The Italian Exchange trip is something that I have been quite fascinated by since my beginning knowledge of the trip as a freshman. Several of my friends have gone, and returned with so many wonderful things to share with their classmates and fellow citizens of our country. I would like to be able to do the same. I realize that this trip to Italy would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and experience for me to not only learn about but witness first-hand the beauty and authenticity of another country. 

            Italian Exchange students come to our school, annually, to spend several weeks learning about our culture. I always look forward to their coming and try my best to take every opportunity to talk to them, learn from them, and make them feel welcome. I love learning about their culture and how their lives are somewhat different, while the same in that we are all teenage students, only with different backgrounds and ways of life. I also enjoy watching them as they learn about our culture and enjoy sharing with them about the way we live here, in America. I have always marveled at how they can come here, so far away from their homes, to live and learn. I would like to put myself in their place and experience what they do, first-hand.

            I know that if I were granted the opportunity to go on the Italian Exchange trip, I would see many beautiful landforms, landmarks, cultural buildings, and all sorts of things important to Italian society and their history. This would be fascinating and something that I would enjoy immensely and certainly not take for granted.

            When I returned home, I would certainly share with my family and friends about all that I saw and experienced. It would be an experience that I would want to share with everyone around me…even years from now. I would do my best to teach others about the things that I learned so that they may share in my newfound knowledge of Italy.

            I believe that this trip would better help me to understand our country as well as theirs, thus enhancing me as a student and making me more appreciative of our education and our country. It would also help me as an individual, to be more open-minded and willing to share and learn about other cultures. It would help me grow, giving me a new maturity that I may not have had before I left to live three weeks in a place completely unknown by myself. As a global citizen, I would be more empathetic and open to other ways of life, ideas, and ways of living due to cultural differences.

            If I attend the Italian Exchange VI, I know that it will be an opportunity of a lifetime, one that is rewarding and will never be forgotten.

            My name is Casey. I am seventeen years old, and I am a senior at Hampshire High School in Romney, West Virginia, USA. I live at home with my parents, James and Debbie, and my little brother, Justin, who is nine years old. In my spare time I enjoy my membership of Harmony Show Choir, in which I sing and dance. My friends and family are very important to me. Along with spending time with my family and friends, I enjoy watching movies, reading, writing for the school newspaper (of which I am an editor), and spending time on the computer. I like all types of foods, except beans, and I enjoy trying new things and making new friends. After high school, I plan to attend college and study in the field of Psychology.