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Harry went on high school exchange to Italy

Harry went on high school exchange to Italy

Hi! My name is Harry and I went to Italy for my exchange year. I lived in Cagliari, Sardinia, for 10 months.

Why an exchange year and why Italy?

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. I 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.

Italian school

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.

Friends and free time

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.

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!

The host family

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 🐶. 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.

Learning Italian

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.

Differences between Italy and Sweden

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.

Was your exchange year what you expected?

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

What is the most important thing you learned during your time abroad?

If you try and make an effort, you will get results. I have developed a kind of “I can do it” mentality.

What is the best thing about your exchange?

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’t too bad to live on a Mediterranean island with some of the world’s most beautiful beaches for a year… 

My best memories

  • The feeling when I realized, “I can speak Italian!” When I had my first real conversation with my host mom, who doesn't speak English at all. It was an amazing feeling that I will never forget. Also, when I was able to start talking to my Italian grandfather – that feeling was amazing. And the first time I understood an entire lesson at school, that was really cool.
  • Eating seafood such as snails, lobster, oysters, and octopus – I had never dared to try it before, but in Sardinia it was a must.
  • Visiting Venice with the other exchange students.
  • The feeling of belonging somewhere else. It came quite early for me. I remember the first time I really felt “this is my home” when I came home after school and threw myself on the sofa.
  • All the crazy laughter my host mom and I had every day at lunchtime (in Italy, you eat at home, not at school).
  • When my family from Sweden visited me at the end of my exchange, it was a great feeling to show them around my city, Cagliari. They were also really impressed to hear me speaking Italian fluently, haha.

My best tips

  1. Try to study the language a little before you go. It will be much easier and faster to learn once you are there.
  2. Dare to step out of your comfort zone and speak the language as early as possible.

Would you recommend going on an exchange during high school?

100%! It's a completely unique experience. You grow as a person when you live with people from a different culture. It gives you a new perspective. And of course, it's also a lot of fun.

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Mathildas exchange year in Italy

Mathildas exchange year in Italy

Ciao, my name is Mathilda and I’m 17 years old. I’m from Finland and I spent my exchange year in Italy during the 24/25 school year. I was placed in the beautiful Northern-Italy near lake Maggiore.

Why did I choose Italy?

I always knew that I wanted to do an exchange year when the time would come, but a few years ago I was still thinking about which country will be good for me. I knew from the start that I wasn’t interested in America like many people are but luckily STS had many other countries around the world for me to choose from. I came to the decision to stay in Europe and to experience a different culture from my own. I looked at Spain and Italy and made the decision to choose Italy because: of the delicious food, versatile nature, fun people and the gorgeous language. I thought that Italy had so much to offer, which it did.

What was school like in Italy?

I was sure that school will be much harder than at home, and it was true. Italian students have a lot of work to do at home and in school they mostly listen to the teachers. But of course for me as an exchange student, who doesn’t even need any grades from the year, the teachers didn’t give me the same work as they got. I got to customize my timetable a bit to get more italian and subjects I’m interested in. In Italian high schools, there are different “lines” for example language line, scientific line, artistic line and many others.

After school activities

Finding something to do after school is very important to keep you busy and meet new people. In my area it wasn’t possible to continue my sport from home, so it was an excellent opportunity to try a new sport. I chose tennis and I’m happy about my decision. I learnt a new sport that I now continue back home and I got new friends. I played in a small group with girls my age. In addition to tennis I taught english as a volunteer at my host-sisters elementary school. This experience taught me a lot of things and the little kids were adorable. Every friday I went to Italian lessons with a few other exchange students and some days I went for lunch with classmates.

Building relationships

Having a good relationship with your host family and building friendships is important during your exchange, but it can be hard. It is important to spend time with your host family for example cooking with them, playing games or going outside. I felt this very easy because italians love to be around people. I found my best friend from my class. We had talked a bit and then I got the courage to ask her for lunch after school and that’s when we started to get closer as friends. You can’t expect that everyone will approach you so as an exchange student you will have to do some work as well to build strong relationships.

Learning a new language

This was easily the biggest thing I was scared of before my exchange. Having to learn a new language from zero. I knew some words before so during the first days I caught people saying those specific words sometimes but little by little I started to understand the language and memorizing more words and phrases. In the end it is quite easy to catch a language because you will hear it at school, hobbies, family and shops etc. Around christmas time I felt more comfortable and started to speak only Italian. It is a journey that needs time and patience but it is worth it!

Highlights of my year

During my year I was lucky enough to visit many beautiful places in Italy. My exchange organization in Italy made trips during the year and I participated on trips to Florence and Venice. With my host family we went skiing for a week in the mountains and over easter time we visited Croatia. Also I really enjoyed visiting Milan often.

Why did I choose STS

I felt very comfortable choosing STS because I knew they are reliable and care about each student. They truly want a safe and fun experience for every exchange student. It was nice that they were in contact with me during the exchange year and asked me how I was going.

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Paula a choisi de faire ses études en Italie

Paula a choisi de faire ses études en Italie

Il y a 5 ans, Paula Binder, Autrichienne, a effectué un échange en High School en Italie.

Il y a 5 ans, j’ai décidé de passer un semestre en High School à Trento, en Italie. Ça a été une décision difficile à prendre pour moi, vu que j’ai généralement le mal du pays quelques jours à peine après être partie de chez moi. Un semestre entier, ça m’a semblé une éternité.

