italy I forgot everything that it had ever tought me. I pretty much arrived in Italy being able to say ciao and pizza. It took me about 5 months to understand and 6 months to speak. I'm still far from fluent but I'm improving every day. You need to be determined to learn a new language. I also have Italian lessons twice a week. I was told by a volunteer that it is very hard for English speakers to a learn a different language, and that's because almost everyone speaks English. You can go through your entire year abroad without learning the language. I would highly recommend not doing that.
4. What if I don't like the family? Or what if the family doesn't like me?
Change. It's as simple as that. If you've given it your best shot and after a month things still aren't ok, it's probably best to part ways. Don't do what I did. I'll talk more about that when I'm back in my own country. I'm not saying to change your family after one little disagreement. But if things are always bad and you don't feel comfortable with the family, switch. And if at one point you want to go home, I would advise you to at least try switching families before leaving the country.
5. School???
If your school is anything like mine, It. Will. Suck. I do absolutely nothing, all day, 6 days a week. (Oh yes, we go to school on Saturdays here in Italy) There are about 3 teachers who have even tried to teach me anything. The others just pretend like I don't exist. Not all schools are like this, there are some exchange students who works their butts off at school. I take my time in school and try to study the language. The only plus side to school is that you find all of your friends, leading to the next topic...
6. What if I have no friends?!
This isn't a very big problem in Southern Italy, but there are some countries where the exchange students are all out ignored. In my school in the US, it's like most exchange students don't even exist. You will need to go out of you way to be social. Join a club. Play a sport. Go out with your host sibling. I'm an introvert, and that's very hard for me, but it's something that you have to do to succeed in your exchange.
7. What is love? Baby don't hurt me..
Love is a strange thing. When abroad you will meet certain people that will make your heart race and make you have butterflies in your stomach. I have not found a boyfriend while abroad, but my best friend from Finland has. Take all of the normal problems of a relationship, multiply that with the language barrier, and then add the fact that there is a literal countdown for the amount of time you spend together, and it will equal up to a nearly impossible relationship. But not all are destined to fail. There are some people who go on to marry their significant others from exchange. Sometimes love comes in unexpected places, which turns into the question. What do I do if I fall in love with my host sibling? The first thing you will do is panic, but after that you need to think reasonably. Do they treat me like a sibling or is there more emotion? What would the parents think? This is the only time
that I would think you should not pursue a relationship while on exchange.
And now for some helpful tips.
Always be thankful and show thanks.
Follow the rules of your family and of your organization.
Try new things.
Talk to you family or volunteers if you have a problem.
Always be kind, even when others aren't.
Look on the bright side.
Keep calm, even when it seems impossible.
Be independent.
Trust yourself, and do what you think is morally right.
Try as hard as you can to learn the language.
You're going to expierience a new culture, not to sight see.
Open your eyes, mind, and heart to your new culture.
There's still so much more to say, and I'll probably be adding things in the next couple of days. If anyone has any questions or has anything to add, just comment or message me on Facebook!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Social Media
So this post is pretty pointless, I just wanted to let everyone know that if you enjoy my blog you can follow me on my other social media sites.
Instagram: oodit
Twitter: @LaurenOodit
Snapchat: lmudit
Also just a friendly tip for anyone on/going on exchange, don't let your electronics rule your life while you're on exchange. It's will cause unnecessary problems.
Instagram: oodit
Twitter: @LaurenOodit
Snapchat: lmudit
Also just a friendly tip for anyone on/going on exchange, don't let your electronics rule your life while you're on exchange. It's will cause unnecessary problems.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Valle di Primiero
Last week I went to the Primiero Valley for my settimana di scambio (exchange week.) Primiero is located in Trentino, about an hour from the city of Trento, and nestled into the Italian Alps. The town was beautiful, I've truly never seen anything like it.
