6 Reasons to Study Abroad

Hello everybody! Happy June! 
     Allow me to formally introduce myself to anybody who hasn't been on my blog before. My name's Nicole, I'm 17, and I am an exchange student with Rotary International. 
     So, I thought it'd be a nice idea to write about the perks of being an exchange student, maybe recruit some of you!! ;D
     I'm not going to lie, being an exchange student is no walk in the park; But at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade this experience for any. I have grown so much this year. I've made some really amazing friends, all over the world for that matter. I've learned a new language! My confidence has improved, and my general knowledge of world politics has broadened. So without further adieu, heres 6 reasons why you should consider becoming an exchange student. 

1. Learn A New Language 
          This is something that I find really helps you stand out from the crowd. I'm fluent in English Spanish, and now Italian! If you're looking at it from an academic perspective, learning a new language is something that can prove very useful in the future whether it's a special skill on your resume or a handy asset in a political career (And to the dudes - it'll help you get the ladies). Aside from that, by learning a new language, you're widening the amount of people that you can communicate with in the world - significantly! It's a wonderful opportunity to put yourself out there culturally and exercise your musical ear. 

2. Become More Culturally Aware
         If there's anything that I've been exposed to, it's the difference between my native culture and the culture of my new European country. I've noticed differences in many political views, as well as racism and sexism. I live in a modernized country, but the social differences between my native and host-country are still very apparent to me. Even my general knowledge on the United States has improved. My eyes have opened to many political issues that I didn't realize were going on, and I am now significantly more educated on the subject.

3. Independence
          As an exchange student, you are in charge of organizing many things going on in your life. You need to remember everything from filling out visa applications, going to post offices, and making appointments. These are all things that your host parents can help you with. But it's your responsibility to recognize the everything you need to do (You are, after all, in your country on a visa, and you need to get temporary citizenships, permissions to attend foreign schools and a temporary living abroad license). Responsibly is an essential quality for every exchange student. Independence is also something you should have a basis of before going abroad. Your exchange year is not the best place to learn it for the first time. Unless you feel independent enough to live away from your family and take charge of most aspects of your life, exchange isn't quite ready for you- yet! A good set of social skills are also really good to have before going abroad. Your year away from your home country is a place to improve your social and independence skills, not acquire them.

4. Make Friends
          The best part of my exchange year? Making friends all around the world. And not just any friends...these are the most fun, adventurous, smart and accepting people you will ever meet. They're all people with personalities like yours. They seek adventures and traveling! Friends filled with wanderlust and the desire to learn about new cultures and people. I've met some of the most interesting people on my exchange - the most crazy being exchange students. Your friends are what keep this year exciting! They help you learn the language and culture, and they are what make up the memories of your year abroad!  And after this year, I have a home in every country. 

5.  Learn More About Yourself
          Do you know what I learned about myself on my year abroad? I'm not ready to leave home. And I am fully prepared to attend community college before going to a four-year university for the sole purpose of staying with my family another 2 years. And that's not something I would have known had I not moved away. I've experienced personal growth as well as learning more about what makes me happy. 

6. An Unforgettable Experience
          How could a year in Spain not be life changing? Or Germany or Japan or Italy? A year in Brazil?  There is no way you can spend a year of your life adventuring in another country and not enjoy it. Of course it has its ups and downs. But so would a normal year living at home. I know I'll never forget the time I flew to Rome for a weekend. The time my friends and I swam in one of the most beautiful beaches on the planet. Nothing compares to the memories you make abroad, and you'll only get to live them once, and in no way like this.

The Secret Life of an Exchange Student

     Hey there everybody! Glad to be back and writing again! If you've read the title of this article than you can probably guess that this update is about all the secrets and more so the hardships exchange students go through on their year abroad. Now before I start writing away...let me first give credit where credit is due. I was influenced to write this article based on Cristian Fabiano's article "What Exchange Students Don't Tell You" (link: http://crisgoesabroad.blogspot.it/2017/05/what-exchange-students-dont-tell-you.html ) I found everything he described extremely relatable and decided share my own perspective on the matter! Without further adieu, here's the truth about the secret life of an exchange student. 

