I guess I would like to start off with, Why wouldn’t you want to take the opportunity to go Italy. I mean come on three weeks away from your parents and school to experience another country and culture. I wouldn’t want to miss it. I was very fortunate to be chosen to participate in Exchange 2004 and it was truly wonderful. It was everything that I thought that it would be and more. The journey or the trip, however you like to put it was the time of my life. I learned so much about a different culture and so much about my self in a short period of three weeks it was amazing.

Although, Mrs. Hott says this is not a vacation it seemed like it. We did learn a lot, but had a lot of fun. The best way to learn stick 21 students from Hampshire High, 4 chaperones, put them on a plan to Italy and you got yourself a great experience. I learned that Italians are really no different than us. Yes, the language is different, but there are really no huge differences between us. I really loved to learn about how important art and history is to the Italian culture. They both go hand and hand and seem to be the center that their culture sits on. The Catholic religion also seems a very important thing to them. One thing that thought was interesting to learn is how old is old. In America old dates back to the 1600’s or the 1700’s, but old to them is like 1100 or even the Ancient Roman times. It fascinates me that things that are so old are still standing and look good. For example the Ancient Roman ruins in an important official building in Turin, also the Roman gate in Aosta. Something that I thought was very interesting was that the only gothic Cathedral in Italy in the one In Milan that is also the third largest in the world. One word to say about the food delicious. Gelato is the greatest in Italy; I couldn’t get enough of it. I think a couple times I had it 2 times in one day.

I really think that this trip helped me grow as a person. I learned a lot about myself in three weeks. I didn’t know that I could be away from my parents for three weeks because I am very close to them. I didn’t know that I could be around 21 people that I wasn’t friends with, but I made 4 very good friends in the group and had a blast with them. I wasn’t sure that I could make up all the work either, but I did that too. I shouldn’t have tried to defeat myself before I started. I did everything that I thought I couldn’t do and did it better than I thought that I would. I gained more confidence and self-esteem on the trip to. This trip was also a great educational learning experience for me. I learned so much about Italian culture, music, and art. The archaeological dig that we did was fun and very interesting. One of the things I really enjoyed was the Egyptian museum, The Last Supper Painting, and the Museum of Cinema. Egyptian artifacts and history has always fascinated me, so it was very interesting to see so many mummies and neat statues of important officials of Egyptian history.

This trip was so wonderful in so many ways to me I don’t think this essay is enough to describe all the great times and neat things about Italy. I would suggest to anyone that if you have the chance to apply for this trip do it. Believe me you will not regret it. Whatever worries that you have forget about them because if you do get chosen to go, once you do get to Italy you will be having such a great time you will not have anytime to worry about anything. If you still are uneasy just talk to Mrs. Hott or Mr. Moore they will gladly be able to help you, I know they did for me. Now I am proud to say that I am a global citizen and can share all of my wonderful experiences with others. I am so happy that I took a chance and filled out an application and went on this trip. It was something that I will never regret and will cherish for the rest of my life. I really would also want to go again because the Exchange 2005 is supposed to go to the Black Forest and that is where some of my ancestors are from, plus Andrea will be our bus driver again. (He can drive me bus anytime.) Now why wouldn’t I want to go again? I want to, so let’s go!