MY EXPERIENCE AS AN EXCHANGE STUDENT IN ITALY

An article by María Ibáñez Monasor

A few weeks ago I came back from a long-durance Erasmus+ in Ferrara in Italy. I was very well-welcomed at the Liceo Ariosto High School, in which I attended class with classmates that even though were older than me were very attentive and tried to help me at all times.

At school, I only had a few classes that included Maths, Physics, Chemistry, French, Spanish and English. At first it was difficult to follow the lessons because they were mainly in Italian but as I got used to the language, I began to understand them better until I understood everything the teachers said. I took up Italian classes to improve my level, but the thing is that most of the Italian I learnt was from simply talking to other people.

The thing that I found most surprising about the school there was that they go to class on Saturdays. What an unthinkable thing for a Spanish student like me! However, I did not have trouble getting used to it, I would just wake up earlier as any other week day. But truth be spoken, I much prefer resting on Saturdays as I do again here. Another aspect that caught my attention was the oral exams. I am somehow relieved we do not have those here in Spain, but it is true and I could see that they helped students to communicate their ideas better and in general to know how to speak appropriately in many situations. I also liked that they were constantly making projects about different topics. They need to do these to graduate, but if I were an Italian student, I wouldn’t complain about learning new things in alternative and original ways!

I really enjoyed the city, it was really beautiful as most of its buildings were from the Renaissance and it had an amazing main square where the castle was. This is one of the main differences between my life there and the one I have here in Albacete. It is true that I think of Albacete as a nice place, but I quite appreciated the walks around the city centre in which I believe I could have spent hours and hours.

The family I stayed with was welcoming as well. The father spoke many languages, including Spanish, what was very helpful at first, but as I told them I wanted to learn Italian, after a bit, he would just talk to me in Italian as well as the rest of the family.  It took me a little while to make myself understandable but I think that by the time I left, I had a good level.

With them, I visited a few cities, mostly the ones nearby. I spent an evening in Bolonia where I got to try the typical salume, and a weekend in the famous Venice, which I loved with all my heart and where I am willing to go again as soon as I get the opportunity. I also went to Milan for a weekend and I got marvelled at the enormous city it is, with all the big brands’ shops; and to Comacchio, to see the sea.

María Ibáñez Monasor