"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are." 

     This is a quote that I find defines my exchange life perfectly. If we're being completely honest here, I don't want my friends and family to know about the struggles I've gone through on exchange. It's just the truth. I want them to see the pictures of me snorkeling in a coral reef, tanning on a yacht, and enjoying gelato on the beach and think, 'Wow, she's having the time of her life.' I've definitely mastered this concept of only showing people the bright sides of my exchange, because my photos still get those 'You're so lucky!' comments. However, here I am at the end of my exchange year, and honestly I'm enjoying the best parts because I've already been through the hard stuff. By now I'm fluent in Italian, have established my friend group, and am filling every day with fun activities because I know I'm leaving soon. So yes, right now I'm exceptionally happy because I can efficiently communicate with everybody. But after 8 months of only showing the good, I'd like to get the hardships off my chest. 

     Let's start with host families. I cannot express to you how important your host family is. They are supposed to treat you like their son/daughter for the period of time that you're living with them. And for starters, I'd like to say how unbelievably lucky I am to have received the host family I have. They deserve Host Parents of the Decade Award for giving me some of the greatest memories, along with providing the genuine love and support that I needed this year. However...this is an article about the difficulties of host families, and truth be told I didn't experience the hard parts first hand, because I was extremely lucky. Unfortunately, many of my exchange friends were not as lucky.

     As an exchange student you don't get to pick your host family, however you are "assured" that if you have any issues with the one you are given that they will find you a replacement family ASAP. Now I'm sure that in extreme cases like abuse or neglect they immediately remove you from the home, but some of my friends went through intense verbal attacks (one so terrible that she recorded 20 minutes of her host mom yelling at her as proof), unfairness, and refusal to be driven anywhere. Refusal to be driven is a bigger deal than people understand. Some people owe the isolation and loneliness of their exchange to their host families inability to take them anywhere. If you can't go out, you don't bond with friends and you don't establish a friend group. 

     Your host family is supposed to treat you as their own, and instead some of us are met with judgement and constant comparison to our family's actual son/daughter. And let's be real for a second, sometimes there is nothing you need more than to be held by a mother "figure" and be told that everything is alright. We don't always get that. Believe me, being deprived of affection like that is nothing you're actually prepared for, nor do you consider it before departing. 

     Now on to school and classmates. When you come abroad, one of the things you're the most excited about is your first day of school.

Even I, someone who has moved schools 4 too many times, was looking forward to that day, and it was great!        Everybody is curious about you. You're foreign, maybe your accent is cute, you're probably an adventurous and fun looking person (props to you for being brave enough to move to another country!). However, the fascination and the questions die down. Now you're really starting to learn the language. You push yourself to speak even though you're making a million mistakes. And yeah it's funny for the first month or two when they tease you about your pronunciation or accent, but after a while it seems less lighthearted and more...

     'Don't you think you should have already mastered the language by now?'

     'You're making really simple mistakes...you should know this stuff.'  

     'You would think you were better after almost a year here...'

                                 - comments received every day

     Look, the truth is that they don't understand. Many of them will never understand. They begin getting impatient when you take too long to string a sentence together, they correct your grammar with attitude, and they laugh at you. What they fail to see is that when you learn a new language, you can understand more than you can speak. And in the beginning, they talk about what you're wearing, your funny accent, and judge your personality without realizing that you can understand them. But you want friends, you need friends, so you pretend that you don't get it and smile. 

     I already did an article about loneliness and homesickness, so I'm not going to get too into it. But the reality of it is that it's unavoidable. You can feel lonely in a classroom with people who are nice to you. You can feel lonely when you're having dinner with your family. You just tend to feel lonely, and it's because you're trapped in your own body. You can't express yourself like how you do in your native language. You can't tell people the really funny thing that happened today because you can't translate everything fast enough for people to get the humor. People want to know why you're upset, and you literally can't put it into words, let alone translate those

words, so you just end up more upset. In the end, it's just easier to hide in the bathroom stall or cry into your pillow than it is to actually talk to anybody. Everything just kind of stays pent up. 

