Beatrice, a university student from Milan, Italy joins the GlobalExchangebuddy Campaign launched by ExchangeBuddy, shares with all students how she immersed her exchange programme in 2017 in Sandpoint, which she describes to be ‘a pretty small but tremendously cute town in the north of Idaho’. She also expresses that “I will be posting pictures of my journey describing my emotions, trips and adventures in order to give you useful tips, to make you want to move away and start a new life from the bottom like I did. Because remember, exchange is not a year in a life but a life in a year!” as she tookover ExchangeBuddy’s Instagram for one week :

PLACEMENT
On August the 26th, I left Milan, the city I spent most of my life in and the friends and family I grew up with in order to start an adventure in another continent, country and family I knew nothing about.
As soon as I got told I was going to spend 10 months in Sandpoint, Idaho I got so excited.
Sandpoint is a pretty small town in the north of Idaho, its population is around 7 thousand people, it lies on the shores of Idaho’s largest lake (Lake Pend Oreille) and is also surrounded by the most beautiful major mountain ranges in the whole world.
The breathtaking landscapes, the clear environment, the weather (cold for the most of the seasons) makes Sandpoint one of the most amazing places I have ever seen.
My host parents’ house was located pretty close to the center of the city and the school, so it was easy to reach even without a car.
Sandpoint’s downtown is full of cute stores, restaurants, boutiques and parks like City Beach, where you can enjoy swimming, boat riding, beach lounging and fishing in the lake, basketball and volleyball sand courts and more.
In winter time you can buy a skii pass and go skiing, sleigh riding and snowboarding every weekend, up on Schweitzer, the largest resort in Idaho.

HOST FAMILY 
My host family has overall been pretty great: my host dad, Daniel, is a 27 years old engineer and my host mum, Erica, is 29 and works in a pain clinic near the high school.
With me there was another exchange student hosted by them, Moritz, a 16 years old german guy from Dortmund.
We all got along pretty much the whole time we were there, it was nice to have a “brother”, someone that was on the same page as me and that I could share my adventure with!

TIPS 
1) As soon as you know where you are going to go for your exchange and who you are going to be with, make sure you check on the internet all the information about place and family: you will need to know what you have to fill your luggage with, if it’s hot make sure you bring some swimsuits, if it’s cold (like in Idaho) make sure you bring some warm clothes and your skii stuff!

2) Don’t forget that your new host family chose you over other students: behave, make them dinner, be nice and they will be nice to you!

3) Do not have expectations. You will love wherever you are going to stay and whatever you’re going to do. Everyone will want to get to know you, so don’t worry, be happy and carefree!

SCHOOL
I got to attend Sandpoint High School (SHS) in Sandpoint,USA, in years 2016 – 2017 as a senior.
As pretty much all of you know, in America there are 4 years of high school: you start in grade 9 as a freshmen, grade 10 sophomore, grade 11 junior and you finish in grade 12 as a senior.
In Italy there are 5 years of high school and since I left Milan at the end of my third year, I got to graduate in Idaho!

The American high school is exactly how we are used to see in movies: fun, colorful, with a happy environment and honestly way easier than what I was used to. Teachers and students are nice, always willing to help and support you.
There are lots of fun classes and courses, such as drama, glass blowing, culinary art, pottery etc..
Once a month we used to have an assembly, during which everyone was wearing red and white clothes in order to show some school spirit.
It’s crazy how I used to wake up in a good mood every morning thanks the idea of going to such an amazing school.

FRIENDS 
I found it really easy to make friends during my exchange in Idaho.
First off, I’m not shy, I’m friendly and extroverted so that probably helped me, but it was definitely surprising how everyone was interested in getting to know me.
I honestly never felt alone and I’m blessed for all the people I got to spend some quality time with during my journey, because without them it wasn’t going to be the same, for sure!


TIPS 
1) If you happen to be a senior like me during your exchange, make sure you will be given an actual diploma during your graduation: it will give you the opportunity to attend the university abroad right away, if not, you’ll be given a “honorary certificate” which still counts as a diploma, but you won’t be able to sign up for the university abroad.
2) Don’t be shy. Teachers know you’re foreign and they’re willing to help you in any case, so don’t feel bad if you’re having a hard time, you will always have someone by your side.
3) Everyone will want to get to know you. You’re new in the school, you’re from another country, you speak another language, you have an accent…you’re cool! Don’t be afraid to step out your comfort zone, it’s time to introduce yourself and make new friends!
4) Distance means so little when someone means so much: the day you’ll see your friends that live in the other side of the world again will be the best day of your life so don’t give up on it, keep in touch, they won’t forget you and you won’t forget them.

ACTIVITIES
During my exchange in Idaho I got to try lots of new outdoor activities that I’ve never experienced before, since I‘ve been living all my life long in a big city.
During fall, I went camping and hunting for the first time with my host family. If you’re wondering if you can go camping with babies, the answer is a resounding YES! It was the perfect time to purchase those Hunting Rifles for Sale. I had to spend an entire week in the nature, sleeping in a tent during the night and going hunting elk  during the day. It was fun!
I also noticed that these Toyota Motorhomes for sale are highly sought after by campers for their fuel efficiency.
In winter time, as I already mentioned in the previous posts, I used to go basically every weekend skiing and snowboarding. All of my friends were there so it was definitely more fun!
When the weather started getting warmer, I got to try fishing and crabbing: it was honestly not as easy than I thought!

