Quest anno scolastico ha avuto un inizio completamente diverso per i nostri tre alunni del quarto liceo scientifico: Sofia, Alberto e Aris. La mattina del 31 agosto sono partiti per Eugene (Oregon, Stati Uniti) e attraverso il programma “Study Abroad”, ideato e realizzato dalle prof.sse Alessandra Spagna e Ana Plavsa, trascorreranno tre mesi a Eugene frequentando la Marist Catholic High School e vivendo la vera esperienza americana con le loro host families.

I ragazzi si sono ambientati benissimo; già frequentano le lezioni e fanno le prime amicizie. La caldissima accoglienza delle loro host families è certamente stata fondamentale.

Non ci resta altro che leggere le prime impressioni e i primi viaggi descritti direttamente da loro:

ARIS

I left Italy exactly 9 days ago, to experience something that I couldn’t have even dreamt of before: a three-month exchange program in the U.S.A. I have to say that already from the beginning, as my host family picked me up at the airport, they made a positive impact on me, although I was very tired.

The first days, before school started, were the most challenging ones, because I felt homesick.  However, thanks to my host family’s affection, this feeling abandoned me very soon. The three children who I live with made some nice drawings for me, so I immediately felt like a part of the family.

Talking about school, it has a completely different system compared to the one I was used to. Although classes are in English, I don’t have any problems in terms of understanding my new teachers or friends. My teachers are all very nice and kind, and I’m happy because of the lessons that I’ve chosen to attend.

SOFIA 

I have just gone through my first week as an Italian exchange student in Oregon, U.S.A. Everything is very different here compared to Italy: food, school system, buildings, people, even the metric system.

My host family is very nice, in fact, my very first day I had the pleasant surprise of waking up with pancakes made by my amazing host mother for breakfast.

I was also very lucky since I ended up having many things in common with my host family, such as my passion for Philosophy and my love for Tarantino movies and my two “sisters” and one “brother” have been very nice and welcoming towards me.

Before school started they showed me the river close to the house, the outdoor mall and we also went to the seaside in Florence. Now that school has started the days have gotten busier but we still manage to spend time together.

They showed me around the school and even though at first it was hard to find all the classes, I’m starting to get a hold of it. I was also able to change some of the classes I didn’t like into other ones I liked better, such as Economics and Drawing and I managed to meet some really friendly students.

ALBERTO

I live with my host family in a ranch and my host mother is actually in the U.S. army, while my host father is smart and funny.

American school system is very different from ours, mainly because of the presence of different classrooms and the fact that you have to rush from one classroom to another to follow a particular lesson.

The great thing about Marist Catholic High School is that it’s like being in a family; you make lots of friends you can talk to and have fun with, but don’t worry guys, I’m studying too!!! Right now I’m into: Ap statistics, Astronomy, Debate, English 12, Theory and Sculpture. Lots of students practice sports and it’s very common to take up an activity. Right now, I’m in cross country and next Monday I will have my next meeting.

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