     They tell you before going on exchange that it's best if you don't hang out too often with other exchange students. There's some reason to that - you'll learn the language faster and throw yourself into your new culture more efficiently. But without other exchange students, you feel really alone. Like I mentioned before, nobody understands what it's like to be an exchange student. We don't want to tell them that we stayed up sobbing until 2 a.m. because we can't communicate our feelings. We don't want them to know that school is not a place where we have fun and practice our language, but rather where we feel the most judged. They don't understand. And unless they're exchange students they never will. If you can find another student with your program, get in contact with them. Believe me it's for the better, because a lot of the time they're the only ones who understand you. 

     I didn't write this article to scare anybody out of doing their exchange. In fact I wrote it for friends, families (+ host), and teachers of exchange students...perhaps to see if I can help you understand? We may keep a big chunk of our lives secret from you. It's not a trust thing, but we want you to see the best of us. We want you too think that we've successfully established ourselves into our new culture and that we are worthy of our exchange. And don't think for a second that we're not trying, we put up a stronger fight than you think. And in exchange for our bravery, all we ask for is patience and understanding. 

     Thank you for reading! I am a little nervous that I scared off some potential exchange students, so my next article will be about all of the amazing benefits to studying abroad! I hope to see you guys soon!

~ Nicole Solomon xoxo

Long Time No See!

     Hello there! Well, it's certainly been a while hasn't it... 4 months to be exact.

     Things kind of slowed down from January to April. The weather stayed gray and gloomy for far too long and it seemed to have reflected onto my spirits. I fell into a routine which became so normal to me that I felt no need to write about it. But now the sun is shining, the ocean is sparkling, and happiness is in the air! This month I've been through some amazing experiences and I am ready to share them! 
     A couple weeks ago, Rotary organized an exchange student weekend in Iglesias, Sardinia, for all the Italy inbounds who live on the island. It was amazing seeing all my worldwide friends on the island again! We had two full days to spend on the famous Sardinian beaches, and even visited a mineral mine! That's a check off of my bucket list! It was our last RYE reunion until the Tour of Europe, which not everybody is going on. It's really strange to think how little time we have left, and knowing that we need to make the most of it!

     On to more current news - last weekend my host- mom and sister (Giovanna and Giulia) and I flew to Rome! I brought along with me one of my best friends Regina! ... I have no words to explain how amazed and enchanted I was by Rome. Perhaps charmed is the correct word? It was my third time visiting Rome...but something about this time around. Walking around with free time, no limitations or schedules to follow, and being with a friend just made the experience amazing. Rome is an astonishing place. An open museum in a city as they say. The art, the sculptures, the classic and original architecture and Italian streets, are just mind blowing. I fell in love with Rome, and no doubt left a piece of my heart there - meaning I'm just going to have to return every once in a while to check in. 
      Regina and I spent an entire day alone at the Colosseum. We ate an Italian lunch sitting on the wall across from it. She worked on some things for school, I listened to music, and we both got lost in our thoughts staring at the ancient roman building. It's amazing how you can sit and stare at a piece of architecture for an entire day, and still want to go back and do it over and over again. 
     Our second day in Rome Regina and I were joined Giulia and Giovanna. We spent our day roaming around and admiring Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and Piazza Venezia. I can honestly say that Rome truly is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. And I've gained a new appreciation and passionate love for Rome. 

     As of right now, I have returned back home to my beloved Sardinia. And I am finally getting to experience the summer weather on this breathtaking island. I need to cherish every moment I have left here. 3 more weeks left with my wonderful family, friends, and the most beautiful beaches in the world before I depart for the Euro Tour. 
     I'll be writing again soon! 

  ~Nicole Solomon xoxo
   

Dealing with Homesickness...

     Hey everyone! Well...by looking at the title of this article I'm sure that you've guessed this isn't another fun update on my life.  However this is a post that I think could really help a lot of people who are struggling with living far away from home...

