“I left to discover the world, but in the end I discovered myself”

It seemed one of the many slogans of Intercultura and yet this trip to France made me discover a part of myself that I did not know. I, who had never travelled before but with my parents, was able to face this new experience without much difficulty. The city that had hosted me in Annecy, “the Venice of Savoy”. Its landscape alternates between plains and wooded hills and the lake are bordered by an extraordinary nature where there are equipped beaches and vast meadows.

Thanks to my determination I tried to adapt to every single change, everything was totally different: the language, the climate, the culture, the school, the food, etc… Often nostalgia and insecurity took over, but now I’m sure that those were the most important days because I had the strength and the desire to make it, to react, to overcome every single problem, And every time I did, I realized how much I was growing, how smart I was, and I could do it. On my side, I had the fortune to stay with a host family different from the stereotypes you have about French families. They always made me feel at home and above all part of the family. With them, I spent three months between trips, acquainted with relatives and friends, and had so much fun.

There I attended the second year of a very large private Catholic school called “Saint Michèle”, in which there was a theater, a library, a canteen, a cafeteria, a church, a tennis court, a volleyball court, the infirmary, and various laboratories. Classes started at 8:00 and ended at 17:30. I socialized easily with my classmates, while the French teachers are not very empathetic as the Italian teachers, they limit themselves to explaining without ever pausing to socialize with the students. They noticed my presence only because I showed up, otherwise, they probably would have noticed it only if they read an Italian name on the list.

After three months, I returned to Italy to continue my life and I feel every day the lack of a strictly perfect city, a more open mind, and what had become my routine of life.

Today I see myself differently, I see myself as able to take my future into my hand and for this reason, I thank my school, my professors, and my parents who gave me the opportunity to discover myself.