Mais… C’aura été la meilleure décision que je pouvais prendre ! Ça a été une expérience unique, dans un pays que j’aimais déjà énormément. Apprendre la plus belle langue du monde et rencontrer tant de gens géniaux, tout en vivant au cœur de la vie italienne, c’était vraiment dingue. Trento restera à jamais gravé dans mon cœur, mon chez moi loin de chez moi.

Il n’y a pas plus enrichissant que d’apprendre une nouvelle langue. Alors oui, ça peut être très dur au début, mais on réalise vite qu’on fait des progrès.

En plus d’améliorer mon italien, cette expérience à l’étranger m’a également permis de gagner en confiance et en indépendance.

Choisir STS aura été la meilleure décision. Merci STS !

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Elena est partie un an en échange en Italie

Elena est partie un an en échange en Italie

Elena, Autrichienne, est partie un an en Italie.

À 13 ans déjà, je savais que je voulais partir un an à l’étranger.

J’ai d’abord pensé à une destination classique, les USA. Mais en y réfléchissant, j’ai décidé que, même si l’expérience aurait été fantastique, je voulais aussi apprendre une nouvelle langue.

Depuis que je suis petite, ma famille et moi sommes souvent partis en vacances dans le Nord de l’Italie, mais sans que je puisse jamais comprendre la langue. Du coup, quand l’occasion s’est présentée, j’ai décidé de la saisir et de partir un an en Italie.

La barrière de la langue

Au début, la barrière de la langue était un vrai problème, surtout dans ma famille d’accueil. Mais après 2 mois, jour après jour, ça a commencé à être de plus en plus facile. À peu près vers Noël, j’ai vraiment commencé à parler italien et à me faire de vrais amis.

Temps fort

Un moment fort a été le Model UN auquel j’ai participé, j’ai rencontré mes meilleurs amis dans le bus pour y aller. À partir de ce moment-là, je les ai revus tous les dimanche soir et j’ai encore plus apprécié mon séjour à l’étranger. Après mon échange, ils m’ont rendu visite à Vienne, où je vis en Autriche.

Se quitter

Ça a été très difficile de dire au revoir à tout le monde, et les amis que je me suis faits là-bas me manquent tous les jours. J’espère pouvoir y retourner bientôt.

Ça vaut le coup !

Au final, je dirais que partir à l’étranger est un sacré défi, mais les souvenirs, les expériences et les amis qu’on rencontre font que l’aventure vaut vraiment le coup.

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Ode est partie en programme d’échange en Italie

Ode est partie en programme d’échange en Italie

Ode van Daele, Belge, est partie en Italie.

J’ai toujours su que je voulais partir en Italie. La langue, la culture, la cuisine, tout m’attirait. Du coup, j’ai participé à une immersion scolaire de 3 mois.

Ce trimestre a filé, et je n’aurais jamais pensé me faire aussi vite à ma nouvelle vie en Italie. Je suis tellement reconnaissante de la chance qu’on m’a donnée, que ce soit ma famille belge, ma famille d’accueil, mes amis, mes camarades de classe, mon école italienne, ou STS.

La vie en Italie

J’ai vécu à Savone, sur la côte nord de l’Italie. Quand je suis arrivée à l’aéroport, ma famille d’accueil m’attendait, toute excitée de me voir. Il y avait les 2 parents et les 3 sœurs de 10, 14 et 17 ans. Grâce à eux, j’ai énormément appris et j’ai visité des endroits incroyables : ils m’ont emmenée à Venise, en Toscane, aux Cinq Terres, et j’en passe !

En m’incluant dans leur quotidien, mes sœurs m’ont très vite permis de me sentir à l’aise parmi elles. J’étais dans la même classe que l’ainée et elle m’a présentée à tous ses amis. J’ai commencé le scoutisme avec la cadette, où j’ai aussi été très bien accueillie, et on est même allées en France !

Apprendre l’italien

Au début, j’avais du mal à bien suivre les cours parce que je ne parlais pas du tout italien. Mais avec l’aide de l’école, j’ai pu prendre des cours d’italien, ce qui m’a permis de comprendre de mieux en mieux. Ma sœur m’a aussi bien aidée pour les devoirs.

Mais c’est dans la famille que j’ai le plus appris la langue. Au début on parlait anglais, mais comme tout le monde ne le parlait pas, c’était parfois difficile de communiquer, et j’ai vite été obligée de me mettre à l’italien.

Différences entre Italie et Belgique

La vie en Belgique et en Italie est très différente. En Belgique, je vis à la campagne, et en Italie, je me suis retrouvée en pleine ville. Les cours se terminent beaucoup plus tôt en Italie, et j’avais tous mes après-midis pour faire des activités en famille, aller à la plage, visiter d’autres villes ou juste sortir prendre une glace.

Apprentissages

Je conseille à n’importe qui de participer à un programme d’échange, c’est vraiment le meilleur moyen de se développer personnellement. J’ai appris qu’il fallait oser s’ouvrir à de nouvelles aventures et que vivre à l’étranger vous ouvre les yeux. Je ne me suis jamais sentie aussi bien, et je le dois à tout ce que j’ai appris en Italie.

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