     I've been living in Italy for about 5 months now. I just turned 17 a couple weeks ago. I'd say I'm pretty young to be living away from my family, especially considering we're on different continents. Anyone living a plane ride from home knows that you can call home a million times but you never feel close enough. When you feel sad you know that there's no way for you to get a hug from your mom. And when you want help with homework your big sister isn't there to assist.  This has been my biggest challenge when dealing with homesickness. 
     Luckily for me, it hasn't happened that often. It's something that hits me once maybe twice a month, and usually only lasts for a day. That's all it is, a bad day.
     When you first arrive to your host country, one of two things can happen. One, you might experience a vacation-like excitement. Everything is new and adventurous and because you've only been there for a short amount of time it feels temporary. It's called the "honeymoon" stage. The second thing that could happen is homesickness. You might start dwelling on the time-change and distance as soon as you step off that plane. It's probably because you're scared, that's normal. Some of my friends went through the honeymoon stage when they first arrived to Italy. And some of them skipped it and went to homesickness first. I went to the homesickness stage. 

     In the time that I've been here I've dealt with both the hard and easy sides of homesickness. It's not something that you just wake up with. For my friends and myself, we've noticed that it comes from having a bad day, or maybe a bad week. Maybe you had a hard time at school, you have a headache, and you're stressed out about a couple things. Then your mind wanders to relaxing in your old bedroom, to hanging out with your mom...it's almost like everything happens in an illusion. Sometimes you get so lost in your mind that it feels like you're actually back home for a second. Personally, when this happens to me there's this strange sort of jump moment where I realize I'm not back home, I'm in Italy, and I have this mini-shock where I look around and remember where I've been for the past 5 months. It's freaky. It might be too complicated to explain.
     I've handled homesickness a few different ways. The thing that troubles me most about it though is that people don't understand it. The typical response you'll get when you tell people you're homesick is that you should go out with them or do something fun. And if that works for you then by all means go ahead, have fun! Adventure to the beach, go for a hike, hang out with friends! It's the perfect solution to homesickness for some people. For others (me being among them) I need to stay home in my room for the night, and I'll be fine the next day. It really depends on the type of person you are. Handle it the way you feel it needs to be handled. I'm telling you this because I did not get this memo before coming here. If you feel like everybody is pushing you to go out when you're sad, don't go if you can't handle it, it's okay. 
     However let me make myself clear, I am 100% not telling you to lock yourself in your room every time you feel this way. Don't build up a bad habit of isolating yourself, because then you could become depressed. Most exchange students experience depression a couple times during their exchange, so try to stay away from that. As much as I need these "stay-at-home" days for recovery, 4/5 times I make myself go out. This is the way that I handle my homesickness because I know it's right for me. 
     That's another thing I'd like to bring up while I'm on the topic of pushing yourself. I've developed a way of thinking since I've been here that really works for me, and although it can be scary, it's what has made my exchange year so special. My new motto in life is "Just Say Yes." 
(Remember kids:  Pugs before drugs) ==>
To me, "Just Say Yes" means saying yes to lots of things I would normally say no to. Like going out to a party with a bunch of people I don't know. It's not something I am usually comfortable doing, and I still don't love the idea when I first hear it. But for New Years Eve, Christmas, and all the parties in between, guess who always pushed herself to go out and socialize?

     So yeah. Do yourself a favor and adopt the motto. Just say yes guys.

     And again, please remember that homesickness is temporary. And dealing with it is hard, but you'll get through it. Talking to other exchange students about it can be really helpful. You'd be surprised how close you'll become with each other. Remember that you're all going through the exact same thing even if you don't think so. Maybe someone feels alone, so talk to them about it, nobody can relate to you like they do. 
     I hope this post was informative and helped some of you guys out. 
   Lots of love, 
     Nicole xoxo

Hello 2017!

     As of yesterday, I officially passed the 4 month mark of my exchange! It's been a whole 4 months since I've started my new life here in Italy, and I've already made some of the best memories I know I'll ever make. 
     I'd like to start off by saying Happy New Year! It is now 2017!