On Saturday the 22nd I got up bright and early at 4am to take a bus to the airport with my friend Giullia from Brazil who was also going to Trento. We arrived at the airport at 6:00 and then waited until noon for our flight. When the time came to board our plane we realized that there were two other students on the same flight. Our plane arrived in Verona around 1:30, where we were greeted by volunteers. When everyone had arrived by plane we headed to Trento to pick up the last students who had come by train. All together we were ten students; myself, Michelle from Australia, Giullia and Andrè from Brazil, Valeria from Columbia, Nagy from Egypt, Veera from Finland, Ture from Hong Kong, Karin from Thailand, and Agustin from Uruguay. The night that we arrived was spent with the family. My family was Flavio and Isabella, who are married at 23 years old, Valentyna, an exchange student from the Czech Republic, and Rocco and Sophie, their two dogs. I really liked the family and hope I can see them again before I leave!
Sunday was spent getting to know our families and that night there was the welcome party. There was a brief presentation on the history of Primiero and the rest of the time we got to know one each other. At a certain point in the night it began to snow and it's one of my favorite memories from the trip, not because snow is something extraordinary for me, but because at least half of the students in our group had never seen snow before. I hope I never forget the look of amazement on their faces. We went to bed pretty early that night to prepare ourselves for our trip the next day to Venice.
Monday was our trip to Venice!! We took a bus and two trains to get there but it was worth it. Venice. Is. Amazing. There really is nothing else like it. The weather wasn't the best but we made the most of it. We split into two groups and took gondola rides. The best way to see the city truly is on the water. Never missing an opportunity to eat, I ate lunch on the gondola. After the gondola ride we went to St. Marc's square. The architecture is breathtaking and I took at least 100 photos. We also decided to feed the giant flock of pigeons. That's where things went a little shitty.
1.Put the crackers in your hand.
Ok.
2.Have the dirty rat birds crawl all over your body (including your head) searching for sead crackers.
Doing good
3.Run away once all crackers are gone to avoid being pooped on.
Failure.
I ended up having my jacket sleeved covered in poop which wouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't freezing and windy that day. Thankfully Andrè had a sweatshirt that he didn't need. After the pigeons we went to a bar and ordered some food and drinks. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but somehow Giullia, Agustin, Flavio, and myself ended up seperated from the group. So we did what any normal people would do and snuck onto a boat and headed to Murano! At the beginning my anxiety was pretty bad but by the time we got to Murano I was all smiles. We spent an hour at Murano where we bought souvenirs for our families. Before heading back Agustin surprised us with bracelets! I still wear mine everyday. Once getting back to Venice we headed to the train station and went back to Primiero with the rest if the group.
Tuesday we went to a caseficio (cheese factory? my English is starting to get really bad) where we saw them prepare all different kinds of cheeses. There was a bit of a smell in the room with year old cheese, but it tasted so good! We then went to a small farm where we saw the cows whose milk was used to make the cheese. After lunch we went walking through the valley. The mountains in Primiero are so beautiful. I've never seen snow covered mountains before then. We also saw wood sculptures that the residents of the valley made. Everyone asks which town is nicer, Primiero or Nova Siri, but it's like comparing apples and oranges. I love the sea in the summertime, but I also missed the mountain air and the smell of trees.
Wednesday we went to the school in Primiero for three hours. Do you all remember how I described my school? Well this school is NOTHING like my school in Nova Siri. This school is three floors and has a wooden roof! I wish the schools down south could be a little more like the schools north. After school we went on a trip to il lago di Calaita, which is a lake high up in the mountains. In summer the lake is surrounded by flowers and vegetation, but in winter the lake is frozen over and covered in snow. We started walking with our giant snow shoes but soon decided to just play in the snow. We had a snowball fight, built a snowman named Selfino (selfies being the photo of choice from the trip), and took lots of pictures.
Thursday was the day that went skiing! Well maybe for the others it was skiing, but for me it was more like repeatedly falling down a hill with sticks on my feet. At the beginning it was bad. What a normal person could ski in five minutes, I did in an hour. After a while I slowly started to get better. During the day most of the group decided to go walking with the snow shoes, but after some bribing I decided to try my luck at skiing another time with Agustin, Ture, and Karin. I was much better this time, cutting the time it took me to do it the first time in half. And I also discovered what my problem is, non posso salire! I can go downhill no problem, but going uphill is a whole other story. Even though I had a sore back and was covered in bruises it was still an enjoyable experience. And I can count skiing (falling) down tha Alps off of my bucket list!
