{"id":12298,"date":"2025-10-11T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/preprod.sts-education.com\/blog\/2026\/03\/05\/harry-went-on-high-school-exchange-to-italy\/"},"modified":"2026-04-17T10:11:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-17T10:11:15","slug":"harry-went-on-high-school-exchange-to-italy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sts-education.com\/de-ch\/high-school\/unsere-austauschschueler-innen\/schuler-testimonials\/harry-went-on-high-school-exchange-to-italy\/","title":{"rendered":"Harry went on high school exchange to Italy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n

Harry went on high school exchange to Italy<\/h1>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"Harry<\/picture><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\n

Hi! My name is Harry and I went to Italy for my exchange year. I lived in Cagliari, Sardinia, for 10 months.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n

Why an exchange year and why Italy?<\/h2>\n

I thought it seemed very exciting to immerse myself in a new culture, with new people, a new language, and of course new experiences. A year where I could find what I wanted and develop myself as a person.\u00a0I chose to go to Italy because when my mother and I were there on a ski trip, I fell in love with the language and the way the people seemed to be. My impression of Italians was that they were talkative, welcoming, and seemed to enjoy their lives. This was something I wanted to experience and learn from.<\/p>\n

Italian school<\/h2>\n

I found school in Italy to be old-fashioned compared to Swedish schools. The teachers mostly lectured and we didn't do any group work. The teachers were more authoritarian than in Sweden, where you are more like friends with your teachers. Another thing was that you went to school six days a week, even on Saturdays. However, the school days were short and you always had lunch at home after school. School was very challenging for me at first, especially since I didn't know the language. But of course, it got better as time went on.<\/p>\n

Friends and free time<\/h2>\n

It was pretty easy for me to make friends. My classmates were very welcoming and kind. They invited me to join them from the beginning. I also tried to always have something to do in my free time. I played a lot of soccer and went to the gym. Sports are a great thing because you find a common interest with others your age.<\/p>\n

I also became very close with the other exchange students in Sardinia. Sometimes it can be difficult to be with people who don't really understand what it's like to be an exchange student, so it was very nice to have the other exchange students. My best friends among the other exchange students came from Mexico, Belgium, Bolivia, Denmark, and Sweden. One of the Swedes turned out to live very close to where my Swedish family has just moved, so now we are neighbors in Sweden!<\/p>\n

The host family<\/h2>\n

Living with another family can sound scary. And in the beginning, it was a little strange. I was placed with a family with a mother and host sister the same age as me and a one-year-old poodle \ud83d\udc36. There were some culture clashes at times, as there is quite a big difference between family culture in Sweden and Italy. But I quickly got used to it and then my host family and I became very close. They are now like an extra family that I can talk to about problems, how I feel, what I think about different things, etc. My host sister has already visited me in Sweden.<\/p>\n

Learning Italian<\/h2>\n

I didn't know any Italian before I came to Italy. At first it was difficult and felt almost scary, far from my comfort zone. It wasn't very easy to talk English either, as most Italians don't speak English very well. But when I started to understand Italian, it became so much more fun. Around Christmas, I decided to really give speaking Italian a shot, and then it went quite quickly. When I went back home to Sweden, I was basically fluent.<\/p>\n

Differences between Italy and Sweden<\/h2>\n

Apart from the climate and school, the biggest difference was how people are. In Sweden, people are a little more quiet and reserved. In Italy, people love people and are very welcoming. They love being social and can be quite loud hahaha.<\/p>\n

Was your exchange year what you expected?<\/h2>\n

No, haha. I thought everything would come naturally, I didn't realize that it would take a lot of effort to learn the language.<\/p>\n

What is the most important thing you learned during your time abroad?<\/h2>\n

If you try and make an effort, you will get results. I have developed a kind of \u201cI can do it\u201d mentality.<\/p>\n

What is the best thing about your exchange?<\/h2>\n

The people I've gotten to know, both family and friends, and experiencing a different culture. I will always have Italy and my host family in my heart. Also, it wasn\u2019t too bad to live on a Mediterranean island with some of the world\u2019s most beautiful beaches for a year\u2026 \uf04a<\/p>\n

My best memories<\/h2>\n