     That is so insane to actually write out. It feels like we should just start inventing new months to add on after December, like 2016 should just continue going on as it did.
      I think it's pretty obvious that the craziest part of my year was my big move to Europe. Nothing has ever opened my eyes to the world like living in Italy has. I see everything through the eyes of another culture, and everything in my life seems lighter in a way. Stepping back from the life I've lived for almost 17 years has made me feel different. I feel more adventurous, and more at peace about certain things that used to caused me such an immense amount of stress. And I've found that I'm even more patient than I used to be. Now I look forward to traveling the world. I want to keep trying new, exciting things and going to more amazing places. I want to get back in touch with my Mexican roots and improve my Spanish. My views on what I want to do and who I want to become have been changed by this whole experience, and I'm only 2/5 of the way done! 
     These last few months, I've started doing things that I used to do, and I've found that they still make me very happy! I write in a journal nearly every day and I started a Youtube channel! As of right now it is specifically for my exchange, but I'm thinking about maybe turning it into something more... (SUBSCRIBE to me at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh6-uaUwhf9744fRfdprNKQ )
     I think my greatest achievement in 2016 is the improvement in my confidence. I no longer feel as nervous traveling alone or going out by myself. And I even feel like a healthier person (perhaps that's to do with the absence of fast-food in my life). I even enjoy being more active: hiking, skiing, running and even walking are all things I look forward to. I just want to get out and go places! 
     My confidence in my Italian speaking skills has improved. Both because I have a better understanding and usage of the language and because I feel more comfortable speaking it than before. I don't feel embarrassed when I'm telling a story and know that I've made about nine-thousand grammatical errors in just a short paragraph. I no longer put pressure on myself to perfect a language that I've only been learning for four months- I know I'm doing great so far! What matters is that I can effectively communicate. When I talk, they understand- that's all I need... :p 
     I've got another 7 months of my amazing exchange. I hope to fill it with even more memories, laughs, and strengthen the friendships I've made. I still have a European Tour and a couple trips with my family to look forward to! 2017 will be an amazing year and it's already off to a great start! I look forward to sharing it with all of you. 

Lots of love, 
    Nicole xx

Italians Try American Candy! - video

Ciao a tutti! 
Here's the video you've been waiting for! "Italians Try American Candy!"
This was such a fun video to film and I want to thank my close friends Carla and Mavi for filming it with me - not that they didn't enjoy it ;)
MERRY CHRISTMAS! 

For My Friends...

I know no better way to express to you all how much I love you. Forever in my heart and in my memories.
Love, 
Nicole 

Italy Tour | Pisa (video)

The leaning tower of Pisa! Wow, just wow to everything. This is the last of my video diaries for the Italy tour. Our goodbye scene included :( 

Hope you enjoyed the series!

-Nicole Solomon xoxo

Italy Tour | Siena & Florence (video)

Ciao a tutti! Here's video number four! Everything about Italy was beautiful but the sights we saw in Florence take the cake <3 
Enjoy :)

-Nicole Solomon xoxo 

Italy Tour | Orvieto (video)

Here's my third video blog (vlog) from Italy Tour! We were supposed to be headed to Florence but it was raining there so we took a detour to Orvieto! Definitely my favorite place we visited! 

~Nicole Solomon xoxo

Italy Tour | Pompeii (video)

Check out this vlog from our day in Pompeii!

~Nicole Solomon xoxo 

Italy Tour | Rome (video)

Thank you so much to Rotary for giving me the opportunity to tour Italy! Here's my vlog from our first two days in Rome! 

~Nicole Solomon xoxo

My First Care Package!

     Ciao a tutti! Sono molto felice! 
     Yesterday my first care-package arrived! I went through a lot with the post office to get that little sucker but I got it! 

My care-package!