Friday morning was spent at the school and that night we went to eat tipical food of the region at a local restaraunt. We saw how they prepare canederli, which is more or less week old bread, chopped into pieces, soaked in milk, and then rolled into balls with a variety of meats, cheeses, and vegetables. I really liked being able to spend time with the entire group.
Saturday was our last full day together. Saturday morning was spent at the school where we prepared food from our host countries and were forced to sing our national anthems in front of a group of people. I baked peanut butter cookies as my American food. After eating we played dodgeball and soccer with two other classes and designed shirts to remember the week. That night was the going away party. We ate and danced most of the night and were just enjoying each others company. Towards the end of the night the host mothers from the week began to sing a song that they had written for us! By the end of the song I was teary eyed. After dancing a bit more my family decided that it was time to go. As I started saying goodbye to everyone I started to cry, especially when I said goodbye to Agustin and thought about when I had to leave my family tomorrow. "It's already over" was all I kept thinking. When I had said goodby to everyone and started to leave, my entire group of friends came running towards me and we had a final group hug before I left.
Sunday was the day we had to return home. When I said goodbye to my family for the week I miraculously didn't cry in front of them, but she'd a few tears in the car on the way to the airport. At the airport is when I really started to cry. It's amazing how many friendships and strong connections you can make in just a week. We boarded the plane and were back in Bari by 8:00 where Giullia and I waited another 5 hours for thes bus to take us home. I got back in my house in Nova Siri at 2:00 in the morning.
My week in Primiero was by far my best week in Italy, and maybe the most fun I've had in my life. The volunteers, the families, and the students are people I will remember forever. And the friendships I made in just one week I hope will last a lifetime. I'm already planning to meet up with some of my friends from the week, and hopefully we can all meet up as a group one last time before returning in our own countries. I'm so grateful to everyone who made this week possible, and will remember the week for the rest of my life.
On Saturday the 22nd I got up bright and early at 4am to take a bus to the airport with my friend Giullia from Brazil who was also going to Trento. We arrived at the airport at 6:00 and then waited until noon for our flight. When the time came to board our plane we realized that there were two other students on the same flight. Our plane arrived in Verona around 1:30, where we were greeted by volunteers. When everyone had arrived by plane we headed to Trento to pick up the last students who had come by train. All together we were ten students; myself, Michelle from Australia, Giullia and Andrè from Brazil, Valeria from Columbia, Nagy from Egypt, Veera from Finland, Ture from Hong Kong, Karin from Thailand, and Agustin from Uruguay. The night that we arrived was spent with the family. My family was Flavio and Isabella, who are married at 23 years old, Valentyna, an exchange student from the Czech Republic, and Rocco and Sophie, their two dogs. I really liked the family and hope I can see them again before I leave!
Sunday was spent getting to know our families and that night there was the welcome party. There was a brief presentation on the history of Primiero and the rest of the time we got to know one each other. At a certain point in the night it began to snow and it's one of my favorite memories from the trip, not because snow is something extraordinary for me, but because at least half of the students in our group had never seen snow before. I hope I never forget the look of amazement on their faces. We went to bed pretty early that night to prepare ourselves for our trip the next day to Venice.
Monday was our trip to Venice!! We took a bus and two trains to get there but it was worth it. Venice. Is. Amazing. There really is nothing else like it. The weather wasn't the best but we made the most of it. We split into two groups and took gondola rides. The best way to see the city truly is on the water. Never missing an opportunity to eat, I ate lunch on the gondola. After the gondola ride we went to St. Marc's square. The architecture is breathtaking and I took at least 100 photos. We also decided to feed the giant flock of pigeons. That's where things went a little shitty.
1.Put the crackers in your hand.
Ok.
2.Have the dirty rat birds crawl all over your body (including your head) searching for sead crackers.
Doing good
3.Run away once all crackers are gone to avoid being pooped on.
Failure.
