08/19/2016
AFSer's Storie #4 : Giulia, Italy to Germany, 2013-2014 :)
"It's been about seven months, I decided to go abroad and I started without knowing the most important thing in my life. I think this has been one of the decisions that has most impacted my life in a positive way of course.
Since before I left I tried to talk to the largest possible number of people who had already lived the exchange, just to go, in some way or another, better prepared, having an idea of what I expected. Everyone told me "it's going to be the best year of your life" and they didn't know how else to explain it. I could say that I'm already in the final stage of my year of exchange, and now I get it all. This is an experience like no other, and it is impossible to explain, it is necessary to experience it in order to truly understand what it is and how it affects you as a person. I see why all when it comes to describe it they couldn't find words enough to express themselves. From the beginning I didn't know what to expect, I had certain expectations, some ideas in my mind of how it would be the people, the space, the atmosphere, everything. But when I saw it was just the opposite. It's better to leave without no expectations, no provisions, since in this way is easier to absorb it all.
When you get all I felt was emotion, I was looking forward to start figuring it all out. One of my biggest fears was to be alone, but I had the joy from the first day at school to find a great group of friends, which is growing every day. And now I find myself with a wonderful family. Although I can't deny that to be a whole year away from your family, friends, your habits, out of what you know and you're used to seeing every day, it is very difficult.
During the period that I've been here I've been able to live the roller coaster of emotions that everyone's always talking about. And I believe that thanks to all of these people who have entered my life, the moment I touched down, I didn't fall so hard. I don't know if you know what I'm talking about, but there is a "feeling friday", The could call it that way, in which you feel like any other day as if it were a Friday-today feels like Friday, not?- Well, that's how I thought I had a "feeling" exchange and I imagined myself already in Germany. In these months I've been able to go to create my own feeling exchange and it's even better than how I imagined it in my head.
Today I can say with certainty that the exchange year has been the best thing that ever happened to me in life. I can't deny that it has been a difficult year, I've lived a little bit of everything. My best memories have been formed here, as well as some of the difficult moments. But at the end of the day, are all these experiences which will help to make this year incredibly unforgettable.
A year of exchange, that's all I have and more. Discover a new culture, a new language, you will make friends from all parts of the world, friends for life. A year in which you'll grow up and know you as a person, you'll change completely in the best way possible, you'll learn things about yourself that you didn't know you had before, your limits and capabilities.
At the end of the day you do a whole other life in another country. The country that before we left, he looked like a distant dream will become your second home and you left your heart in there for life."