     About a month ago, I asked my mom to send me a box filled with American candy. Why? Well, while I do love my beautiful Italian island, it has one flaw - they only sell Haribo gummies. Unacceptable. I feel it is my civil duty as an American to introduce the food that I live on to my new friends and family. So yesterday I picked up my delivery!
     Along with a few letters from my loved ones, I received a mass load of candy, a polaroid, a beautiful drawing from my sister, and a jar of peanut butter. My friend Regina helped me open everything up. We're both so excited about the polaroid camera! She took the first picture on it - me surrounded by 15 pounds of candy. We're going on a tour of Italy in three days so the camera came just in time! 
     Today I brought one of the bags of skittles to school (Tip for future American exchange students- skittles are the key to popularity). This may sound strange, but bringing in those skittles was the answer to breaking down the remaining walls between my classmates and myself. Since I've been here, I've gotten really close with some of them, but until today when I had the chance to walk around and - for the first time - actually talk to each and every one of them, did I feel a little unsure of how to interact with them. I wanted to feel fully comfortable with them like they do with each other. I wanted to be friends with all of them and laugh and tease them. And the Skittles helped me do that! I got to tease them when they made faces after they tried one and laugh with them and even engage in a Skittles war. And they were really excited to try American candy! A few of them were familiar with Skittles from having traveled to England and trying them there. So they were thrilled to see what I brought. It was surprisingly a really amazing bonding experience. It's probably been my favorite class day since I've moved here. Maybe even my favorite day overall since I've broken down the walls between my new friends and I. 
     I can't even express to you how much I love them all, and I already never want to go home!
     Grazie e buona giornata! 

     -Nicole Solomon xoxo

The Mannequin Challenge! (Quicksilver Edition)

Filmed the Mannequin Challenge with my school friends! Edited it so that it looks like Quicksilver payed a visit to our class XD

Enjoy...

