My expectations for the school and this year in Italy

About two years ago my mum introduced me to the idea of being an exchange student, and I knew right away that I would do anything to get the opportunity to experience that. It was the first time I’d heard about the whole going-abroad-to-study-a-year thing, and I never knew what I wanted to do when I graduated from school. So I was very relieved when I found out that it was actually going to happen. And here I am now – sitting in Italy where I have been for three months.

Before I left Denmark I tried to focus on not having any expectations about anything at all, as I was afraid I might be disappointed. It didn’t work and my imagination showed me beautiful pictures of vineyards, sun all day long, a big stereotypical italian family and so on. Now that I’m here I can confirm that none of it is true. I don’t have a huge italian family, and don’t live in the countryside with vineyards in the backyard, and even though the weather is nothing to camplain about it still isn’t 25° and sun every day. But I’m so happy here. Nothing could be better.

Another thing which is the exact other way around is the school. I didn’t think a single second about it before I came here and I have absolutely no idea why. I’ve realized that it is a so much bigger part of an exchange year than I thought it would be. If I had known how the school would be then maybe I would have been a little worried cause it’s so much more difficult than I thought it would be. The first month I sat in a class full of intelligent italian students without understanding just one word. Now I have a so-called ‘personal schedule’ which has been going on for about one and a half months. It has made my days so much lighter as I am now in classes at the same level as me and only study subjects I find interesting. The new schedule also means that I have got to meet a lot of new people which I think is one of the main reasons to go on exchange. 

I’m so happy about my choice of going abroad a year. Even though I miss my friends and family at home it doesn’t affect my days here because I know that they arewaiting for me when I come home. I’ve got more amazing friends here than I even allowed myself to hope for before I left Denmark. I’m already so busy living my life here and it is unbelievable how fast you can adapt yourself to a new home, family, country, language and life. I have absolutely no expectations for the rest of the year, except learning the language, cause I have already got more than I could ever have hoped for.

Ida Marie Nyborg – november 2013