JUST ANOTHER EXCHANGE STUDENT'S BLOG

Dear future host family,

I still can’t believe I’m writing this letter! It’s hard to describe myself in so few lines and to find the right words, but I’ll try.

My name is Francesca, it means “free” and has germanic roots. I don’t like my name very much because it’s very common here in Italy, in fact,there are very few people that call me like this: the majority of my friends uses the nickname “Chicca” and some people call me “Fran”, but you can call me however you want!

I’m fifteen years old-I’m turning sixteen in three days- and I live in the center of the boot-shaped country, in a small city called Spoleto, in Umbria, the “green heart” of Italy. I love the place where I live: it’s full of history and roman art, it’s quiet, it has wonderful landscapes and since it is small I basically know everybody and can go everywhere on foot.

I attend the local Language High School; I study French, German, English, of course, and in the past two years I also studied Latin. My favorite subject is English, but I like languages in general.

In my family, there are four people. My mother’s name is Elisabetta, she is 43 and is a lawyer; my father is Pietro, he is 51 and he's a lawyer too. My sister’s name is Camilla, she’s almost 18 and attends the Classical High School, in which she studies  Latin and ancient Greek. I love my family and I’m so lucky I have an older sister, because we get on well and she always helps me and even if we often have little arguments, I really love her (don’t tell her I admitted it). I really enjoy spending time with my family.

In my free time, I like practicing sports: I go skating three times a week, to the gym once a week and in the weekends I have ski races when it’s Winter. 

I practice figure roller skating and I’m in love with it. I’ve been skating for five years. I like it because it makes me feel free and jumping feels like flying, I can’t explain the feelings I have when I skate. 

I started skiing when I was just a toddler -I was just two years old the first time I put skis on my feet- and since then I go skiing with my team whenever I can. I adore it because I like speed and feeling the wind in my hair; as skating, it makes me feel something I just can’t describe. I have to thank my parents for having passed me this passion.

I’d like to play a musical instrument, but I don’t have much spare time, so I can’t. When I’m at home alone -but even when I’m walking or when I’m with my friends- I like singing out loud, even if I’m not very good at singing. I like going out, taking long walks, going to the cinema and going shopping with my friends.  Recently I have joined Leo Club, which is the department of International Lions Club for young people; we operate to serve the community.

I love traveling! I feel so lucky that I’m just fifteen and I visited so many places! Traveling is an important part of my life: I met a lot of nice people from all over the world and had the opportunity of becoming closer with people of my city, it made me change my vision of the world and I became more open-minded. That’s why when I think about next year I don’t feel scared at all and I feel ready to face an extremely different world, I feel brave and ready for this challenge.

In my exchange year, I’d like to try the most amount of new things I can. I’m ready to change my life and I want my exchange year to be very special; unfortunately, even if I’d like to, I can’t eat gluten (I’m celiac), so I can’t try all kind of foods.

About my character…I feel like I’m an oxymoron: I can either be the shyest person in the world or the most talkative one, I am very active but sometimes I spend my days at home in pajamas, I can be calm and quiet or noisy, serious or the craziest one, I can be positive and see the glass half full or negative, either patient or impatient self-confident or insecure. I hardly complain because I don’t like to cause problems. I’m rarely sad and I always smile. I’m determined and ambitious.

There’s a quote I found surfing on the net which reflects what I think about exchanges: “Exchange isn’t a year in your life, it’s a life in your year”. I believe that there is always something different to learn from the others, so, after this travel, I know I will be richer, I will be a different person thanks to you and to the people I’ll meet. I know it will be an amazing experience, I’m sure you’ll make me live an amazing experience. I’m fearless and ready. I’m so grateful to you for making me realize my dream.

Thanks for choosing me, I can’t wait to meet you.

Your future daughter,

Francesca.