Everything about Italian Schools and More

     Schools in Italy...where do I even start? They're so different from schools in the U.S.
     First of all, high school is divided into two sections. Upper secondary school and lower secondary school. I am in the third year of upper secondary school (Scuola Secondaria).
     The school I attend now, Canopoleno, it is about 1/3 the size of my high school in California. When I first visited the school and noticed its small size, I was so relieved. I thought, 'Great, this makes it 50% more likely that I won't get lost,' (I was wrong by the way- I always manage to do so). However, unlike schools in the States, the students don't have to rotate from class to class. There's no running across campus to make it from Geometry to History in that 5 minute window. You stay in the same class the whole day. The teachers are the one's with the 5 minute window (but they sure do take their sweet time getting from class to class). Each subject is only about 45-50 minutes, unless you have the same subject back to back. But you usually only spend about 25-30 minutes learning because the teachers- using that sweet time of theirs- spend the first 15 minutes getting themselves situated.
     I am fortunate enough to have been placed in one of the loudest, craziest, funnest classes in the whole school. We are constantly being yelled at for disturbing other classes and for totally ignoring our teachers. We talk, walk around, tell jokes- all in the midst of our lesson while the teacher continues on. That's one of the key things about school here. If you don't pay attention in class, most of the teachers don't care. They seem to have that, 'It's your time, if you want to waste it, waste it' attitude. So if you have a really mellow teacher who will be a pushover for the class, you'd better believe that it's like war in there.  You never know when you'll get hit in the head by a flying shoe or have your chair pulled out from under you. It is your own time though, so if you choose to mess around- which you can, you're pretty much stuck self teaching yourself an entire days worth of work.
     The grading scale in Italy, and much of Europe, is from 1-10. One being the worst you can do and ten being the best. However, the kids in my class consider it a crime to get anything below a 6 - they may be crazy and rambunctious but they're still good kids. Now, the thing about grading in Italy is, it's entirely based on tests. There is no classwork, there are hardly ever projects, and there is no participation grade. How you do for the year rides solely on your testing abilities. We're not just talking about sitting down with a pen and paper and filling in bubbles, a lot of these tests are oral exams. You may have to memorize 6 pages word for word of a history textbook and recite it for the teacher- I've seen it happen. I've seen someone memorize more than I could have and more, she did her interrogation, and still only got an 8/10. I would have given her an 11. These Italian kids know how to test.
     There are many different kinds of classes you can place yourself into. Like I said before, you stay with the same students in the same class the whole year- and you're most likely with that same class for all your high school years. You choose your class based on what you want your career to revolve around when you're older. A musical class, artistic class, scientific class, language studies, etc. etc. I am in a newly invented class which is a combination of Liceo Scientifico (sciences) and Liceo Classico (classic). It's a Classic European class. I take a total of 13 classes: Spanish, Philosophy, Chemistry, P.E., Religion, Latin, Greek, English, Art History, Biology, Math, Italian Literature, and Geography. Fortunately for me, nobody expected the American girl to exceed in Latin or Greek. So as cool as it would be to learn them, I can't study Latin and Greek while still being expected to become fluent in Italian- so I use those classes for independent study- it certainly has benefited my Italian.
     School for most student runs from about 8:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Yes, they go to school on Saturdays. I am in one of the very few and rare classes that only goes to school Monday through Friday- and believe me I am thankful. The only twist on that is, I go to school from 8:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. two days a week. The remaining three days, I go to school from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. And yes, again, you read that correctly. I must submit myself to 9 hours of school three days a week. But in exchange, I get to sleep in on Saturday mornings, which is an advantage most Italian teens don't have. In fact, out of all the exchange students on the island, roughly 50 of us, I am the only one who gets Saturdays off.
     So, how do I survive those 9 hour school days you ask? Simple, the Italian school system may be intense when it comes to testing, but they know when to give kids some slack. Every two classes we get a 15-20 minute break- and you wouldn't believe how refreshing and bearable it makes the day.
Also, unlike school in the States, you aren't constantly working and writing and then going home to do 5 more hours of working and studying. We don't have homework- the time we have after school we dedicate to studying what we know we need to study. There is no homework for us to worry about. It is something I have come to realize is so much more beneficiary- without having to stress about the required work due the next day, you can focus on studying what you know you need to work on.
     However, the biggest relief  by far is lunchtime. Lunch works very differently in Italian schools. It is indeed your very own lunch - time. We are allowed one hour every day to leave campus for a lunch break. Many students, like myself, just go home for lunch. I walk to Nonna's house (my Italian grandmother) every day. A typical every day lunch is pasta, some bread, and a meat. The Italians eat bigger lunches than they do dinners. Off the record, whoever said that Italians eat smaller portions than Americans do is a LIAR. Nobody, and I mean nobody, can eat more than these people and still only weigh 130 pounds. But it happens. And I now believe that the source of all that is good and well is organic food.
     All in all, do I prefer American school or Italian school? I haven't decided yet- there's definitely a decently sized pro-con list that I can make though (I won't).
     Grazie e buona giornata!
P.S. Happy two months in Italy to me!! Mini celebration- yay!

     -Nicole Solomon xoxo

Vlog Posted!

Hey everybody! Here's a short video I filmed on our day at an animal farm. Reminded me of home (Shoutout to my sister and her horse Coyote- I miss you guys! <3)

Vlog Posted!

Ciao a tutti!
Here's a short video following Regina and I on our afternoon in Alghero :)

Introduction- Ciao! Mi chiamo Nicole!

     Hi! I'm Nicole. This is a blog I created so I can document and share my thoughts and experiences with you during my year abroad in Italy! I'll be posting photos from my travels and writing about my new life here in Sardinia, Italy. I hope you enjoy :)

