One year ago, I was leaving Australia for the first time. One year ago, the best five months of my life ended and I walked onto a plane.
It sounds crazy when I say it, it sounds impossible to me, as when I think about my exchange it feels like something that finished yesterday. I really can't believe how fast this time has gone, how many things have changed since then, but also how many have remained the same, such as the way I feel about my wonderful experience. I miss Australia and a lot of amazing people as much as I did months ago, even though I've been back with them for five weeks during the summer. I miss what I had, I miss feeling in the right place, because that is how I felt in Australia, a sense of belonging. I miss waking up to the sound of birds singing and falling asleep with cicadas or cookaburra laughing. I miss the friendliness of Australian people, I miss their easygoing attitude, I miss going around in t-shirt and shorts in November and December, having the sea always in front of me, lots of green in the surrounding, plenty of animals everywhere. I miss, I miss... too many things to list them all!
Today's post, in addition to being only in English (it has to be so!), is going to be a walk through my best memories, even though I have already written about the main parts of my Exchange. I'm sorry, but this is going to be a quite long post!
When I chose to become an exchange student, I
didn’t expect this experience to really change my life, to touch my heart so
deeply nor to take a part of me away when I had to leave Australia.
When I chose to become an exchange student, I made this choice especially because I wanted
my language to improve and become more and more fluent.
What I found was different because the main part of my exchange
have been the people I’ve met, people that became part of me, and the amazing experiences I have had thanks to them.
Before leaving Italy, I obsessed
everyone I knew with my trip, I couldn’t get my head around the fact that it was
really going to happen because it seemed so far in time, even two days before
stepping on the plane. It seemed like I had ages to decide that I didn’t want
to go, but it never happened because I knew I really wanted to and I was
looking forward it.
Then, the 6th of July arrived and everything was ready: the bags
full in the room, all the Goodbyes said... and there I was... on a car driving to Malpensa airport.
I was kind of shaking inside, even though I seemed calm and excited outside,
but I wasn’t regretting my choice. I was simply worried something would go
wrong and my dream would turn out to be just that, a dream.
Then at the airport all the students were excited, I hugged and waved to my parents while walking down the stairs with my bestfriends and all the others.
One year ago, I was with
my host family, Marco and Rebecca, which actually became like a real family to me. I always felt loved and accepted and like one of them. And it was great, really. Because when I left, I didn't know what I would have and what I found turned out to be just a lot better that I could have ever imagined. We did so many things, they showed me places, introduced me to people and to proper camping (loved it, by the way!) and spent a lot of time together. I didn't expect to feel this way, I guess nobody does before experiencing it, but the bond that you can create in five months is unbelievable. And I miss them now, a lot.
Obviously, I can't forget Magrat, "my" beautiful cat :) Even though we ended up arguing a few times, I absolutely fell in love with her!
One year ago, I had some incredibly wonderful friends.
One of the
biggest fears of an exchange students is, usually, to not find friends and not
be accepted by other people at school. I wasn’t any different, as when I got to
Cairns I was
definitely scared at the idea and hoped I could blend in with Aussies. After
the first two weeks, during which I stayed with a group that didn’t really care
about me at all, I found my friends. The girls,
as I call them when I talk about them as a group, are the best friend someone, exchange student or not, could imagine and they made me feel loved and happy
all along. Hannah, Fiona, Melissa, Mithma, Olivia, Hao (long-term exchange from China)... I miss all of them so much now! Sometimes at night I think about all we did together and it seems to me like a dream, I can't believe it was truly me living all those things, but it was, I know, and they all marked me a lot.
Before
them, though, I had already met Anna, an exchange student from Germany, who
became one of my closest friends ever. There were also other exchanges students I met, but the two most important ones for me were, of course, Carla and Marianna, both Italian, who made such good friends that we are still very close now that we are all back home. It was awesome to have people like the three of them with me, people who understood what I was going through because it was the same for them.
The girls weren't my only friends, however. At school there was also Maya, form my
graphics and maths class, Jaiti, from physics, Ray Lee, Tess, John, Brandon, Grant, Oliviero, Jake, Ashley, Hoana.
And out of school, well, there were all the people from
circus school, over all Zara, Nina and Renée, who made my afternoons at the Tanks Art Centre even greater than they already were.
But, over all, there were Sienna and Lorenza, two
sweet sisters with whom I got on perfectly and really grew close to!!! They are the daughters of a family friend and they often came over to the house for dinner, Sing Star nights, BBQs; we also had a lovely sleepover once :-D
One year ago, I had all the kids. Even though
I’ve always loved children, I’ve never really had too many around all at once.
While I was in Australia
it was different because I could count at least five or six children being
often with me! None of them actually lived with us but, being family’s friends,
they came and visited regularly, allowing me to play with them and enjoy their
company. Sometimes, it was even me asking to invite them over to see them or to
go to their places. I definitely loved all of them and always thought it was great fun to be
with them, even if I actually had a bit of a favourite of course! I still don’t know what I did so that they all liked me so
easily, but apparently I’ve been lucky because they enjoyed staying with me as
well. I loved every time they came for a meal or for a sleepover or for
Halloween because I had the chance to play longer and do different things
together :-)
One year ago, I attended a school which was a real pleasure and every day here, even though I'm enjoying school more than I used to in the past, I remember how much I loved doing the subjects I had chosen myself (especially Biology and Photography)!
When I first started attending Cairns State High School, I was asked to write a short presentation for the school newsletter, so here it is, I'll show it to you:
Hi
everybody!
I’m Martina
Lattore, from Turin.
It’s a big city in the north-west of Italy which is famous for special
chocolate called “Gianduiotti” and its huge Mole Antonelliana.
I arrived
here only a few days ago and it’s all so new for me… but I came here to improve
my English, find out something about Australian culture and make new friends!
I’m staying here with you for five months, until the end of term 4 and then I’m
going back to Italy
to finish my high school there! Everything is very different: my school is
almost one third of Cairns High but it has the same number of students.
I’m really
happy I came here and I’m sure I’ll enjoy my time in Cairns, because I’ve
always wished to come here and dive near the Great Barrier Reef.
I never got to see the presentation published because I forgot to take my copy for that month, but I heard my friends saying it was there, so it was nice :) I ended up on the school newsletter again this year, by the way, with a short article by the International Coordinator saying I had come back for a visit and attended the Formal *-*
Here you go, I think I'll stop now or I'll end up crying.
Even though a whole year has gone since I came back from my Exchange (I can't say from australia in general, as I have been back), it still is very very important for me and I'm really glad I still am in contact with so many of the wonderful people I met. Before leaving Italy, I thought my Exchange was going to end with those five months. It didn't as you all know very well. The bonds I created while I was in Australia are still there, at least on my side, and will always be as it will never be over for me.
One last things before saying "bye bye" for today! It doesn't matter if they can't read this, but I want to say thank you again to everybody who has been part of my Exchange experience, my family and my friends, and to WEP as well, because maybe it wouldn't have been the same if I hadn't left with them.
Have a wonderful day!!
Marty xx
