How Studying Abroad Changed the Way I Travel

by Melinda Cebula Harris  (current student at School Amici)

For three or four years I was a tourist. I would pack my bags and jet set to all the “must-see” locations of the world. Soon, I found my place of choice, Italy. I would go every summer and sightsee. It was wonderful, but on the crowded streets of Rome or Venice with my camera in one hand and my city map in the other, it was impossible to become acquainted with the true culture of the country. This is when I decided to learn the Italian language.

Melinda in Todi

My studies began close to home in Cincinnati, Ohio at School AMICI. I immediately felt at ease with my patient and gentle teacher from Calabria, Gerardo. Gerardo would entertain the class with stories of his Italian childhood, while teaching us the Italian ABCs, numbers, and basic grammar. School AMICI created a solid foundation, which for me was the key to my success in my subsequent studies abroad.

In 2012 I chose Todi, a tiny town perched upon a tall two-crested hill in central Italy, as my place of study. Experience had taught me that the smaller towns offered the most authentic experience. For three weeks I studied both privately and in whole group at La Lingua La Vita. My confidence and ability to speak Italian improved daily with the guidance of my teachers. What I loved most about La Lingua La Vita was the opportunities they created to interact with the local community. Through the school, I attended weekly cooking lessons hosted in the countryside home of Rita, a local Italian famed for her cooking. Rita spoke no English, so even when I was in doubt or my Italian confidence wavered; I had to rely on my language skills. This created many laughable moments as hand gestures and air drawings appeared to be games of charades rather than a group of girls learning the simple secrets of delicious Italian cuisine. 

Cooking with Rita

My mother, Linda, also a School AMICI student, had traveled with me to Todi. At first she was going to take the lazy lifestyle, taking a late morning espresso or a passeggiata (stroll) to the market… but something about La Lingua La Vita caught her attention and she enrolled on the very first day of classes. To my mother’s delight, her daily private lessons were held at a charming local café specializing in delicious fresh fruit gelato and strong Italian coffee. Her teacher, Antonella, quickly became a dear friend to both my mother and me inviting us to see the home she and her husband were building and to the church she so passionately loved. Our friendship with Antonella and her family continues to this day.

Melinda and her mother, with Antonella and daughter

Studying abroad changed my passion for traveling. I was no longer excited to see the sights but to know the Italian people and their way of life. These moments, these connections, these invitations into the lives of the Italian locals are exactly what had been missing in all my years of traveling as a tourist. It was the commonality of the Italian language that made these connections possible, and for this I will always be thankful for School AMICI and La Lingua La Vita.

 

A few notes of interest:

Todi has, by far, some of the most beautiful views I have seen in all of Italy. If possible, choose an apartment with a view of the countryside. As an added bonus if you travel in July, when Todi hosts an international ballooning competition, the sky is especially beautiful as colorful hot air balloons paint the sky.

If Italian cuisine temps your palate, you will not be disappointed. For such a small town I was delighted by the quality of all my dining experiences. Antica Osteria della Valle was my favorite.

And finally, I found Todi very friendly for people who might have trouble walking long distances. The school, small grocery, restaurants, and shops are within close proximity of each other, making this an ideal location for people of all ages.

It's Not a Vacation

by Marcello Fantuzzi (Italian Exchange Student in Madeira, Ohio)

Dear reader, 

I want to tell you about an experience I will never forget; the greatest experience I have had so far in my life.

On August 23^rd 2012 I left my native country, Italy, to go to the USA by myself for a year. I was going to be hosted by a family who lived in Madeira, Ohio; I got my placement on August 15^th so I had a very short time to get everything set, documents included. 

Lentigione: Marcello's hometown

When I heard that I was going to go there, I had no idea where that place was. I remember thinking  “Where in the heck is Madeira?” so of course I googled it and I found this little town, my first thought was “Oh, c’mon, really?!”, only because I didn’t know what to expect.

I was a seventeen year-old guy ready to experience new things, just thinking about enjoying my life and I did not spend a single day not thinking about my departure.

The day I had been waiting for a long time finally came: it was time to leave. My mom and dad took me to the airport; I can’t even think about a way to describe how I was feeling. I had so many things going on in my head, I was really sad, I knew I was going to miss my family and my friends a lot but, on the other hand, I knew that this was going to be a life changing experience and I had no doubt it was going to be worth it.

