“What are you here for, miss?” said the police officer while checking my documents, “Milan, Italy”, I replied. This is how my Exchange year in the United States started.

On August 1, 2017, I left Italy to come and study in the U.S. for a whole high school year. At that time, I had a specific idea of what living abroad would have been like; what I didn’t know is that I was completely wrong. All my life, I grew up watching American movies, thinking that, more or less, life was just like what it’s shown on the screen: cheerleaders dating football players, popular kids ruling the school, girls going crazy in order to be nominated Prom Queen. So, when I first stepped on the Maine South ground, all the mental preparation I did crashed with the reality of the High School life. Everything was so different from what I had expected; I remember sitting in the cafeteria, looking like a little kid who got lost in a grocery store, and realizing that the football players weren’t sitting all at the same table, with their jerseys on, or that the cheerleaders weren’t wearing the “typical” uniforms, or even that the food didn’t look like an inconsistent assemble of who-knows-what. When I got to my new house later that day, I decided to clear my mind from everything I thought I knew, and to start over. Over the course of the first few weeks, I spent all the time trying to make new friends, which turned out to be pretty simple, especially if you’re a new girl who speaks with an accent and doesn’t understand what people say half of the time. I realized that the language was not a barrier at all, but it was a way for me to make others laugh, and eventually become my friends. So when people ask me how I managed to go through an entire year away from home, I tell them about all the amusing episodes that occured; like when I was at Starbucks ordering a cake pop, and instead, I ordered a “pop cake”.

Becoming an exchange student changed me completely; often, when you’re stuck in the same place with the same people over the course of your life, you don’t realize that there is so much more to do and see around you. When I left my home country, I left my comfort zone as well; through this, I am now able to adjust to any kind of situation, and to make the most out of them. Living in a new country made me realize that there is no better or worse, but that each place has its advantages and disadvantages. By not knowing anyone, I was obliged to open up and become more confident; I got to understand what it is like to be awarded for something I stand out, and to be complimented on my skills. Moreover, I realized the importance of being a studious student, while being able to concentrate on myself and my social life. People should understand that life is better when you open up to new experiences, and that there is always something waiting for you outside of your door: you just have to take the risk of changing the road you take.

Thanks to this experience, I now know what I want to do and who I want to be; I have a clearer vision of the future and of what to do to get it. Even though tears stream down my face at the thought of going back to Italy, I smile, because I know that I will come back to stay. So, next time a police officer asks me what I am in the U.S. for, instead of giving an inappropriate answer, I will say that I am here to live the life that I’ve always wanted.