My name is Caitlin.  I am fifteen years old and in tenth grade.  I live on a farm in Delray, West Virginia with my family and pets.  My mother, Jane, works as a medical assistant and my father, Kevin, has his own business.  I also have a brother, Jesse, who is eleven years old and in the 6^th grade.  In school I play tennis and take two foreign languages, Spanish and German.  Since Italian is like Spanish, I figured Italian wouldn’t be as hard as I thought. 

            Being a part of the Italian Exchange program would definitely benefit me as a student by learning a new and different language and seeing how their school curriculum differs to ours.  When I apply to colleges, having the exchange program on my transcript would be a definite plus.  My career plan is to join the CIA and spending time in another country would definitely improve my chances.  Just living in another country would be like a dream come true. 

            When the Italian students from Vercelli were in America, I had the opportunity to host one of them.  Having an exchange student and seeing how much they liked our country was really great.  I would want to return the favor by going over there and showing as much respect for their country as they did for ours.  I think it would also help me to see how spoiled we are in America.  We seem to forget that everyone does not live like we do.  Our freedom is sometimes forgotten.  Our exchange student was amazed at some of our cultures. 

            I have seen pictures and read a lot about Italy and this exchange program.  The Alps make our mountains seem like hills.  The country looks so beautiful, I can’t wait to see it with me own eyes.  The history and art are something we can’t comprehend.  Everything there is thousands of years old and in perfect condition.  The churches and museums will be amazing to see. 

            Traveling to Italy with the exchange program would be a life altering experience.  It would change my views about the whole world, with America being such an independent country.  I would also like to see how the other countries of the world feel about the United States and about the situations we have gone through. It would give me a chance to see the world through my eyes, because watching it through the television screen just doesn’t amount to actually being there.