I can’t thank anyone/everyone enough for allowing me to go on this past year's Italian Exchange. It was the greatest experience of my life. I learned so much about a different culture, food, and languages than I ever even expected to learn. Everything was better than I had suspected it to be. It opened my eyes to so many new and exciting things. I feel that now, as a result, I am a much more open-minded human being.

            Three weeks went by so fast when we were in Italy. We did so many fun things and saw so many fantastically historical sites. I learned so much. When I first got there I was really worried about making it to places on time. But after a little while, I decided not to stress about the little things and just have a good time; take in every pertinent aspect, and that is exactly what I did.

            But that is hardly giving you reason to let me go back. I feel that I should be given the chance to return to the Western European continent so I can expand my knowledge of this vast country. Not just Italy, I want to venture out and explore more of Germany, Switzerland and the rest of progressive Europe. We went to parts of Switzerland on this past year's exchange, but it was only for one day. One day is not enough to get a feel for the country's culture.

            I am still amazed at how common people in Europe know to speak 3 different languages (on average as opposed to our one) and can speak them fluently. They don't stress learning a different language enough in this country. Now I am more motivated to learn more languages and practice them. I am taking German at the high school level, and I think being in Germany would be a good opportunity for me to practice linguistic skills.

            Besides experiencing how people live in Italy, I also learned a lot about art and literature. Everything was new to me. I had never seen art displayed in such a way before. It was everywhere. In the schools, students are reading and understanding literature so much better than I ever have. It was such an eye opener. The open-mindedness of teachers in Europe to artistic talent(s) puts to shame what we are permitted to express here in America. This country of ours seems determined to squelch any expression that could possibly challenge the validity of our foreign policy.

            I think that sometimes you don’t notice/feel change until you are seriously and physically away from it’s potential. When I returned from Italy, I was much more aware of what I had learned and suspected was true about international reality. Mrs. Hott and Mr. Moore(and the Bailes) did a good job by making learning fun. Before I left for Europe my thinking was that America was right-tracked in its effort to control things. When Prime Minister Berlusconi of Italy made moves to keep the battlefield truths from being discovered, I felt the same thing was happening in America with our media.

            While in Italy this past year, I got to play indoor soccer on my host’s team. I really enjoyed it because in America I play soccer on the high school soccer team. Also, I like to play the guitar, trumpet, and piano. I am very into music (pretty much everything from ska to some metal), and I just recently started reading books about art. I am involved in the Drama Club and I attend the First United Methodist Church (memeber of the Youth Group).