After all the tears my mom and sister shed, I finally got on the plane and started thinking about how big the decision to leave was, and how unconsciously brave I had been.

 

After that endless 12 hour flight it was time to meet the host family, who came to pick me up at the airport. I remember I was really nervous. I had skyped with them before but it’s not like talking face to face. I finally saw them at the airport, they welcomed me with a giant sign saying “Welcome Marcello, Benvenuto”; and that helped me a lot emotionally. My host family has actually always been very helpful in everything; all the time I needed help, they were always available to give me a hand. I am and will always be thankful to them for the experience they allowed me to live.



Marcello meets his host family at the airport

After I had met the family it was time to leave the airport, it was time to go home get everything set for the following day, the first day of school.

I was super tired because of the time difference and I had no idea of what was going on when people were talking, so the first day it’s kind of foggy in my brain, I just remember I met a lot of people whose names I couldn’t remember and the school was very welcoming and helped me since the first day.
Before coming here, World Heritage, my student exchange organization, had a lot of meetings with students, in order to warn and prepare us for this experience. I had to know how to behave and to approach problems I may face. That was really helpful and I thank World Heritage for it.

The biggest problem in the first few weeks was the language. I wasn’t missing home yet because I had too many things to do and not enough time to think about my family and my friends, but as the time was going by, the language problem became less and less important, and got replaced by the fact that my family and my friends were not here with me. I really missed them.

Christmas came fast, the time flew even if some days were really rough; in Italy Christmas is a really big deal and you must spend it with your family, so 2012 was the first year that I was spending the most important celebration without my family; I was sad, especially when I skyped with them and saw all the relatives at my grandma’s gigantic table all screaming and eating the food I was missing the most.

Now that I think about it, I started enjoying my experience in the US from the beginning of January, because after winter break I made so many real friends I could hang out with. The language wasn’t a problem anymore, the moments in which I had to stand awkwardly nodding about the questions I was asked just because I wasn’t able to understand were finally over and the fact that I was able to have regular conversations with people without using Google Translate every time was a big step towards a ‘normal’ life. I was also getting used to the physical distance between my family and me, so basically from that time I realized that Madeira is a great place to stay even if it’s really small and the school is not as big as the one I attend in Italy. A big thing that made me happy was the fact that in the people’s eyes I wasn’t an exchange student anymore; I was one of them.

On January another important thing happened, I made the decision to join the school musical, something I had never done before. However, since I’ve always loved music, I thought it would be worth trying, and it was. I didn’t think it would be that much work, but we rehearsed a lot in order to perform a great show. I became really close to the people who were in the musical; it’s a great environment to build solid friendships, and everyone helped each other. 

At the school prom

The show was great and if I think that I was part of it, that I was so lucky to spend so much time with those wonderful people, I will just want to rewind my life and live those moments again.

I remember one day I was in the car with a friend of mine, we had just had McDonald’s when he suddenly said: ”Hey man, I’m really going to miss you when you leave; it’s not going to be the same without you” and I responded “My life is here now, I love the people here and I have such good friends; I don’t want to leave, dude”. I remember that when he said that he was going to miss me, I was feeling crushed because my departure was getting closer and closer, but on the other hand I was really happy; this could seem a little strange, but the fact that I had made really good friends, the fact that I was able to build important moments and memories that my friends and I will never forget, makes me accomplished, makes me feel like I fully enjoyed this experience and I won’t have regrets about it.
I also had the chance to travel a lot thanks to my host family. I have been in a lot of places with them, such as California and Florida. I enjoyed this whole experience with them a lot; and next year they will probably come to Italy to visit me and my parents. The relationship I have with them is fantastic and I will keep it for my whole life.
 

This year in the USA completely changed me and helped me to overcome a lot of obstacles by myself, it made me discover new aspects of my character, things that I would have never discovered if I hadn’t be forced to do stuff I had never done before.  This year made me become a much more independent person; I think every single guy has to have something that turns him into a man, some sort of situation you are forced to face, some act of bravery that makes you realize “Wow, I’m not a child anymore”. And I’m not talking about your 18^th birthday or the day you get your driving license; I’m talking about something much more profound and meaningful.  This was definitively my feeling.

There’s a big difference between the Marcello before the departure and the one who’s writing this paper. This was not a vacation; it was a step up in my life; and the memories of this fantastic experience will stick with me forever...