Allora!
Well I can officially say that I have been living in Italy for 5 months now! I honestly think it has gone by very fast some of the time but also very very slow at other times. Its a weird feeling, thinking that my journey is already half-way over!!! I know that the next half of my stay is going to go by so fast and I really don't want it to because I am enjoying my stay here so much!!! I can deff. say that my first half of my experience was nothing close to easy, infact I truly think I have had one of the hardest situations out of all of the kids in my whole region! Minus the few that got sent home....anyways, changing host families 2 times is not something I ever thought would happen before I got here but it did and I can really mean it when I say I don't even mind that I had to do this. Ofcourse If I could choose to start out with an amazing family that I love and stay with them all year it would have made things a lot more easier! But I believe in Karma strongly and also that everything happends for a reason and for this, I know I was sopposed to switch for some reason. And I really learned a lot about myself and matured a lot from this. A positive thing from living with 3 different families is I also got to see the way 3 different families live in Italy because all 3 families I've stayed with are very different!!! I feel like I've not only had 3 host families but 4 because I can honestly call my assisstant Jasmine's family my own just as much as my host family :) So yah, I actually still see my second host family a lot they live really close to me and I go to their house for dinner, or go shopping with my host mom or simply pop in and visit them when I miss them! One thing thats been really hard for me, and also I have heard many other exchange students have this problem is something that people should really think about, and take in mind that NOT EVERYONE WANTS AN EXCHANGE STUDENT LIVING IN THEIR HOUSE. I have had many afs friends, and heard stories about people who had children or one member of the family who did not want an exchange student and this really complicates a host family situation. So advice for anyone who wants to host in the future, MAKE SURE EVERYONE WANTS TO HAVE AN EXCHANGE STUDENT, because in my case now, only my host mom wanted an exchange student, and my host siblings do not want one, so basically, its kind of an interesting aroma in the house. However, I am super strong and I really am used to it now, but like I said, its not fun and its something that happends a lot so prepare future AFSer's. I also had 3 other friends already switch because of this problem. My personal view of this is that you have to make the best of every situation. I have had a super hard time in my host families but I still smile everyday when I am walking through the streets of my town and try to cherish every good moment that I spend with my family and friends here because I know they arent endless since this is sucha short stay. Allthough my family situation has not always been great, fortunatley, my school situation has been! Maybe the first 3 months were pretty rough because of the langugage barrier with studying and such, however, I have been blessed with an AMAZING Class!!! They are so nice and hilarious! I love my school also!!! Its a fun place and good environment and this is actually a thing most exchangers have told me they hate is their school and how its soo serious and boring, in my case its the opposite and maybe its because I am in Liceo Artistico and the scientific ones are more serious, but also the other classes and people I have met in my school are just and nice and fun! I have a theater group in my school and this is also an uncommon thing most schools dont organize anything after school and for this I am happy :) I have met lots of people through this also! Our play consists of many scenes in Italian and a few shakespeare ones, in which I am in! Everytime we practice the part I am in and I say my lines people just stare at me in "awe" and are like "BRAVA BRAVA PERFETTO" in reality I suck at acting and I say everything sooo corny but to them it sounds professional so good for that! Another thing I am very lucky to have is an amazing Local Chapter in AFS! They organize lots and lots of things for us to do and I always have so much fun when I am with them!!! I know that many people are in chapters where there is 2 people and the volunteers never talk or do anything with them, in my case it is not like that and I think I'm really fortunate that I was picked to come to Monza! Also, I am lucky that I live so close to Milan my new favorite city! I swear I am moving there when I grow up!!! Its amazing, and so Me!!!!! However, very expensive!!! Oh well! I have recently found out that for my exchange week ( the exchange students get to choose a place in italy to live for a week) I am going to Catania, Sicily in March!!! I am very very excited for this and I cant wait, I really want to see how different sicily and south Italy is from the very North where I live! I have heard its another world and I want to see it first hand!! I really hope the end of my stay is just as great or if not better( which i've heard it always is) than the first part!!!! A dopo Mollie