I ended up having my jacket sleeved covered in poop which wouldn't have been that bad if it wasn't freezing and windy that day. Thankfully Andrè had a sweatshirt that he didn't need. After the pigeons we went to a bar and ordered some food and drinks. I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but somehow Giullia, Agustin, Flavio, and myself ended up seperated from the group. So we did what any normal people would do and snuck onto a boat and headed to Murano! At the beginning my anxiety was pretty bad but by the time we got to Murano I was all smiles. We spent an hour at Murano where we bought souvenirs for our families. Before heading back Agustin surprised us with bracelets! I still wear mine everyday. Once getting back to Venice we headed to the train station and went back to Primiero with the rest if the group.
Tuesday we went to a caseficio (cheese factory? my English is starting to get really bad) where we saw them prepare all different kinds of cheeses. There was a bit of a smell in the room with year old cheese, but it tasted so good! We then went to a small farm where we saw the cows whose milk was used to make the cheese. After lunch we went walking through the valley. The mountains in Primiero are so beautiful. I've never seen snow covered mountains before then. We also saw wood sculptures that the residents of the valley made. Everyone asks which town is nicer, Primiero or Nova Siri, but it's like comparing apples and oranges. I love the sea in the summertime, but I also missed the mountain air and the smell of trees.
Wednesday we went to the school in Primiero for three hours. Do you all remember how I described my school? Well this school is NOTHING like my school in Nova Siri. This school is three floors and has a wooden roof! I wish the schools down south could be a little more like the schools north. After school we went on a trip to il lago di Calaita, which is a lake high up in the mountains. In summer the lake is surrounded by flowers and vegetation, but in winter the lake is frozen over and covered in snow. We started walking with our giant snow shoes but soon decided to just play in the snow. We had a snowball fight, built a snowman named Selfino (selfies being the photo of choice from the trip), and took lots of pictures.
Thursday was the day that went skiing! Well maybe for the others it was skiing, but for me it was more like repeatedly falling down a hill with sticks on my feet. At the beginning it was bad. What a normal person could ski in five minutes, I did in an hour. After a while I slowly started to get better. During the day most of the group decided to go walking with the snow shoes, but after some bribing I decided to try my luck at skiing another time with Agustin, Ture, and Karin. I was much better this time, cutting the time it took me to do it the first time in half. And I also discovered what my problem is, non posso salire! I can go downhill no problem, but going uphill is a whole other story. Even though I had a sore back and was covered in bruises it was still an enjoyable experience. And I can count skiing (falling) down tha Alps off of my bucket list!
Friday morning was spent at the school and that night we went to eat tipical food of the region at a local restaraunt. We saw how they prepare canederli, which is more or less week old bread, chopped into pieces, soaked in milk, and then rolled into balls with a variety of meats, cheeses, and vegetables. I really liked being able to spend time with the entire group.
Saturday was our last full day together. Saturday morning was spent at the school where we prepared food from our host countries and were forced to sing our national anthems in front of a group of people. I baked peanut butter cookies as my American food. After eating we played dodgeball and soccer with two other classes and designed shirts to remember the week. That night was the going away party. We ate and danced most of the night and were just enjoying each others company. Towards the end of the night the host mothers from the week began to sing a song that they had written for us! By the end of the song I was teary eyed. After dancing a bit more my family decided that it was time to go. As I started saying goodbye to everyone I started to cry, especially when I said goodbye to Agustin and thought about when I had to leave my family tomorrow. "It's already over" was all I kept thinking. When I had said goodby to everyone and started to leave, my entire group of friends came running towards me and we had a final group hug before I left.
Sunday was the day we had to return home. When I said goodbye to my family for the week I miraculously didn't cry in front of them, but she'd a few tears in the car on the way to the airport. At the airport is when I really started to cry. It's amazing how many friendships and strong connections you can make in just a week. We boarded the plane and were back in Bari by 8:00 where Giullia and I waited another 5 hours for thes bus to take us home. I got back in my house in Nova Siri at 2:00 in the morning.
My week in Primiero was by far my best week in Italy, and maybe the most fun I've had in my life. The volunteers, the families, and the students are people I will remember forever. And the friendships I made in just one week I hope will last a lifetime. I'm already planning to meet up with some of my friends from the week, and hopefully we can all meet up as a group one last time before returning in our own countries. I'm so grateful to everyone who made this week possible, and will remember the week for the rest of my life.
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