#31 Exchange Student Tag

Hi guys! I've decided to do this tag so you can get to know me and my adventure a bit better.

❤ What is your name, age, nationality and company?
I'm Emma, I'm 17 (18 next month), I'm from Italy. My Italian travel organization is WEP and my American one is CHI. I give you the links if you are interested in taking a look at their websites.

https://www.wep.org/

https://www.chinet.org/


❤ Where are you living your exchange year?
I'm currently in the United States, in the city of Salem in the state of Oregon, on the west coast.


❤ Why did you decide to be an exchange student?
There were always some exchange students in my Italian high school from different places every year and I always admired them just for being there. Two years ago I met this Austrian girl and she told me the name of her organization so I did some researches, read a loooot of blogs, spoken with a loooot of people, did a loooot of things and here I am. I needed to do this to go beyond my limits and experience something new, and I can promise you it's completely worthwhile.


❤ What did you think when you first stepped out of the plane?
I think I already mentioned it in another post, but anyway, once I stepped out of the plane my only thought was to find my luggage. You should know that before departing I had all the plans in my mind about what to do at the airport, so as soon as I walked out of the plane my mind was set with "Find your luggage and then find your family". It probably sounds crazy but I wasn't ready to see them before my luggage.


❤ What is the weirdest thing you have tasted so far?
It might sound banal but I have to say that the weirdest thing for me was pineapple pizza. You have to understand that as a small, innocent Italian I had just heard about this myth of pineapple on my beloved pizza. Well, after almost 10 months in the U.S....I like it. Yes I actually really enjoy pineapple on pizza or on everywhere else.


❤ How do you like the school in your host country?
I really like some aspects of American high schools but I also think that there are some lacks in thus system. Students are provided a wide range of courses of all kinds (from cooking classes to pottery and mythology, forensic science and engineering) and of all levels (from basic math to college classes), the only problem is that it's all really simplified and since students are not required to take all the classes they don't really have a general basic culture of a little bit of everything. I'm not talking about all the students, because those ones who want to learn are really prepared, but I have the impression that they are not enough.
I like the fact that teachers focus more on working in class than giving a bunch of homework and the relationships teachers-students are completely the opposite of what we have in Italy. I also love that the school supports and encourages sports and other extracurricular activities like clubs or others.
Overall though, I have to say that the Italian system is really strict and it requires to study hard, but it also prepares students better. (Personal opinion)... just to be clear this doesn't mean that I'm missing my Italian school. Not at all.


❤ How do people dress in your host country (in your opinion)?
At school everyone can wear what he/she wants. No one id going to judge you if you show up in your pijama or in green and bright pink. I noticed that at school people dress up either really casual or really fancy. (because America is either all or nothing hahaha).


❤ If your exchange year was a song, what would it be?
Probably I Lived by the One Republic. Listen to it and you'll get why.


❤ How do you imagine the day you are going home?
Well, this may be even crazier than the luggage thing. I had a dream about me going home. In this dream I was looking at myself from the outside, meaning my point of view was as an outsider watching what was going on. I dreamed myself open the front door of my house in Italy, stepping inside with all my stuff, seating on the new couch that my parents bought while I was here, and just looking around completely lost for who knows how long.


P.S. 21 days til graduation.