E' da tanto che non scrivo un post, ma non ho avuto novità. La mia partenza è ancora molto lontana.
Intanto ho incontrato i miei amici exchange a Milano (solo alcuni di loro purtroppo) e abbiamo passato una bellissima giornata.
Comunque, ho finalmente finito il dossier! Sono molto emozionata.
Spero di avere la famiglia al più presto, sono molto curiosa di sapere dove andrò.
Come già accennato nei post precedenti, vi lascio la mia lettera alla host family, spero possa aiutare gli altri exchange students. Prendete spunto ma per favore non copiate!
Dear host family,
I cannot believe I am finally writing this letter. I have been waiting for so long for my dream to be realised, and now that the moment has come I am very happy and excited.
My name is Arianna, it is a Greek name and it means “holy”. As it is not very popular out of Italy, every foreign person calls me Ariana because it is easier. I am a seventeen-year-old girl who lives in the north west of Italy. I live in Collegno, a town very close to a big city named Torino. I live in the Piemonte region which is located in the north, and occupies a large area of the Po valley. Collegno is an hour away from the mountain range of the Alps, so I am more used to the mountains and the countryside than the seaside. Other than in the summer, the weather here is often cold, and it’s usually cloudy. I like living here because it is a big city and has many means of transport and facilities. I do not like living here because I like hot and sunny weather and I love the seaside. When I am older, I hope to move to another city.
My family consists of four members: my father, my mother, my older sister and me. My father, Amedeo, is a clerk and he works at the Ministry of Economy and Finance. He and I have a lot of things in common such as our shared the passion for travelling. When I was young I used to spend a lot of time in the afternoon with him, which is now difficult for me due to my lack of time because of school. My father was born in the southern-Italy-region of Molise, but he came here when he was very young. My mother, Maria, is a secretary and she works for a toll road enterprise. She was born in the south of Italy as well and comes from the Puglia region. She is very willing to listen to me and always helpful. Since I was a child, she has successfully tried to have a good relationship with sister and I, based on a reciprocal faith and on effective communication among us. I get along quite well with both of my parents, and luckily we hardly ever argue. My sister, Alessia, is twenty-one years old. She studies Business and Economics at a university. I have a special relationship with her, she is like a best friend to me. We always confide in each other and she often gives me good advice. Sometimes we argue, like all the sisters do, but we always make up quickly. Our whole family lives in a flat and I share my bedroom with my sister.
At first impression, I can appear as a shy person, but when I get to know someone better I quickly become very talkative and friendly. I am very ambitious and very determined to reach my goals and hopes. Some of my flaws are my laziness, as well as that I am sometimes moody or impulsive. However, I am rarely sad; I always try to be positive and to think about the good things I have instead of what I do not have. With my family I am obedient and I always try to be nice and kind with other people.
I currently attend a scientific High School, which is composed of five years. I am in my third. It is called “scientific” because we have a more hours of Maths, Chemistry, Biology and Physics lessons. The only language I study at school, other than Latin, is English. I have always liked it, though I do not know why. Even though I do not study it at school, I love the Spanish language as well. I have been studying it at home for five years and can now speak it very well. My favourite subjects are Maths (I know it is a bit strange) and English. I have not yet made up my mind about what I will study at university, but one possible option is Medicine, due to my hopes of becoming a doctor.
Even though I am sometimes lazy, I cannot stay long without doing anything because I get bored very quickly. I would like to have more free time but unfortunately school occupies most of my time. In fact, I always study a lot.
I do not like sports very much and I do not consider myself an athletic person. Instead, I prefer defining myself more as an intellectual. Still, I practice physical exercise at the gym because I think that fitness is very important. I go to the gym two or three times a week, it depends on the homework amounts I receive from school. I have been going to the gym for only six months but I enjoy it. I used to go swimming as well as dancing, but I stopped because I was not gifted at it.
During winter I like skiing. I have been able to ski since I was a child and I love it.
I’m interested in football, and in fact sometimes watch it on TV. I have never been to a stadium but I would like to go, and I think I will do it very soon.
Music is one of my passions. I like all kinds of music but my favourite types are pop and alternative. I also like watching movies, especially romance and comedies. Sometimes I try to watch movies in other languages, like Spanish or English. In Spanish I understand quite everything but in English it is still too difficult for me.
I also love reading. I would like to have more time to read many books. I especially prefer romantic and fantasy books, but also classics and drama. Some of my favourite books are “The Kite Runner”, “The Hunger Games” saga, and “Of Love And Other Demons”. I also love reading poems and I am fascinated by literature.
Branching from my love of reading, I love writing stories, novels, and poems. I have started writing a lot of novels but unfortunately have never finished them.
When I am bored, I like drawing but as I am not very good at it, I do not dedicate much time to it.
On weekends, I enjoy spending time with my friends. My best friend’s name is Madalina and we have known each other for three years, even though we only started to be friends last year. We are in the same class at school and we do everything together: things such as study together or going out to the library. She’s always there for me, and every time I need her, she helps me. I know that whatever happens, we can rely on each other.
I get on well with all of my classmates and we often go out for a pizza or simply go to the city centre: it has a lot of shops and is a really nice place to go walking.
I have another friend, who is very important for me, named Beatriz. Unfortunately, Beatriz lives in Madrid, the capital of Spain so I do not see her often. I met her last summer on holiday and since then we have become very good friends. In a few weeks I will go to Madrid so we can meet. I also love spending time with my family. Almost every Sunday, in April to October, I meet my relatives at my house in the mountains where we eat a lot and spend time together.
My biggest passion is travelling. I cannot explain how much travelling is important for me. If I were more wealthy, I would travel all over the world. I want to discover every place on Earth. I love travelling because through it, I can discover other cultures and other realities of the world. I am very interested in foreign cultures and languages. Travelling is the best way to learn about the world.
When I travel I love taking photos, because I think they are the best way to remember experiences. I also love buying souvenirs, and in fact, have a collection of them.
You are probably wondering why I decided to do this exchange experience. As I mentioned, it is because of my love for travelling and discovering foreign cultures. I would also like to improve my English skills. I think the best way to discover another country’s culture is to live there for a period, so I decided to do it and hope it will be the best experience of my life. I am very grateful to my parents that understand how much this experience is important for me and allowed me decide to do it.
I chose Australia because it is a country that has always fascinated me. It is very far from Italy, and so most people here do not know anything about Australia. I know it has a lot of beautiful cities and landscapes, as well as uncontaminated nature. Moreover, as Australia is very far, I think my experience will be more complete, because I am going to stay very far from my home and what is familiar for six months.
When I am there, I hope to improve my English but also to make a lot of friends. I would like to travel as much as possible and to visit a lot of cities. I hope to discover the Australian culture but also to teach and explain about Italian culture.
I am sure I will quickly feel part of your family and I am very thankful to you, for deciding to host me and for giving me the biggest opportunity of my life. I hope I will learn a lot from you and that you will learn from me, as I would like this experience to be wonderful not just for me, but also for you. I can’t wait to meet you and I’m looking forward to go to Australia!
See you soon!
Best wishes,
Arianna