SPORTS 
As soon as I got to Sandpoint I started soccer season in the high school.
I joined the JV team, I really enjoyed playing with those girls!
We used to practice in a park close to the high school 2 hours a day, in order to be ready for the games.

Soccer games used to happen almost once a week, sometimes in Sandpoint and sometimes in other towns.

With the weather getting colder, we couldn’t practice outside anymore, so at the end of October I started basketball season.

I had so much fun with my team, they were great, friendly and always available. We used to practice either in the high school gym or in the middle school’s one.
We didn’t only have games in Idaho, we also went to Montana and Washington state! To put a wager on such games, fans can head out to sites like 제왕카지노.

TIPS
1) Even if you don’t like sports, I highly recommend you to join teams in the high school: it’s imporant and useful because you are going to make a lot of friends and you will end up knowing almost all the people at school!
2) Don’t be afraid to try new things. Step out your comfort zone and be opened to whatever your host family propose you.
3) If you don’t feel like doing something they do, talk to them, they will explain to you why is that important and you will probably change your mind!

DANCES 
During the school year I got to experience the American dean going to Homecoming and Prom dance: the first one happens at the beginning of the school year and the second one at the end of it.
Homecoming dance is for all the students at the high school, Prom is just for seniors. Girls talk about the black prom gowns they’ll buy for prom.
In Italy it’s not common to have dances at the beginning and at the end of the school year so I found extremely special and fun being able to experience such a cool thing!
You can either go with friends as a group or with a date. In the second case, you usually get “proposed” to the dance in a cute way: your date can either write a poster, give you flowers, etc.
When I was in Sandpoint, Homecoming dance happened in September and it was at the high school common room.
Prom, instead, happened in April and it was in a cute place in downtown.
During dances alcohol is not allowed, there’s a dress code (boys usually have to wear tuxedos and girls dresses) and there are some teachers wondering around.
Almost at the end of the dance, Homecoming/Prom queen and king are elected and they get to dance together in the middle of the dance floor.
I really enjoyed being able to go to both of the dances, where I made lots of amazing memories with amazing people!

GRADUATION 
Being a senior in my American high school gave me the possibility to graduate and get a diploma.
Senior year usually lasts less then the other years of high school: when seniors are finally done with finals, they get their caps and gowns and they have graduation practice at school, during which they get ready for the big day.
I graduated on June the 9th, class of 2017.
Everyone was wearing the red and white caps and gowns and we were all paired to the person we were walking with in front of all the parents and friends.
Once they call your name, you walk past principles and teachers who give you your diploma.
I consider it one of the most exciting day of my life!

TIPS 
1) In America, school dances are important and everyone take them pretty seriously: ordering drasses, formal suits, expensive cars, nice restaurants is what you are going to be doing. Don’t procrastinate, be organized and get your dress on time!
2) Don’t worry if you don’t find a date, it’s not a big deal. You are definitely going to have fun anyways spending time and dancing with your friends!
3) Graduation Day is what every senior is waiting for. Be ready because you are probably going to cry, it’s a really emotional moment, but don’t forget to smile for pictures! ♥️

TRIPS
During my exchange I got to travel a lot, especially during spring break.
My host parents planned a trip that lasted 10 days total, during which we went to Portland and New Port in Oregon, Vancouver and Seattle in the state of Washington.
I had so much fun, the company was great and the places were stunning.
I got to experience how to crab in the most famous port in New Port, I got to walk around the amazing Portland and I got to go shopping in the big Seattle.
Sometimes on the weekends I used to go to Spokane, the closest big city in Washington from Idaho, where I used to go shopping, parties and for “Bloomsday”, an important marathon that happened in May.
When my exchange year came to an end, my Italian mum and my Italian sister came all the way to Sandpoint to “pick me up”, in order to start another fantastic and fun road trip, from Idaho to Boston.
I visited Yellowstone Park in Wyoming where I took picture near geysers, then we went to South Dakota where we got to see Mount Rushmore, then to Canada (Ontario, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto) and finally to Boston in Massachusetts.

 TIPS
1) Traveling is fun but really tiring. Make sure you pack all of your stuff and bring your headphones and a book because you are going to spend a lot of times in cars/trains/planes.
2) Take tons of pictures. You really don’t want to forget what you see. It’s important to make memories!

And here I am, one year later.
Leaving hasn’t been easy at all. I had to say goodbye to the place that became my second home and, most importantly, the people that made it my second home.
Today I’m proud to say that thanks to that amazing experience I changed, for the better, I grew up, I got more indipendent and open-minded and that I know I will never be alone because I will always be surrounded by tons of special people from all over the world.
I highly suggest you all to try and step out your comfort zone, at least once, push yourself out there and I’m sure you won’t regret it!
It has been magical, I would do everything all over again!♥  #GLOBALEXCHANGEBUDDY

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