     For the past month and a half, I - a 16 year old California girl - have been living away from my friends and family in Italy. After an orientation meeting, a long talk with my parents, and a tedious application process, I made the choice to spend my junior year of high school in a foreign country. Why? I have absolutely no idea. All I know is that it happened, and now I'm 6,000 miles away from the only place I've ever called home.
     Before coming here, I had about 6 months of preparations, application work, and meetings to process that I would be leaving my life behind in California to build a new one. I didn't fully process anything until my final two minutes at the airport with my family. There were lots of tears, hugging, and a heavy Rotary blazer hanging on my shoulders. A small part of me was screaming not to let go of my mom, but after I dragged my way through security check, I waved goodbye, and I was off. 
     Despite the back and forth argument going on in my head, I walked to my gate. I had gotten through the first obstacle on my journey, letting myself go... And there I was, about to endure 20 hours of painful flying and layovers from San Jose, to L.A., to Rome, to Sardinia. 
     I packed up my life into a small suitcase (or three large ones) and flew on my own to the beautiful, Italian island.
     Here, I live with a host family. My host-dad, Giuseppe, my host-mom, Giovanna, and my host-sister, Giulia.  They've "adopted" me into their family for the duration (10 months) of my exchange. Meanwhile, their 16 year old daughter, Giorgia, is in the States living her own second life. 
     I've been blessed with a family who from the day of my arrival told me they wanted me be a part of their 'forever family'. And I can honestly say that after a month and a half of living with them, I know I am. They treat me like their own daughter, and I feel comfortable and happy with them. 
     I share a room with little Giulia, who despite my initial worries has proven that she respects my privacy and gives me space when she knows I need it. We've built a strong big-sister - little-sister relationship. She fills a hole in my heart where my little sisters are, and I think I fill the hole in her heart where Giorgia is.
     Once I felt completely settled in with my family and had gotten over my first rough patch of homesickness, the next challenge came, making friends. Now despite what my parents say whenever I try to talk to them about this, I have a small social anxiety problem. I think it has built up over the last 6 years of my life while I've moved from school to school to school. While my fears of being friendless and an overbearing amount of nerves and panic attacks have never gone away, I've learned how to cope with them. It's been a sort of practice, having to move to so many places and start over. And I viewed doing this exchange as a final step into overcoming my anxiety. Now, if moving to a new school every few years was hard enough for me, I wasn't sure how moving to a new school in a foreign country with a language barrier and without my family was going to work, but I still wanted to do it. 
     And so I did.
     The first day of school was unlike any other first day I've had. I walked into the classroom 15 minutes late with an, expected, introduction as the foreign exchange student from California. To me did that sound interesting? No. To them? It was the coolest thing ever. They wanted to know everything about my life. What does my city look like, how do people dress, what do I do in my freetime... the Californian lifestyle fascinates them. To them, the United States is a dreamland, the best place on Earth, and they all want to live there. Specifically in California, New York, or Florida - which makes sense. 
     I can honestly say I admire the way friendship is expressed through affection in Italy. The girls and guys in my class are so affectionate with each other and (unlike in the States) these gestures are considered friendly. A guy and girl hugging while they talk- friends. A girl cuddling with a guy and falling asleep on his shoulder during class- friends. Even the guys are more affectionate with each other- to an extent. Everybody expresses their love with each other without any judging or accusations of crushes flying around the room. It's just how Italians are. And it's beautiful.
     While I wish I could instantly be as close to everybody as they are to each other, they've been in the same class (literally all 26 of them in the same classroom) for years, it might take a while.  But the girls have already let me in, and a few of the guys. And even if I'm not close to all of them yet, not one of them makes me feel unwanted or alone. 
     The first day I met them they invited me to a "Classic European Class Only" party after school. So it was just the 26 of us after the first day of school, eating pasta and getting to know each other- more like them getting to know me. It was a very Italian evening. 
     I have made a few really close friends since I've been here. Two from school, Carla and Mavi, who have been the most welcoming and helpful friends ever. They make a strong effort every day to help me, teach me, and include me. I'm very thankful to call them two of my best friends.  
     Then there's Regina. She is a fellow Rotary Youth Exchanger. She's from Mexico, a few cities over from where my mom grew up, which built a connection between us (as well as the fact that we both speak Spanish). When we first met, I introduced myself to her in Spanish and since then, we've formed a strong friendship. We hang out every week whether it's dinner at Piazza d'Italia, shopping or movie night! We also go to the gym three times a week because let's be honest you've got to do something when you eat pasta and pizza every day-- the stereotype is real.
     So, here I am! All settled in and excited about the next 9 months of my journey. And I hope you're excited about them too. 
     That's all for now, Ciao!

          -Nicole Solomon xoxo