Relationships with the host family
I will never know how to thank my host family for making me feel part of the family from the very beginning, and after eight months I can finally say that I feel for all intents and purposes part of it. I spend most of my time with them, starting with dinner, the time where we all get together to cook and eat, an opportunity to converse compare notes and talk about future plans. We often gather in the living room to watch movies or soccer games together, or to play cards, but we also love spending time outdoors and with the other family members, who also treat me for all intents and purposes just as if I were a niece or cousin. The host family’s affection is the most important thing during an exchange student’s journey, and I have never lacked that. I am not just a roommate; rather, they make me feel like a real daughter and big sister. I always count on them, and they know very well that I am always there for them as well. I consider myself really lucky to have found such a caring and attentive family.
Relationships with the host community and friends
From a community and cultural point of view, I have been told that I am “more German” than some Germans, and I am very pleased with that, because it means that I have integrated into the community and have been able to move beyond the cultural barriers that may arise. I have a lot of friends here: almost all of them are students in my school, in my school class, and I’ve fit into some groups of friends. I often get invitations to go out, all of them are very helpful in helping me with my homework and during classes if I encounter any difficulties with the language, but not only that. Some of them have become more than friends, key people in my life, and not only in my “German” life, but these are people I carry in my heart and will carry for the rest of my life. I would like to mention Aileen, a classmate of mine who has become one of my best friends ever, whom I can count on, I can trust, and she always knows how to put me at ease in any situation.
My school performance, both from the point of view of profit and in regard to interpersonal relationships (with classmates and teachers)
Language learning is going well and fast. I feel satisfied with my school progress as far as evaluations are concerned, especially compared to the beginning, when, due to the very different programs and teaching methods from the Italian school system, I had encountered more difficulties. Speaking instead of relationships personal within the school, here too I am very satisfied: the professors treat me no longer as the foreign girl who does not know German well, but as a real student, so they ask me questions, assign me a lot of group work, give me the same homework as my classmates, and talk to me as if we had known each other forever. The same goes for classmates, with whom I have a wonderful relationship, we often study or do homework together, and in a friendly way we “gossip” or talk about gossip within the school, as if I knew everything and everyone. I am very happy that I have integrated well.
My leisure time
During my free time, I take walks or bike rides. It is a very common thing in Germany to do “Spaziergang” or “Fahrradtour,” thanks to the vast networks of bike paths surrounded by nature with which you can go anywhere. Sometimes, however, I take up cooking, trying to learn typical German recipes. I often play with my little host brother, or with the whole family-I have learned to play a lot of board games since I have been here. Or we go for walks together, which are great times to talk and always find out more about Südfelde, my country. Of course, I also spend a lot of time with my friends, both other exchange students and actual German friends. With them I go on picnics, bike rides, go out to eat, take a tour of the city… I am also part of the AG (a kind of afternoon school class) of volleyball, where, in addition to playing my favorite sport
favorite, I have a lot of fun with other students from other classes.
The things that particularly impressed me in this country (both positive and negative)
The very, very efficient means of transportation: I received from the school (like all other students for free) the “Deutschland Ticket,” which is a ticket valid for all public transportation in Germany, and this means that I can easily get to big cities like Bremen or Hanover. I am also in love with landscapes: in Italy I live in a small town almost in the mountains, while here the land is flat and in the evening there are breathtaking sunsets. One thing I find absolutely wonderful is walking in the middle of the fields, since I live in a rural area. Preserving nature is very important to Germans, they care about it a lot. Unfortunately, the weather is not one of the best aspects of Germany, it was perhaps a bit disappointing, but, as they say here “es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung” (there is no bad weather, just wrong clothes), so this does not prevent us from doing the activities we like most.
3 words that describe my experience so far (explain why I chose it)
Awareness: that’s right, I consider myself aware now. Of what Awareness of myself, first of all. During this year I have realized what the difficulties are for me, and I have discovered the solutions. Aware also of how difficult it is to live outside one’s comfort zone, but aware of the tremendous growth that only an experience like this can bring. Aware, finally, of what, and more importantly who, I have at home in Italy that until eight months ago I always took for granted. Help: The word “help” cannot be missing in the life of an exchange student. On the one hand I am referring to the help one receives from oneself or from other people, especially at the beginning of the experience, when it is impossible not to encounter difficulties. On the other hand, the help one sometimes gets, like, for example, when I compare myself with other young people who are living the year abroad and who have not yet fully overcome these difficult moments. Culture (German): during such an experience it would be strange not to be influenced by the culture of the host country. And in addition to realizing that I have changed, I have “German manners,” as I was told, I was fascinated by the culture of Germany, such as the typical “Disco Fox” dance, or typical dishes, or architecture, or open-mindedness.
Anecdotes/Open Commentary
Many thanks to Intercultura and Fondazione Pesenti Ets for allowing me to have an unforgettable experience!