Hi, I'm Sabrina and I'm an exchange student. This year I was going to attend the 4AT and instead I was able to fulfill my dream of going to the United States to study. I was chosen by a young family from Minnesota, which is the second coldest State after Alaska, and I already have snow and thermometers that mark -10 degrees since October.
My family consists of 43-year-old parents, 2 wonderful girls aged 9 and 7 and a very lovely 3-year-old boy.
Just saying this you can imagine what a new, exhilarating and frightening adventure I have begun.
A new world, a different language, different habits, different food, temperature and religion, plus small children that I didn't know how to deal with.
The exchange year puts you in front of many difficulties: you are alone and so you start to get involved, to mature, you learn to adapt, to have fun with children and to make new friends even among adults.
I have lived typical American experiences, such as Halloween in which I trick-or-treating–in the snow–with the children dressed as a mummy.
For Thanksgiving they took me to Illinois, where I lived for 4 days in the middle of the countryside, where I saw a lynx roaming around the garden, where they took me on the wine cellar tour, and where we cooked 3 different types of turkeys.
And, after decorating the house with typical American Christmas decorations, we had a party with Santa Claus. All the families in the neighborhood came to our house and, while the adults talked to each other, the children sat on Santa's lap to express their wishes.
At the beginning it wasn't easy but now, after 3 months, I feel more integrated.
The school where I'm studying, however, is not a normal American school with a football and baseball team. Being a dancer, I get to attend an art school in Saint Paul. In my school we study academic subjects, such as Mathematics, English language, Anatomy, and American government, but every day we dedicate 3 hours to an art form. Students choose between Dance, Theater, Musical Theater, Visual Arts, Creative Writing, Vocal, and Instrumental. It also offers many opportunities to work with professionals in the field, since all of the art teachers are working professionals in their fields as well as teaching.
I have still been able to attend typical sports games, such as football, baseball, and basketball, since my host dad is a sports fan and he brings me with him to games.
Being an exchange student is certainly an experience that requires courage and the desire to try new things without being afraid of being judged, and it will not always be easy. But thanks to these falls you learn to get up stronger than before.
Sabrina Pin