EXPERIENCES
Expect the unexpected
In September 2020, I had the opportunity to go on a fully paid scholarship to Italy for 10 months... little did I know that I would spend most of my trip indoors.
Since elementary school, I had always dreamed of studying abroad as an exchange student for a year, though when the opportunity arose, it wasn't exactly as I expected. After arriving in Maddaloni, a small town in Caserta, around 3o minutes away from Naples, the whole country was forced into a Code-Red lockdown, which went on for the majority of my exchange year. Despite the unprecedented circumstance, I was still able to enjoy my time there, especially with my host family.
On the rare occasions that I would go out, I would tag along with my host brother and his friends for strolls around town, seeing all the sites there were to offer. The town plaza, the many churches, and our favourite spot, an empty plot on top of the mountain next to an abandoned castle.
I feel extremely lucky to have even been a candidate for the exchange, and I learned so much in my stay. Not only did I learn the language (especially the kitchen talk since I would constantly spend my time there with my host family), but I learned how to adapt.
While I had already considered myself a rather adaptable person, I had never been fully immersed in a culture that was entirely foreign to me. Getting to spend over 10 months with my amazing host family, I was able to see the world and human relationships from a completely different perspective than what I was used to. I noticed the difference in the tone of voices, the way people interacted with each other (specifically in an educational setting in the few months worth of in-person school I attended), and even small mannerisms in culture like not pushing your chair in after you eat.
During my trip, I had to learn how to adapt, establish an understanding, and how to be open-minded while still maintaining my own values and traditions. Ironically, the experience really gave me a new outlook on the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do."
End of a Chapter
In the summer of 2021, I spent my time experiencing the last few moments of the most life-changing event in my life. I received the opportunity to participate in a no-charges scholarship exchange program to Italy from September 2020 to July 2021. And while spending the summer there, my friends and I decided to be more active by taking weekly hiking trips up the local mountain. We'd bond over small conversations in a language I was finally able to understand after the year of being there. That summer marked the end of a chapter in my life that I will forever be grateful for.